Drink From The Well Of Life

Heard an interesting statement the other day, "movement doesn't take place with 'stinky thinking'. It happens with positive thinking." This comes from Steve Bullen, a pastor at my local church and it was in reference to preparing yourself to move ahead in life. The 'stinky thinking' refers to always being negative about any given situation.

So easy it has become for all of us to look at the down side of most any situation. So easy to wallow in the negativity of anything gone bad. So easy to let these things bring our own attitude down. It breaks our strength, it weakens our ability to push through to what is more important. Is it that much easier to be negative? Does it take more energy to be positive?

I have read different studies that have shown it takes more muscles to frown then to smile. Even if it isn't so, I still hold the belief that smiling is much better for you and consumes much less of your energy. And what is it you can do with this added energy?

Use that energy to improve your life, to drink from the well of goodness that life has to offer. With that energy, you will have the strength to move that rock which covers the well. To push that rock aside and drink from all that life has to offer.

At a place called Andersonville Civil War Prison Camp in the U.S. state of Georgia (also known as Camp Sumter), the differences of men imprisoned during the war came to a boil. Conditions had worsened to a point at which water flowing in a small stream became intolerable. Many of the men prayed for water and many wished for divine intervention. Many put away their differences to work as one and to try and create better conditions.

It then happened one thunderous and stormy night. It is said that lightening struck the ground and a new and previously unknown water spring began to flow. There is no scientific explanation for this but many felt it was a sign from above. The earth opened, the water flowed and it was named Providence Spring.

Set aside your 'stinky thoughts' and develop a positive look in life. Drink from the Providence Spring that will come forth.

Your Own Attitude

“The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That's the day we truly grow up.” -John Maxwell

When that day came for me, it lifted a heaviness that always seemed to be upon my life. I have spoken of this before in terms of 'rocks within your wagon'. I realized that responsibility for how I felt, how I reacted and what my attitude towards life was mine and mine alone. At that moment many of those 'rocks' evaporated. They became unimportant in the bigger scheme of things. That bigger scheme just happened to be my life and how I was living in it.

It would be foolish of me to claim that I have no struggles with attitude from time to time. But over the years I have learned to recognize the struggle is starting. To fight it off, you begin remembering the positive and important things in your life. You slow down, you stop and you think about what it is that is happening or just happened.

Accept responsibility for your self - for your own attitude - life will grow all around you.

Positive Gestures Impacting Others

“When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better.” -C.S. Lewis

Life will be full of the downward and upward swings that come with our existence. But it is the joy of the goodness for which we live. So it is important that we learn how to first pull ourselves up the low spots. This can be difficult to do but having developed a positive attitude will help. It gives you strength to see the 'light' of better things to come.

A friend of mine has said when he is down that he, "looks for at least one positive thing each day regardless of how small it might be." And guess what, this is where you come into the picture. The small things that you do in your life do impact others.

Think of offering a small gesture of kindness to those you come across during the day. It may be simple which is just what that person who needs it is looking for. Never think that your good deed goes unnoticed for all that we do in life impacts others.

Be a person of impact, large or small...it makes a difference in other people's lives. That one thing could be that which gets things going in the 'right direction' for another person.

Prepare Yourself For Greatness

There are points in your life where you make decisions to do or not to do something for your fellow human. The opportunity to bring a small amount of goodness to someones life can happen almost daily. But doing something big requires greatness of heart.

The days will pass as you develop a positive attitude, doing the small things. Such as letting that person merge into your lane on the freeway or holding a door open for someone. Each little thing that you do builds your character and is preparing you for larger moments.

Every time I write an article, I am reinforcing to myself and hopefully to you that greatness does not happen over night. There are those that inherit millions of dollars in one fell swoop but it does not make them great. There are those get voted into power as President but that alone does not make them great. And there are those that become widely popular through the entertainment business and again, that does not make them great.

What makes a person great is the additive course of their life which brings them to that moment in life and what they do with that moment. You don't have to be those things mentioned above, you only have to exhibit greatness when your moment arrives. It isn't a test, it isn't something you really even plan for. Yet preparing yourself by doing the small things will adequately set you up to make the right choices, to take yourself to greatness.

You see, as you do the little things in life..holding the door, serving others and bringing a positive moment to their life is preparing you. It eventually becomes natural and is done with out a second thought...it just occurs. Then that moment arrives and you may not even realize it is there. Someone needs a medical transplant, someone needs a lift in life, someone needs you to be there for them...you just do it.

People who give of themselves, not foolishly but with a giving heart, are those that become great. Leaders of countries, entertainment figures, the person next door and you can all be great people. But it starts with developing a positive life style...being willing to make other peoples lives better. In turn, it will make your life better.