Past Featured Articles

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Lightening the Load

What "baggage" are you carrying?

As we more fully engage in our Quests, we discover that certain mindsets and character deficiencies leave us too weak or incapacitated for the journey. It's as if while climbing a mountain, we suddenly discover that someone has placed 40 pounds of rocks in our backpack. The more quickly we discard the unnecessary weight, the easier the journey becomes.

God in You!

Let's look at a few of these affirmations from the prior article, "You and God."

The God who created the universe dwells within you. Think about this, see it in your mind's eye, feel it resonate within your heart. The God who created stars, orchids and dolphins is residing in you as you read these words. Is it possible that this may have some implications for your own capacity for creativity?

Finding Ourselves

Who Does God Want You to Be?

Who does God want you to be? Who do you want to be? Wouldn't it be nice if both answers were the same?

Most of us have no idea how to answer either question . Thinking about the sort of life produced by not knowing can be disheartening. This existence is lacking in purpose, direction, passion, and power (efficacy)-a life by default. Confusion, bitterness, regret, frustration and alienation are the hallmarks of this remarkably "lifeless style."

Finding Ourselves

Creating an Inspiring Vision of Your Life

What is your "vision" for your life? (Your long-term plan, your "ideal" for how your life will turn out, or the legacy you'll leave behind). Most of us don't have a clue beyond "getting married" or "having kids" or getting "divorced" or maybe having a successful career. Each of these is a goal , but not much of a vision .

 

Finding Ourselves

What Is My Gift?

The truth is that your life is a gift from God. The Bible categorically states you are "wonderfully made"-in other words, awesome! In fact, you are "a gift from God" to others , even though you may not feel that way today.

 

Can't Get No Satisfaction!

With that one, ever-popular line, the Rolling Stones seemed to speak for not only their peers, but for successive generations as well.

In reality, our lack of satisfaction isn't just about sex or relationships, but about life in all of its varied aspects . It often seems that no matter what we do, that sense of deep well being, satisfaction with who we are (as well as who we are becoming), and contentment with our lives in general, slips from our grasp.

The Importance of Self-Awareness - Know Thyself

Until we "know ourselves" we will never understand why we act (or react) in predictable ways; what generates our likes and dislikes, our habits (good and bad); why and how we react to certain stresses, challenges and people; or how we came to value what we do and what we don't. What we gravitate toward or away from, how we view the world and life; and in particular, our place, our mission, our opportunities, or our limitations within it, will remain a mystery.

The Art of Making Memories
By Leonard Sweet

To make a memory moment is to "re-member" the soul. The word remember means both "to mark" and "to put together," as in putting together the members, or parts, of a body. In terms of the soul, what do we mark and put together? Memories and stories. If the phrase "remember when" is not on your lips many times a day, if you are not constantly recalling back to life meaningful memories and stories, your soul is being starved to death.

Don’t Expect to be Totally Understood
By Dr. Monte Wilson

All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.

--Pascal

I think one of the more important insights for many people is that they are and always will be alone in this world.

Your Weaknesses are Part of Your Strengths
by Monte Wilson

I see it all the time. People go to war against what they perceive as weaknesses in their personality, only to discover that they have shot and mortally wounded their strengths. Rather than merely tempering their weaknesses or guarding against some of the more potentially dangerous consequences of these weaknesses, they wish to root out the buggers tooth and nail. They then wake up surprised that they have lost their edge.

The sensitive poet seeks to steel his emotions only to discover that he can no longer see, hear, and feel the words that use to flow out of his soul.

Optimism
by C.V. Doner, PhD

Optimism - a sense of hope that provides the resiliency to bounce back from life's invariable setbacks is a basic requirement for living the "abundant" life with joy and passion.

The basic difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists believe a setback is temporary, a handy belief that facilitates their getting back on their feet and trying once again. Hope remains eternal for optimists.

Vroom, Vroom!
By Monte Wilson

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the heart's of men.

Goethe

There is nothing like a dream to create the future.

Victor Hugo

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdepedence produces the highest form of living.

Anais Nin

Four Steps to Change Your Life

God on the Net provides a large number of tools that can help you change your patterns of thinking and acting, including patterns such as self-defeating strategies and values, negative “self talk”etc. By applying the wisdom of the ages and God's ground rules for successful living, you can re-create your life in literally any area. But, before you can use these tools effectively, you will need to develop a new mindset.

Happiness Hinges on How High You Set Your Hurdles

Who decides if you're happy? You do, of course. But have you ever examined what criteria you set for yourself in order to proclaim, "I am happy?" In other words, what exactly are the rules you've established for yourself to be happy? Must you achieve a particular state of mind, status, or certain possessions? Must you reach a specific income level? Must you have a "significant other" who treats you a certain way?

Confidence Without Arrogance
By Dr. Monte Wilson

Recently a young man wrote me after attending a sales and persuasion training I had led at his business office. What he wanted to know was how to be “authentically confident.” He stressed “authentically” because, he said, he was great at acting confidently but usually was quite insecure. Furthermore, because he was a Christian, he was concerned about being arrogant or prideful.

Finding Your Calling
By Monte E. Wilson

In my work as an executive coach and corporate trainer, one of the most frequent angst that I encounter in others has to do with “calling.”

“Am I doing what I am meant to be doing? It sure doesn’t feel like it.”

“I am good at this job, but it is not fulfilling. There is no sense of fulfilling my destiny.” (Note: I hear this from both spiritual and non-spiritual people.)

“I am a slave to my salary, benefits, and health insurance.”

“I am 50 years old and I still wonder what I am going to do when I grow up.”

 

Dead Men Walking
By Dr. Monte Wilson

One of our strongest instincts is self-preservation: the survival instinct.  We will do most anything to save our lives.  On one hand, this is a healthy impulse for it keeps us from playing Russian roulette with .45 caliber handguns, drinking poison or telling our boss what we really think of him.  On the other hand, this instinct can go from preserving our life to defending our ego.

Are You Ready For Love
By Monte E. Wilson

Love

Dictionary: A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Living In Love
By Monte E. Wilson

What would happen in your life if you began to operate primarily out of love? What would happen if you began following where your heart was leading?

What if you speak the truth (as you understand it) to your co-worker because you care for her well-being, rather than confronting her out of fear or anger? (Fear that you will appear weak if you don’t go to war, fear that you will be considered an ineffective leader, angry that she isn’t Doing It Right, etc.)

Conscience
By Monte Wilson

Conscience: For some, The Great Argument against submitting one’s self to a “so-called” objective truth and goodness.

Conscience: For others, the God given organ in each human designed to show us the way toward truth, goodness and beauty.

Mental Health Living Life Fully
by Greg Anderson

The essence of the Law of Present-Moment Living is this: if you're taking part in activities and entertaining thoughts that do not support life, that make you wallow in misery and indulge in negative thinking, then, no matter what you may claim to the contrary, you are polluting the moment.

Giving Comfort
By Monte Wilson

The capacity to give one's attention to a sufferer
is a very rare and difficult thing; it is almost a miracle; it is a miracle. 

--Simone Weil

New Year's Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

--St. Francis of Assisi

The Quest: Remaining True

Be patient-your Quest is a journey

A large part of our Quest is all about maturation. God wishes for us to grow in wisdom and character. As we become the sort of people He desires, we increasingly reflect His love, truth and beauty to the world around us. Such maturation isn't a destination but a never-ending process.

Choosing Life
Monte Wilson

Most of you have heard about Abraham Biggs, the young man who recently killed himself and did so online for his friends to see. Did you know he left a note? I want to share it with you because I think his mindset is not all that atypical. Maybe you have never contemplated suicide, but you have probably experienced despair at some point in your life.

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