Choice Three: STRENGTHEN

I know that what I'm about to say is an over-simplification but consider it anyway: "Life is a series of choices."

Now, again, I didn't say you had to AGREE with my statement, I just asked that you consider it which, in and of itself is a choice, is it not? Your consideration is a choice and your agreeing or disagreeing is a choice. You made a choice to read this article right now instead of doing something different. You have a choice to either keep on reading this article or to go on and do that "something else". You made a choice to get out of bed this morning or, if you are still in bed for whatever reason, you still made a choice to do something besides just lay in bed sleeping or watching television at this moment.

Yeah, I really COULD go on and on with this pointing out how many choices we make each and every day several times a day - but I won't. It was a choice that I had and I chose NOT to follow through with that. (There I go again!).

And, yes, when bad things happen in our lives we have choices that we must make. Among those are how we will allow this "bad thing" to impact us. We can either let it DEFINE us, DESTROY us or STRENGTHEN us. We've already talked about the first two and, today, I'll discuss the last one as I conclude my thoughts on this topic.

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I've said it many times in the discussions on this topic but I feel the need to say this again - please do not take it that I am "making light" of any tragedy that may have taken place in your life or the life of someone you know. Perhaps you are going through that that tragedy right now and NONE of this will make any sense to you at all and, likely, may even make you angry. BOTTOM LINE - I understand that what I am saying is over-simplified. But, even in the midst of crazy events in our lives it still all boils down to the simplicity of choices.

Oh, believe me, I understand that the fact there are choices to be made is a simple fact but the CHOICES TO BE MADE is what makes it all so difficult.

Don't let bad things define you or destroy you - we've covered that already and, as always, if you haven't had the chance to read those, you might want to read them BEFORE you read this installation. So, WHY NOT let even the bad things in life STRENGTHEN you or make you stronger?

Anyone that has done ANY type of strength training can tell you that it is NOT easy! Hey, anytime I (you, them, whoever, right?) have tried to do ANYTHING that was some sort of change to my habits (diet, exercise) it was NOT easy to do! And, when you start talking about trying to become stronger (which usually incorporates diet AND exercise) you have to stay with it and fight the pain knowing that the strain and resistance against your muscles will make them stronger.

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 4:13 said the following, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Now, again, I realize that all of you reading this may not be believers but I feel the need to share this anyway because, for many people in our world, their FAITH is a HUGE FACTOR in their ability to keep going and to gain strength even in the midst of these "storms".

But, beyond the powerful thing that Paul said in that verse is what is found in the preceding verses describing some ups and downs that Paul, himself had experienced. Notice this in the same chapter, but in verse 12..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

FAITH - FRIENDS - FAMILY...the cornerstone for many people and especially when bad things happen in their lives. Have you utilized these resources in YOUR life recently? If not, maybe you need to do so BEFORE the "storms" hit (we talked about the need for preparation in one of the earlier articles in this series).

You CAN do this! You CAN make it through and you CAN survive another day and then another and then another. YOU CAN! YOU MUST!

"As long as there is breath, there is hope!"  Don't ever forget that!

Again, always feel free to contact me at any time (mike@futureyouuniversity.com) - I'd love to hear from you. And, whatever you do, where you go, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

When Something Bad Happens

As I begin this 4-part series today, I want to make sure you notice that the saying above is not, "IF bad things happen..." but, instead it is, "WHEN something bad happens...".

Friend, as bad as this may sound it is a fact of life that the longer you live you WILL experience something "bad" happening in your life. That's just part of being alive. Many of you have already experienced bad things happening in your life and, for some of you, maybe even too early in your life.

As I put this together there were many tornadoes that ripped through parts of our country last week that destroyed the lives of many people due to destruction and/or death. Storms come and go in our lives and it's not always the kind of storm that is defined by wind and rain.

As we go through this 4-part discussion we will ask ourselves if we will let these episodes in our lives DEFINE us, DESTROY us or STRENGTHEN us. For those of you that either have been or ARE going through bad times, what impact is it having on your life? Are you handling it - did you handle it - in a way that you wanted to? Hey, don't get me wrong - NO ONE wants anything bad to happen in their life, right? But, again, it is a fact that these things WILL come and we DO have a choice as to how we handle them.

Before we get into this whole discussion let me first of all say that I am NOT here to judge anyone on how they have handled or are handling a crisis in their lives. Too many people find it too easy to do just that - lay down "judgment" on something that they, themselves, either are not going through or have never gone through OR think everyone should handle the way that THEY handled it in their own situation.

We are all different! We all work through and handle things differently. This series is simply designed to be a means of encouragement to those that have been or are going through tough times due to "bad" things happening. It is also meant to be a way to encourage us all to PREPARE for these times before they arrive!

A football team (or any sports team) does not wait until the start of a game to prepare for that game. They begin their preparation MONTHS and MONTHS before that game is even scheduled to take place. The time for us to prepare ourselves for the "storms" that WILL come into our lives is NOT when the wind is trying to blow our door down!

The time to prepare is NOW. And, friend, if you've been there, I'd love to hear from you. I'd love you to share your story with me. I won't use any part of it unless you give me permission to do so, but you may just want to share with me, alone. I'd love to hear from you.

Remember, it's not IF but WHEN. Sure, it'd be great to avoid all things "bad" that may come along the way but, then again, we'd miss out on a lot of good as well.

Think about it and join me again tomorrow.

Until then, be sure to...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike