2. Trust - "I look behind me and You're there, then up ahead and You're there too." If you do believe in God then it falls to logic that you trust him also. If you truly believe that God created all that is and all that ever were and that He sent His son to die on a cross, why would you not trust him? When the moment arises we can think of 100 reasons why it is not possible for us to pursue that opportunity. But if you truly trust God wouldn't he take care of the reasons we give to not seize the opportunity.
3. God takes the worst positions and turns them completely around - If you have read the bible enough to know the stories of the Israelites and their descendants then you know that God is in the business of turning really bad situations around and making them great situations.
4. The little things are amazing - A lot of times we focus on the big stuff. And that is part of the reason why we get so disheartened. The big stuff is big. Its hard to control and hard to manage. But the little stuff is nice and simple. It doesn't always work out perfectly but if we take notice of the times where it does then it makes life a lot more bearable. And sometimes the little things really are the best.
5. Prayers can be misguided - What does the average prayer look like? It usually looks something like "Dear God, thank you for _______ and ________, but I've been having a really rough time with ______. Could you just take _________ away from. I don't want to deal with it. I'm too busy for it. It's just not good timing." In reality God can do anything. But his will isn't always to remove our troubles. No, most of the time he wants something better. He wants us to overcome them with His help. So maybe you should stop praying that He would take away your problems and instead he would empower you to overcome them.
6. Your focus determines your reality - Just like the saying "Where your passion is your time follows." If you focus on the bad parts they will overwhelm you. But if you focus on the good parts then they will bring joy into your life.
7. Faith is a risky business - Putting your trust and faith into someone or something isn't always easy. There are risks on both ends. However, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
8. It's not a sacrifice its a privilege - A lot of times when we look at something we have to do or something that we are asked to do for someone it's easy to look at that situation as a sacrifice. I'm giving up my time to do this or that and I'm putting my resources towards this or that. However in reality it is truly a privilege to be trusted with that task and to serve others by it's completion.
9. When stepping out in faith you almost always second guess yourself - The most common feeling associated with Faith or trust is doubt. After all its only natural. But you have to learn to separate healthy doubt from unhealthy doubt. Most times it's the last minute second guessing that shows natural and healthy doubt. I try and use that to fuel my confidence on the other side. If its natural doubt that I must be doing something right.
10. Waiting for greater certainty may cause you to miss an opportunity - A lot of times we tend to wait to be more sure about a decision before making it. Or we want to see if something better comes along the very next day. And to a certain degree that's a smart move. But it's also a safe move. And safe moves don't get you very far. Take the opportunity while you still can. It wont always be logical but have faith. If we're truly honest with ourselves we know that temporary sinking is better than prolonged sitting.
11. Inaction regrets last a lifetime - There are two types of regret. One is the regret of an action we took. 9 out of 10 times, that regret doesn't last very long. The other type of regret is of an action that we didn't take. And that lasts forever. There will always be that doubt or question of what if I had taken that inaction. And that regret is not something you want to live with.
12. Stop cursing the darkness and start lighting some candles - Isn't it true that often we would rather sit around criticizing others? Most times we sit back and criticize others actions not even realizing that while they are taking action we take no action at all. This is part of the reason I started this blog in the first place. I saw other posts online and instead of criticizing and arguing with someone about their thoughts and opinions I decided to share my own in a manner that showed some integrity and conviction.
13. Opportunity costs are more damaging than actual costs - One good thing to think about when making a decision is to weigh the opportunity costs against the actual costs. Don't compare what you might loose to what you currently have. Compare what you might loose to what you could gain.
14. Theres a difference between a transcript and a resume - Most people don't realize that a transcript is nothing more than scores and numbers. It's a report of what you know. A resume however is a report of what you've done. Everything you've accomplished. Academic instruction can only get you so far. If you want to learn everything you can you have to learn by immersion. "Do or do not, there is no try"
15. A dream becomes a reality one opportunity at a time. - We have to remember that nothing comes immediately. While we have technology that makes it seem as if it does there is always a process to be followed to get from one point to another. The reason that technology moves so fast from point to point is that computers take all fear and emotion out of the equation. It sees nothing but one task at a time and it completes that task on point. We have to remember that in order to reach our goal we must move one step at a time.
16. Neoteny - "The retention of youthful qualities by adults." Simple but very important. Children show no fear. If they want something they ask (or scream) and if they see an opportunity they take it without hesitation. We could learn a thing or two from the kids.
17. 9 out of 10 times criticism is a defense mechanism - Often times someone will say something about me or my work and it will upset me. They will take something professional and make it personal so they can bring me down. That's all personal criticism is. Someone bringing you down. They want you down to their size. Well don't let them. You have to keep rising so far above their size that you forget they exist.
All of these lessons in mind. The entire point of the book is the fact that if you have God and a handful of whits about you than you can accomplish almost anything. And if you're smart enough to take some of these points to heart you can do it with minimal stress. Many people will look at my attitude and mistake it for carelessness. But the fact is that I do care. I care a lot. However, no matter how disastrous a situation may be I know that in the end it will all be okay. I have faith that I can accomplish anything. No fear.
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