Posts Tagged ‘Work Life Balance’
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
We have all heard people say that “the world’s a tough place” or “it’s a dog-eat-dog world”, and maybe those folks are right. But, I believe living a happy life at home and at work is still very possible. I have spoken to many folks and ask them “are you happy”. If they say yes, I ask why. If they say “not really” or “not totally”, I ask why. After listening to literally hundreds of responses, I thought it might be helpful to craft a list a list of practical steps or principles one can use to get and stay on a path to living a happier life at home and at work. Here it is:
- Be purposseful about finding pleasure in the simple things in life…at home and at work.
- Make the best of your circumstances; no one has everything, and everyone has something. You will experience joy intermingled with sorrow; allow laughter to outweigh the tears!
- Don’t take yourself too seriously; but take serving and being kind to others very seriously.
- Understand that you can’t please everyone, so don’t let criticism worry you.
- Don’t allow the world to set the standard for you. God says simply, be holy because I am holy. Let God’s standard guide your thoughts, words, choices, and actions.
- Pursue your dream(s); the things that energize you…but stay out of debt.
- Never borrow trouble; imaginary trials are much harder to bear than real ones.
- Jealousy, gossip, and hate can poison the heart and soul; don’t practice any of these and avoid those who do.
- Always continue to learn and grow personally, professionally, and spiritually; read, pray, travel, and participate in many activities and interests.
- Don’t hold postmortems; don’t brood over sorrows, regrets, or mistakes. Pray and move your feet!
- Be a humble, obedient servant; use all that God has blessed you with to be a blessing to those less fortunate.
- Take care of yourself; maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get the rest you need.
Give it a try; invite your family and work associates to join you. Practice these practical steps and start living a happier life at home and at work.
God’s peace…
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Peace, Success, successful career, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
If you are unhappy, lonely, feeling down, discouraged, depressed, or disillusioned, I encourage you to please read and meditate on these words…God breathed through the prophet Isaiah. If you will take the time to do so, you will begin to feel restored, refreshed, and recharged. Whatever has happened, or is happening in your life to cause you to lose hope, God wants to change that. he wants to fill you with his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, joy, and peace. He wants to rebuild, restore, and renew your life as only he can do, and then he wants you to rejoice and be happy in life and at work!
The Year of the LORD’s Favor – Isaiah 61
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Depression, Discouragement, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Loneliness, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Renewed Life, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Monday, June 14th, 2010
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It’s like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside.. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it and move on, never bothering to discover what is inside.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful, colorful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God 
to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have, and am very thankful to my friends who have chosen to look beyond my clay vessel. Please appreciate every single friend you have; life is too short and friends are too few! Take the time to discover what’s inside. If you do this you will be happy in life and at work!
Please feel free to pass this on to another Clay Ball! And remember, do not ask God to to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.
Tags: Be Happy, Friends, Friendship, Friendships, Happiness, Happy Life, Happy Relationship, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
The family is the most important institution and organization in the world today. As the health of our families have declined, so has our society. Today most families are chaotic, scattered, disorganized, frantic, confused and stressful. Does this sound familiar to you? Be honest. I know it does to me. The result of this is a structureless, directionless, and dare I say unhappy family. A family where no one really knows one another intimately because we never have or take the time to communicate about dreams, goals, priorities, victories, failures, challenges, or feelings.
Families are very important. Families are important to our society and world. And, families are very important to God; he created them with a purpose, to provide for many of the personal, physical, and spiritual needs we all have.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
So, what can we all do to do create a healthy family? Put simply, stop the insanity. Literally stop, come together and talk to one another. Talk to one another about who we are as family, what makes us unique and special, what is important to us as a family, what we can do together, how we can live our family life to the fullest, etc.
I beleive that, if we would all be very intentional and purposeful in doing this we would have a chance to create a happy, healthy, full family life. And let’s face it, a happy family life can lead to a happy work life!
I was recently introduce to a great book that I believe can help us all accomplish this. The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, by Patrick Lencioni, is written as a fable, using realistic and humorous characters and plot lines that will keep you turning pages with anticipation while you’re learning how to bring sanity to your family life. And you’ll be amazed how just a little bit of structure and a few minutes of follow-through each week can make the difference between stressful chaos and fulfillment at home. I encourage you to read it with your spouse and talk about how the ideas Lencioni introduces might help you be happy in life and at work.
Tags: Balanced Life, Be Happy, Communication, Contentment, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Success, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.
Follow these words of wisdom and you will be happy in life and at work!
Tags: Be Happy, Contentment, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Peace, Success, successful career, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Friday, December 18th, 2009
The following wonderful and challenging message is from Os Hillman.
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.
Psalm 55:12-13
“You will always be attacked in the place of your inheritance,” said the man sitting across the breakfast table. “God has called you to bring people together and to impact other people’s lives as a result of this anointing in your life. You must make sure that you seek to maintain righteousness in all of your relationships.” Those words came from someone who had the wisdom and authority to speak them to me.
I have had a number of close relationships that ended in betrayal. I am very loyal to my friends and those with whom I have covenant relationships. Yet there are times that no matter how righteous you are, when someone means to betray you, he will do it. Loving those who betray you is “graduate-level Christianity.” The religious community and one of His closest friends betrayed Jesus. Those who were closest to David betrayed him. Joseph’s own family betrayed him. Loving our enemies cannot be accomplished by mustering it up. It can only happen when we have come to a death in ourselves so that Christ can love through us. It is truly one of those acts of identifying with the cross.
If you are a leader, you can be sure God will allow you to experience betrayal. It is one of those courses in the Kingdom that may not be required until God has seen that you have successfully passed other tests. It is the most difficult and most gut wrenching of all tests. A godly response goes against all that is in us. Our natural response is to protect, retaliate, and retain unforgiveness and bitterness. Our natural response is satan’s most powerful weapon; to overcome it requires much grace from God. Ask God to build His nature in you now so that when such attacks come, you will be aware that it is a test and you will respond in righteousness.
A suggested resource to go along with this exhortation is “Real Love In The Workplace” by Greg Baer M.D.
Tags: Balanced Life, Be Happy, Betrayal, Bitterness, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Happiness, Happy Life, Happy Relationship, Hope, Joy, Leadership, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcome Anger, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Pressure at Work, Relationships, Righteousness, Success, successful career, Unforgiveness, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance, Workplace Relationships
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” - Psalm 126:5
Psalm 126 describes an interesting process that goes against our natural tendencies when we are taken into a difficult period in our lives. Whenever we are hurled into a crisis that brings tears, our tendency is to retreat or recoil in fear and hurt. However, there is a better way that God tells us to handle such times of travail.
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:5-6). God is telling us that if we will do what is unnatural for us in these circumstances, He will make sure that what we sow in tears will return in joy. This is one of the most important lessons I have learned when faced with difficult circumstances. Rather than sit back and allow self-pity and discouragement to consume us, we should plant seed during this time. Reach out to a person who needs a friend. Invest in the life of another. See where you can be a blessing to someone. Give of yourself.
The psalmist acknowledges that we are doing this while we are in our pain. However, during this time we are to sow seed. That seed will return to us in another form. Here is what will happen when we do this. “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” We will receive joy and fruit from the seed that we plant during this time. Sheaves represent the fruit of a harvest. We will actually get a harvest from this seed.
“You must not let the circumstances destroy you! Too many in the Kingdom are counting on you to come through this because of the calling on your life!” Those were the words spoken to me by a friend one time when I was in the midst of a very difficult business and personal circumstance that was threatening to destroy me emotionally. This person saw what God was doing and the fruit that God wanted to bring from these circumstances. Sometimes we need others around us to push us through the difficult times. If you find yourself in a difficult place today, see where you can sow some seed. Soon you will be reaping songs of joy and be Happy in life and at work.
Suggested resource The Upside of Adversity by Os Hillman.
Can God actually use prolonged difficulty in our lives for good? Os Hillman says yes! After a seven-year journey filled with disappointement and adversity in his personal and work life, Os went from the pit of despair and unhappiness to operating an international speaking and teaching organization for workplace leaders that has taken him to more than 20 countries. Like the Joseph of the Bible, Os let God use a long string of personal calamities-what he terms his “Joseph Pit”-to form him for leadership, influence and service and bring real happiness and joy into his life and work.
Tags: Be Happy, Blessings, Contentment, Crisis, Difficult Circumstances, Discouragement, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Hurt, Joy, Joy Filled Life, Life Crisis, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Overcoming Discouragement, Pain, Peace, Self Pity, Songs of Joy, Sowing, Success, successful career, Tears, Travails, Victorious Life, Weeping, Work Life Balance
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25
There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. Solomon tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time and that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1,11.)
God brings about both the good and the bad. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives. They accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. But there is a time when those hard places have accomplished their purpose and He begins to restore. God did this with the nation of Israel after a season of famine and devastation.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will My people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed” (Joel 2:23-27).
God wants each of us to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He is a loving Father who tenderly guides His children through the difficult places. If God has taken you through a time of leanness, know that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. He will do it.
Reccomended reading: The Joseph-Daniel Calling
Like Joseph and Daniel in the Bible, God is calling men and women to serve in strategic positions of influence and power in the workplace for His purposes. This book addresses the dynamics of this calling, God?s economy, and the challenges of these uniquely called Josephs and Daniels. Among other agendas, they will be facilitators of the release of the wealth of the wicked into Kingdom initiatives.
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Abundance, Be Happy, Contentment, Discouragement, Faithfulness, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Life Crisis, Life Purpose, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Overcoming Discouragement, Patience, Peace, Pupose in Life, Purpose of life, Seasons of Life, Solomon, Success, successful career, Surviving Life, Work Life Balance
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Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Do you have distractions in your life? Of course, we all do.
Distractions are the poison of life. Thye keep us from seeing and being a part of God’s work in and around us. Author Leighton Ford knew this, so he began a journey of longing and looking for God. And it started with paying attention.
In the pages of his book, The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things, he invites you to journey with him as he seeks to rid himself of distractions and live the joyfilled, purposeful life God intended.
I encourage you to read this book!
Ford will walk with you, helping you pay attention to God’s work in you and around you throughout each day and in different seasons of your life. He will help you to realize that spending time alone with God, away from the normal distractions of life, will bring you a peace never before experienced. You will learn to abide rather than strive. You will learn to trust God more and worry less. You will learn to hear God’s still, quiet voice and be confident in your focus and pupose each day.
So, If you’re busy, distracted, discouraged, disillusioned, and tired of rushing through each day, you might be feeling disconnected from God, unable to see how he’s working and how you fit into his work. But the way toward him starts with a pause and a prayer with intention and attention and becomes a way of life, awake and alive to the peaceful, powerful presence of God.
I hope you enjoy The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford.
Tags: Abiding, Attentive Life, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Contentment, Discouragement, Freedom, Get out of the pit, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Overcoming Discouragement, Peace, Pressure at Work, Rest, Success, successful career, Victorious Life, Work Life Balance
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Saturday, October 31st, 2009
You may have heard the saying “plan the work and work the plan”. It is a great reminder that, in order to experience success, it helps to have a vision and a plan for what you hope to accomplish, to remian focused and committed to your plan, and to be purposeful and intentional in working toward accomplishing the plan.
This adage is most commonly applied in business, but I believe we shoud all consider applying it within our families. Our families need a vision, a mssion, and a plan. A good place to start is to establish your family values, a set of guiding principles that help steer eveyone as they makes decsions about what you do, what you say, who you select as friends, and how you spend your money and time. Below are some examples of family values that I have collected from freinds that will give you some ideas and help get you jump started. You can develop your own (as a family); make it fun, let eveyone participate and contribute, and make sure you have consensus before finalizing. Post them on the refrigerator, on the family bulletin board, and on bathroom mirrors so they are consistently top-of-mind with everyone, and use them when making decisions, and to mentor, coach and discipline your kids. Good luck and remember to walk in love!
Family Values:
- We will love honor and obey God in all that we think, speak, and do
- We will, in humility, love, respect, and serve each other and those around us
- We first listen, then think, then speak
- We try our best in everything we do
- We look for the good in every situation and maintain an attitude of thankfulness
- We will forgive and make every effort to live at peace with everyone
- We take every opportunity to share God’s love and the hope we have in Jesus
- We make memories together
- We keep our family time as a high priority
- We nurture a generous heart by living simply and sharing with those in need
- We invest ourselves in building God’e kingdom
Tags: Abide, Abiding, Balanced Life, Be Happy, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Contentment, Faithfulness, Freedom, Happiness, Happy Family, Happy Home, Happy Life, Happy Marriage, Happy Relationship, Joy, Life Trials, Living a Happy Life, Obedience, Peace, Resolving Conflict, Success, successful career, Thankfulness, Victorious Life, Wisdom, Work Life Balance
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