Sigh of Relief

Well, today was my first day of a work in PA. I have had my own business now for over 4 years and it isn't easy going back to work for someone else. It's not as creative and not as fulfilling. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt what the call on my life is, so to take a job, even for a season is a struggle because I have such a burning desire over my life's work and moving forward in the direction of my dreams. I believe, however, there are times in our lives that in order to move forward, we must take those few steps back.

Re-evaluate.

Re-conceive.

Re-launch.

Rise again - renewed.

In my new temporary scientist role in big Pharma, I am semi-incognito. The management knows my capabilities for this job, but most of the staff do not. Those who do have asked me why, if I am so overqualified, do I want the job. The answer was sincere: We need the money and it's temporary.

Today was hard with the stress and anticipation of my first day in Corporate Northeast America. It's a white nuckled, high stress cold world. And, of all therapy areas I could be working on, I am working in neurosciences and specifically in depression. I was telling my friend Virginia tonight that I don't want the negativity that surrounded me today to bring me down. She said something to the effect, "We'll, you just be the one to help bring them up." Her wisdom was spot on. Nelson Mandela quoted Marianne Williamson in his presidential inauguration speech stating: "Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God within us." Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." And God confirms this saying, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Mt 5:16)

I will be myself. I will do a great job for the company who pays me. I will not lament for times past (Egypt), but look forward with hope and anticipation to times of restoration (Canaan and freedom from bondage). This job and the money it brings is a blessing in a time of serious financial economic instability in our nation. My husband and I are, thank God, now both gainfully employed and will come out of hard times. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living. We are just starting to reap the harvest of seeds planted in faith a long time ago. I just know the Autumn season we are moving into is going to be pregnant with surprises and I anticipate each one. In the meantime, I will just let this little light of mine shine and focus on the mere success of holding a job as I work on rebuilding my coaching practice after our move.

Dr. William Menninger said there are, "Six essential qualities that are the key to success:
sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity."

I agree. So did Jesus when he spoke his Sermon on the mount:

Sincerity (the pure of heart), personal integrity (the hungry - those who hunger and thirst after righteousness), humility (meek, poor in spirit), courtesy (peacemakers), wisdom (those persecuted for following the Son of Man), charity (the merciful).

Well hats off to you, Dr M. It's not easy working with cutting edge depression treatments and still maintain the spine of a life coach and the soul of a believer.

I feel that right now God is giving me such experiences and extremes to test my gird in all situations.
I will pass because I love Him.
And I thank God today for the sigh of relief that I can breathe over our finances today.

Maybe my post is not making a lot of sense today. I just know that if you are not doing what you want to do. Just keep dreaming. Keep praying . The vision God gives you for your future is real and can not be taken away from you. There may be hard times. And detours. But always there is learning and growth. And God is always there with us. His rod and his staff they comfort and guide us.

Keep following your dreams through that sometimes long and winding road... don't let the fire go out. Crock pots take a while, but eventually everything gets cooked...

love to all, Anne

But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are--wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God's help, in dependence upon Him]. John 3:21

The Monday Motivator

The Daffodil Principle

I am not authoring today's post. This 'story' was forwarded to me which I found very motivating.
In the coming weeks, months and years I hope to make a habit of steadily posting a life coaching principle each Monday. I call this The Monday Motivator. I look forward to blogging something that has encouraged me and can empower you.

Today I was sent 'the Daffodil principle' via e-mail from my friend Virginia. I loved it because it inspires me. All great things have humble beginnings. Don't despise the times you had to work a full time job and start your company on the side...or get up extra early to workout. You don't lose those 30 pounds in a day. You do it consistently over time with lifestyle changes you choose to make. You don't achieve any great thing without repetition of actions that will produce positive results. Add in some willpower, determination, persistence and perseverance and you have a recipe for success. You can change the world around you - one brushstroke, one chapter, one practice and even one daffodil at a time. Enjoy, Anne

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead

"I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her. "But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this." "Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, lemon yellow, saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers. "Who did this?" I asked Carolyn. "Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty year s ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!" My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?" Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off Until you get a new car or home Until your kids leave the house Until you go back to school Until you finish school Until you clean the house Until you organize the garage Until you clean off your desk Until you lose 10 lbs. Until you gain 10 lbs. Until you get married Until you get a divorce Until you have kids Until the kids go to school Until you retire Until summer Until spring Until winter Until fall Until you die...

There is no better time than right NOW to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and, Dance like no one's watching. If you want to brighten someone's day, pass a link to my blog on to someone special. Wishing you a beautiful, daffodil day! Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. AND REMEMBER: GOOD FRIENDS ARE LIKE STARS. YOU DON'T ALWAYS SEE THEM, BUT YOU ALWAYS KNOW THEY ARE THERE!!!

Rejoice Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NKJV simply states 'rejoice always' or in some translations, 'always be joyful'. Well that's not always easy. We have a tendency to rejoice when we are happy. When things go well. But, that's not what God wants. He wants you to REJOICE even in tragic circumstances. And he's given us the ability to REJOICE when things go wrong. Even when terrorists kill thousands of innocent lives and effect the citizens of over 100 nations. The world trade centers alone housed more than 430 companies from 28 countries. We will never even know the exact death toll. But the Bible says rejoice always. What???

Just in case we didn't get it the first time, it is written a few more times. Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice... That's a tall order. How is that even possible or appropriate?

James recounted the principle in his first chapter, vs. 2: "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials."

It means that we can have a deep down knowing that it will all work out. It will all be OK. It all happens just as it should and God is in control. It's knowing God didn't cause it, but if you go through it the right way, he will help you fix it.

Our soul can experience a variety of painful emotions when tragedy strikes, our mind can search for a solution, our will can be challenged. But deep down - if we get and stay quiet a bit - we can sense that God is in control. That sense can give us the confidence, strength and determination to go on. That kind of rejoicing can only come from God and bubbles up in our spirits. But, why didn't he just say that through His spirit you will muster the courage to muddle through? Instead he gave a command to rejoice.

Because rejoicing is a choice. You chose to follow God's will. You choose to control your emotions. To be dignified and graceful rather than assuming a victim mentality. You choose to understand that no matter what goes wrong, no matter what the trial, test or temptation, that you can choose to not focus on the problem but the solution. You can choose to believe the promises written in His Word. You can choose to find scriptures which comfort you and give you hope and hold on to them. Even in the midst of the unthinkable. When a nation is effected and thousands of families and businesses literally must rise from the ashes. It's hard to choose rejoicing. Sometimes we want to choose to sit alone in the dark and eat Ben and Jerry's. I struggle with choosing positive emotions in negative circumstances. I believe, however, that after a time of mourning, that pain and indignation at being unjustly treated can be the very fuel which drives you to rise up and stand for what is right. If Jesus had not wept over Jerusalem, knowing how far they were from God's peace, and wanting that for them, He may not have chosen the cross to save them. It was a hard decision. He suffered just praying about it. He sweat blood over it.

Peter learned the hard way the principle of focusing on Jesus as he sunk in the water after walking on it. Later in 1 Peter 4:12, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he writes "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. ¹⁴ So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian,^[a] for then the glorious Spirit of God^[b] rests upon you.^[c] .

Today I am reminded of a terrible tragedy, remembering the thousands of families torn apart. I have not stopped praying for them. But in the midst of the tragedy, I also recall a time of rejoicing. The prayer vigils, the unity in diversity, the help and sacrifice of all those who volunteered in the massive cleanup, the flags waving proudly on cars across the nation and the sense of rebuilding, renewal and a collective longing for what is right that our country experienced in 2001. I think about the song lyrics by Israel Houghton and Jon Stockstill and make it my prayer for the Church today...

Let the Church rise from the ashes
Let the Church fall to her knees
Let us be light in the darkness
Let the Church rise...

For those effected by 9/11/01 personally, May God bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. May you rise from the ashes and know God loves you. May you shine once again and be an example to those you personally touch. IJN, Amen

All my love to those I don't know, but continually pray for, Anne Arvizu