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.)

Goals on Track

Just a couple of days ago, I made something really funny and I am surprised until now of its effect.  But, before I tell what it is, or show rather you, I want you to take this step by step procedures for a short while.

Did you know that you can change your default homepage when you browse the internet?  It's like your corporate web address if you are using company computer or Yahoo! or Google or whatever is that first internet site that appears when you launch your internet browser.  Did you also know that with just a simple change in your browser's home page it could make a significant impact to your life, your career and in keeping your goals on track?  

If you're in the office or using NOT your own computer, I suggest NOT TO DO the following.  But if you are USING YOUR OWN computer (or your company allows you to personalize your web browser), follow me in this little experiment.  

Ready?  Here we go... 

What internet browser are you using right now?  Internet explorer?  Great!

Launch your Internet Explorer and find the upper most gear icon on the right hand side of your window.  It looks like this.  

Then, click on the "Internet Option" menu and a similar box like the one below would appear.  Now hold it for a second cause we're not done yet.  You see, the highlighted portion is the URL of your homepage.  That is what we want to change, which we will do later.  Ok?

Now, If you are using Mozilla Firefox, here's how you are going to do it.  

Launch Firefox.  On the upper left hand side of your window is the tab "Firefox." See it?  Click it and then the menus will appear.  Select the "Option" menu and then "Option" again, just like the second picture below.  Once you've clicked that, a box similar to the third one below will appear.  

Notice the highlighted portion again.   That's what we are going to change.  But don't proceed just yet.  Let's wait for the Chrome users.  

Chrome users, are you ready?  Here we go!  

Launch your Google Chrome and on the right hand side of your window you will see a "wrench" icon.  See that?  Yep, click on that and the menus will show up.   Select the "Options" menu and the second window below will appear. Are you there now?  Good.  See the "on start up" and "home page" items like the ones highlighted below?  Great! Hold it just right there.  

Now, IE, Firefox and Chrome users, are you ready to achieve your goals by simply changing your personal computer's home page?  Ready?  

Type this on the highlighted portions you've seen thus far:  

http://goalontrack.blogspot.com

You got it?  Amazing! It isn't that hard is it? Now save what you've just did. (Chrome users, there's no "save" option on that window, but it's OK, it will be saved automatically).  

Close your browser now and then re-launch it.  

There you go! 

I was quite surprise that for just three days after I made that site, it has been viewed by more than 30 unique visitors.  You could be one of those.  

Imagine what a simple reminder like this one can do to keep you on your goal.  I made this my browser's homepage and whenever I am tempted to surf the internet for unnecessary matters, I would just back-out and say, "Whoa! Do I really NEED to use the internet right now?"

There, I hope you've learned something new today and I hope that I have shared something to you to keep you on your goals of BEing MORE and LIVING THE GOOD LIFE!  

Old Habits Don't Die... They Simply... Well, They Just Don't Die

Staring at the monitor for a half of a day isn't a good way to spend your waking hours, is it?  There's more to sore, dry and tired eyes that it brings - it is the feeling that you haven't done anything worth the while.  Unless you are being paid to stare at the computer which is probably impossible, I think there's no personal satisfaction in that.  Well, again, that a different story if you enjoy looking at your monitor simply staring blankly at you.

Old habits, same, old habits.  Just when you think you're finally over them, they'll just come back creeping silently into your world.  Habits could be both good and bad.

Good habits include daily reading of your Bible, daily exercise, saving a certain portion of your income, choosing healthy foods and the likes.  Bad habits include, among others, unhealthy midnight snacks, gossips, laziness, impulsive buying, procrastination and many more.

For the purpose of this article, let us talk about the "bad habits."

Bad habits are like some annoying weeds on you yard, no matter how many times you've cut them, they'll just grow even more, suffocating the flowers and eventually killing them.  Uproot them! Uproot them, I say!  Great if you can do that to your old-bad-habits.

Unless you take old habits out from the roots, they will just keep on coming back.  Always worse than before.

But uprooting them doesn't seem to be way too easy, right?  So what do you do then?  Discipline.

Discipline yourself into fighting bad habits with good ones.  You can't just wake up one day and say that all your bad habits are gone.  I don't think so.  Trust me, I've done that many times before and yet, those old habits just keep coming back.  So what do you do then.  Commit yourself to the daily grind.  Take that painful step of saying "NO" to what were once blissful and easy activities. Admit it, you find it more fun and easy doing your bad habits than the good ones.  

Join me in this journey as we wage war against this old-bad-habits of ours.  It doesn't matter if your bad habits are the same with my bad habits or not.  Let's do this simple and general approach.  Customize it to fit your needs.

Ready?  Here goes...

1. Commit to yourself that you are putting an end to your bad habits - starting NOW!  Yes, it should be NOW, as in right NOW. In this instant, as you are reading this post. Why?  Because that's commitment.  If you don't do this first step NOW, then you aren't really committed.  Or maybe, you are just aren't that serious to shake off that habit.
2. Write it in a piece of paper and read it when you wake up and before you sleep.  Do you remember when you were still a child your parents used to teach you a prayer usually at night, just before you go to bed?  Remember that?  I don't know how you would explain it but the prayers you say at night seems to stick in to your mind more than the prayers you heard or say during day time.  Haven't you noticed that?  Or is it just me?  Anyway, give it a try and see for yourself.  Also, when you prepare for an exam, you review your materials at night, right?  With the hope that maybe you'll get the chance to remember more.  And most of the time it works, agree?  Well, consider your battle against your bad habits as part of your prayer and an exam you have to pass as well.  Prepare at night, before you sleep, and remind yourself when you wake up as you went your way into the day.  
3. Remind yourself that no matter how bad your habits maybe, it isn't you.  Your habits are just part of your being but it isn't you.  It's just like your favorite dress that you love to wear.  You can always change it and you still have yourself.  
4. Think of all the wonderful things that I could bring if you have totally subdued your bad habits.  Also, I don't know what's in it if you imagine the outcome of something.  For example, you want to see a movie and you believe that you'll gonna enjoy it.  Isn't it true that even before you buy your ticket you already feel the excitement and joy?  And the more excited you are, the unstoppable you become.  Be excited about the NEW YOU and be unstoppable. 
5. Commit everything to GOD.  You can do all the first four but that will be futile if you are not clinging on the right rope.  It is like like being in a boat and rowing to death but towards the opposite the current.  USELESS.  So before you proceed any further, remember the basic: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and hi will make straight your path (Proverbs 3:5-6)"  Let God show you the way!

I hope that with those steps, I have helped you in your fight with your bad habits. So there, don't let those bad habits take the greatness that awaits you in your life.  ADD MORE GOOD HABITS and BE MORE!  Habit can only be destroyed by another habit.  So make it a habit of Living the Good Life!


To a new and better you!

J. Roy
Author of "The Five Successful Ways to Fail (Things You Weren't Told About Success)"


P.S.  One day on my way home from the office, I asked myself, "why do you keep on writing even if your readers don't increase in numbers?  What do you get from writing?  You haven't even earn anything from it?"  Well my answers are these: One, "why should I not write?"  And two, I think it is not what I get from it that matters, but rather, what am I able to share through it.

Or maybe... just out of an old habit!