Posts Tagged ‘Positive Living’

I have in the first month of this year attended two funerals. One for a friend who was a few years older than myself, and who had lost a five year battle with cancer, and the other for a friend’s child who died full-term in the womb of his young mother. Both were sad events, but we were all comforted by the fact that we know that both now reside in heaven.

Apart from the services that were both amazingly beautiful ceremonies, I was moved by the richness of the friendships that were evident at both, along with the communication and support that surrounded each of the events.

Friendship is so important if we’re ever to live a rich life. Without true friends – those whom we can depend on in both the good and the not so good times – we are poor indeed.

Friends provide us the support we need. They gird us and they goad us. They draw out the best and encourage us to be better. They provide the strength in our weakness and the light in our darkness.

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The world is clearly divided between those who choose to see the best, and those who see the worst.

Napoleon Hill once wrote, ‘Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.’ He was definitely an optimist.

An optimist calls a half-filled glass half full. A pessimist will declare it as half empty. An optimist sees a pile of bricks and envisages a castle, whereas a pessimist will only think of the hard work ahead. The mouth of an optimist is positive and uplifting. The tongue of a pessimist is negative and critical.

So where do you lie? On what side of the fence do you inhabit?

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Pain is something that we would all like to avoid. My wife often says that if God had created men to bear children, there wouldn’t be any – children that is.

She’s not wrong. I’m living proof of this fact. When our first child was being born, amidst the battlefield of muck and blood, a nurse brought a glass of water for my wife, but I drank it.

Let’s face it. Tests are sent to test us. Sorry about stating the obvious. We all have tests that we must face in life. And they’re nothing like the tests we faced at school. They can come in the form of sickness, financial challenges, marital hiccups, or even through the loss of loved ones to that insidious event called death.

But the good news is this. We can turn any test into a testimony. And the good book states that ‘there is power in the word of our testimony’.

As a writer of motivational books I often tell my friends, when I’ve gone through yet another testing moment, ‘Well there’s another story for my next book.’

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What our world needs now, more than ever, are positive role models and the continued dispersion of the positivity philosophy.Too many live their lives in a constant and unending cycle of despair and regret.This does not have to be so.

By simply changing our perspective we can gain a whole new slant on the world in which we live and on the future that lies before each and every one of us.

The world is as you see it. Just like the person who looks at a glass of water that they declare is half full or half empty. It just depends on which way you perceive it and how you respond with your mind and your mouth.

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My youngest daughter recently came home from a sleepover with the Girl Guide’s group that she is part of. She seemed to have a great night indulging pizza, lollies, movies and a minimal amount of sleep at the Girl Guide’s hut.

When she was first recognised officially as a Girl Guide she was proud to be one. One of the momentos that she brought home was a beautifully presented list of ‘The Guide Laws’.

I was so impressed with them that I have included them in this ezine. I believe that if every human being followed this simple set of laws, we would all be living in paradise…

1. A guide is loyal and can be trusted.

Loyalty and trust are essential ingredients to any successful relationship. When you work for, or with, someone, give them the very best that you can offer.

2. A guide is helpful.

‘Happy to help’ should be our motto. Walk the extra mile and smile the extra smile.

3. A guide is polite and considerate.

It doesn’t take any effort to be polite, to show integrity and to be thoughtful in your actions.

4. A guide is friendly and a sister to all guides.

To find friends, show yourself friendly. Be a brother or a sister to those you come in contact with by showing respect to all; no matter what station of life they find themselves in.

5. A guide is kind to animals and respects all living things.

Take care of the world and the world will take care of you. Those people, in my land, who carelessly throw cigarette butts out of their car windows and smoke in public places, where there are children walking around, have no respect for the health or the welfare of the society they live in.

CARE FOR THE WORLD & THE WORLD WILL CARE FOR YOU

6. A guide is obedient.

Obey the laws that are in place, for they are there not to restrict you but to guide you. The law of gravity may be true to keep us on the ground but there is another law that enables us to soar – the law of lift. Look for the laws, live by them and then use them to your advantage.

7. A guide has courage and is cheerful in all difficulties.

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to take action even when fear is present. And a cheerful disposition will bring sunshine to the lives of those whom you come in contact with.

8. A guide makes good use of her time.

Time management is of key importance to any successful life. Don’t be pushed around by the tyranny of the urgent. Make a list of what needs to be done, prioritise from least to the most important and then do.

9. A guide takes care of her own possessions and those of other people.

I can soon tell you about the character of an individual by two things: the way they care for their shoes and the way they care for the inside of their car. People who care for their possessions will care for those that belong to others.

10. A guide is self-controlled in all she thinks, says and does.

Self-control is the fruit of a life that is rooted in strength. Control your tongue and you can control the whole person. Knowing when to speak and when not to are honourable qualities.

CONTROL YOUR LIFE WITH SELF-CONTROL

Motivational Quote:  Guide your life by this simple guide: do to others what you would have them do to you.