Sunday, January 24, 2010

Are you invincible?

Invincible is defined as incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable. Harry Truman, whose name is often confused with the president’s name, lived on Mount St. Helens with his family for years. Officials warned Harry that the mountain was going to erupt, however he refused to leave his residence.

Truman's unwillingness to leave the mountain had more to do with protecting his property than making a statement.
Truman was in a Catch-22 situation. Truman felt he would be able to see lava start to ooze down and a news helicopter would come in and scoop him up at the last minute preserving his life.
Nature had other ideas. The searing blast of Mount St. Helens came at 300 mph. This blast buried Truman 150 feet under the (present) lake along with his treasured pink Cadillac, 16 cats, with the lodge safe packed with over a million dollars.
"There's no way to get to it," Truman’s niece, Rosen said. "He took it all with him -- not a lot of people can say that.”

Truman’s life isn’t too different from our lives. We often tell ourselves we have time to lose the extra pounds the doctor has urged us to lose…for the past 5 years, that we really can wait to have those difficult conversations with our children and establish proper boundaries, or that we always will be given the benefit of doubt by our spouse or significant other we often neglect because we have to get that raise or corner office. We forget to get back to the basics. Never think the basics are TOO BASIC.

The truth is, nothing is promised to any of us. A certain socio-economic status, gender or race doesn’t insulate you or your possessions from loss or setbacks. The recession has caused each of us to re-think our entire existence.
Things we once thought were imperative are now things we readily pass on.

Essentially each of us require Extreme Makeovers…

These shows showcase individuals with serious physical issues that are transformed using plastic surgery, dentistry, cosmetology, and other treatments to "makeover" their appearance. The spin-off program is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. That's where they take a home and totally convert it into a beautiful house that is completely changed by going down to the studs.
We too can have an "extreme makeover" by continually CONCURRENTLY examining our personal, professional, emotional and physical lives. Just like the contestants on these television programs, we have to give up our agenda’s, and relinquish control, if we are to receive an extreme makeover in our lives.
Do you want an extreme makeover in your life? Do you want a life filled with balance, peace, joy, abundance, proper boundaries and deliverance? Do you want your weary and arduous life to be redeemed and transformed into life anew? An extreme makeover is available to each of us by practicing discernment and adopting accountability into every aspect of your life.

This causes CHANGE, which takes place from the inside and automatically metamorphoses the outside aspects of your life.

You can’t do this in your OWN strength. Enlist your troops…It’s a battle out there!

Remain phenomenal

Monday, January 11, 2010

When was your last Metamorphosis…or current hiding place?

“I want you to get excited about who you are, what you are, what you have, and what can still be for you. I want to inspire you to see that you can go far beyond where you are now.” –Virginia Satir


He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever uncovers them finds mercy and prospers. Proverbs 28:13
Have you ever played a game of hide and seek? As a child, I regularly played this game with my father. My brother and I would hide when we heard our father opening the door. My brother would hide in the identical places and would go so far as to beckon attention to the area he was hiding when my father acted as though he couldn’t find us.
I on the other hand was strategic. I made it my priority to stake out places to hide so never to be “discovered.”
Hide and seek is ok for children, yet as adults its an ENTIRELY different matter. Adults in hiding subconsciously perceive themselves as “know-it alls” or suffer from low self-esteem.

Adults in hiding have faced a series of unmet expectations, causing a paralysis of metamorphosis in an effort to ward off all future pain or disappointment. You most likely suffer from this if you either 1) think you have everyone figured out, 2) serially pre-judge others motives, or 3) love the saying “if you don’t expect anything good to happen you won’t be disappointed.”
Those who are wrestling with the residue of unmet expectations-in one or more aspects of their life have forgotten the end of a season or era, no matter how dramatic or downright wrong or cruel it may be, doesn’t mean they must cease trusting the process of life.

Left unchallenged, this individual will find themselves cynical, prone to incessantly blame others, huddle with other “victims” while judging others as inferior to them, vehemently refuse to accept any responsibility for their actions/inaction and hide from anything which remotely seeks intimacy. The worst part for this person is an unconscious inability to genuinely GIVE or RECEIVE grace-undeserved, unearned favor, forgiveness, love and kindness. This intricate tango is oxygen to any viable relationship-with oneself or otherwise.

None of us are immune!
As I was thinking of how horrible it must be to hide in anger, fear, apathy or low self-esteem it became apparent that none of us are above the game of adult hide and seek.
If every aspect of our lives isn’t continuously being examined, we inadvertently join the ranks of those who hide, cutting ourselves off from living our best life-personally, professionally, spiritually and physically.
After listening to a compelling conversation on New Years Resolutions, I composed two lists-what to do or keep doing if hiding remains an appealing option versus what’s truly necessary for those desirous to CHANGE and grow in intimacy and grace toward oneself and strategically with others.

The absolute foolproof method to experience a miserable 2010 is:

1. Worry incessantly about anything and everything i.e. aging, job security, relationships, your children, and your bodyweight.
2. Pre-occupy yourself with getting rich. i.e. fall for a too good to be true get rich scheme. Covet everything the rich and famous have; the desirable stuff only, without taking into account the hard work, the responsibility, et al of being “rich.”
3. Compare yourself to others. It’s guaranteed you’ll always come out worse because you’ll likely namely feel compelled to compare yourself with those you’ve deemed “better” than yourself.
4. Add to your list of enemies. Now you’ll have a head start on being increasingly bitter and pessimistic about life and people will definitely begin (or continue) avoiding you.
5. Set and cling to unrealistic expectations/predictions i.e. compare yourself to the rock hard abs infomercial that comes on at 2:30am in the morning using people that probably never had bodies like the 95% of the world they’re selling the machines to.

The ideal path to sustainable CHANGE 2010 and beyond is:

1. Remember everyone’ll watch you. Consistently purify your motives. People see through us, so make sure that we advertise in the storefront, that which is in the storehouse.
2. Remember you’ll encounter unreasonable situations and people. Unfair, dishonest, backward treatment will happen to even the best of us. Our human tendency is toward a desire for retribution; especially the types that no one else will see you’ve carried out.
3. Remember, you’ll have some setbacks. However daunting they may be, you must get over them.
4. Remember, you’ll require unusual patience and will need to extend unusual grace. When you do what is right and suffer for it, you’ll find favor with God and others. When you maintain a course of action during intense opposition, you will win. Remember that nothing stays the same.
5. Remember you’ll consistently need to restore your HOPE. You’ll need to make it a priority to trust in more than just yourself.

Review this list bi-weekly to keep yourself mindful of the necessity to live an authentic life. Further, enlist the support of others who will hold you accountable and enthusiastic about your goals.
No one can change or sustain momentum alone. None of us are as smart as all of us!