Personal note from Dan

Dear friends.  Due to time constraints, I will no longer be adding to this blog.  Eventually, it will be deactivated.  Thank you for your willingness to read and learn about how to have a healthier and brighter outlook on life.  My other blog, Inspirations for the Troubled Soul, will continue and this is where my concentration will be.  There are simply not enough hours in the day for me to maintain two blogs.  

Please feel free to go back and read from the archives of this blog and I pray they are an encouragement to you.  Also, I would love for you to become a follower of Inspirations for the Troubled Soul.  See the link to the right to go to the blog.

Thanks for your support and understanding. The journey continues.

It's going to be a great day!

Blessings,

Dan

The Cost of a Brighter Outlook

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years.  –Abraham Lincoln

I recently heard about a web site that offers information and advice on how to get out of debt and live debt free.  I thought that sounded great, so I looked at the site, anxious to gather some much-needed insight into managing my finances better and becoming debt free.  I quickly found out that you must join the sight and commit to a monthly fee on your credit card.  This struck me as singularly odd, and funny.  So, let me make sure I understand this; in order to learn how to get out of debt I must first get a little more in debt – starting with the web site.   Oh well, I passed.  I decided to keep practicing sound money management, use good judgment about spending, and try to live within my means.

Being a healthier, happier person with a brighter outlook requires a serious commitment, yet I firmly believe we do not have to go in debt to accomplish it.  I am convinced anyone can, through faith in God and serious determination, rise up and take hold of a better life.  Another truth of which I am certain is this; sitting around waiting for it to happen guarantees it will not.  

I have wonderful conversations with people who speak of their hopes, dreams, and ambitions, yet for one reason or another, they do not seek to achieve them.  Yes, I know it is a challenge, but it is possible to accomplish reasonable goals. 

• Have you dreamed of writing a book?  So, what is stopping you from trying?  Sit down today and begin writing.

• Do you desire to get in better physical condition?  Map out a plan to make this happen.  If you have concerns about your health, then first consult your family doctor and get advice on what sort of exercise plan you can do. 

•  Do you wish to be a brighter, happier, more positive person?  Resolve today to smile more often, speak less, listen more, and do not allow yourself to become upset over trivial issues which in the grand scheme of life have little bearing.  

Now is the time and today is the day.  Become the brighter and happier person you wish to be.  You can do it with God’s help.  Do not delay.  Get going, get busy, and get moving.  A brighter day is within your grasp.  With renewed energy comes renewed confidence and motivation. 

God bless you.

Rising up and Moving Forward

Time is a jet plane; it moves too fast.  –Bob Dylan

Where does the time go?  I think we actually know the answer to this question.  Time passes by, it moves ahead, and we grow older.  These unstoppable truths happen whether we like it or desire it or not.  Perhaps you are feeling down, discontented, and unhappy.  There is hope, my friend.  I have an idea of how you feel, for I have battled similar forces in my own life.  The good news is that through prayer, faith, and the power of God I was able to rise up out of it and discover anew how to enjoy life and live it to the fullest.  As I told a brother pastor who was going through a dark time in his life, “if I can do it, so can you.”

Having said this, I urge you to cease from looking backward and start looking ahead.  We cannot change the past, but we can learn from our mistakes.  We can resolve not to go back to the unproductive and dark places we once were.  Perhaps you are simply unhappy with your overall life and you feel trapped and hopeless.  As I said earlier, there is hope. 

Maybe you cannot change your circumstances of a dead-end job, a mean boss, bad weather, or a rebellious child.  However, you can change you.  Resolve to make the best of your situation by being the best and most productive person you can be.  Begin now by writing down some items you would like to change about yourself.  List areas of your life that need improvement, and then formulate a plan to implement the changes.  Your list might look something like this:

-Begin an exercise routine.

-Be a more positive person.

-Be more patient with my spouse and family.

-Learn to relax and not take life so seriously.

Okay, so what now?  Formulate a plan for putting each of the items on your list into practice.  Your circumstances, no matter how difficult they might seem, will improve if you begin to improve yourself.  Start now, today.  Resolve to stop surviving and start living life to the fullest. 

A brighter day is coming.  Believe it and take hold of it today, for it is within your grasp.

Don’t Allow the Changing Seasons to Bring you Down

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

I am glad you are back and you probably thought I had given up on this blog.  I assure you this is not the case.  The problem stems from a schedule overloaded with responsibilities.  There’s no complaining here, because I am grateful for the opportunities I have through my ministry and community involvement.  I have also taken on a part-time job to supplement my income (more about that another time).  So, there are a number of lessons here about time management, being involved, and getting out there and celebrating life among the living.  Locking ourselves away from the world and lying in a bed of self-pity is a recipe for disaster.  Life is too short; get out and live it to the fullest.   

Speaking of living life to the fullest, no doubt you have noticed the coming of fall and the changes accompanying the season.  There is a cool freshness in the air, the leaves are beginning to fall, the days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting longer.  Right behind this wonderful season is winter – not such a bad time of the year if you confront it properly.  Now, I will save this for another blog, but one of my greatest joys is taking my dog for a walk on a cold brisk night with the newly fallen snow crunching under my boots.  Indeed, this lets me know I am fully alive.  I have a feeling our new puppy, Leon, is going to love winter.  Leon is a Golden Retriever / Great Pyrenees mix and his zest for life is already begun to be demonstrated on many levels.   

Be careful not to allow the change in season to bring you down.  One of our greatest natural resources for self-therapy, sunshine, is going to be in short supply.  Therefore, consider these tips for better coping with the changing seasons: 

• Get out of the house every day and take advantage of any sunshine available.  If nothing else open the curtains and sit in the sunlight shining through the window. 

• Begin and maintain a disciplined exercise routine.  I have been pounding on this throughout numerous blog posts, yet it cannot be overstated.  Diet and exercise are directly related to our overall mood and outlook.

• Even on cold days bundle up and take a brisk walk. 

• If you can work it into your schedule (and you probably can) get involved in some sort of volunteer work.  Your local hospital is a great place to start.

• Resolve to be a nicer, gentler, and more optimistic person.  Encourage those around you with a warm smile and a helping hand. 

If you are down in a pit of depression there is hope for a brighter day.  This blessed time is within reach and absolutely possible.  Take the first step, right now, toward recovery.  You will be happy again.

Choosing to be Happy

Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with man's outward circumstance...A man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, and a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy. -William Barclay 

People have long pondered the question of whether or not we can choose to be happy.  My response to this is we can indeed make a daily choice to be happy, upbeat, and optimistic.  Sadly, countless people become so centered on their circumstances they tell themselves happiness will never be theirs.  As a result they stay mired in a sea of hopelessness.  One reason people remain in a state of unhappiness is that making the daily choice to be happy and positive requires tremendous energy.  This must become a daily practice akin to exercise or studying for a college degree.  The happiness we desire will not come about all by itself.  Rather, we must rise up and pursue it with firm determination. 

I have been a dog lover since I was a little boy, and something I love about dogs is their willingness to play, romp, or go for a walk at any opportunity.  My dog, Ada, a three year old Golden Retriever / Lab mix, is always ready to go outside for a walk, and when I speak the words, “Ada, do you want to go for a walk?” she becomes nearly hysterical in her efforts to go.  So great is her enthusiasm I dare not utter those words unless I mean it and am ready to go – right at that moment.  In fact, if for some reason I should want to take Ada for a walk in the middle of the night I have no doubt she would be ready and would plunge into her walk with great zeal and unbounded joy. 

As I have observed this behavior I have thought many times how nice it would be if we could tackle life with such limitless passion.  My friends, why do we think we have to be doing something spectacular to be happy?  Happiness and joyful experiences are all around and are there for the taking.  A walk in the park, watching a sunset or sunrise, sitting quietly and watching the birds come and go from the feeder you placed outside, or enjoying a quiet moment with one of your kids or an old friend can all be sources of tremendous joy. 

Happiness is here and now and meant to be grasped.  Don’t make the mistake of waiting until everything in life is just right before you’ll be happy.  Resolve to have peace and happiness right here and right now.  With God’s help you can have peace in your heart and true happiness.  Resolve to seek it and never give up – on life or on yourself. 

God has a plan for your life, and you are a unique individual of tremendous worth and potential. 

The Importance of Keeping a Good Attitude

Great effort springs naturally from great attitude. -Pat Riley 

This time of year I see people all over the region who are planting gardens.  Not only are people planting their vegetable gardens, but they are also planting flowers.  A good and healthy garden requires tending, cultivating, water, and care.  Keeping the garden growing requires discipline and hard work.  The same can be said of attitude.  A good attitude requires tremendous effort.  It will not happen all by itself.  Like a healthy garden, a positive attitude must be cultivated, worked at, developed, and watered with good daily habits.   

Attitude affects our overall outlook on life, which in turn affects how we relate those around us.  We can drive people away or we can develop fulfilling and lasting relationships.  We can accomplish worthwhile goals or we can eek our way through life.  All of this is determined by our attitude.  Often when I find myself having a bad day or I am in a sour mood I stop and take inventory of my attitude.  What exactly will being a terrible mood accomplish?  The answer, of course, is nothing.  What exactly will I make better by being surly, hateful, and hard to deal with?  The answer, of course, is nothing.  Indeed, the problems I face will only be worse if I am ruled by a bad attitude.   

A bad attitude is akin to worry; it accomplishes nothing positive and adds nothing good to our lives.  In fact, the reverse is true.  Worry and a bad attitude cause us more trouble.  We must come to the place where we realize maintaining a positive attitude empowers us to keep going during those times when life gets hard.   

Stop and take assessment of your attitude today?  Are you pushing people away who might otherwise have helped?  Or are you blessing and encouraging those around you with your vitality and zest for life?  Ultimately, you have the power to decide.  I am a Christian and a pastor, therefore my slant is on seeking God through prayer and meditation on the Bible.  This has worked wonders in my life as God has empowered me to faith, which in turn has helped me to be a brighter and more positive person.  No matter your faith or beliefs, consider giving prayer a try.   

Life is right before us, and it’s intended for us to live.  Rise up today and seek a better attitude.  You family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors will love you for it, and you will be a happier person.  About those good habits; try these: 

• Exercise daily.

• Stop making negative statements.

• Start eating healthy foods.

• Read a good book instead of watching TV.

• Plan your schedule each day and stick with it – keep a routine.

• Set attainable goals for yourself.

• Smile and say hello to strangers.

• Seek to lend a helping hand whenever possible.

 Get a good attitude and keep it – today! 

Never Give up; Life is Worth Living

In recent years I have had time to reflect on my own struggle with depression.  From 2000 to 2006 I fought a private and horrific battle with this illness.  Simple tasks such as getting out of bed in the morning, shaving, taking a shower, getting dressed, and facing the day seemed most of the time like way too much trouble.  Pursuits which once gave me tremendous joy and fulfillment began to feel hollow and unrewarding.  By the grace of God I did not give up.  I persevered through a number of dark and terrible days, I sought God’s help, and around the spring of 2006 I began to climb out of that awful pit. 

Having been able, with God’s help, to climb out of the pit of despair and depression, I now try to encourage others at every opportunity who are in a similar condition.  If I could offer just one piece of advice to someone struggling with depression it would be this; do not give up.  Life is going to get better and your situation will improve if you will hang in there and not surrender to the dark forces warring against you.  Life is indeed worth living.  The dark days you may be facing will get brighter and you will overcome.  Believe it, seek God’s help, and it will be so.   

I am grateful for a trend in society which is bringing the blues, sorrow, and depression out of the closet and into the open where they can be properly dealt with.  For decades people suffered in silence fearing that if anyone learned of their struggle they would be shunned.  Even today people are afraid of letting anyone know of their battle with depression for fear of what others will think.  Many of my colleagues in ministry who battle depression are fearful of letting it be known because they view such an admission as a ministerial career killer.

Whoever you are and whatever your station in life there is hope.  God loves you, cares for you, and there is a brighter day coming.  If you are struggling with the blues, sorrow, or depression talk to someone right away; a trusted friend, pastor, therapist, or your family doctor.  Resolve that you will rise up and take back control of your life.  Do not suffer in silence any longer.  Help is available.  In closing, let me share with you my ten reasons why life is worth living:

1. Life will get better; give it more time.  You will be amazed at how things will have improved in a year from now.
2. You are an individual of immeasurable worth and potential.  Never forget that.
3. You are not here by accident.  You were created by God for a divine purpose.
4. You are stronger than you think you are.
5. There are people who love you and need you in their lives.
6. The world is a better place with you in it.
7. You may feel terrible, yet you can be happy again.
8. God is perfectly willing to help you; just ask and He will be there for you.
9. You possess gifts and talents from which others may benefit.
10. Joy is coming if you will seek it and wait for it.

  Keep going and never give up.  Life is going to get better.