Thanksgiving by Lisa Vrooman

Thanksgiving by Lisa Vrooman

As we approach this week’s day of Thanksgiving, each of us will most certainly be taking time to pause and reflect on the blessings in our lives. When we enter into gratefulness, we open ourselves to the abundance of God’s love and His gifts, such as peace, faith, and joy. We naturally feel the impulse to express those feelings and what better way to bless ourselves and others than a simple expression of thanking them for being them. Not only can this lead you in growing spiritually and increasing your grace for others, it is said to be beneficial for mental and physical health. It’s a win-win!

Don’t wait to give thanks

All of this is done while being mindful of what others don’t have. We would be remiss if we don’t also pause to reflect and pray for France in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. It is a painful reminder of the changing world we live in today, as well as the fact that none of us truly know if we will have another day with those we love. So don’t wait to express your gratitude. “Gratitude turns what we each have into enough.” (Melody Beattie)

Give thanks to heal

ThanksgivingPresident Lincoln urged Americans to pause and give thanksgiving and praise in 1863. In the midst of our nation being ripped apart by civil war, he issued the Thanksgiving Proclamation declaring it a national holiday. He stated, “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they (gracious gifts from God) should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American People.” He also asked Americans to lift up in prayer “to His tender care” those who had suffered from the war and to ask for Him to “heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it … to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union.” Certainly his statements and sensibilities still ring true for not only our people and nation, but also our nation’s position in world affairs today.

Don’t allow Thanksgiving and gratitude to be “just a day” but a “way to live!” Feeling an increased sense of gratitude and all of the blessings that come with it is just one of the benefits of attending The Journey Training. It is a great way to bless yourself and those around you!

 

Give thanks for each new morning with its light
For rest and shelter of the night
For health and food, for love and friends
For everything thy goodness sends.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Getting Stuck

Getting Stuck

I was asked what I do when I get stuck, and it has taken me a few days to really think about it.

I am very fortunate; I have an internal drive that many do not have.  I wish it was as easy as that, but there is more.  My mission is to Teach, Inspire and Serve.  

When I am operating within my mission, it keeps me going.

  • How can I teach when I do not know?

              Being stuck does not allow me to learn.

  • How can I inspire when I am stuck in a hole?

             I need to keep pushing forward. 

  • How can I serve when I am stuck?

            Look at it this way; if you were a waiter, could you serve the table if you are sitting in your chair?  

As a leader, it is my role to set the example for others; getting stuck is not what I choose to do. WAIT, unfortunately sometimes it does, so what do I do?

  1. I surround myself with people that energize me.  

I am not looking for those who are in a pity party; otherwise I will end up in the pit with them. If you put a crab in a bucket and it can climb out of that bucket, it will climb out. But if you put two crabs in the bucket, when one of the crabs tries to climb out, the other will pull it back in. Neither will ever escape. It doesn’t matter that it’s possible to escape, the crabs will hold each other back from doing so, that’s why its important to choose driven and like-minded people to be in the bucket with you. Thrive15.com is an “edutainment” company created to help you succeed; I choose to be surrounded by mentors that help me stay driven. 

  1. Listen to music that uplifts me.

There are certain kinds of music that uplifts our spirit, others that supports our misery.  I choose uplifting.  I also listen to soundtracks from movies. I think and you think of happy things, it changes your mood.

 

  1. I go for a walk

When you exercise it releases endorphins, and it puts you in a better mood.  I was recently on a walk, and irritated by my own decisions. I came across this HUGEMOUNGOUS, UGLY spider.  It was eating its own web.  I sat there for 30 minutes. No radio, no TV, no distractions other than the occasional bird, or dog barking, and watched it.  It was almost like the spider was taking up the webbing that it had made, and put in the wrong place and was eating it.  I read later that spiders do that to get back the energy and protein it needs.  It helped me realize that some of the decisions I made may have been wrong, but I can learn from them, and they can make me stronger.

The solution here is when you get stuck, get moving!  Take action!  Hiding, going to bed, addictions, watching TV, all of these are easy ways to stay in your rut, in fact they are ways to continue to stay stuck.

When you are ready to make a change, you will take action.  This is one of the many reasons I am a HUGE supporter of The Journey Training.  You want to get unstuck, go thru this training.  I will guarantee this will help you.  Why?  Because you are taking action, taking a step.

Being stuck is a just that – stuck!  Want to be Unstuck?  Get UNSTUCK!

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Fixing flats – by Michele VanDusen

Fixing flats – by Michele VanDusen

At the beginning of the year, someone asked me a question – a question that seemed unnatural to me. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?”

I was thrown off guard because I naturally think in terms of how I can make someone else’s life better, easier, or less worrisome. When the question was aimed at me, I didn’t know what to say. After much consideration I finally declared what I wanted, “No pain!” That seemed like an easy answer because I was in my fifth month dealing with shoulder pain. Major pain! I was four weeks out from a surgery that was more involved than first thought and the surgery came after an intense four months of physical therapy.

My answer was meant to appease the person asking it because it was obvious that I was in a lot of physical pain. Yet my answer avoided the real source of my pain – emotional pain. A betrayal that had caused me so much pain that I chose to go numb rather than to feel it. If I felt it I’d have to deal with it, and I didn’t want to deal with it because it was going to take work – a lot of work.

Finding your way requires direction

Fixing FlatsLife is a journey, and the first step in a journey is to know your destination. My destination was “No Pain,” which may be unrealistic for many reasons I won’t go into here. So I changed it to a journey of healing, with the final destination of health.

Once you know your destination you can begin on the path to it. When there is pain blocking your path, you tend not to head that way. This was the difficulty in my case. Pain was blocking my path, preventing me from arriving at my destination. But in order for me to be free from the pain, I needed to face the pain and deal with it.

Flats require attention

Facing and dealing with the pain in my journey was going to be like driving a hundred miles, getting a flat tire along the way, and continuing to drive on the flat trying to get there. It only causes more damage and could make the car inoperable.

If I pull over but don’t change the flat, I’ll remain stuck and never reach my destination. If I pull out all of the tools needed to change the flat, but if I don’t use the tools, I sit still on the side of the road, watching everyone else getting closer to their destinations.

Fix-a-flat and get moving!

Sometimes fixing a situation in your life requires an extra hand – someone to come alongside you who has the tools and ability to help you. That is what The Journey Training did for me. It connected me with people who have the tools I need, so as I am on my way, I can fix the “flats” along the way. It is an empowering, freeing and self-strengthening opportunity that I recommend for anyone to attend. If you’re too afraid to begin, or you’ve begun and have a flat, reach out the The Journey Training and get the tools you need to help you along your way today! Your destination awaits!

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Set the Standard

Set the Standard

I’ve always wondered why rules are so hard to follow. Have you ever felt that way? It seems that when there is a rule, I gravitate to it. The rule is like the front porch light, and I’m the bug – frantically trying to break free but trapped by its gravity!

I was driving my daughter’s friend home when we came to a stop light. I glanced over and saw a really BIG sign. It said “NO TRESPASSING! VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED.” I said to her, “Look at that sign! That is the biggest no trespassing sign I have ever seen!” It was painted on two 4’x8’ plywood boards! She looked at me with her eyes wide open and said, “That makes me want to go in there!”

Why is this? Why are rules so hard to follow?

You become what you focus on

I once heard a story. There were two young boys who loved to visit their grandpa. He had a great big backyard with toy tractors and tools, and they were always excited to go to his house. When they arrived this day, they quickly asked, “Grandpa! Can we go play in your backyard?”

“Sure you can boys! But just don’t spit on my bushes!”

The two boys looked at each other in confusion, then shrugged and sped out the door. The grandpa walked over to the window and peeked through the blinds. The two boys walked down the steps and looked over at the bushes. They looked at each other, grinned, and before they ran to the tractors they spit on the bushes, which they would have never noticed had Grandpa not mentioned them.

You see, when we set rules to follow, we bring to the forefront of our thoughts and mind those things we shouldn’t do. In my own life, and in the lives of those whom I coach, I’ve found that the best way to break a rule is to make one. We all gravitate to what is forbidden. Adam and Eve did it in the Garden. God told them they could eat of any tree except the one. And we know the outcome of that story!

I had lunch with Jillian Michaels in Los Angeles and said to her, “Jillian, I can’t shake it! The more I think to stay away from certain foods, the more I seem to want them!” She said to me, “Danny, I have one all-natural, Newman’s Own dark chocolate peanut butter cup every single day of my life. Why? Because if I deprive myself of it I will only want it more – then I eat 2 or 3 or even 4! Don’t deprive yourself of the things you love – just work them into your plan and stick to the plan!” I’ll tell you, I’m not the thinnest guy on the block right now, but I’m not 300, 400, or even 500 pounds anymore either. And it has to do with that plan Jillian was talking about.

Set standards, and make them a part of your plan

If we tend to become what we focus on, why would we want to focus on what not to do? Let’s focus on the plan – let’s focus on what we need to do! Let’s set some standards.

Let’s look at the definitions of standard: “A level of quality or attainment. An idea used to measure the norm (normal) in comparative evaluations. Accepted as normal or average.”

When we set standards, we raise the bar, creating a target to shoot for. When we set rules, we create governing boundaries for ourselves, or curbs, to stay within. Rules limit our performance instead of creating a higher standard to attain. And in my experiences, when I’m shooting for something, I am much more motivated to achieve it.

Know the standards, find the target

When I was at The Biggest Loser ranch, we learned which foods to eat. We learned to add water to our diet and to increase our steps every day. We also created a standard of workout that expanded our lives. One of the running jokes about being a Biggest Loser Alumni is that once you’ve been a contestant, walking distance means a completely different thing. I used to think walking distance was 600 feet, but now it means 5 miles!

Sure, we knew to stay away from certain foods, but more than that we knew the foods to gravitate to; and when we eat the right food and drink plenty of water, the wrong foods don’t even come into the picture. You see what I mean? Sure, we avoided having certain foods within our grasp; we just left them off the grocery list.

Standards work in all areas of life

Standards work in your office or family, with your team, or in any area of life! I once heard Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke University head coach and coach of several U.S. Olympic basketball teams explain something. How can you coach The Dream Team  and have several huge egos such as Michael Jordon, Scotty Pippen, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley, and have them work together as a team? How do you tell them to be on time or adhere to a curfew? These are the greatest names in basketball! Well, Coach Mike explained that at the first meeting, instead of laying out rules to the team, HE asked them what standards should be created for the team. They went around one by one and shouted them out: “Be on time!” “Get your sleep!” and on and on…until they set the standards for their team themselves. Because they had ownership in the standards, they adhered to them. Coach Krzyzewski said that if he’d set rules for them, they would have gone out of their way to break them and prove who was in charge.

This can work in your own life, too. In your family, let your kids take part in setting the family standards. In your office or business, let your employees or team take part. Their ownership of the standards will give them a voice, and in turn motivation to adhere to them without so many rules. And in your own life, don’t deprive yourself of all enjoyable things, but set standards that include some of those things, and more importantly the things that will get you where you want to go. You might just find that the rules will fade into the background and not become the focus when you are busy shooting for your standards, and in turn shooting for the stars!

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