What comes to mind when you hear this….What can’t God do?  He can take all kinds of “seeds” and help us to grow them into powerful realities, turn abstract thoughts into concrete plans, pick you off of one pathway and suddenly place you on a totally different one…All Attributed to His Most Perfect Plan!  As I talk about “seeds”, I look at one of our son’s first ultrasounds when physicians could yet to determine that he was in fact a “he”.  I then fast forward to his first pictures that he took at the hospital as a newborn and I ask myself-“What can’t God do?”.  And so, as one really soaks in this question and applies it to life’s situations, we can begin to renew the hope that was once lost and consumed in the after thoughts of “Why can’t I do it?”, “What’s wrong with me and my life?”, or even “Why am I not as successful as I should be?” 

We have previously focused on key items that you need in order to prepare for success which included some things to consider before its actually game time.  One question asked was “what are your tools?”-some people have more than others.  Let me interject to say that for those of you that do incorporate a spiritual component as one of your tools, you are more than half-way there!   Studies have suggested time and time again that people who believe in a higher power or are “faith-based” tend to be less stressed than those who believe that they are in complete control of their life.  There is comfort in knowing that some being higher than us has control of our situations…It takes the pressure off of you and me!

It helps us to remain community-focused.  It allows us to want to help others and know that someone will lend a hand to us too some day.  So, what can’t God do? God can do everything…God can’t do anything that we don’t allow him to do.  In your relationships, careers, and communities, know that he can take “the seeds” and grow them into mighty trees.  The question now: What are your seeds?

Here is one of our seeds that God brought to fruition.  His name is Myles.

Wishing you and your community well,

Roslyn L. Warren, NCC

I’m reminded of this game as it is pretty clear that sometimes if others know your “game plan” that it will be easier at times for them to defeat you.  Let’s say that every time we played this game, I knew that you were a “rock” person.  More than likely, I’d beat you “hands down” because I know what move you are going to make.  So therefore, I’d pick paper every time.  You’d then (if you had not seen the light just yet) become so frustrated that you’d probably give up and walk away a sore loser.  Or…if you were smart, you’d just switch up your game plan and continue in the competition.

This brings me to the point of switching up your game plan, defined as being strategic and not just playing a game, but playing to win.  How do you play to win exactly?  This is something to think about even when you are involved in the simplest of games, sports, or life events.  Last time we discussed the importance of having a proper exercise and diet regime when trying to achieve your goals.  Planning ahead and having a strong support system are key factors that make the transition from start to finish successful and easier.  Here are some “pointers” to use and things to consider before its “game time”:

• When you do play a game, it is always a positive to go in with a strategy and explore the possibilities of several outcomes. 
• Know yourself. Be realistic and understand your own capabilities, not that of others.
• Follow the game through.  Try to visualize yourself getting to the finish line.  What does it look like?  This will ensure that you do not jump from one game to the next.  “Jumping” only makes it more difficult to complete a single task.  Instead you’re playing several games at once and goals become ambiguous.
• Have a back-up plan.  If this strategy is not getting you to the end goal, there are 77 x 7 more ways of getting there!
• Outline the other key players that can help you get there.  This is where your strong support system comes in, whether you are trying to complete a task that directly affects you (such as losing weight or kicking that smoking habit) or subsequently impacts others (changing careers or starting a new business).  Who are those people that will help you to “grow” or “slow” you from achieving your goals?
• What are your tools?  Or…is there a need to acquire more tools, i.e. a personal trainer, a degree, certificate, license, more key players?
• Lastly, is this goal a healthy one?  What purpose does it serve? Who will it impact and how?  Ask yourself: What am I trying to gain from completing this challenge?  It is not just to simply win or to gain something; however, grasping a concept of the type of changes, or the degree to which they may occur as a result of this decision, will allow for better planning.

Wishing you and your community well,

Roslyn L. Warren, NCC

We also used this time to reflect on the kind of mother that we wanted to be.  This brings me to this point for parents and teens alike: Just because you think you were born “on the wrong footing” doesn’t mean you can’t get on the right foot.  Your history certainly does not define your future.  What is important is for each individual to ask him or herself, “Am I pleased with the life I have been given?” If so, how can you continue to make life pleasant for yourself when you’re finally in the driver’s seat (i.e. out of the nest)?  OR if you’re not satisfied with the hand you’ve been given, how do you not allow history to repeat itself for you or your children? 

We all come to understand that history in some way does seem to repeat itself.  A good explanation as to how the rich keeping getting richer and the poor…well, you know the rest.  For those well to do families often teach their kids how to be well to do and in most cases for the lack of better words, some families teach their kids through direct examples how to not be successful and rise above illiteracy, poverty, and a lifestyle of crime.  Just as you are what you eat, you are what you “seed”.  We’re products of our parents.  But wait, it just doesn’t end there!  We know that eating unhealthily can lead to diseases of the body such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.  However, with proper diet and exercise, the rate at which we are slowly killing ourselves can dramatically decrease.  And similiarly in the game of life, with unhealthy parenting practices, gang violence, teen pregnancy and other “mishaps”, proper diet and exercise can dramatically increase our chances of being successful individuals.  Diet and exercise being: Challenge yourselves to be better and different in the most positive, outlandish way you can dream of.  So, why is this concept so much harder to grasp than the prior one? Its simple enough: Life happens and most of us don’t know how to get back on track. 

Getting Back on Track can be easier than we think.  If we know that it’s harder to quit smoking by simply going “cold turkey”, then we have another answer to life’s big game.  Planning ahead for the unexpected and having a strong support system is vital in achieving success in life: whether it be trying to lose weight, kicking that smoking habit, going back to school, or changing jobs.  People without a purpose are less likely to succeed than someone running full-speed ahead with a plan of action and having strategic goals in life.  Goal setting can also be very difficult, especially for people who don’t believe in their own goals. That’s where supportive people, whether you get it from family or not, come in.  We’ll talk more next time about healthy goal setting and putting your plan into action with common mistakes that everyone has made a time or two.

Wishing you and your community well,

Roslyn L. Warren, NCC                       

     In your lifetime alone, how many times have you said or heard others say “These kids today…?  It’s oftentimes an opener to discuss how children and teens are ridiculed for being disrespectful, baggy-pant wearing, nasty attitude having, and never gonna get no where in life going.  I have coined “these kids today” as being problem focused.  Sure, kids during this decade have their share of new problems. With more and more sexually transmitted diseases on the rise, out of the closet relationships particularly among school-age children, and being products of single parent households, America has a lot to complain about!  

     This brings me to my next thought of self-fulfilling prophecies, defined as the inevitable truth that surfaces when one tends to think or believe in something so hard that it actually comes true.  People sometimes use it in a positive sense in relation to Christian principles: that “if you think positive thoughts, they will come to pass” and also true for thinking negative thoughts.  I wonder if we use this concept with “these kids today” and try to be more solution focused as oppose to dwelling on all the mishaps, would we have better kids today?  Would they expect more from themselves? Would they appreciate themselves better? Would they raise their own bars?

Wishing you and your community well,

Roslyn L. Warren, NCC