No, The Sky Is NOT Falling!
 
Now more than ever, all of us should heed the advice of the Apostle Paul offered in Philippians 4:8! Despite the unconstructive hyperbole, there is much to be grateful for, both individually and collectively as a nation.
 
At a minimum, be thankful that there has not been a terrorist attack on our soil since September 11, 2001. Dwell on that for a bit.
 
Know that our capitalistic system, while not perfect, is at this very moment, creating great opportunities for economic wealth in the years and decades to come.  And capitalism includes both failure and success. It’s ok to experience failure now and then as long as success is promoted and failure is allowed to happen. Could you imagine a child being protected and bailed out of every problem he created for himself. He’d never grow up, would he?
 
Acknowledge that our political system, while quite irritating at times, is the best ever created. Recognize the truth that “this too shall pass” for this nation will most certainly bounce back, and far more quickly than the media predict. Believe it.
 
Individually, do a quick inventory and itemize the people and things that you are pleased with in your life. Emphasize the people who love you and support you. If need be, expand this list to include things that you are grateful “aren’t wrong with your particular life” at this moment. Invest 8 minutes to do this right now. Remember, whatever you appreciate grows in value. This weekend, appreciate what is right with your life.
 
There is a tendency in difficult times to zero in on the things that are “out of whack” and forget about all that is working in our lives and in our country. This is easy to do, especially if we are not insulated from the continuous downpour of gloom and doom reports of “breaking bad news.”(The BBN)
 
In the news world, far too many events and situations are deemed “a crisis.” The 4:8 Principle is not about ignoring problems. Far from it. It’s about disciplining your thinking so that you remain in a problem-solving frame of mind, where you actually generate creative breakthroughs and wise decisions.
 
However, in the last week, the emotion-provoking language used by politicians and reporters has reached a grotesque elevation that does not contribute in the least to rationale solutions, but rather to mood-driven expediency and panic based moral compromise. We need solutions based on sound principles that factor in the long-term as well as the short term and incentivize the right behaviors.
 
Refuse to get caught up in this gloom and doom chatter. Abstain from most news for a few days. Get picky about what you read, watch and listen to in the next week.  Say “NO” to grumbling, complaining, whining and the people who incessantly engage in it. The sky is not falling and if it were that would be an outrageous, horrific, atrocious, shocking, appalling, unspeakable, CRISIS that I could not bear to discuss with you here.
 
Instead, I prefer to consider and dwell upon the words articulated by the apostle! What about you? What do you think?
“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating
on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the
worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8 (MSG)

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The principles you live by create the world you live in. When you begin to organize your thought life in a manner consistent with Philippians 4:8, you kick off a series of life changes that will both surprise and encourage you. When you begin to drop the repeated negative references to past experiences, you begin your ascent into a brighter future. When you resolve to weed out the mediocre influences in your life, you accelerate your progress toward your most important goals. And when you start giving more attention to the good things in your life, you’ll start noticing even more things to be grateful. The life you’ve dreamed of is far closer than you think…  Take the challenge, http://www.the8daychallenge.com/

Read the rest of this entry »

The principles you live by create the world you live in. When you begin to organize your thought life in a manner consistent with Philippians 4:8, you kick off a series of life changes that will both surprise and encourage you. When you begin to drop the repeated negative references to past experiences, you begin your ascent into a brighter future. When you resolve to weed out the mediocre influences in your life, you accelerate your progress toward your most important goals. And when you start giving more attention to the good things in your life, you’ll start noticing even more things to be grateful. The life you’ve dreamed of is far closer than you think…  Take the challenge, www.the8daychallenge.com.