Your Sphere of Influence

There once was a woman who interviewed people and asked if they knew the definitions of ignorance and apathy. One man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care” then quickly hurried on his way. It is this type of attitude that leads to failure because it depicts a closed and uncaring mind and heart.

It is in seeking to better our sphere of influence that we attain success in life. It’s not heaping up treasure that brings satisfaction. It’s in giving that we receive, no matter what it is we are giving away. Doing a good deed for someone else not only helps them, but it also makes us feel better too. On the same token, helping someone else to learn also helps us become more knowledgeable too. Romans 2:21 says, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” When the Bible says, “Give and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38) it’s not just referring to money or possessions. Whatever you give whether good or bad is going to come back to you, so be careful what you send out on your boomerang.

Therefore, if you want to be more successful then teach someone else what you want to become more adept at. If you want people to respect you more then treat all people with respect. If you want more love in your life then begin showing kindness to others. In doing so you are gaining more knowledge and creating more love and discovering what truly matters. Jesus owned nothing while he lived here on earth yet his influence spread far and wide. You don’t need a boatload of money to make a difference in this world. You merely need to stand up for what you believe, in a respectful way, and then live it every day. It’s then that you will grow stronger and others will be influenced by your example and will love and respect you more in the process.

The Escape Hatch

Most people have an escape hatch that they use to flee from pressure or to find pleasure when

the burdens of life get too heavy. Hatches are holes torn into our souls that lead to excessive behaviors, which when done over time contribute to negative outcomes in this life and the next.

Escapes are labeled with various signs that promise enjoyment or excitement, a bag of cookies, a bottle of booze, a few puffs of a drug that often end in regret and bondage. Many justify their excessive behaviors by saying they deserve the vice as a break from the stresses of life. Others are seeking to fill the hole in their soul and oftentimes don’t even know it. The Bible speaks of people caring more about adorning their homes and seeking pleasure, rather than caring about the things of God. He then compares these behaviors to putting money into a bag with holes that result in a meaningless life (Haggai 1:4-6).

The Holy Spirit is the Helper who can restore the torn and seal the soul holes to make a person complete in Him. The Bible never tells us to worry or to carry our own burdens. On the contrary we are commanded, “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6), and to “Cast (literally throw or hurl) your anxiety on Him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Jesus also calls those who are weighed down with burdens to come to him for rest (Matthew 11:28-30). This doesn't mean we're to sit idly-by doing nothing when work needs to be done, but oftentimes we are the ones who make life more difficult because of our preconceived expectations of what it should look like and then grow our possessions accordingly. The paradox to this is that when we take things in and consume, we often feel empty and unhappy, but when we produce and give things out to help other people, it is then that we become joyful and fulfilled.

Be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise to be filled with power and to live a life fulfilled (Ephesians 1:13). 

FREE eBook by Award-winning and Bestselling Author

Help your children succeed in reaching their goals with certified personal trainer and certified health coach, Carol McCormick

I'm Hungry! I'm Bored! can help you and your children make better dietary choices and behavioral changes that lead to weight loss and health gains.

I'm Hungry! provides the what, why, and how-to of nutrition and weight loss by defining the problems, offering solutions, and then presenting guidelines to carry them through. 

I'm Bored! offers hundreds of  suggestions and links to fun and educational activities, questions to ask, jobs to perform, and services to volunteer, all-of-which develop the intellect, confidence, and feelings of fulfillment. These activities may also deter the hand-to-mouth eating habit that often accompanies boredom.

Eat and Play Your Way to Better Health, a Leaner Physique, and a Happier Life!

FREE for two days only on Kindle

February 7th and 8th

Aim for the Ten Yard Line

The majority of people who attain success in any field have a plan of action. 

A football player’s goal is to make a touchdown. Even though in the process of getting from the fifty-yard line to the end zone, he encounters falls, blocks, and setbacks, he keeps pressing toward his goal. The time, effort, and frustration are daunting, and because of this the players alleviate the pressure of this seemingly impossible task by aiming for one ten-yard line at a time, while still keeping the end zone in sight. Rare is the runner that sprints the length of the field in one mad-dash.

Losing weight is a lot like making a touchdown. People know the goal (the ideal number on their scale), but they often don’t know the route to reach it, or they give up in frustration after setbacks. The way to reach the goal is by taking small steps in the right direction toward good health. Aim to lose two pounds in one week rather than vaguely saying, “I want to lose thirty pounds.” Two pounds a week is specific and doable, if you make small changes. 

I used to make up and recite mantras when I struggled with weight related issues. They helped me begin my steps to success. One of them was: “If I don’t do it now, it won’t get done. It will never get any easier than where I am right now. I will always have to go through this difficult place to get where I want to go."

Steady progress in the right direction will help you reach your goal. Discover ways to lose weight and win the game in I'm Hungry! I'm Bored!

What's Weighing You Down?

Excess weight is the only compulsion a person wears for all to see. You can walk through a crowd and pass people who are obsessed with alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, working or playing, and never know upon first glance that they are carrying hidden addictions too.

Overeating is the only behavior that people can see upon first glance in the eventual form of weight gain. This is the only fixation where the person not only struggles inside, but wears and bears the burden outside. Yet, if we could see within their souls, we would see the emotional weights they also carry. 

Over-indulgence causes problems in other areas of life too, and therefore keeps people from living life to their fullest potential. In all of these cases the cure is the Word. Jesus said, “If you continue in my Word…Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth will make you free.”  Free from whatever has its hooks in you and is limiting your life every day (John 8:31-36). For additional information and ideas on losing weight and gaining health, check out, I'mHungry! I'm Bored! 

What we gaze upon, we graze upon.

Just seeing this salad makes me want to have one! The same is true when I see junk food.                                                                                                                               What we gaze upon, we usually graze upon. We often look longingly at the things that lead to our downfall. To remedy this, find a positive diversion when tempted to eat inferior food. The distraction will help you resist temptation. Read more thoughts like these on food and eating in I'm Hungry! I'm Bored! 

FREE at Select eBook Stores

Talk to Me! Listen to Me! Keys to Improve Communication and Questions to Deepen Relationships 

 FREE on NOOK | iBooks | Google play | Kobo |Smashwords 

$0.99 on Amazon 

* * * 

The majority of people's problems are caused by 

the fact that they are disconnected with the rest of creation. 

C.S. Lewis          

When thoughts and feelings are expressed during deep levels of communication, true intimacy is established and attachments are formed that are virtually unbreakable. Today, we see more and more people interacting electronically rather than enjoying face-to-face or side-by-side conversations. As a result, rather than feeling more connected, people often feel more disconnected than ever.

Talk to Me! Listen To Me! is as a tool to help turn things around. Although this book is a short read, it will take days, to weeks, to possibly months to implement, since the latter questions take time to emerge, develop, and unfold. The more thought-provoking questions may also run into chats that last for hours, either because of the time it takes to reveal the answer, or because the answer may lead to even more questions and deeper discussions.

The questions can be chosen cafeteria style from the light and fun, to the more weighty and serious.  They can be used during one-on-one situations or in groups such as classroom settings, college dorms, orientations, sorority and fraternity interviews, and even in corporate team-building meetings.

They may also be used as a quiz type game, or as an icebreaker at parties, or as a “get to know you” handbook while dating or making new friends. All 150 questions can be worked through over time with a companion, a relative, or a spouse to deepen existing relationships. A couple may also choose a few of the more provocative questions to answer while on a weekend retreat.

“Communication to a relationship is like oxygen to life. Without it, it dies,” Unknown