I sat down today and reminisced on all the things that my mum had done in my short stay in life.I struggled so hard to hold back the tears ,my mother has been wonderful.

For me, she was saddled with the enormous and nerve wrecking responsibility of being 2 parents rolled in 1,despite all odds she held sway.My mother is one of the strongest and resilient human i have come across.

I pray and oh i pray so dearly that i am able to pay back at least to the capacity of bringing smiles to her face as many times as can.Mothers represent God on earth, they are sensitive to our(children) every need,they are always there inspite of how much headache we innocently or intentionally dole out to them.

A popular detergent advert i always love to watch illustrates a mothers love personified in its fullest form, a mother dresses up her 4-5 year old son for school ensuring that he looks his best ,exhibiting that rare and exceptional midas touch.On his way back from school the kid finds out his shoe laces are untied and without even thinking about it sits down in the mud with all his white clothes,after several trials and having succeeded in turning his clothes form white to brown sets off for home.

At the gate,his first words to an ever embracing mother are “Mummy , mummy i learnt to tie my shoe laces”.Mummy just smiled and set to work again .

Let us take a moment of the time just to pay tribute and show appreciation to the person called MOM though some may not say it openly to their mother. There’s no substitute for her. Cherish every single moment. Though at times she may not b:e the best of friends, may not agree to our thoughts, she is still your mother!!!

Your mother will be there for you; to listen to your woes, your braggings, your frustrations, etc. Ask yourself “Have you put aside enough time for her, to listen to her “blues” of working in the kitchen, her tiredness???”

Be tactful, loving and still show her due respect, though you may have a different view from hers. Once gone, only fond memories of the past and also regrets will be left.

Remember she was there when:

You couldn’t express yourself and she bathed and fed you, you thanked her with your wailing and crying .

She got you ice cream ,you thanked he by dipping it all over your clothes .

She warned you not to watch certain TV shows , you thanked her by waiting till she was out of the world.

She came back from work looking for some care, you thanked her by locking the door to your room.

She was there you graduated, you thanked her by asking her for money to start your life .

She met your fiance and asked about the plans ,you thanked her by asking what her business was .

Despite all of this SHE NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU.

When God used Moses to write certain words of wisdom, HE  was really convinced the world would eventually need them.Today the world is a typical cynosure of all the things the good book had warned about in time past.

Before our very eyes the world has dis-integrated into what could be best described as a mad house.This mad house is what houses you and i ,generations gone past, present generation and the generation yet unborn.

Today,without having to pass blames, the parents of today are carried away leaving the kids to start of their lives on their own.In a quest to put in place the basic necessities of life and trying to make the children as comfortable as can be,there is an imbalance.

Sometime ago i read about the death of a Nigerian in the UK which caused a lot of stir amongst the Nigerian community.Damilola Taylor bled to death in a stair well near his home in Peckham south London where he was stabbed.

Damilola Born in lagos Nigeria and only travelled to the Unite Kingdom in August 2000 with his family to allow his sister to seek treatment for epliepsy. He moved into the North Peckham estate and began to attend the local school.

On 27 November 2000 that same year  Damilola set off from Peckham Library at 4:50pm, on his way home, captured on CCTV as he walked away. H e was cut in the left thigh. Running to a stairwell, he collapsed and bled to death in the space of about 30 minutes. He was still alive in an ambulance on his way to hospital.

They demanded his distinctive silver puffa jacket but he bravely refused to hand it over. When he did so one of them, believed to be Ricky, stabbed him in the leg with a broken beer bottle.

This was known by the gang as ‘juking’ and they used it as a form of punishment, maybe because it would never usually be serious enough to cause death.

A lot of noise was made .

In a similar twist of fate a 15-year-old boy,  named is Lyle Tulloch, was found slumped in a stairwell on an estate in Borough, South London.

Four teenage boys – two 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old – were arrested on suspicion of murder.Lyle, from Peckham, is the latest victim of London’s gun and knife crime epidemic, which has claimed the lives of 38 teenagers since the start of 2007.

One then starts to wonder when stabbing became a fad.Teenagers have suddenly realized that knives are better used on flesh.These acts are not only peculiar to the UK, every community have their different peculiarities,the stabbing rate in the UK has just gone haywire and needs a lot of attention.

The parents yes are partly to blame because i believe that they are supposed to know what items their kids are packing when they have attained a certain age.

These objects  are picked from home.

What exactly are these children being fed with? obviously a lot of violence you might say .True,parents cannot always know what runs through those minds of theirs but one thing can and should be attained and that is being their  best friends,thereby being able to understand their temperament .This in effect will help in being able to identify any sudden change in character or demeanor.

Feed them with the good book from childhood.

The irrevocable law stands and will always stand,if you want to have to piece of mind for the rest of years and you don’t want to end up visiting the penitentiary for the better part of your life,train up that child also remember that stabbing is just one of the reported cases of teenage violence.

This perfect guest comes visiting our homes, our offices, our streets and everywhere we tread.We are always too busy to notice ,we even barely recognize this guest that we are supposed to treat with utmost royalty and prepare a feast befitting of royalty.I came across this story that touched my heart so…….

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address.

She read the letter:

Dear Ruth:
I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I’d like to
stop by for a visit.
Love Always, Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. “Why would the Lord want to visit me? I’m nobody special. I don’t have anything to offer.”
With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. “Oh my goodness, I really don’t have anything to offer. I’ll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.” She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. “Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.”

She threw on her coat and hurried out the door. A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk…leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

“Hey lady, can you help us, lady?”

Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn’t even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags.

“Look lady, I ain’t got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it’s getting cold and we’re getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us. Lady, we’d really appreciate it.”

Ruth looked at them both.

They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

“Sir, I’d like to help you, but I’m a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I’m having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.”

“Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.”

The man put his arm around the woman’s shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley.

As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

“Sir, wait!” The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. “Look, why don’t you take this food. I’ll figure out something else to serve my guest.”

She handed the man her grocery bag.

“Thank you lady. Thank you very much!”

“Yes, thank you!” It was the man’s wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering. “You know, I’ve got another coat at home. Here, why don’t you take this one.” Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman’s shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street…without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

“Thank you lady! Thank you very much!”

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn’t have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

“That’s odd. The mailman doesn’t usually come twice in one day.”

She took the envelope out of the box and opened it.

Dear Ruth:
It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank
you, too, for the beautiful coat.
Love Always Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed

The first step of our lives begins the journey into the unknown. A toddler struggles to get on his feet; he/she struggles to be independent, to venture into uncertainties oblivious of what those very steps could bring. There’s sometimes a smile and sometimes a loud shout of crying when there’s is a misstep .

Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. The road will not always be smooth; in fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges.

Some of these challenges will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that will come between the paths that we are destined to take. In order to follow the right path, we must overcome these obstacles. Sometimes these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, only we don’t realize that at the time.

Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. How we react to what we are faced with determines what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like.

When things don’t always go our way, we have two choices in dealing with the situations. We can focus on the fact that things didn’t go how we had hoped they would and let life pass us by, or two, we can make the best out of the situation and know that these are only temporary setbacks and find the lessons that are to be learned.

Time stops for no one, and if we allow ourselves to focus on the negative we might miss out on some really amazing things that life has to offer. We can’t go back to the past, we can only take the lessons that we have learned and the experiences that we have gained from it and move on. It is because of the heartaches, as well as the hardships, that in the end help to make us a stronger person.

The people that we meet on our journey, are people that we are destined to meet. Everybody comes into our lives for some reason or another and we don’t always know their purpose until it is too late. They all play some kind of role. Some may stay for a lifetime; others may only stay for a short while.

It is often the people who stay for only a short time that end up making a lasting impression not only in our lives, but in our hearts as well. Although we may not realize it at the time, they will make a difference and change our lives in a way we never could imagine. To think that one person can have such a profound affect on your life forever is truly a blessing. It is because of these encounters that we learn some of life’s best lessons and sometimes we even learn a little bit about ourselves.

People will come and go into our lives quickly, but sometimes we are lucky to meet that one special person that will stay in our hearts forever no matter what. Even though we may not always end up being with that person and they may not always stay in our life for as long as we like, the lessons that we have learned from them and the experiences that we have gained from meeting that person, will stay with us forever.

It’s these things that will give us strength to continue on with our journey. We know that we can always look back on those times of our past and know that because of that one individual, we are who we are and we can remember the wonderful moments that we have shared with that person.

Memories are priceless treasures that we can cherish forever in our hearts. They also enables us to continue on with our journey for whatever life has in store for us. Sometimes all it takes is one special person to help us look inside ourselves and find a whole different person that we never knew existed. Our eyes are suddenly opened to a world we never knew existed- a world where time is so precious and moments never seem to last long enough.

Throughout this adventure, people will give you advice and insights on how to live your life but when it all comes down to it, you must always do what you feel is right. Always follow your heart, and most importantly never have any regrets. Don’t hold anything back. Say what you want to say, and do what you want to do, because sometimes we don’t get a second chance to say or do what we should have the first time around.

It is often said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. It all depends on how one defines the word “strong” It can have different meanings to different people. In this sense, “stronger” means looking back at the person you were and comparing it to the person you have become today. It also means looking deep into your soul and realizing that the person you are today couldn’t exist if it weren’t for the things that have happened in the past or for the people that you have met. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason and sometimes that means we must face heartaches in order to experience joy.

More often than not we worry, we worry about what we will eat, wear and even what other people think about us. Every human being has unconsciously programmed his/herself to worry about the past, the present and the future, most of which we do not have authority over, why then do we worry?

An author describes two days that we should not worry he says : There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension. One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone forever. The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow with all its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and its poor performance; tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.

Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet to be born. This leaves only one day, Today.
Any person can fight the battle of just one day. It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad, it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

We have no control of what the universe has in stock for us, what we do have is the control over our thoughts ,over our feelings which determines whether or not we are in a state of sadness or a state of happiness .

Well before you kill your self with worry did you know?

Beethoven – Beethoven’s music teacher told him he was a hopeless composer.

Colonel Sanders (creator of Kentucky Fried Chicken) – was told “No” by over a thousand restaurants for more than a year while he lived in his car trying to sell his chicken recipe.

Thomas Edison – I’m sure you’ve heard of Thomas Edison and all the inventions he created. He’s actually known as one of the most prolific inventors in history holding 1,093 U.S. patents as well as a lot of patents in the UK, France and Germany. When Thomas was 4 he was sent home from school with a note. The note told his mother that he was to remove his son from school because he was “too stupid to learn”. Thomas’ mother decided to teach him herself. He only had 3 months of formal schooling yet went on to create numerous inventions like the phonograph. He was also partially deaf in one ear.

Walt Disney – was turned down by over a hundred banks when he tried to get funding to develop Disneyland. He was also fired from his job at a newspaper for “lacking ideas”. He also had several bankruptcies before he was able to develop Disneyland.

Enid Blyton – is a British author who was rejected by publishers 1,000 times. She wrote Noddy, The Famous Five, The Five Find-Outers, The Mystery Series, The Adventure Series, The Secret Seven, Malory Towers, The St. Clare’s series, The Magic Faraway Tree series, The Wishing-Chair series, and hundreds of other books for children.

Abraham Lincoln – check out all the setbacks, challenges and tragedies that Abraham Lincoln had to survive on his way to becoming president of the United States.

George Orwell – most well known for his two books “Animal Farm” and “1984″. Animal Farm was rejected by a number of publishers including one who told him that it was “impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.A.”. By 1996, Animal Farm had sold 20,000,000 copies and had been translated into 60 languages.

Bill Birdseye – invented frozen foods. He discovered the secret of flash freezing which turned out to create an entire industry. This only happened after he went bankrupt seven times.

]]> http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/why-worry/feed/ 0 mobolajiseriki http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/what-would-you-do/ http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/what-would-you-do/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:18:52 +0000 mobolajiseriki http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/?p=67 ]]>

Yesterday was a long day for me; I had been about my business so as to attain near 100 % efficiency. I had so many things to do, so many people to see that by the end of the end day I was tired. All I wanted to do was settle down grab something to eat and rest my body and nerves, when I heard one incredible story that got me thinking and wondering what I would do if I was the one to be in that very tangled situation.

While trying to really analyze the situation and trying to be as unbiased as possible, I still couldn’t figure out what I would do if the tables were turned and i was the principal actor in this story I find both funny and intriguing. This story I am about to tell happened with the names used not the actual names.

Emmanuel is a pastor with one of the Pentecostal churches, humble yet firebrand. He could fast and pray for days on end, he consulted for families and gave pastoral advice whenever members of his congregation came to him for help.

Emmanuel could preach, he had won many souls to Christ and is very dedicated to ensuring that whenever he climbed the podium people felt the aura of the spirit around him. He is very eloquent and always conveyed the message explicitly without turning the scripture upside.

Pastor Emmanuel is married to Sister Ruth, and in Nigeria, an ordained pastor always has his beloved wife by his side to support him in his ministry. Because Emmanuel was such a wonderful pastor that he was invited from far and wide. Last week, Pastor was invited to minister in a neighboring state; he started his car and set off for the journey.

He ministered beautifully and made his way back to his house, to his lovely wife. On his way back, his car suddenly stopped, it is an old rickety car and he was obviously believing God to change the car. After so many attempts and because he was concerned, he called Sister Ruth to inform her that his car was giving him problems and that he was on his way back as he had another ministration the next day, “Honey, i will suggest you go back, it will be very risky for you to still continue on the journey as it was already dark”, said Sister Ruth.” Ok I will try my best” answered Pastor.

But Pastor was adamant because he had a ministration the next day s he kept on trying and barely managed to get the car into civilization, still a few kilometers from home when he suddenly ran out of fuel. He pushed the car off the road and decided to check into a hotel to set off early the next morning.

“Good evening I am Pastor Emmanuel, I am having problems with my car and need to get a room so I can rest as I have a ministration tomorrow” said Pastor to the attendant at the reception.”Ah Pastor we are fully booked and don’t have any room you could use tonight” answered the attendant.

Pastor knew he had no other option but to plead to see if they could help him out till the morning. After about five minutes, the attendant announced to the pastor that he was in luck and that a couple had just vacated a room.

His room was cleaned out and he was handed the keys. Pastor Emmanuel started to end his day by praising God and thanking him for delivering him from possible attack on the highway, took a shower and settled down to sleep after a hard days work and envisaging an equally tough day ahead.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door,” Who is it?” he beckoned.”Sir the couple that just left the room forgot a ring in the room” was the response .He came down from the bed and opened the door, standing right in front of him was his dearly beloved wife, and the ring she had apparently forgotten was the wedding ring.

She ran.

Thank God for strength that he gives to his prophets, he managed to make it through the night only to get home and found his wife waiting in the house. He was mad and infuriated.

They got into a heated argument and almost got physical that she ran again only this time Pastor followed. Sister Ruth ran over a septic tank (soak away like we call it in this part of the world) which gave way and buried her instantly.

She died.

Today, Pastor is now being held for undisclosed charges.

If you were in his shoes how you would have tackled the situation?

]]> http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/what-would-you-do/feed/ 2 mobolajiseriki http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/do-you-have-a-friend/ http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/do-you-have-a-friend/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:08:41 +0000 mobolajiseriki http://mobolajiseriki.wordpress.com/?p=63 ]]>

What does the word friendship mean to you?

How do you feel when around your friends?

Do you have friends?

My dictionary explains friendship as being in a state of friendly disposition/feeling….alas,the word friendship still comes up in the definition of the word.For me i could well describe friendship as that inestimable jewel of association that will always remain by your side through thick and thin.

Do i have friends? sure i do have friends but one thing i do not do is just pick up friends.I have friends that i have know for two decades running and we are still very good friends.

Friendship  is a very sensitive issue that is always taken for granted and most often times abused.A Friend is a companion ,a friend is a pacifier, a friend is always there in times of need.A friend accepts you irrespective of your shortcomings and tolerantes you in every sense of it .

Imagine a world without friends…..i dare not think along that line ,it will be a total disaster.Friendship can be likened to signing a bond of loyalty,where there exists a kind of symbiotic relationship between the pair,you look out for me, i look out for you.I have some things and qualities you don’t have and you most likely have the same too,we complement ourselves and make life a better place to live in.

I came across a story that explains how friendship go a long way in saving a life ,read enjoy and adopt to your everyday life and see if this life will be a better place or not:

There were two friends who were the best of friends since a very young age. As little girls, they used to go to school together, play together and sometimes even stay at each others places. They were next door neighbors and thus their parents were also friends. They both finished school and went to the same college. Everyone knew they were the best of friends. There was nothing that was hidden between them and both knew each other inside out.

After some days, one friend found the other acting strange. She would remain withdrawn, sleep too much and turn violent if provoked. At first the other friend thought it was just the studies getting on to her. But with time, she became even more moody and frustrated. Finally her friend couldn’t take it any longer and confronted her with the problem. She broke down and confided that she was involved emotionally with a guy and he was taking drugs and forcing her to take them too. The other friend listened to her tell the shocking story. She was not only forced to take drugs but was also forced to bring money every now and then and was threatened with dire consequences if she told anyone.

Her friend was too shocked to think anything and advice her right then. So she made sure that while her friend cried herself to sleep, she would think of a way to help her. Finally she thought that she would come up straight to the point and tell her to leave this guy and get a life. She contacted the college counselor who was a psychologist and told her the problem. She offered to help and also said that matter would be kept under wraps.

The girl was then advised by her friend to leave this guy as he was torturing her unnecessarily. Her friend reminded her of her dreams of becoming a successful professional, inspired her to set an example for others and reminded of what her parents would feel if they found out what their daughter was upto. After a lot of cajoling and talking, she finally agreed to leave him. She was given basic counseling and was weaned off drugs quite fast. All this while, her friend never left her side and always stood by her.

Finally they graduated and the friendship only grew stronger. They both went on to become successful professionals but never let each other down by adopting foolish habits. Thus, true friends are those who inspire you to become the best you can ever be. They have full confidence in you and won’t rest till you achieve your goal.

Have you said your thank yous today?

Have you bothered to give back to your creator?

Have you bothered to thank HIM for the eyes to see?….

the nose to breathe?,the legs to walk? the mouth to eat?……all of those little things that we take for granted would mean the world to us once they are taken away.Most often times we forget,most often time we think it’s our right to have these things and even many more .

Have you ever tested your imagination by closing your eyes and walking around the same room that you have lived in for say 20 years? Do you or do you not still bump into objects in the same room that you have lived in for 2o years?I guess the most reasonable answer to that question without being hypocritical would be yes.

No matter how used you are to that same room you still loose direction and bump into things ,now in another similar scenario, imagine that you suddenly lost use of say the same eyes ,everything went suddenly blank ….you cannot see anything or anyone .

In a different scenario, your limbs suddenly went numb and you could barely walk,of course i wont go as far as suggesting your nose not functioning any more because you would probably be dead.

Then and only then ,we do become aware of the wonderful gifts we have been given freely,oh ..then we are grateful,then we wish sincerely we had done things a whole lot differently than how we performed before then.

Gratitude is supposed to be a way of life ,we should constantly be grateful to our creator for all the benefits and endowments we have packaged with our being.We should rise early in the morning and the first thing to say should be THANK YOU.

Thank you for everything  and everyone around us ,for being able to even think the next second, for being able to respond to stimuli, to be able to get from point A to point B.

Iam grateful and constantly remind myself of the need to follow by the following principles:

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Once upon a time, a farmer named Emmanuel just bought an old mule. One day,the mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’–or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.

After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving.

Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck him.

It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back…HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.

“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself.

The mule suddenly realized that every minute he gave up was drawing him closer to his death and every moment he refused and focused on how to get out of the well,the more he drew closer to being saved.

Oh yeah! the farmer ,its master gave up on the mule ,the world gave up on the mule ,but one thing was for sure,the mule never gave up on itself.It believed  strongly that it still had the chance to be and achieve the heavy task of being the masters favorite .

Have you given up? Do you feel like the whole world is against you? Have you stopped shaking and stepping up ?

Well if the mule could do it and achieved it,then i suggest you get up and redress NOW!!!!!

It doesn’t matter whether the whole world thinks you are incapable, what matters is that you have got what it takes,you have to search deep within you,make up your mind and you will find that bright light in that dark tunnel.

Pray

Go to bed on time.

Get up early so you can start the day unrushed.

Say No, to projects that won’t fit into your time
schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

Delegate tasks to capable others.

Simplify and unclutter your life.

Less is more. (Although one is often not enough,
two are often too many.)

Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and
difficult projects over time; don’t lump the hard
things all together.

Take one day at a time.

Separate worries from concerns. If a situation
is a concern, find out what God would have you
to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can’t do
anything about a situation, forget it.

Live within your budget; don’t use credit cards
for ordinary purchases.

Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet,
an extra house key buried in the garden, etc.

K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut.) This single piece of
advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

Get enough exercise.

Eat right.

Get organized so everything has its place.

Listen to a tape while driving that can help
improve your quality of life.

Write thoughts and inspirations down.

Everyday, find time to be alone.

Having problems? Talk to God on the spot.
Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don’t wait
until its time to go to bed to try and pray.

Remember that the shortest bridge between
despair and hope is often a good “Thank you,
Lord!”

Laugh.

Laugh some more!

Take your work seriously, but not yourself.

Develop a forgiving attitude (just realize that most
people are doing the best they can).

Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it
the most).

Sit on your ego.

Talk less; listen more.

Slow down.

Remind yourself that you are not the general
manager of the universe.

Every night before bed, think of one thing you’re
grateful for that you’ve never been grateful for before.