Courage in Giving Up

"Winners never quit and quitters never win."

Yes, yes, I know you've heard that line million times already.

If you think life is a battle, well, then, "maybe" you are on the right path if you think that quitting is synonymous with losing.

But let me tell you something...

Life is not a battle. It is not a game. Here is my take on that matter.  In a game (or a battle), there is always a winner and a loser.  Very seldom are "draws."  But such is not in life.  We all know that we could all be winners in this life. We have the every right and the capacity to be winners.  People who believe otherwise either do not believe in God or believe that God is biased - favoring some over the others.

Life is not always about taking chances but rather making choices.  It is not always the survival of the strongest but that of the fittest.  Those who survive are not necessarily the strongest, most of the times it is the one who knows how to adapt well.

Life is a about making decisions.  Lots of it.  You don't have to be the strongest, you only need to know where to put your strengths.

If your circumstances seems unfavorable, does it mean you have to end up the loser?  Of course not.  So what you do is turn things around.  And more often than not, what seemed unfavorable will eventually turned to become a happy ending.  Would you say because you have been more favored or stronger or smarter that you've succeeded?  Do you mean that others are less favored, weaker and dumb?  Then you are showing impartiality and for me, it doesn't make sense celebrating in such kind of success or victory in life.

As you can see my friend, life is an adventure of ups and downs.  Success and failures.  But at the end of it all, it is not what we went through but what we learned that truly matters.  There are things that are simply inevitable, and there are things we should rather accept than fight.

Not because you have been doing, enjoying or getting things your way for the longest time it means that that could not end.  No matter how great things maybe, there will always be a certain point in time where it will have to end, or less painful, change. And more often than not, it is really difficult to let go of things you've learned to love - things that became part of yourself.

But do not despair. What may seemed to be an end could only be the start of a new beginning.  So when life is pushing you very, very hard and you've done your very best, but still things are going the opposite way, think again.  Maybe the perfect thing for you is to simply "throw in the towel."  Yes, there's nothing wrong with quitting.  Let me repeat that, there's nothing wrong with quitting.  What's wrong is to keep on doing things that doesn't make sense anymore.  Addictions to material things, procrastination, lack of discipline and the likes, these are things worth giving up.  Continuous self-pity and self-hatred should not linger for too long.  Surrender these things.  It is better to give up than to give in.

I don't want to sound like a preacher here because I'm not.  I know you know that deep within you there are things worth surrendering, worth giving up.  Don't try to fight it on your own.  You don't have to prove how strong you are.  God knows how much capable you are to conquer every trials you are facing.  He created you.  And as much as He know how able you are, He simply wants you to realize that like opening a treasure chest, you have to find the perfect key.  And that key could only be found in Him - when you surrender to Him.

Friends, if you dare accept to give up these things, you should know to whom you should surrender.  Surrender only to the One who can make you even more victories - God.

So, what are those things that you think you really have to let go?  Lift them up to God. Surrender to Him and be even more victorious.  It is time to lighten your loads, BE MORE and Life the Good Life.

  

What Constitutes a Good Life? by Jim Rohn

Let me share with you an article from the jimrohn.com website.  It is on the net and free for all to see, so I guess I am not doing anything illegal by posting the article here. All credits go to Mr. Jim Rohn and to jimrohn.com.

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The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home. Here's the ultimate expression of life in my opinion, and that is living the good life. Here's what we must ask constantly, "What for me would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list. A list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation. What would constitute a good life? I've got a short list.

1) Number one, productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. We must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity. What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it—to try your hand. Other people have tried their hand; here's what they did. You try your hand to see what you can do. So part of life is productivity.

2) Next are good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world. Don't deny yourself the time to develop this support system. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit. Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. A few years ago, I lost one of my dearest friends. He died at age 53—heart attack. David is gone, but he was one of my very special friends. I used to say of David that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly and if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a friend. Somebody who would come and get you. Now we've all got casual friends. And if you called them they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me and we'll have a party." So you've got to have both, real friends and casual friends.

3) Next on the list of a good life is your culture. Your language, your music, the ceremonies, the traditions, the dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. In fact it is the uniqueness of all of us that when blended together brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4) Next is your spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach. Don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature; it's what makes us who we are, different from dogs, cats, birds and mice. Spirituality.

5) Next, here's what my parents taught me. Don't miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go to everything you possibly can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can. This has served me so well to this day. Just before my father died at age 93, if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11:00 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church, he was somewhere every night.

Live a vital life. Here's one of the reasons why. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well it will show in your face, it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6) Next are your family and the inner circle. Invest in them and they'll invest in you. Inspire them and they'll inspire you. With your inner circle take care of the details. When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers. Little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho. So Papa would go there and have breakfast and I'd call him just to give him a special day. Now if I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but it only took five minutes, ten minutes. So I'd call Papa and they'd bring him the phone. I'd say, "Papa, I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear. “My son's calling me from Israel!” I'd say, "Papa, last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." Now everybody knows the story. It only took five or ten minutes, but what a special day for my father, age 93.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body, he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with the inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity. Here's the greatest value. The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest, one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love. Better to live in a tent on the beach with someone you love than to live in a mansion by yourself. One person caring for another, that's one of life's greatest expressions.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

Shaken Not Stirred: As Solid As A Rock

"Shaken not stirred."   That's just one of the famous lines of world's most known spy, James Bond a.k.a Agent "Double-O Seven" (007).  Of course he referred that line to his favorite Vodka Martini.
Do you think that it could also apply to real life?

In simple terms, let us define them.

Shaken - "Disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock"

Stirred - "Being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion.  Mixed"

Hmmm.. doesn't make any significant difference at all, does it? I think being shaken means being disturbed while being stirred means acting based on emotions, being pushed around unreasonably and illogically.

Let us take a closer look.  James Bond, as most of us know, could face and overcome all kinds of troubles and dangers and accomplish superhuman feats, either using his wits or his latest gadgets.  We have seen him experienced harrowing experiences that would definitely shake every average human being.  But despite of all those saddening and literally painful experiences, he remained true to his oath of service to his government and to his missions.  No matter what happens, Bond always completes his assignments by isolating himself from the situation. He is very seldom moved by the emotions attached to it, enabling him to judge rightly and think accurately as warranted by every situation.  He is shaken, yes, but not stirred.

But that was 007, a fictional character, human, flawed like you and me.

There is, however, someone who had shown a true meaning of being "Shaken but not Stirred."  This man is a Carpenter who lived thousands of years ago before us.  His name is Jesus.   Jesus was disturbed by what was happening to the world during that time.  Evil doings were rampant.  Dishonor and disobedience to God were everywhere.  People were living in sin.   He thought that it was the right time to  come down to earth and bring these people back in the arms of the Almighty.  He was shaken.  His love for mankind moved Him to offer His own life as a ransom for every human's wrong doings.  Was He stirred?  No.  He was tempted not just a single time to abandon His mission.  But He never bent.  He was accused of treason, rebellion, blasphemy and even associated to the devil himself.  He was  arrested, persecuted, crucified and killed by the very people He saved.  He know all these would happen.  But was He stirred enough to abandon His mission? No.  Was He shaken by these things.  Yes.  We know that He wept for these people.  But He never gave up on them.  He never gave up on His mission.

Unlike James Bond, Jesus did not rely on His intelligence or gadgets.  He used His love for mankind to help Him accomplished what He was supposed to do.  His faith in humanity that somehow, someday, they would all return to their true God inspired Jesus to stick to His mission.

Jesus was shaken but was never stirred to abandon or take another path to His mission because His foundations are as solid as a rock.

In our daily lives, we also face situations where we are shaken and stirred.  More often than not, we tend to play the James Bond role, trying to overcome everything, relying on our own wits and abilities.  There's nothing wrong with that.  In fact, it signifies that we trust that which have been bestowed upon us.  However, the problem arises when we tend to rely too much on our self, forgetting that there's a greater source of power and relief.

Human sufferings and experiences will shake and stir us.  It's a given fact.  It can sway us away from the path we ought to take.  We're just humans after all, vulnerable to pain and mistakes.  But before we totally surrender to our opponents - the challenges of our lives, let us try to look for the example that Jesus have shown us 2000 years ago which still applies today.

Continue to nurture our love for one another.  Keep the faith in humanity alive.  Believe that pains and trials are not meant to hamper us in arriving at our destination but rather stepping stones that will help us reach higher and farther.  Each of us has at least one mission in life.  Find it.  Stick to it.  Have faith in God and in Jesus so that no matter what life may throw, though we may be shaken, we will not be stirred, because we know what we need to do and we know where we could anchor our faith as solid as a rock.

Enjoy the rest of the day!  Continue to BE MORE and Live the Good Life!

(The contents of this article are the author's personal views and opinions and his sole responsibility.)