ATTITUDE – The safest question you can ask someone, one for which there is no wrong answer, is simply, “how do you feel?” Regardless of whether a situation makes one person feel excited or another frightened beyond words, those emotions are simply the way THEY feel. There is no right or wrong in feeling sad, mad, glad, happy, scared or elated. But that truth points to another, even deeper one. During the deepest, darkest hours of your life–when you might be in the grip of something very trying and very hard to handle–the one thing only YOU have control over is the emotions you rally in response. Even if nothing else seems in control, you can choose joy–and nobody can rob you of joy. John 16:22 tells us that it is yours and yours alone.
GRATITUDE – It’s also important to remember that hard times are usually times of growth. Growth is never easy. It stretches us and distorts us in ways we didn’t know possible. It’s a gift from someone who believes in you and knows that this is a temporal moment of your life: one that will define who you are in the future. That’s the best and deepest reason to be grateful for your circumstances. In James 1:2-4 it says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” It is also during these times that other people look at us to see how we are handling things. Eyes are on you to see if you give up, give in, or persevere.
APTITUDE – Remember the old definition of insanity? “Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.” That can happen when we get stuck focusing on our actions towards a goal, as opposed to the goal itself. I once wrote a quote saying: “Don’t be so focused on your process that you lose sight of the goal.” In software development, obfuscation is the deliberate act of creating source or machine code that is difficult for humans to understand. Sometime we obfuscate our own intentions, fooling ourselves into thinking we’re reaching a destination, when instead we’re running in place. Don’t!
ALTITUDE – Like Eli in the movie “Book of Eli,”says, “Do MORE for others than you do for yourself.” I’ve found that when you bury yourself in doing for others, not only does it make YOU feel better, but it takes your focus off of your own problems. Rise up above your funk and help others through theirs.
SMALL DISCIPLINES – Don’t increase your stress level by expecting yourself to make HUGE advances all at once. Simple disciplines, exercised consistently over time, make HUGE differences. Even better, the actions of following a routine gives you a feeling of accomplishment as you go through your days. I encourage everyone to set a defined (written) and followed (measured) list of things to do each day. For example; my weekly list is as follows:
- Spend some time in the Word or meditation daily
- Learn a new word (today’s word was DEMARCATION: The boundary of a specific area)
- Lean about something new (today it was how a steam locomotives work)
- Learn or improve a skill (Right now I am trying to learn more about EXCEL)
- Author a quote of your own (“When you feel like giving up – give it UP to God, in prayer”)
In and of themselves, these are small seemingly minuscule accomplishments, but repeated over time, they make a big difference. Challenge yourself to be a better YOU. By taking simple actions you can have a more powerful and positive attitude by keeping things in perspective––and It’s all about perspective.
Only YOU are in charge of your JOY!