Attitude & Principles: Sources for Serenity During Tough Times 7/24/13

You'll notice my knees are not shaking. 

     How is your attitude?

      Like an airplane, is your attitude nose up, climbing?  Or is it nose down, head-ing for a crash?

       Mine?  You know the answer.  Hopefully, it's a reason why you drop by.  The thing is, our disposition can be positive----even when times are dire.

     We can delight in peace of mind that transcends our cir-cumstances.

     During tough times, we can fly using the instrument panel of healthy principles.  It's best being guided by the rudder of a loving God.  We set a stronger course in life when enjoying dynamic, positive, discerning, friends.

       Having a sense of humor during difficult times improves our attitude.  Life also flies smoothly when we are free from emotional vampires.  We avoid them.

Growth: Moving Beyond Knowledge

       How can we have a smoother, satisfying life?

       By consuming information slowly.  We are careful about what and how much we feed our mind.  Like eating food, it's best digesting what we learn, slowly.

      It takes time for our brain to signal the stomach of our comprehension.  After an hour of study, we usually have enough meaty information requi-ring exercise--- ap-plication.  Living what we learn pre-vents us from being mentally fat.

       Gobbling food causes indigestion.  It contributes to packing more pounds than needed on our mortal coil.  The same with learning.

        Personal growth is not stuffing our head with ideas.  It is more than how many pages read at a sitting.  It's about three things.  Ap-plying, applying and applying.

        This is how unhelpful youthful patterns are overcome. This requi-res effort.

        Schools teach us incorrectly.  Learn-ing is not acquiring information. Wisdom is using what we study.  Otherwise, what is the point?

Changing Familial Legacies
 Overcoming Ingrained Characterological Patterns

      Books are not given to increase our knowledge, but improve to our lives.  Application accelerates personal growth. Ruminating upon what we learn, practicing it, internalizing it is better than storing informa-tion.

      When difficulties arise, antidotes help us triumph over to-day's or tomorrow's looming difficulties.

      Catastrophizing doesn't help.  Staying in the solution, tak-ing action with pro-ductive alternatives is far better than panicking.  Life is smoother when also drawing from our supportive network. This is far better than isola-ting.

      Support from my Comfort Circle of friends who have EQ is the bug spray that wards off the gnats of life's irritations.  Without connecting with others, we suffer from the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  Our joy decays.

      Freaking out only makes problems worse, more disturbing.  Fear informs us we want to use recovery.  We want grace balancing any negativity we perceive.

    It is better, re-sponding, not reacting.  It's easy condemning our-selves.  Many of us grew up with con-stant judgment.  Without recovery, it is easy using our default mode---allowing the fearful child within to fly the plane of our lives.

      A bad idea.

The Instrument Panel of Healthy Principles

      Being mindful of healthy principles, and living by them, allow the airplane of our life to fly straight, calmly, preventing our daily experi-ences from crashing into the sea of despair.

"If thy law [or healthy prin-ciples] had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction."    Psalms 119:92

Specific Dials On the Instrument Panel, You Ask?

     You want to know specific principles that help?  Okay.  Here's one:

"When the applause of others is the reason for my behavior and necessary for me to feel satisfied, then I have given them power over me."

        Another you ask? All right. How about this: 

"I block my well-being each time I base my self-worth on what I do or what others think of me."

        You are persistent.  I hear you asking for more.  You are gobbling up these principles like potato chips, although they are healthier.

        Fine. Here's another principle that provides serenity:

"Condemning my imperfections has never enhanced my appreciation of life or helped me to love myself more."   

 You want more?  Here's a final one: 

"If you feel like a doormat, you need to get up off the floor." 

        If you use the instrument panel of principles like these, you'll fly straighter.  The buffeting storms of life will not throw you off course.  You will arrive at a life filled with more serenity, emotional ease, and joy.

         Happy flying.

How About You? 
      Are you nose up or nose down?   Please share what state your attitude is in, and why.