Grace Changes Things

"And you know, when you've experienced grace and you feel like you've been forgiven, you're a lot more forgiving of other people. You're a lot more gracious to others." - Rick Warren

All of us get to ride our lives on a rollercoaster that sees our mood, our situation and circumstance change from time to time. It can cause us to have a bad day, maybe get a little cranky as well.

When it happens, it does helps the situation when others have grace for you.

The Hebrew word for grace is chesed, which means "loving kindness" and implies the giving of oneself to help another without regard to compensation.

It is an act which affords people an opportunity to help others change their lives. It is an act that helps people get through those difficult periods or bad moods in life. Without it, I'm sure my wife would have given up long ago.

We each have varying levels of grace in our hearts to give. The ability to overlook the bad and see that goodness lives within another person. As humans, our grace is naturally limited and exists at varying levels. Yet we need the ability to show grace upon others or it would be a pretty miserable life for everyone.

As humans we are prone to make mistakes; to have a bad day or to 'get cranky' from time to time. If we recognize this fact, then we have the ability to give a little slack (grace) to others. I have been given this slack throughout my lifetime. And I try to use that excess slack as often as possible by giving it back to others.

Granted, I have to exercise more grace when it comes to my superior driving skills in comparison to others. But I'm getting better and yes, I make fun of myself in that regard. I may think my driving skills are better, but it is just an illusion.

In recognizing my driving is really not much better than others, it changes my attitude. In recognizing I can not read the mind of another driver or understand why they did or did not do something while driving, it changes my attitude.

Chances are, the other driver is probably wondering the same thing about me. If I recognize it, my attitude changes and I can have a little bit of grace. back off, relax and let it go. Can you try it for half a day?

Give just a bit more grace to others around you.

A half day can stretch into a full day. A full day will stretch into being an everyday habit. Watch what happens to your life when you extend a little grace to others. You will be amazed.

Stay inspired my friends!

Which Key Is Yours

“Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome. Not everyone can be Number 1.” - Arthur Ashe

Each of us has the ability to determine how successful we are. A man with very little can consider himself successful if he is happy and content. A man with much can feel himself a failure if he is unhappy in how he got there.

So much of what is considered success is dependent upon you.

Be successful in how you feel about yourself. Know that getting to a point of success is more important then the actual achievement. Be successful in the doing. And stay inspired my friends.

Promises Kept

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." - Robert Frost

There is an old song I listened to during my high school years. It was one that always had to be played before a dance was ever complete. I am talking of the famed, "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple. While the song is about a fire that broke out at a concert, none of us cared as it was "the" song we had to hear.

The song title and vision to me is one of smoke drifting out over the water. A vision of something that is thin, of no real substance and can be whisked away with the lightest of breezes. It is very similar to that of unfulfilled promises, which fill a vacant heart with hope and encouragement. A promise that quickly evaporates leaving behind what was there in the beginning...nothing.

Your promises to others have a large impact on others when kept.

Your promises have a huge effect on you when they go unfulfilled.

As Shakespeare wrote of unkept promises, "His promises were, as he then was, mighty; But his performance, as he is now, nothing."

Make your promises mean something; make them mean everything for those given to and it will fill you with greatness.

Stay inspired my friends!

Stand Out in Confidence

Andrew Rich (Getty Images)

"Confidence comes from not being afraid to fail. And when I do fail, I just say, Okay, I'll fix it." - Ben Kaufman

I was reading an iVillage online magazine article some time back which provided a "confidence checklist." It contained the following items;

- People who believe in themselves take charge of their actions.
- They act assertively, speak calmly and listen properly.
- They're flexible towards people, circumstances and all things new.
- They're able to give genuine praise and to accept constructive criticism.
- They evaluate themselves realistically.
- They appreciate their achievements.
- They learn from their mistakes.
- They aren't run by 'shoulds', 'musts' and 'ought tos'.
- When an opportunity comes up they say 'Why not?' rather than 'Why?'
- They feel they can influence situations and outcomes.

I am reminded of being confident as I watch the various young children during Halloween. This year I dressed up as the Sesame Street character Oscar the Grouch. As expected with very young children, there will be varying degrees of confidence shown. Some will come right up and shake your hand while others will scurry behind their parent to hide.

The development of confidence occurs at different rates.

Confidence is within all of us, but whether it shines through or whether it remains hidden can depend upon how we are treated as children and young adults. Were you encouraged, were you constantly being scared, were you nourished, were you diminished; many things will shape our lives.

As we get older though and take greater responsibility for our lives, the ability to be confident is inside you regardless of how your life was shaped. in who we are and what our abilities are will grow stronger. You can change, you can learn to be more confident in all that you do.

Dr Brian Roet, author of The Confidence to be Yourself, suggests you self-reflect in three ways to help gain or regain your own confidence:

1. Know yourself

Think about the sort of person you are. Think about your dominant personality characteristics. Then identify what motivates you; what challenges you; what frightens you; and what pleases you. Examine what you want out of life, long term, as well as what you currently give, and take, from it. Put all this together to reveal a holistic picture of who you are.

2. Like yourself

Now, ask yourself, do you approve of the person you see? Or do you feel negative and critical and guilty about who you are? It's more likely that you experience a combination of all these reactions. Write down all your good points. If this is too difficult to do alone, get a friend to help? They might be able to perceive what you can't. Read over your list. Focus on it. Recognise it to be true. Remember it. Trust it.

3. Accept yourself

To find the meaning of confidence, and to get closer to achieving it, we have to, first of all, accept the way we are ? today. Tell yourself that you can still aim for improvements for the future, but that you are happy with yourself in the present.

Finding confidence within oneself will enable you to accomplish and enjoy so much more in life. Look for and find the confidence that resides within you.

And stay inspired my friends!