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3 Things I Did For Better Quality Of Life

There are so many self-proclaimed experts, articles, books and quotes on quality of life…but what is it really?

I’m not one of those self-proclaimed experts on the matter, but I’ve learned on my journey that the quality of our life is not equivalent to our standard of living. Here’s what I mean by that…I went on a missions trip to Panama and these people, from our myopic American perspective, had nothing…but they were some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. Of course many would argue that income can have a marginal effect on your quality of life, but that alone isn’t the full picture. Just look at some of the “rich” celebrities and you will soon discover that they are some of the most miserable people.

If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

–Thorin Oakenshield

There are certain ways that we can influence the quality of our life in a positive way. The material stuff that most of us pursue are obviously more tangible than increasing happiness, health, or vitality. But how about the rest of it?

How about seeing life as an opportunity, eating healthier, pursuing your purpose, becoming more self-reliant, having an attitude of gratitude, doing something bold, spending time in daily prayer, spending time with your loved ones, doing anything outdoors and not stressing out about things, or fill in the blank _____________.

If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves.

–Zig Ziglar

I can definitely include most of the items listed, but here are three things I’ve done recently that have also increased my quality of life in a positive way.

What The Chicago Bulls Can Teach Us About Pride

Recently at our company weekly seminar we invited a guest speaker who lead a conversation about ‘The Pros and Cons of Keeping Score’. The core of the presentation focused around the idea that keeping score is something we all do whether it is comparing ourselves to some ideal or to others around us. There are pros and cons of keeping score with a thin line between moving forward positively and moving forward at the expense of self and relationships with others. It was a solid message that and got me thinking about a leadership story I heard using the events of the 1994 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The topic was pride and leadership. I’m not talking about the pride that aspires us to become better people, I’m talking about that insidious thing inside of us that keeps us from: celebrating others, admitting when we’re wrong, acknowledging when we need help, opening up, fill in the blank _____.

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility…According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison.

—C.S. Lewis

Let’s roll the tape back to the year 1994 during the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The Bulls, already down two games of the best-of-seven series, were trying to prove that they could pull out a win without Michael Jordan, who had retired at the end of the previous season.

How To Break Free Of Who You’re Not!

In Isaiah 43, God shares that He is doing a new thing and it is springing forth. The big question He challenges us with is, will we see it? …will you even be aware of it?

Its a prelude to something incredible, it’s a reality that God is doing something awesome. I’ve seen the context of this verse in scripture used for various circumstances, but today lets wrap it around life after signing up for this Jesus thing.

In every day life, there are things waiting for us to see. Ever wonder why there are some people out there that seem to always seem capture moments of opportunity and have extraordinary lives? And you don’t because you’ve convinced yourself that the universe is out of whack? Or that somehow God is playing a trick on you by doing everything you want to someone else that you know?

The rub here is that God is offering opportunity to us and offering us an extraordinary life, but many of us don’t have the eyes to see it! Because…we are so focused on living the lives of others.

God is saying to us…”I am doing a new thing…will you even be aware of it?”

When we sign up for this Jesus thing, it’s written that we are a new creation…we are new in Christ! If we’ve connected to God through Jesus, everything inside us is new…even if we don’t feel it right away. We are all made for a purpose and that extraordinary thing that God calls us to is to become what we already are — what He created us to be!

Have you ever tried to be someone you’re not?

What Greatness Is Not!

Well, here is where my story begins…

Like most men, I wanted to do something great with my life. Like most men, I desperately wanted to be “somebody.” Like most men, the focus was on me!

I had it all, I was addicted to winning at all cost and over time and I completely lost myself in the pursuit of greatness. My identity became to twisted and interwoven in position, prosperity and power that the man God created me to be…was barely recognizable!

The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.

—Norman Vincent Peale

I was an easy target for the narrative of the world and I exchanged “the truth of God” for a lie and destroyed myself and my family in the process of wanting greatness.

This is what greatness is not! So, what is greatness?

3 Self Imposed Obstacles To Starting Over

Cruising up Route 89 on my way to work, I was listening to an Andy Stanley podcast, “Starting Over, Part One – Three Myths” enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery of New Hampshire while sipping on a much needed cup of coffee.

The message really hit home because it reminded me of of my own journey of “starting over” after my divorce. The whole experience sucked but I remember the transition of having to leave the comfort of my own house; then living a very transient lifestyle from a basement floor, to the top of a barn, to a single room, to small apartment at the back of an Inn, to a town house and years later back in a house. More about that later.

Before we dive deeper we have to backup a bit and ask the questions, “why do so many of us have to start over? ..and why don’t we get it right on round two, three, etc?” We can debate a bunch of reasons, but the one that typically stands out is that we made some crazy mistake in life and we never learn the lesson.

Have you ever noticed that we quickly learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least in life? Sending that embarrassing auto-corrected text. Inadvertently sending that “not for your boss’s eyes” email right into his/her inbox. Fill in the blank______. You get the point.

When it comes to the personal-really-matters stuff of life we don’t seem to learn from our mistakes. Most of us get on the merry-go-round of life and do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Albert Einstein describes this action as insanity.

When you’re on a merry-go-round [of life], you miss a lot of the scenery.

—Neil Diamond, emphasis added

Here is the in your face rub…

3 Things I Did For Better Quality Of Life

What The Chicago Bulls Can Teach Us About Pride

How To Break Free Of Who You’re Not!

What Greatness Is Not!

3 Self Imposed Obstacles To Starting Over

Favorite Quotes

Cool Scripture

Never Out Of The Fight!

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