Laughter

Laughter, they say, is the best medicine.
It is good to laugh because it releases tension in your muscles. However, there is good laughter and bad laughter.

The good laughter:
To be able to laugh at something is to be able to learn from it.

The bad laughter:
This is when you laugh at a person and make fun of his/her weaknesses.

Jesus made people laugh for example, try to imagine a camel struggling through a needle's eye!
And it was the good laugh, a good sense of humour. Why not imitate Him?

'There is a time to laugh.'
Ecclesiates 3:4

Lust

This is that short-lived, yet intense desire for something.
Ask yourself: Is it really necessary? Would my life be different if I did not have it?
Maybe you need to develop other interests to balance this brief and intense feeling.
Usually if you wait a day or two, you might find that it is not that important after all and you can actually do without it.
Try it, you have nothing to loose.

Greed

This is when you have an unsatiable appetite, an excessive desire for food and material wealth.
Greed is when you think that your life cannot go on unless you have those 'must-haves' that advertisers dupe you into believing are a necessity.
Therefore develop self-control and self-discipline.
Make a decision not to be swayed by anyone.
Do not act on impulse. Think.
Stand firm or you will fall for anything.

Envy

Envy is when you are jealous of others and at the same time not content with what you have.
So to solve this problem wish people well instead. It is so much easier, don't you think?

Laziness

You destroy laziness by being motivated.
You develop motivation by knowing exactly why you are doing what you are doing.
You know why you are doing something by having clear, realistic goals.
You develop goals by having an objective.
You develop objectives when you have a mission statement.
Your mission statement comes from a vision of who you are and where you want to be.
Sounds familiar?
Of course. It's as easy as A-B-C.

Wealth

When you have good health, you have great wealth!
Therefore look after yourself and eat well, not too much, just enough.
Good health means:
  • getting enough rest
  • plenty of fresh air
  • Exercise
  • a good diet
  • drink plenty of water
  • sleep if you must.

And who said to be wealthy needs to cost you anything?

Believe in yourself

Things don't always go the way we plan them,
that is a fact of life,
but I know it's sometimes hard to accept
because you ask so much of yourself.

Sometimes, too, disappointment leads to self doubt.
I just want you to know
how much I believe in you.

Because of your capabilites people depend on you more than anyone because,
with all that we've been through together,
you have never let me down.

That's a heavy burden of trust,
but you have shouldered it cheerfully
and always walked the path of good intentions, often the hardest path of all.

Along the road, good things will come to you.
I know, because your road is my road.
And I believe in you.

Written by David Prowse.

Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you.
Joshua 1:9

Trust

Put your trust in God not in others and you will not go wrong.
Then trust yourself in words and deed.

Forgive

Forgive and forget.
But learn from the experience.

Positive thinking

Positive thinking is when you see the good in every situation.
It is when you create opportunity in the midst of adversity.
Has anyone read The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale?


'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.'
Phillipians 4:13

Simplicity

Simplicity is content.
To be simple is to learn to live on the basic necessities.
You must not have what somebody else has.
Be satisfied with the little that you have and make use of it.
When studying, for example, what matters is the quality of your reading,
not the quantity. Be simple and choose one book, read it thoroughly and make sure you can fully analyse it then and only then should you compare it against what another has written and what you think of the writing yourself.
Be simple in your explanations and the way you present your work.
Be simple.

Simple living, high thinking.

Hard work

'Be strong and work, for I am with you.'
Haggai 2:4

Humility

Good manners.
Doing to others as you would have done to yourself;
Love your neighbour as yourself.
Be considerate.
Humility is when you go to a party and instead of sitting at the high table, you choose to sit where the ordinary guests would have sat.
Humility is when you do not force yourself to fit in with the rest.
Humility is when you acknowledge your limitations.
Drop that know-it-all attitude, will you?
Accept correction instead.

Modesty

Ok.
This is simple.
Acquire self-confidence.
Drop the ego.
Accept and be proud of who you are.
God made you in His image and likeness.
No pretence.

Integrity

This means honesty and wholeness.
Being a person of integrity means standing up for your causes.
It means that when you say you will do something,
you actually get on and do it even if it means you have to sacrifice being with your friends to achieve your goal.
Integrity sure is a mark of strength of character.
Develop it sooner rather than later.

Courage

This is the ability to control or suppress fear.
This means turning fearful situations into those of courage.
Oh God, give us courage.
Courage to make experiments
and not be afraid of making mistakes.
Courage to get up when we are down.
Courage to work with all our might
for the future of the world,
Amen.

Faithfulness and loyalty

Build solid foundations in your relationships with others.
Be the kind of friend who stays around no matter what.
Develop good communication skills so that you express yourself clearly.
Share your problems with someone you trust and with the right person.
A problem shared is a problem halved.

Pride

When you respect yourself, others will respect you.
Take pride in who you are.
Be ware not to swell up with pride to the extent that
you fail to listen others.
Remember - pride comes before a fall.

Honesty

Be trustworthy.
Start by being honest with yourself.
Do not hide things or hide away from any situation.
Be transparent and clear in your words, work and actions.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Fullstop.

Enthusiasm

A positive attitude attracts others;
always show enthusiasm in what you say and do.
Remember that God loves a cheerful giver.

Good Character

Why should you have a good character, some may ask? It's because a sound character means a sound mind and this leads to discipline. A good character is enhanced by a set of moral principals - personal code of conduct - ethics.

And why should you do what is morally and ethically correct? Because it helps keep your conscious clear; keeps you out of trouble and keeps trouble away from you.
Think about it!

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day,
our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom,
the power and
the glory
Forever and ever,
AMEN.
Matthew 6:9-13