STRETCH

What have you learned in life so far? (PLEASE READ/HELP)

Hi.  I need your help so we can help others. Would you share with everyone a simple statement or two? The requirement is simple. 1. It must be something you have learned in life so far. 

For instance:

"Helping people helps me"

"Worrying solves nothing"

"Low expectations is a good strategy"

"Over time, I get used to things and take them for granted."

So, what have you learned in life so far?  Kindly comment on my blog and RT on Twitter.  If you use Twitter, please leave your Twitter handle so I can give you credit. Thank you.

**Best quote gets a prize!

Stretch Yourself

Jesse

Part 2: ..drifters, pursuers, achievers and super-achievers..

Recently, I wrote about the importance of determining the most significant areas of our life and having a clear vision for each area.  Let's talk about this some more.

Determining the most significant areas of our lives help us stay focused as to what we should be spending the most time doing.  It can be easy for us to drift through the days without much direction.  But what if we we knew very clearly what we wanted out of the most significant areas of life AND we knew how to attain it?  Life may be more fulfilling, more rewarding and definitely more purposeful.

Here is how I choose to be purposeful:

1. Determine the significant areas of your life (i.e; God, family, career)

2. Develop a vision of what each area should look like by the end of the year

3. Create goals that would help you accomplish the vision

4. Consider the steps it will take you to reach each goal

My significant areas (in order) are as follows -

• Relationship with God
• Relationship with my wife
• Relationship with my children
• Career
• Personal Accomplishments

So for instance, my 'vision' for 2010 in the area of my relationship with my wife would be: "A stronger, healthier marriage"

Here are my goals to accomplish this:

1. Resource our marriage
2. Monthly date-night
3. Weekly talk time

Here are the steps to accomplish each goal:

1.  Bi-monthly counseling with mentors (get counsel during the difficult times AND the easy times), listen to marriage resources together/read books together to challenge our marriage.

2.  Plan a date night once a month and make each night purposeful in building romance.  This resource from Northpoint can help you: The Great Date Experiment

3.  Every week, find two nights to put the kids to bed, turn the TV off and COMMUNICATE. Talk and listen. Listen and talk. 

Pretty simple, but if each step is done diligently, your goals will be accomplished and when the goals are accomplished you will be living in your vision. The results will be extraordinary.

So, what are the most significant areas of your life and what do you hope they look like at the end of 2010?

Stretch yourself

Jesse

Thoughts I live by...

Here is a thought I try my hardest to live by:

 I and I alone, ultimately control my own happiness by the attitude I choose to "mentally fan" in the private corridors of my mind.  No circumstances or person can impact my personal happiness significantly.  I am the master of my own attitude.

Stretch yourself,

Jesse