Intelligence for Your Life

This Christmas I read John Tesh's Intelligence for Your Life. It's based off of his radio show that I catch snipits of on my drive home from work. It was a quick read and had many thought provoking messages, at least for me. Here are the ones that struck me in my current life... and if you read the book you'll get the whole concept a little better. ;) Hope you enjoy!
* Helen Keller said it best: "Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose"

* Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

* However, I will say that living a life of purpose takes work, and it takes support. If you are surrounded right now with people who are not aligned with your new mission in life, it will be difficult. Part of living with purpose is learning to act immediately on the encouraging tug of your conscience.

* Living with a purpose, living intelligently, is a matter of vision. Like a football quarterback, when purpose-driven people look at the playing field, they don't see line markers and grass; they see opportunities for scoring touchdowns. When they see an opening, they call the appropriate play. They are active, not passive. They see the big picture, but instead of being intimidated they embrase the opportunity to make a difference.

* Our most perishable resource is time, but we spend it on things not at all worth of that time.

* Money can buy sustained happiness if used in one distinct way: to purchase experiences. It's the experiences -- the memories -- that give lasting happiness, not the fanciness of the experiences.

* When it comes to adults, our circle of friends has decreased by a third over the past 19 years, according to Health magazine. And it's not just that we're lacking dinner dates. We also have fewer people to turn to when we're sad, stressed, or otherwise in a crisis. And this means we miss the health benefits of having a strong social network -- which can do everything from boost your immune system to protect you from heart disease, cancer, depression, and anxiety. (Always thankful for the friends I've been blessed with :) )

* Remember, forgiving doesn't mean condoning what happened.

* Don't wait for an apology. It's not really about getting the other person to change; it's about letting go. The bottom line is that we can't change the past, but letting go of old hurts will make for a happier and healthier future.

* On what it takes to live to be 100 ...
... Resilience -- keeping your spirits up, getting through hard times with a positive attitude, not letting illness or the passing of friends drag you down. To be resilient you need to believe that life still has a lot to offer. You need to believe God's promise: "'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

* Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows it's true colors.(James 1:2)

* Open your eyes that you may see wonderful things. Open your eyes to the certainty that opportunity and greatness are waiting for you right now. Open your eyes to the guarantee that God will place the opportunity in your path.

* My worst feer was the fear of how I would feel if I made a mistake. (I liked this one because I think anxiety doesn't come from unforeseen actions, but that it comes from the fear that we don't know how we'll react, how we'll feel, how we will choose to deal with those feelings.)

* Ladies, be encouraged. Do not be afraid to challenge your man to get right with God. Men, don't be afraid to take the hand of a powerful woman. It can lead you to riches you never imagined.

* Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
* I have also learned that sometimes it's not enough just to guard your heart. You must fill it up to make it less vulnerable. Fill it will positive influences. Approach it the way you would a good diet plan. Most experts agree that if you let yourself became famished, you will reach for the first thing in front of you. (Not that I'm referring to several of my exs who grabbed the first pretty woman they saw to fill their heart's emptiness... no not at all. Ha. But I think hearts can also be filled with other positive things... finding what truly makes you happy, your desires, your favorite hobby, volunteering -- not just filled by people. Best to fill it up with small things first before you make yourself vulnerable to someone whose feelings you have no control over.)
* Fill your heart with positive influences. A famished heart is vulnerable enough to fall victim to the world's most tempting vending machine.
* It's your responsibility to protect yourself from those people and things that would be destructive to your heart and prevent you from living an abundant life.

* God made you for joy, not so you could bear the weight of the world. (God died so we would not have to suffer enternally. I think this goes for here on Earth too. At least for me ... if I feel guilty about anything, I tend to punish myself continually -- mentally and physically. Yet, God already paid the price of sin. He wants me to enjoy the life He gave me. I do not have to bear the weight of my sins. I just need to ask for forgiveness, and He'll lift this weight off of my heart.)

* Focus on what's happening now. The past is over. When you're nostalgic, you're dwelling on what you don't have anymore. And if you're too focused on the future, then you want what you don't have. The only way to be truly happy is to relish what you do have, what you can do, and who are are right now.

* ... God wants nothing more from us and for us than love. If we pray without ceasing, read God's Word, and stay connected with him all throughout the day, then we can't help but behave lovingly. and when we behave lovingly, people want to hang out with us.

* "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith developes perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4).

Well, this was a long post, but I tried to section it off so you could jump around reading it. The book enlightened me, and was great to read at the end of what's been a trialing month.

Love,
Sarah