It’s easy to create a negative belief. They come from so many sources, like first impressions, disappointment, failure, embarrassment, fear, exhaustion…
Your default may be to think something happened (or might happen). Our bad feeling becomes a negative belief: that bad things always happen.
Our negative belief changes how we act. Soon the voice in our head sounds like:
🔹”They are always difficult to be with.”
🔹“I can never get this right.”
🔹“Nobody wants to buy my stuff.”
🔹If I fail, I’ll lose everything.”
🔹“I never have enough energy.”
Dr. Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, tells us that when we create a negative belief, our problem goes from a small thing that happened once or twice to…
🔹PERMANENT (It isn’t going away)
🔹PERSONAL (It’s my fault)
🔹PERVASIVE (It always happens)
HERE IS WHAT I KNOW:
🔹NEGATIVE BELIEFS filter reality and filter good news out.
🔹NEGATIVE BELIEFS stomp out good thoughts before they can grow.
🔹NEGATIVE BELIEFS kill dreams and keep us small.
How do people get out of the funk?
Find something TODAY that you can be positive about, just because you can.
During Sunday School Mr. Jones had Monopoly on his mind.
Every Sunday after church and a good meal, the family would gather around the table for their weekly round of the famous board game.
He absolutely loved this American pastime and knew much trivia about the game. It first originated in 1933 and is now played in 47 different languages in 114 countries.
Jones even counted the amount of money in a Monopoly game to realize it is $20,580. He also knew the longest recorded game. It lasted 70 straight days.
During World War II, escape maps, compasses, and files were inserted into Monopoly game boards smuggled into POW camps inside Germany. Real money for escapees was slipped into the packs of Monopoly money.
He must have had the game and other things on his mind when one morning Mr. Jones stood up and said “I’d like us to pray for some smiling faces in this church.” Then, in typical fashion, he added, “I think more people would want to go to heaven, if they weren’t afraid it’d be like church when they go there!”
“Church shouldn’t be fake.” he suggested. “It’s not about entertainment, comfort, or fads. Church should be a place to bring your joys and your sorrows and connect with others who want to find God and be loved. Fog machines, exotic coffee, and specialty groups will never meet those needs the way the core truths will. Let’s focus on what will not change: God, His Word, and our need to love each other.”
“I grew up in a church, back in the sixties, and we only sang hymns,” Jones continued. “Then came the contemporary praise movement in the seventies and I thought, wow this might be better than the old hymns. And we all know the rest of the story. It seems my nine-year-old granddaughter will never know the great hymns like I do. And to be honest, that makes me sad.”
“Contemporary music can mean a stronger focus on individual performance rather than group worship as a whole,” he suggested. “New music should not be forgotten as it is necessary to express current burdens of the culture in song, but we should be congregation-ready and free of commercial trappings.”
“I just want to quit worrying and pay attention to the sermon,” he continued. “There is no get out of jail free card. Do not pass Go and do not collect $200.”
“What was all of that about?” his family asked, after the services. He gathered his thoughts and explained when they arrived home.
Life, according to Mr. Jones
Life is like a game of Monopoly. You may own hotels on Boardwalk or you may be renting on Baltic Avenue, but in the end, it all goes back into the box. The next generation will be getting out all of your stuff and playing with it or fighting over it.
The Small Stuff
The small stuff is what makes up the larger picture of our lives. Many people are like you. But their perspective is distorted. They ignore ‘small stuff’ claiming to have an eye on the bigger picture, never understanding that the bigger picture is composed of nothing more than—are you ready?—‘small stuff.’
Have you ever been bitten by an elephant? How about a mosquito? It’s the small stuff that’ll get you!
You Choose
At this very moment, you possess the power of perspective. You can choose to see your life becoming whatever you wish. If you choose, you can move the mountains in your life’s path with the eventual help of those who will come to love you and learn to respect you for what you are becoming.
Happiness and Charisma
You must become a person that others want to be around! This is far and away the greatest success secret in existence. This is the person who gets the chance. The second chance and the benefit of the doubt. You should ask yourself this question every day: What is it about me that other people would change if they could?
What is it about the way I dress that other people would change if they could?
What is it about the way I act that other people would change if they could?
What is it about the way I talk that other people would change if they could?
You WILL Make a Difference
One day, you will look back on your ‘worst time’ in your life as a fortuitous event. Even your worst times have value and can become, in retrospect, your best times. You will make a difference. Now, what kind of difference? That’s up to you.
Just keep smiling and roll the dice. When you get a chance, sing a good ‘ol gospel hymn now and then.
We know of so many people who are struggling with finances today. It is a rarity to find someone who is not.
If you’re staring at a near-empty bank account today, we invite you to open your Bible and dive into God’s Word. We invite you to meditate on its messages of peace, hope and perseverance. And we invite you to join us in reciting these four prayers:
🔹Lord, give me peace when money is tight. Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. – John 14:27 (GNTD)
🔹Lord, give me hope when I have none. May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.– Romans 15:13 (GNTD)
🔹Lord, give me wisdom as I make decisions about my money. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.– Proverbs 3:5-6 (GNTD)
🔹Lord, provide for my needs. Look at the crows: they don’t plant seeds or gather a harvest; they don’t have storage rooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds!– Luke 12:24 (GNTD)
🔹Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) due to physical exercise reduces the ability to perform intensive physical training and participate in sports at high levels.
🔹Omega-3 fatty acids may provide a partial protective effect against development of DOMS and may accelerate recovery after damaging exercise.
🔹Because cod oil produced through fermentation contains natural bioactive compounds such as Vitamins A and D along with omega-3 fatty acids, it may assist in the recovery from DOMS.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Muscle Recovery After Strenuous Exercise
By Dr. Subramaniam Sathivel
Physical exercise, particularly resistance exercise, often results in delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that peaks 1-2 days after the exercise and takes up to 5-6 days to get resolved.
DOMS has shown to reduce the ability to perform intensive physical training and to play sports at high levels.
There is evidence to suggest that omega-3 fatty acids could provide a partial protective effect against development of DOMS and may even accelerate recovery after damaging exercise.
The main omega-3 fatty acids are alpha linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
EPA and DHA, in particular, may reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines while raising anti-inflammatory markers. Some researchers have reported that omega-3 supplementation decreases the soreness after exercise. They found that individuals are able to perform a specific type of exercise at increased levels after omega-3 supplementation, and concluded that omega-3 supplementation could decrease the severe localized soreness due to this type of exercise.
Based on these findings they believe that omega-3 supplements could be beneficial to athletes, especially athletes involved with high-intensity strength training. Other researchers have suggested that fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acids could be a natural anti-inflammatory.
Researchers have investigated the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on muscle soreness over three days in competitive soccer players. Their findings showed that the soccer players experience muscle damage due to the high demand of physical activities during soccer games and were able to show that combining omega-3 fatty acids with a multi-ingredient supplement resulted in protection of the muscles from damage during exercise and reduced muscle soreness in recovery.
They speculated that a possible reason for these desirable effects is that the omega-3 fatty acids improve the structural integrity of the muscle cell membrane before exercising. This could lead to protection of the muscle fibers in the active muscles from developing DOMS.
In a study done by a group of researchers the effect of a high dose and low dose of EPA on the recovery from muscle damage induced by exercise was looked at.
Twenty-seven physically active males participated in this study. They used 100 plyometric drop jumps to induce muscle damage. The participants were tested for muscle soreness and isokinetic muscle squat jump performance.
The researchers found that those who took the high EPA dose were able to return to their baseline performance faster.
Another group of researchers investigated how muscle soreness in 20 professional Rugby players was affected by the consumption of a protein-based supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids. They observed a moderate beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing fatigue.
The researchers concluded, “The moderate beneficial effect of adding fish oil to a protein-based supplement on muscle soreness translated into the better maintenance of explosive power in elite Rugby Union players during pre-season training.”
Fish oils, including cod liver oil, contain these beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. With that in mind, cod liver oil may be useful for muscle recovery from intensive exercise.
🔹Youth is a good time to develop a relationship with God. It’s in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 12:1, TLB.
“Don’t let the excitement of being young cause you to forget about your Creator: Honor Him in your youth before the evil years come—when you’ll no longer enjoy living.”
🔹God is more interested in willingness than in age. It’s in the Bible, I Samuel 2:18, TLB.
“Samuel, though only a child, was the Lord’s helper.”
🔹What does God expect of children? It’s in the Bible, Colossians 3:20, NIV.
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
🔹One of God’s commandments is for children to honor and respect their parents, It’s in the Bible, Exodus 20:12, NIV.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
🔹How long are children to respect their parents? It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 23:22, NIV.
“Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
🔹Prompt discipline is an expression of parental love. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 13:24, TLB.
“If you refuse to discipline your son, it proves you don’t love him; for if you love him, you will be prompt to punish him.”
🔹Youth can be Christ-like examples. It’s in the Bible, I Timothy 4:12, NIV.
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
🔹Children should learn from their parents. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 1:8, NIV.
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”
🔹Living a reckless life dishonors parents. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 28:7, TLB.
“Young men who are wise obey the law; a son who is a member of a lawless gang is a shame to his father.”
🔹It is wrong to take unfair advantage of parents. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 28:24, TLB.
“A man who robs his parents and says, ‘What’s wrong with that?’ is no better than a murderer.”
🔹Young people should be selective in choosing their friends. It’s in the Bible, II Timothy 2:22, TLB.
“Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.”
‘Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else. You are the one who gets burned.’
Powerful Winning Hacks That Take Venom Out of Angry People
During a job performance review in the 1990s, my boss, H-E-B Food-Drugs Vice President Ralph Mehringer said something that I remember to this day.
“You have the unique ability to take the venom out of angry people,” he noted. “You quickly de-fang them.”
I liked that.
Ralph is a keen observer and calls it as he sees it. His words were motivating, so of course, it reinforced my learning and practicing.
I became interested in studying Neuro Linguistic Programming, or NLP for short. Eventually I became a certified NLP Practitioner.
It helped immensely in leadership and dealing with others through powerful techniques such as “anchoring,” reading body language and facial expressions, “reframing thoughts” and building rapport.
As the years progressed, “de-fanging” became natural and automatic-like.
Here are some tips I learned along the way and continue to use today:
1. When someone is angry and confrontational, stand next to them, rather than in front of them. You want to appear not to be much of a threat, after all you’re physically on their side, and they eventually calm down.
2. Slow the pace of speech.They are likely to be yelling or talking rapidly. It’s critical not to engage in a like manner. When it’s your turn to reply, do so in a deliberate, kind, quiet and slower tone.
4. Rephrase what the other person says and repeat it back to them. In that slower, quieter voice, this helps you understand their concern. This makes them feel you care and are listening to them. It shows your genuine interest in them. It validates them and helps you. Note: Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to appear condescending.
3. Open with “I need your help.” Most people don’t like the guilt of not helping someone out. When asking for a favor from someone, begin with “I need your help.” It GREATLY increases the chances of getting the favor done. But best of all, it can be used as an opening line to someone very irritated about something. Usually I act innocently not knowing why they’re upset. It’s a good precursor to leading them out of their anger towards a better outlook.
5. If you want someone to agree with you, nod while you talk. I learned this as a door-to-door insurance salesman in the early 1980s and discovered it works well with group presentations too. When you notice them beginning to change their attitude, or better yet nod back, you’re on the right track. They are beginning to subconsciously agree with you.
6. If someone doesn’t like you, ask to borrow a pencil or pen. This is called the Benjamin Franklin Effect. It’s just a small favor that actually helps nudge them to like you. Not as effective, but still good, is to subtly touch someone’s upper arm when you ask for a favor.
7. Mimic them without them realizing it. It’s called mirroring and takes some practice. It has to be subtle and with finesse. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it try folding your arms in a non-threatening way. It helps to determine their interest. If someone is observing you, they will likely mimic you.
8. Repeat a person’s name many times in the conversation. Don’t overdo it, but it helps you remember their name, and makes them like you more.
9. If the person is a child, bring bubbles. Hint: this can work for adults too. Bubbles are magical mood changers.
Please note this article begins a series on posts offered to help our readers understand how NLP can not only help you in everyday life and business practice, but reveals the ways politicians, propagandists and others can manipulate your thought process to change your beliefs.
🔹Real friendship involves loyalty. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 17:17, TLB.
“A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.”
🔹The best friend to have is Jesus. It’s in the Bible, John 15:15, NIV.
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.”
🔹Choose friends who love the Lord and have pure hearts. It’s in the Bible. II Timothy 2:22, TLB.
“Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.”
🔹What characteristics make you a good friend? It’s in the Bible, Philippians 2:3-4, TLB.
“Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing.”
🔹Gossip can destroy friendships. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 16:28, NIV.
“A gossip separates close friends.”
🔹Friends are worth keeping. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 27:9-10, TLB.
“Never abandon a friend—either yours or your father’s. Then you won’t need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need.”
🔹A friend cares enough to be honest with you even if it hurts. It’s in the Bible, Proverbs 27:6, TLB.
“Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!”
Today, many people are suffering just to make ends meet. Once, I was considered somewhat wealthy compared to most. Life experiences changed that.
Not many know this, but I was actually homeless for a while. I took a retirement job at a golf resort. This allowed me to sleep safely in my pickup, shower in the locker room, eat healthy and make wonderful friends. Homeless was only temporary, but I learned plenty about life and happiness. Each day at work for 9 years my goal was to make 100 people smile or laugh. I counted them daily.
For many years it has been a personal ambition to make others feel better about themselves and have a positive outlook when they walk away. It makes me happy.
After a long successful and busy career, I counted on my investigation and writing skills to earn more money. It became natural to just look around for every little thing I could be grateful for in my life. The main secret to happiness is to appreciate what we have. I became rich in my own way.
There are many ways to live a happy life. These are things that make me the happiest I have ever been:
🔹Stay creative.
🔹Help others.
🔹Do free or low cost activities. For us it means enjoying a walk, swim, bike ride, library, community center, attending classes, hiking, camping, gardening, and picnics. We don’t watch TV or spend hours on social media. It is similar to being a child again, full of wonderment and discovery.
🔹We made changes. Instead of spending every night in an expensive hotel, we take our tent and gear to ocassionally camp out overnight. It’s healthy and beautiful outdoors. We have no Internet at home. I don’t even know what internet and cable/satellite TV costs these days. We take our garbage to the local dump less than two miles away. We average $18 a month. Our nearest neighbor spends $45 to have someone pick their trash up.
It’s a simple and awesome existence. Less stress.
I learned that you can be happy when you don’t have the means and money you once had. In fact, some of the saddest people I know have plenty of money. They pay taxes on their homes and real estate. Their lives are complex. Ours is simple and cheap. We don’t spend and accumulate “things” much anymore. We survive and accumulate memories. We laugh and smile a lot.
A good mentor doesn’t necessarily tell you what to do. They don’t give you advice, either. A good mentor helps you think through problems based on their experience so you can come to your own conclusions.
Here is some good wisdom from a 75 year old mentor’s experience:
Christians should live as ambassadors for Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Christians should live to glorify God. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
Christians should love God and avoid the lusts of the flesh. 1 John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
Christians should live completely for God, not patterning their lives after the world. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Christians should think about things that are pure and holy. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Christians are changed by what they see. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
🔹God has promised an end to tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain. It’s in the Bible, Revelation 21:4, TLB.
“He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.”
🔹Heaven will be a place of joy forever. It’s in the Bible, Isaiah 35:10, TLB.
“These, the ransomed of the Lord, will go home along that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them all sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness will be there.”
🔹Grief does not last forever. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 30:5, TLB.
“Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy.”
🔹God keeps track of every tear. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 56:8, NKJV
“You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?”
🔹God will heal your grief. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 147:3, TLB.
“He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.”
🔹Jesus promised a Comforter. It’s in the Bible, John 14:16, TLB.
“If you love Me, obey Me; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter [the Holy Spirit], and He will never leave you.”
🔹Accept the promise of peace. It’s in the Bible, John 14:27, TLB.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
🔹Hope in the future resurrection provides comfort in grief. It’s in the Bible, I Thessalonians 4:13-17, NKJV.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
🔹The dead will live again. It’s in the Bible, John 5:28-29, TLB.
“Don’t be so surprised! Indeed the time is coming when all the dead in their graves shall hear the voice of God’s Son, and shall rise again—those who have done good, to eternal life; and those who have continued in evil, to judgment.”
🔹Healing of both physical and spiritual sickness is an important part of Christ’s ministry. It’s in the Bible.
Matthew 4:23, TLB.
“Jesus traveled all through Galilee teaching in the Jewish synagogues, everywhere preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of Heaven. And He healed every kind of sickness and disease.”
🔹Physical healing is not the most important gift God can give. It’s in the Bible.
Matthew 9:2, TLB.
“Soon some men brought Him a paralyzed boy on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the sick boy, ‘Cheer up, son! For I have forgiven your sins!”
🔹Physical healing takes place because God wants to heal us spiritually. It’s in the Bible.
Matthew 9:6, NIV.
” ‘But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’…Then He said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.'”
🔹Spiritual healing is provided by Christ’s death for our sins. It’s in the Bible.
Isaiah 53:4-5, TLB.
“Yet it was our grief He bore, our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, for His own sins! But He was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised that we might have peace; He was lashed—and we are healed.”
🔹Healing miracles validated the ministry of the early church. It’s in the Bible.
Acts 5:16, TLB.
“And crowds came in from the Jerusalem suburbs, bringing their sick folk and those possessed by demons; and every one of them was healed.”
🔹While miracles are a sign of God’s ministry, one needs to be alert, for Satan can perform miracles too. It’s in the Bible.
Revelation 16:14, NIV.
“They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle of the great day of God Almighty.”
🔹The miraculous never cancels the need for personal faith. It’s in the Bible.
John 20:29-31, TLB.
“Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen Me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen Me and believe anyway.’ Jesus’ disciples saw Him do many other miracles besides the ones told about in this book, but these are recorded so that you will believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing in Him you will have life.”
🔹Obeying God’s instructions brings healing. It’s in the Bible.
Exodus 15:26, TLB.
“If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I send on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”
🔹God can provide healing for terminal illnesses. It’s in the Bible.
Psalm 107:20, TLB.
“He spoke, and they were healed—snatched from the door of death.”
🔹The prayer of faith, symbolized by anointing with oil, brings healing. It’s in the Bible.
James 5:14-15, TLB.
“Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal him. And their prayer, if offered in faith, will heal him, for the Lord will make him well; and if his sickness was caused by some sin, the Lord will forgive him.”
Please Note: Each Sunday at 11:11 a.m. (CST) we publish a new article about God, Jesus Christ and the Bible. These have become popular with our readership, of which We are truly grateful.
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