Permission To Stop The Craziness

The last couple of days have been weird and somewhat difficult for me.  It is not often that a driven person like myself gets into the mood of not wanting to (go to) work.  It actually took a lot of energy to get out of the house.  While dealing with people drains much energy from me anyway, it took considerably much more effort in these past couple of days.  I do not know if it is the full moon or my unbalanced hormones, but things have really been out of  whack -- in both businesses, the people with whom I am dealing (or at least trying to), business meetings being cancelled without notifying me, business projects being put on hold, other business tie-ups, etc.

This morning was a real kicker for me, and even after a whole day, I am still feeling kind of weird.  I woke up and felt that I could not (or did not want to?) face the world today.  I just really wanted to crawl into a hole and wrap myself up into a tight cocoon.  I just felt so depressed today, and I have no idea why.  I literally curled myself into a ball as tight as possible and lay in bed crying.  I cried out to God.  I felt like I was doing everything He said to do the best that I could do so, and yet I was spinning my wheels in the air and not accomplishing anything.  I knew that I was facing some of Satan's finest and I really did not have the strength to fight them.  All I could do was to cry out to God for His protection and strength.

I did not actually get up until 1pm and only because I was hungry and thirsty.  I vegged out in front to the television (another less common thing with me) for hours and finally got ready for a business meeting this evening.  I drove out to the meeting and the person was not even there.  Then I drove home, listening to the Flyers game.  I watched the rest when I got home, and as good as a game it was, my boys lost and it has not helped me to feel any better than 12 hours ago.

On my way home, I stopped by a store to pick up some windshield wiper fluid and also a bag of chocolates.  I had three during the game and printed on one of the wrappers was, "It's OK to not do it all."

I guess I do need little reminders that I cannot and am not supposed to do it all... and it is alright.

I know that (thankfully) God is in control and that everything is according to His plan.  Nothing happens by my strength or planning.  I guess God is allowing Satan to sift my heart and spirit at the moment.  For what purpose?  I have not a clue.  And I do not like feeling the way I do.  I do not have energy or desire to do anything, not even to sit out on the deck in the sun today.  I just feel like crying, in a hole.

For children of the early 1980s and Atari lovers

This is great!  LOL!

Going Out On A Limb

"Playing it safe isn't really that safe...
If you do that, you miss out on a lot of the great things life has to offer."

~Matt Green

That quote is taken from an interesting article I read this afternoon about a man who has dared to get out of his comfort zone and pursue his dreams.  Too many people are held back by their fears, especially their fear of insecurity or (in)stability or worse, their (perceived) fear of other people.  

What have you missed out on because you were too afraid to go out on a limb?  What would your life look like now if you had pursued that "unsafe" path?  What if you took a chance on something that could lead to rejection or failure?  Do you realise that there can be no great success without many failures? 

"Success is the progressive realisation of worthwhile goals." -- That means that success is not the end product, it is the journey!

I have been told that "The enemy of Great is not Bad; the enemy of Great is Good."  And also, "Do not confuse the Good Life with the Great Life."  I intend to live the Great Life.  How about you? 

WHOO HOO!!!

THE FLYERS DID IT!!! THEY ARE IN THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!

I had an exciting business meeting last night and missed the game. However, as soon as I got back into the car, I was tuned into the radio station that usually broadcasts the Flyers' games. Alas, that radio station was nothing but static where I was! ARGHHH!!!

I made it as quickly towards home as I could and finally started picking up some of the broadcast through a lot of static with about four minutes left in the game. I pumped my fist into the roof of the car when that last empty netter was scored and I remember exactly where I was when that final buzzer sounded. I screamed so loudly in joy and managed to keep the car going straight within the lines of my lane. I almost had tears in my eyes. (The first and last time I cried over hockey was when Ray Bourque finally touched the Stanley Cup after 21 seasons in the NHL and skated it around the rink.)

 

I will cry again bawl when the Flyers win the Stanley Cup.

Hysterical + Hilarious = Hysterious

1984...



2010...

My Flyers

As you can see from my moniker, I am a huge hockey fan.  100% unashamedly and unabashedly Philadelphia Flyers fan.  In the past 2 years, I have put hockey aside to focus on building my business.  Afterall, when the business grows to a point where it allows me to buy back all my time, I can also buy a couple of season box seats and go to every single home game.

Still, especially since we haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1975, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is enticing.  I am taking the opportunity of some time and watching it tonight.

Let's go Flyers!!

Addendum: Flyers won! I'm smelling the Stanley Cup already!

Learning A New Language

Since I am trying to break into the Spanish-speaking market, I have been picking some words of Spanish here and there.  My Puerto Rican friends have been very helpful.  Mi español poquito! Hablar Ingles?

Even though I am nowhere being able to converse in Spanish, I am proud to say that I am making progress.  YAY!

I can now say more than "Donde esta el baño?"

Tech Issues

Now, even though I have a business that I can run through the wonderful world wide web, I am no techie.  Just like I know how to use the TV but have no clue about the plasma technology employed to give beautiful pictures...  Or my friend Rob asking me something about "Word Press" upon finding out that I use Blogspot to blog, and promptly smacking his forehead and groaning when I replied, "What's that?"  (What is Word Press anyway?)

So when I start having issues with my IP Fax, I am rather unhappy.  There are 2 companies I fax fairly often.  Both use fax servers instead of hard-wired fax machines.  So when one company receives my faxes and the other does not, is it not the logical conclusion that the problem is not my end?  Yet I can receive no satisfactory (or prompt) answer from that company's service desk, aside from the initial insistence that the problem was on my end. 

In the meanwhile, I am stuck picking up the cost of couriering materials instead of faxing them in.  Sigh.

Totally Awesome!!

Expanding Business

Business is exploding right now. I am grateful to God for giving me these opportunities to become involved in people's lives and make a difference.

This afternoon, I talked with a sharp, very ambitious and highly-motivated young man in Reading, PA. This evening, I talked with a similarly ambitious young lady with big dreams and she lives in New Mexico. I am really looking forward to bringing them on board!

Here's to helping people and their families to having better lives!

Foaming Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitiser

Newly-launched, I am so darn excited about it! Why in the world am I so excited about something like that?

1. It is alcohol-free. That means it does not dry out your hands and it won't sting if you have cuts!
2. The active ingredient is benzalkonium chloride -- an antiseptic agent that I use for First Aid (and believe me, I use my fair share of it!)
3. It comes in a little 1.7 fl.oz. bottle (125 uses) -- I can bring it through airport security!!!
4. My hands were really soft and smooth after using it.
5. The bottle is recyclable.
   

You can get it here.

Marriage Ministry

Those two words are not what you think I mean. I was recently reminded of what marriage was meant to be -- to honour the Lord and glorify Him. Marriage is a ministry to your spouse, to help and encourage your spouse to become more like Christ in a God-glorifying process. We are part of God's plan of sanctification of our spouse.

My first reaction to arguments with my spouse is probably common to most couples -- I get mad at my spouse. My first thought is not "How can we use this issue to glorify God?" and my second thought is not "How can I help my spouse become the person that God intended for him to become?" Yet, I know now that I need to keep these questions in the forefront of my mind for every argument we have.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed my life and there has been fruit in my life. However, I also need to have that fruit show in how I relate to my spouse. So I need to learn to step back from the emotion of anger and ask those two questions first, instead of visualising clobbering him.

Breathing in God

Today was a pretty darn hot day. Add humidity and these two things are affecting my ability to have a restful Sunday evening. The evening breeze is some sort of a welcome thing, except that it is merely pushing around hot and humid air. I would probably say the same thing when this happens in August, as it usually does, not in May. (The sun is going down as I type, so the temperature is cooling.) Nonetheless, I find that it connects a spiritual truth in my go-all-over-the-place mind.

If you have ever experienced hot and humid days without much air movement, you would know the feeling of being so surrounded that you almost feel like you are suffocating in the humidity. I guess that is kind of what God's immanence is like, minus the suffocating part.

I have experienced periods of time when God's presence is so real and so surrounds me that it feels as though I am breathing in Him. There is no place to go where He is not, even when we are unaware of Him.

Always, everywhere God is present, and always He seeks to discover Himself to each one. He would reveal not only that He is, but what He is as well... Our pursuit of God is successful just because He is forever seeking to manifest Himself to us.

-- from "Tozer on the Almighty God", 2 May

Indeed that the Almighty God wants to be known by us! And He places Himself around us all the time everyday just so that we can find and know Him when we try. If I would just be more conscious of breathing in God every day of my life!