The 5 key things you need to survive the storm

Hi everyone,

So I promised you something life changing a few days ago and hopefully here it is.

In the last post I talked to you about why we need to sail through a storm rather than just avoid it - now I'm here to give you five things you need to do just this.

These however are not only important when it comes to overcoming challenges in life - they also will change the way you view the world and possibly make your life very different to what it is now.

1. Belief- first and foremost, you need to believe that you can overcome the challenge. You won't get past a tough situation if you can't see that there could be an end in sight. As humans, we hate the unknown and we'd rather be in a bad situation then go to an unknown that could be even worse. It's why it's so important to make sure you have stored in your mind a belief you can overcome any challenge. Even if when the challenge arises, you feel you can't overcome it, just knowing that you've trained your mind to think you can will make the process of working to overcome it easier.


2. Pride- now I know, there are plenty of post in this blog alone that talk about the danger of being filled with pride. In this case however, pride isn't a bad thing to have, when used correctly. Being proud of who you are as a person is key to gaining the confidence and belief to overcome challenges. If we aren't proud of who we are, then we can get lost in trying to be someone else or being favoured by others, which in a time of challenge, can lead us astray from the simple path out of the wilderness. We need to stay strong in our values and be proud of the person we are, flaws and all.
   


3. Humility- alongside pride however, we also need to have some humility. Want to know why so many great explorers died while exploring - and it wasn't because they weren't good enough! They perished because they weren't humble enough to know their limits and to seek out help when their abilities couldn't take them any further. When you're in a challenge and you don't know where to turn to, be brave enough to say that and seek the advice of those who you trust and who can build your confidence, or who have been through it before and can help you out of the mire.


4. Support- Of course, in order to seek out people for advice and confidence building, you have to have support around you in the first place. I think it is paramount that whether you are in a challenge or not, that you have a group of people around you at all times to help you with your life. As someone who for many years was a solo eagle - I know from plenty of experience that this is not the way to go, and that having support is key to success, especially when overcoming storms in life. Sometimes, having someone to talk to will clear the bad weather before it brews into a storm. Other times, having someone to talk to make travelling through the storm a little easier. Either way, if you ain't got a support network around you yet - now is the time to do so.


5. Patience- ah good old patience. Something I know I'm always in need of more of and really one
   
   of the more vital keys to surviving the storms of life. So often, we see a problem and we want to solve it straight away, then when we don't, we get downhearted and we need the other four keys mentioned above to get out of the storm. The truth is though, if we had just had the patience to know storms in life occur and taken measured steps rather than panicked and tried to solve our problem in 10 seconds, there's a good chance we'd have overcome the storm a lot sooner as our calm, clear thought processes would have steered us away from feelings and closer to the facts of the situation. So take my advice here, the moment you get into a storm in life, take a deep breath and look at what really matters - yes I know it takes time, but this patience could save you a lot of heartache.

So there you have it, five keys to overcome the storms of life and hopefully in the long run, make your life as great as it can be.

Till next time...

It's time to take on the storms in life

Hi everyone,

Have you ever tried to avoid a storm when you need to go somewhere? If you have, then chance are that you'd quickly realise that it's not an easy thing to do.

Sure you can go inside and be safe from it, but it will still hit the surrounding areas and have some impact on your life, even it is only that it delays you from where you were going.

Then there's the option to try to run away from it. While that's feasible in short stages, the problem with it is that you will most likely either have the storm follow you or, if you do avoid it at the time, another storm will come and you'll have to run again, constantly running from the weather to avoid it and never getting to where you needed to be.

Just like the weather, the storms in our lives - whether they are caused by loss, tragedy, lack of belief or circumstances we can't control - can have a severe impact on who we are and how our lives pan out.

All too often, people avoid moments or don't do what they know needs to be done as they feel that in doing this, they avoid the storm that is to hit if they keep going forward and face the challenges in their lives. Problem is though, just like the weather, they are either left stranded or the same/a similar problem arises hours, days or weeks later and the issue is never resolved.

So just what should we do when a storm hits. Well - as much as I hate to say it, when a storm hits, the best thing to do is to batten down the hatches and go straight through it and today, I'm going to give three reasons as to why.

1. If you go through a storm, while it may seem to be a destructive and at times terrifying process, you will always gain something out of it. While it's easy to think about how a storm can destroy or knock out power lines, it's sometimes harder, but just as true to say that they bring families closer together through time spent stuck at home, they unite people as they fight to help those affected and they make us all realise what's important. The same goes with storms of life - sometimes God shakes things up in our lives not because he want to cause chaos, but because we need a reminder of what's important and how much we need to draw back to him. Next time a storm comes in life, rather than seeing a negative, work to find the lessons to be gained.


2. Storms remind us that there are some things we can't control in life. Too often in our lives we get caught up in trying to make things happen our way but in a storm, we aren't able to do this. We become passengers to a much bigger phenomenon and have to rely on others knowledge of the weather charts and area to be able to stay safe. It's the same with the storms of life. The best thing you can do when faced with a storm is to just give up the problem to God and trust he'll see you through. Like working through storm, it isn't easy, but you can be assured that he'll be with you every step of the way and if it's meant to be in life, he will guide us safely out of the thunder and lighting.


3. At the end of every storm, there is a rainbow and clear skies. Now I know this is the one
   
   I struggle with the most - especially when metaphorically you are being drenched and the thunder and lighting is all around you. There are times recently where I have really felt as if there was no end to the craziness, but it's important that all of us in these times continue to look towards the end goal and have hope. This is not only because we believe in a God who will always see us through, but also because when we do this, we focus our energies on getting through the problem. This is a key to overcoming a storm as unless we realise there's a problem and work towards solving it, nothing will ever change in life.
   
   

Storms are designed to be moments of amazing power and change - in just one severe storm, many trees can be destroyed which will in the long run allow them to re-generate and become even greater or weather patterns can be changed from a sweltering hot day to a cooler, more comfortable summer night.

The same goes with the storms of life. It won't be easy, but if we are willing to take a risk, trust God and ride the storm, then we give ourselves the opportunity to grow in not only our understanding of a situation, but also in ourselves as well, 

So what storms are in your life that you need to confront and see through? Make tonight the night you do something about them and set your life free for greatness.

Till next time,.,

P.S. stay tuned for a special bonus post this weekend - it's going to be a life changer.

What are you spending your time on...

Ok so I've just spent the last few days balancing my bank accounts and working on projects. Yeah I know it's not exciting, but I've put it off for far too long. Much like paying bills last week, it's time to get this stuff done.

In doing all of this though, a very interesting question was brought up. That question is, what am I spending my time doing that I am so busy that I can't do the necessary stuff.

As I thought about it in my head, I realised there were lots of really good things that I was spending my time on and here's a list of them.

• Working on plans to help bring people closer to Christ in their everyday life
• Spending quality time with family and friends
• Keeping fit and healthy
• Taking time out to relax and rewind

There were however also a lot of things that I know would be classified as 'time wasting', including...

• Looking for better versions of current apps to download on my tablet PC
• Spending way too much time on twitter news feed
• Watching mindless TV shows for hours on end
• Getting caught up in reading buzzfeed articles (seriously, they are so inviting!)

Now I don't think I'm alone here. I'm sure if you sat down and did this exact same assessment, you'd find things that you do that are worthwhile and things that really are not worth the time spent on them.

The problem is that even when we realise we are wasting time, it's just so easy to ignore the fact we are time wasting and just keep living life as we are. There's a comfort in doing the same thing over again and not having to deal with the fear of trying new things or changing routine.

This however is counter-productive in our relationship with God and our lives. By dedicating our lives to things of this earth, we don't use the God given talents  and we don't do what he is calling us to do. We also don't get important tasks done and end up either doing things half-baked or just not doing them at all  (such as my backpack that still sit in my parents house full of stuff from two years ago)!

While it is easier to take the wider road and be like the rest of society, as it says in the Bible, we are called to take the narrow road, no matter how much harder it is or longer it takes.

Practically that means that if I see a pile of dishes in the sink, then I should probably clean them, even if it may mean I have to delay watching that TV show for 20 mins - or if I know I have to write this blog, I should do it rather than delay it because I feel that I will be better spent looking at room designs or answering queries on Twitter.

Time is a precious thing and something that we cannot afford to waste. While God has his own time for everything - we still need to value the time he gives us and make sure every moment is used to make the world a better place - either through service, caring or changing lives for the better.

Yes we all need to rest sometimes and spend a few hours watching TV, especially when we are run down - we can't always be 100%. This however is about the excess, about ensuring that the time we have spare outside of our work and rest time is used to not benefit ourselves, but benefit the greater good.

So I ask the question once again - what are you spending your time on this week? Then I ask this - what are you going to do about it?

Till next time...