Escaping Jealousy

by
2 comments

There will always be an opposition to your mission, and sometimes that opposition will take the form of someone who seems to have been born to make your life impossible. It might be your boss, or it might be a coworker. It might· be someone you consider a friend. It might even be someone in your family.

David knew about that. You remember David, the one who killed Goliath. But even before that, David had found favor with the Lord, and when God asked him to slay the giant, well, that was the last straw for David’s brother Eliab. Eliab started a whispering campaign to discredit David, to make David’s motives seem suspect, and to break up the good thing David had going on with God.

It happens all the time. Just because you are starting to get right, because you are starting to achieve the goals you want, because you are standing taller, somebody will try to mow you down. Jealousy and envy are next-door neighbors and are always talking over the back fence. Jealous people are resentful of what you’ve accomplished, envious of your success. Frequently they are afraid that they will be the losers if you are a winner. They want to deprive you of what you’ve gained or take away the things you find gratifying and satisfying. They are resentful and malicious, suspicious and bitter.

Such people may start to whisper about you behind your back, causing others to doubt you. Like Eliab, they may spread rumors about your true motives and disrupt relationships that you have built up among friends and colleagues. Jealous people do not “get you.” They don’t understand that you have a plan and a purpose that are not related to them. They may be envious that you have a plan at all. But just as often, they don’t even know why they are out to get you. That doesn’t make them any less destructive to your mission.

Throughout history, jealousy and envy have started wars, broken families and relationships, and halted destinies. Of course the poster child for jealousy and envy in the Bible is Lucifer, and I’m sure you’ve sometimes felt as though you were fighting the devil when someone like that starts to work against you.

The great danger is that your opposition begins to make you doubt yourself That is when your God idea comes to your aid. If you know your purpose and know that it is for the benefit of everyone, then you will not be shaken in your faith. David knew that his intentions were pure, so he ignored his brother. He realized that his brother was speaking from his own problems, not David’s. So David walked away from his brother and went to fight Goliath. He did not leave- his priority pathway, and he accomplished his destiny. Remember, your purpose is the big idea; it is the reason for everything you do. You may have passions for one thing or another, and you may have plans to accomplish one thing or another, but your purpose is the reason that you are here on earth. As long as that is for good, and as long as your passions and plans are in harmony with that purpose, then you know that you cannot be doing wrong.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Believing in Yourself

by
2 comments

There’s a huge difference between narcissism and self-confidence. Narcissism is a psychological condition characterized by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem. Self-confidence is defined as freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities.

How you handle disappointments and mistakes/failures will depend on your level of self-esteem. If you feel you are capable of assessing your own abilities and improvements, then you will be empowered to “bounce back” from your “setbacks”.

Understanding and acknowledging your unique God-given purpose in life will not only give you direction, but will give you a whole and pure self-confidence. It’s empowering. Self-confidence comes from the ability to keep trying, keep learning and keep caring despite your circumstances.

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” Malcolm S. Forbes

In the Bible, we read about a young boy named Joseph. He was the eleventh of twelfth sons born of Jacob and Rachel. When he was seventeen, he had a two dreams that would set the course for an adventurous and ultimately powerful destiny. Throughout his journey, he was sold into slavery, accused of trying to seduce his master’s wife, and left in prison. His belief in what God showed him and his self-confidence, firmly grounded in God led him to his highly coveted position of Vizier, placed in charge over “all the land of Egypt” by the Pharoah. He later helped, not only the entire land of Egypt to sustain itself throughout a famine, but was able to sustain his family and later open doors for his people.

Our dreams, our purpose, our destiny is not just for us to live a better life. It is set in place for us to make life better for those around us as well. It is interesting that when Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is, he states that we must love God and love our neighbors as ourself. Understanding that loving God, loving others and loving ourself are all extremely important and work together in unison. You can’t love God without loving yourself. You can’t love others without loving yourself. Healthy self-confidence is utterly integral to the success of not only seeing your dreams come true, but to finding fulfillment and strength throughout your spiritual journey.

CHALLENGE: Whether you take a formal Emotional Intelligence test or simply take some time to reflect on your strengths, it is important that we are honest about who we are and how we interact with our world. Write down 10 things you are amazing at. Think about when you noticed you were great at these things. Focus on what you’re good at and search for ways to use those talents to make life better for those around you.

Dress the part, walk a little faster, sit up straight, be thankful, compliment others and speak up.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Just Around the Corner

by
1 comment

Big things are in store. Big things are just around the corner. But they don’t just happen. We must prepare be ready for them.

In the Bible, Joseph became second in command over all Egypt. It didn’t just happen, it took a lifetime of preparation. It took him making the right choices and living in a way that was conducive to the lifestyle that was just around the corner. His family thought he was crazy. People around him thought he was crazy and just a dreamer. But, when the Pharoah put him in position, then it all seemed to happen overnight.

We have dreams. We have a gut feeling that something big is coming. But, if don’t get ready for it, when it comes, we won’t know what to do with it. I have many friends in the acting industry. I was talking with one of them the other day and he told me, before the Oscars finally came and the big roles were the norm, he would imagine himself in that role. He said he would practice being humble and kind to fans, before he even had any. When he finally became “famous”, he rolled right into it like it was second hat. He was ready and was able to humbly accept his new lifestyle.

Before your big thing even comes, begin to act the role now. Dress the part. Prepare your heart and keep your focus. Hold on to the dream, no matter what others tell you. And when it finally comes, be grateful and help others reach their dreams as well.

Joseph, once he was in position, ended up helping his family. He ended up helping his people. He didn’t turn his back on them just because they didn’t believe in him. He forgave them and provided a better way for them. He was able to serve others in the new position, because he had served others when he was in jail.

CHALLENGE: What can you do now, to ensure that you can handle what’s just around the corner? Write  down your dream and start dressing the part now.

Enhanced by Zemanta

The Land of Okay

by
3 comments

The Bible references a man by the name of Jabez, whose name literally meant “born in pain”. He was born into and through pain. He was “destined” to live a life a pain.

A name meant a lot in those days. They weren’t given lightly. They were given to tell a story or proclaim a future. They were so important that there are numerous accounts of individuals whose names were changed, symbolically changing their destiny. Jacob became Israel, Saul became Paul, Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter, Sarai to Sarah, Joseph to Barnabus, Benoni to Benjamin. Names were significant.

Jabez would have known that his name held a lot of weight in the direction for his life. The expectations for his life were set low. People’s expectations for us are not usually very high either.

When we were younger and we left the house to go out for the night, we were usually told, “be safe…don’t get into trouble”. We rarely hear, “Have the best night ever” or “Let me know how many people you inspire tonight”. People around us are usually satisfied with us making it through…getting by and being safe. They live in the Land of Okay and expect us to live there as well, quietly and without too much fuss.

With the New Year upon us, we must remember, there’s no magic in a new year. We must create something. We must actively pursue greatness. The question is, once we’ve realized our pain, our mediocre life in the Land of Okay, we must ask, “NOW WHAT?”

Jabez asks God to place His hand upon him. He understood God’s willingness to GUIDE, GUARD and GOVERN. He understood that merely wanting a better life was not enough. He wanted support. He wanted support from the God he had heard about. The God that blessed Abraham and the God that delivered Moses and the people of Israel. He wanted help from that same God.  He asked God to enlarge his influence, his resources, the expectations on his life…and it says, God did.

Our expectations for our own life need a paradigm shift. When we understand that we are not in this alone, we carry a certain weight on us in life. When I walk into a big meeting with executives and producers, I don’t walk in as the little brown kid who got stared at by every light-skinned person in my neighborhood growing up. I walk in knowing something. I walk in knowing that I have access to a God who changed my destiny, who changed the expectation for my life.

Hosea wrote that people are destroyed due to lack of knowledge. We must seek EDUCATION, INFORMATION and INSIGHT. But, it’s not enough to just know something, you must do something about it. You must actively pursue greatness. We must get our hustle on. And when we fail…get up and keep moving forward. The strength is not being perfect, the strength is in failing forward. When life hits you, getting back up is where you learn greatness. David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. He knew he wasn’t alone. David failed, but got back up and continued in his greatness.

Whether you’ve been in prison, divorced, had tremendous loss, made poor choices, or have simply been named “pain”, it’s up to you to do something about it. But you don’t have to do it alone. The same God that delivered Daniel from the lion’s den and raised Lazarus from the dead is there to guide you, guard you, and govern you to greatness.

When we realize our greatness and move forward in it, we will not only have a full life, but now we have become a hope for those around us in the Land of Okay. Our greatness is not just for us to selfishly enjoy. Our greatness is to give life to those around us. To live in such a way that provokes others to greatness.

Though we live in the Land of Okay, we are not required to live by its mediocre ways. We don’t have to be merely okay, we don’t have to live an almost life. We can live an utmost life. We can be more than okay. We can live a life of greatness.

This year, I challenge you to change your expectation. Change your outlook and get up and actively pursue greatness!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Imagination is Power

by
3 comments

How important is imagination? You’ll be amazed at what it can do. The way we think determines how we act. It says in the Bible, “For as a man thinks within himself, so is he.” Shakespeare wrote, ” Nothing is but thinking makes it so.” It’s not just an opinion, it’s a fact. When you center your thinking of an idea to the exclusion of everything else, that idea becomes a reality.

It’s a power that works both ways. If you thoughts are filled with fear and worry, your life will be unstable, anxious, and insecure. If you think only of the bad things that can happen, the good things will pass you by. If you think you don’t deserve to win, you’ll never come in better than second. And you won’t enjoy that.

It’s been said many times by many people, which only means that it’s probably true:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

We make our own reality. We make it every day in every way, sometimes when we don’t even realize that’s what we’re doing. The reason I’ve been so insistent that you should imagine your ideal future, envision it in the smallest detail you can think of, is because the more vividly you can see it and the attractive it is to you, the stronger its motivational power will be. You might call it willpower, and that’s OK, but it’s not a force that pushing you; it’s a power that you can control, and if you do, it will lead you in the direction you are aiming. You are in charge.

I’ve learned how effective imagination can be. I use it all the time now, even for things that seem wildly impossible, like finding a home for all the people on the streets in America, or solving the problem of street gangs in the inner city. Sometimes it’s refered to as “Design Thinking“, thinking outside the box. I know that I may not accomplish every single thing I imagine, but listen to this…I find that I come up with some ideas that help significantly. A lot of the work we do with StoreyDreams Foundation and other non-profit organizations came through this kind of dynamic thinking. When we started, we didn’t have any idea that major corporations, star athletes, and celebrities would all come together to help fight drugs, gangs, and other inner-city issues. But they did. So I say, go for it. Go for the gold, and don’t be surprised when you get it.

You may have attempted these exercises and decided that the whole project is hopeless. There are so many things to change and there’s so much work to do that you don’t have a prayer of reversing your behavior. I felt that way too for a while, but as my son learned in the first grade, the way to eat a hippopotamus is one bit at a time. Don’t think you’re going to change everything overnight. One bit at a time.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta