Just Keep Shaking It Off!

Sometimes in life you find yourself in a pit so deep that it seems as if there is no way out. Remember, “It’s your life and you call the shots, it’s not over until you say it’s over, no matter what!

This is the story of the mule that fell into a deep dark pit one day. He was in there wondering what to do. Some time later the farmer heard a sound that he was unfamiliar with. As any good farmer would do he walked his land in the direction of this unbearable noise. When the farmer looked down into the pit, (which by the way, he almost fell into himself) he saw that it was his prize mule. Not only was the farmer shocked and concerned for his animal but also for his own ability to get the mule out.

The cry of the mule became unbearable and the farmer ran for help. Soon the word was out and many of the farmers in his neck of the woods offered their help. Try as they might to get the mule out they came up short each time. Finally they came to the consensus that the best way to put the mule out of his misery was to bury him alive. Each got a shovel and in sequence they began to throw dirt on him.

After several hours and hundreds of shovels full of dirt being dumped on the mule he simply walked out of the pit. How could this have happened?

Each time the farmers threw dirt on the mule he simply shook it off, packed it down under his feet and stepped up higher. One characteristic of a mule is that they are known to be self-preservationists and self-thinkers. These traits also contribute to the "stubborn as a mule" cliché. A mule thinks for himself and decides that a particular situation may hurt him. In this instance, the mule’s stubbornness and persistence paid off and saved his life!

Life and people have the power to either bless you or bury you. When you find yourself in a pit some will heap on shovels and shovels of condemnation, rejection, and criticism. A wise person would help those who fall; a person full of pride on the other hand would have a tendency to think they are exempt from such a thing. Personally I have found that people who are risk adverse are the nastiest of all. They console themselves with the fact that they would certainly never find themselves in the same situation.

What I have come to find out by experience is that the reason they don’t is simply because they never take chances. How could you ever fail if you never live outside of your comfort zone?

Take all that gets thrown at you in life and just keep shaking it off, packing it down and stepping up higher. I have four words for you, “ Just shake it off!” Take what was meant to bury you and use it for your escape. Use it to make you stronger and more resilient to the adversities of life.

When we stand before God some will be surprised to find they were solely responsible for their own life and actions. They will finally understand they were not put on this earth to critique the lives of others. Don’t we all have enough to contend with in our own lives?

Remember, in the end, only one opinion will count. God’s opinion of you is the beginning and the end!

In the meantime,

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
John Wesley
English religious leader (1703 - 1791)

BTW, in researching mules, I came across a most interesting story entitled: MULE KILLS MOUNTAIN LION - Photos "Stubborn as a mule" has some benefits :)

Never Give Up!

Never give up; help is on its way! Sometimes when you are living in the land of today the monotony of each day can wear on what seems to be your last nerve. Recently I found myself wondering when I will begin to walk out the plan for my life in a greater degree. Gently the Holy Spirit assures me that day-to-day and step-by-step I already am.

Through my frustration I thanked Him and continue on with my thoughts, again a stronger firmer reassurance comes my way. Did you hear a loud voice I am asked? My answer, “no just a gentle knowing in my heart that all is well with my soul” was my response.

When your heart and soul’s desire is to follow after God and you put Him first He will make sure that you are in His game plan. Some people to my surprise, yes, even Christians, never ask what plan He has for their lives. They just go day to day without any thought to this matter. Are they afraid He will ask them to do something that they don’t want to do or aren’t prepared to do? If this is the case they don’t know God! He always prepares us for what He has for us to do.

Life is definitely about the journey, not the destination. Therefore, one could surmise that the journey is far more important than the destination, enjoying life on a day-to-day basis. This being the case, what then should we focus on? The journey. What are we doing each day? Yes, most days are not spectacular in their achievement, but it is the small daily steps that in fact help up reach our destinations.

Today, on what appears to be a seemingly normal uneventful day I have needed to remind myself of this fact, and, this is why I am reminding you, my friend! It is too easy to forget the joy of just being able to breath in the air and fill your lungs full of life. This in itself is something to be grateful for.

Come with me and let’s be truly grateful for this day, the basic building block of the rest of our lives. Interestingly enough, each new day starts with the promise of fresh renewal and yesterday’s mistakes and misses are now in the past, unchangeable.

Gratefulness for the day, each and every day, wow, what a way to live… not always easy to do, however, a daily habit, if acquired, pays big dividends in lives lived.

How many times will we have to do this you might ask? As many times as we have too until the habit of being thankful is truly cemented in our hearts.

Make it a great day!

Additional information at my website DynamicLiving4U.com

Courage For Living

Far too often we seem to focus on our weaknesses instead of our strengths. On what we cannot do instead of what we can. We look to others for their approval of our lives instead of looking inwardly in order to find out, “What’s the song in my heart?”

Each year around the globe men and women of every race, creed, religion and financial status are imprisoned. Sent by others to serve their appointed sentence behind bars. No matter what the crime a penalty is imposed due to behaviour considered by society inappropriate.

The statistics on the number of people incarcerated around the globe is astounding yet, there are millions more who because of wrong thinking have allowed themselves to become prisoners. Self-imposed by fears, insecurities, negative thinking, circumstances both (past and present), hurts, lack of self-confidence; the list is endless and so different for us all. Some people live their lives convinced that circumstances or other people have kept them down. The truth is simple, only we hold the key to our own success.

For many years I had given mental assent to this truth but nothing changed until the coin dropped. Only when the coin drops in our heart can we derive the truth in any given circumstance.

As a businesswoman I have found myself in countless corporate offices. One of the most prominent features is what I call motivational sayings. You know, the kind that excites your soul when you read them, make you feel like a winner when you hang them on your walls, or superior to others as you send them on their way via email. As if by the mere fact of having done so equates to success. Oh, if it were only that easy!

The only constant in the world today is change. With this in mind we shouldn’t be surprised when we face challenges, or as I like to call them opportunities for solutions.
One of my favorite quotes,” I am never down, I am either up or getting up!” People who have fallen short because of life’s circumstance and yet summon the courage to continue to move forward are extremely successful and valuable to the rest of us.

It is with this message in my heart that I will endeavor to speak with as many people who have faced adversity and continued with an unshakeable courage in spite of it. No one is exempt from pain or failure in this life; it is however what we do with the pain that counts.

For example, recently my daughter Jennifer sent me a link to this video on YouTube about Patrick Henry Hughes. WOW, what a testimony about the human spirit overcoming adversity. Not only about Patrick, but about his parents, especially his father. Enjoy the video above.

In the quiet moments of my life I wonder how I can get back to the so-called basics. As if to pull the slack out of us a day that will forever mark the history books occurs, September 11, 2001. Lives from that moment forever changed. After the initial horror even those of us who have looked on from a distance ask, how does this affect me?

I believe it is time for us to look inward and search our hearts. You might even be surprised by what you find there! I’m a firm believer that we all have been given gifts and talents that were meant to be used to help others. Some people have never measured success in this way and still others know the truth and have not summoned the courage to move forward in the direction of their dreams.

There are many ways pain can become a part of your life. Yet the greatest pain to endure is to continue day by day with your song unsung. However, you may find that when you begin to sing you’re singing solo. Continue to sing “the song in your heart” others will gather around you and begin to sing also!

Additional information at my website DynamicLiving4U.com