Let there be courage

Well here we are on the eve of a new year, a new decade, and another chance to make a change in our lives. The theme this year for the Times Square new years eve ball in let there be courage and I want to make that challenge to myself and to all of you as we move in to the new year.

Changing our selves takes courage, we must face the parts of our lives that cause us stress and emotional turmoil. When we face these parts of our lives and deal with them we put that turmoil to rest we can stand up straighter, proud in the knowledge that we have faced one of our demons and come out the victor. We can sleep better knowing that potential doom is not hanging over our head. We can sing louder knowing that our song is one that should be heard.

Does all this sound overly dramatic? Well maybe it is but the power of being courageous and looking in to the dark corners of our own minds is a dramatic proses. We all have issues we know we should deal with but we are afraid to look at. Let me share an example with you. When I was working as an insurance agent one of the products i was selling was long term care insurance. This is medical insurance to help cover the cost of having to be in a rest home when you get older. This is something that a lot of people worry about but not many take action on. We are scared to face the end of our lives and think about the time when we will need to rely on others to help us with even the most basic activities of daily living. Not facing that time when we are hail and healthy however will make it that much worse when we reach it unprepared. One thing I know for sure is when I would sit down and put a plan in place to protect my clients assets at the end of there lives they would rest much easier knowing it is taken care of. They would get this relife only because they had been courageous enough to look at what scared them and deal with it.

This is just one example of how facing our fears about our lives and about our selves can bring us peace in the present. So again I call out to you be courageous in the new year and know you are not alone in a commitment to courage I will be there to facing my demons, singing my songs and removing potential dooms from my life. Don't turn back because the path is hard, be courageous and press on. Be safe tonight and have a great day, and as always if you have any thoughts you would like to share with me on courage or any thing else for that matter feel free to drop me a comment.

The gift of value

In the past we have talked about how we behave the way others expect us to behave. This is one reason we should only take on commitments that we know we can keep and that are in line with our values. Knowing that others have a good option of us gives us an idea of how much they value us which intern contributes to our own scents of self worth.

This Christmas I received a gift from my sister that defined exactly how she felt about me. This present was nothing more then a little red box but inside it I found a number of small papers with words she felt described me. The idea of the box is that others can add there thoughts to it as well and that way we allays know that we are valued and respected by others.

While i do not get to see my sister as often as I would like I now have a way to know ohw she feels about me any time I need it. This pushes me to be the person she sees me to be and keeps me moving forward even when i just want to stop and rest. This is one of the greatest gifts i have ever recived and i am making a list of people i want to share it with by giving them there own Box of Value.

So my question to you is there some one in your life that could use the gift of value. Some one who needs to know that others suport them and love them and find value in there very existance? If there is some one like that why not make them a Box of Value?

Do what you want with wisdom

We spend a lot of time talking about creating the life we want, about setting goals to accomplish the things we want to do, and in general having things our way. Fulfilling all these desires does make us feel good but we need to temper our wants with wisdom. Let me share an example with you:

I have been sick for the last few days, nothing relay bad just a bit of a cold and sore throat, this morning a friend of mine asked if i would like to join him for a walk. We used to go walking often but since school started for him there has not been enough time. What I should have done is stayed home but I wanted to spend time with my friend so I bundled my sick self up and went walking. Now so far there have been no negative repercutions but I am wrighting this emediantly after returning home.

When we give in to our desires without weighing them against our values and wisdom we run the risk of falling in to hedonism and debauchery. Just because we want something does not make it right, and all things that feel good are not healthy for us. When we give in to desieres and temptations that we know do not benefit us in the long term we start to do things that make us happy. But this is not real happiness, is does not last after the stimulus leaves us, and it leaves us feeling hallow.

Real happiness comes from ourselves, it flows out of us as we accomplish the things in life we truly want, and live in accordance with our values, passions and dreams. So take the time to look at each and every desier you intened to gratify, look to see if it will move you to lasting happiness and if it does do it.