#UnBlockYourself

You can’t physically treat non-physical issues

#UnBlockYourself 2023 Thought 3:
 
You can’t physically treat non-physical issues.
We’ve been conditioned to treat things like depression, heartbreak, or negative forms of stress with pills, shots, and alcohol.
 
We tend to get hooked on treating the results, not address the root of the issue. For example, we may be sluggish and low on energy. But instead of eating healthier, or foods that may give us a boost, we may drink energy drinks.
 
When we do this, it only treats the symptoms and the problems keeps coming. I have that problem too, but doing this will not bring it to an end. Treating things this way makes us responsive, not proactive. We only will handle things when it gets bad enough to where we can’t take it. We have to get to the root of the problems. We have to sometimes go 7 degrees of “why?” to get to the bottom.
 
For our adventure to continue, when we come up against a wall, we know we have to get to the why of it so we know how to become victorious over it. A tea time, or meditation, time alone with God can help reveal things on a deeper, spiritual level, instead of just the resulting symptoms.
 
Stay looking ahead and moving forward, you will always move towards the direction you are looking!

Your Wabikigai Adventure

#UnBlockYourself 2023 Thought 2:
 
Your Wabikigai Adventure
 
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
 
There is an adventure that has been created just for you. Wabikigai is a mash up of three of my favorite words, and it is at the core of our theme for this year.
 
The “Wabi” in wabikigai is for Wabi Sabi.
This is how this adventure is unique to you. Unique, timeless, and beautiful are the experiences that have been created for your journey.
 
Speaking of timeless, Ichigo Ichie is next.
It boils down to “once in a lifetime moment” happening during each of your experiences.
 
Last is Ikigai, one of my favorites. It is living a full life by functioning in your purpose. We have many hats, some wanted and unwanted, but there are a few that impacts not only us, but goes on to shine a light in a dark world. This light and life we have changes the world around us. Never take that lightly!
 
This year we are set to do great and wonderful things. Be ready for trials because it has to be tested, but on the other side is the greatest testimony to the greatest experiences you’ll ever have if you seek them and hold to them tight!
 
Let’s Go!

Your Intent Will Be Tested

#UnBlockYourself 2023 Thought 1:
Your intent will be tested.
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution and failed miserably? Things large or small I notice whenever I declare, “This is what I want to do!” It gets tried immediately. From, “All I want to do is to make up the bed”, to, “I want to buy a new car”, will al be tested. If I try to make the bed, I get up late, or the bed feels so good I don’t get up on time, or an employee calls in which means I have to rush to get things in place… anything. I want to buy this, all of the sudden a great opportunity comes up to buy something else, car breaks down, your best friend really needs to borrow some money and they know you have it… anything.
 
But WHY??? I asked myself this over and over. Finally the answer came. It is to test the strength and the very essence of what you believe. If you fail, one of two things happen. You either give up, or you press through and learn from it. You will either turn and find something better, or you will become stronger with even greater momentum because you have improved from your mistakes.
 
It all works for your good. Your greater good. God’s got you. (Romans 8:28)
 
I liked this acronym for FAIL:
First
Attempt
In
Learning
 
Keep moving forward!

Benefits and Balance

#UnBlockYourself 429 - Benefits and Balance
 
Last episode we talked about how All roads (your thoughts and actions) lead back to your core of your being, the core values you have established within you. Your homework was to start to define your core values, so you’ll see where you will end up going with you your actions, and they also serve as a beacon of light to help in decision making too. Ultimately what you do will usually be leaning towards your success. 
 
Brings us to today. 
Prayerfully develop a working definition of what your success is, what it looks like, and write it down. 
 
What will be the benefit of your success? 
 
If you have things the way you want it (your success and vision fulfilled) what benefit is it to God? 
 
What benefit is it to the world?
 
Why should God help you get there? 
 
The questions help us to see where are motives are, if inspired by God or man, if self centered or not, if it has the potential to get you in trouble if you go all out for it. 
 
We can find ourselves wandering off in the wrong direction when things are too self centered, and at the end, we find it amounts to nothing or taken away. Build our legacies that will last for generations, for our children and our children’s children. 

All Roads Circle Back To Your Core

#UnBlockYourself 428
 
All roads (your thoughts and actions) lead back to your core of your being, the core values you have established within you.
 
“To put it simply, vision is what the world would be like if we succeeded. Mission, on the other hand, is what we must do for the world to reflect the vision.”
The "Core Values" you have in you are the principals, rules, and boundaries that dictate your behaviors.
 
We need to define our values.
Establish core values that: 
Guide and ground your actions that will help you accomplish your vision and mission
represent who you are (or want to be) at your best, set you apart, and incorporate Wabi Sabi, Ichigo Ichie, and Ikigai as it pertains to you.  
All actions lead back to the core of your being because they instinctively dictate your behaviors.
 
Living out your ikigai is an extension of your core values.

Wabikigai In Your Influence

#UnBlockYourself 427 Wabikigai in your influence
 
One of my favorite mentors John C. Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” 
 
One of our many purposes in being in this life at this moment in time is to impact our circle of influence, blessing those who God has put in our path.
 
Wabikigai is a made up word consisting of 3 philosophies:
Wabi Sabi: Discovering perfection in the imperfect
Ichigo Ichie: Being in the moment
Ikigai: Living a full life through fulfilling your purposes
 
Influence has its place within all of these.
 
Wabi Sabi: When you break down the concept of wabi sabi you get:
Wabi - Simplistic, minimalistic design to provide what you need. 
Sabi - The beauty in aging, and uniqueness of something.
 
This is the internal influence, the things we see, do, and hear that influences us. The things that have influenced and are influencing us shapes what we will be doing to and for others.
 
Ichigo Ichie: Once in a life time moments. The time we spend within our hearts and in intimate company with others. This is were we build the energy to influence ourselves and others. This is were we build strength in relationships eternally, internally, and externally.
 
Ikigai: Living a full life through purpose. This is our external influence at work. This is how we impact our circle of influence and the world by just being ourselves, doing what we were called to do. For some it may be preaching the gospel, for others, it could be teaching your kids how to fish. Both relate to your influence, and both could have a lasting impression that could impact the receiver’s generations long after them. What we do here and now, carries weight. If you are intentional, you are intentionally making a difference to change the future of the world!

Abide and Abound, Nurture and Nourish

#UnBlockYourself 426: Abide and Abound Nurture and Nourish

The Choice Is Yours

#UnBlockYourself 425: The choice is yours
 
Over the years, at the end of our prayer time with the kids and staff at the center, Ms. B. has graced us with wisdom and gave us this charge as we would start our day: “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.” 
 
There is so much packed into this one statement. 
 
First off, there has to be a decision made. Not only that, but the power to make this day a great day or not has been given to us. 
 
And I’ll tell you this, every decision to act or not act affects the rest of your life. The decision to have just one more cookie can lead to high blood sugar on down the road because “just one more” lead to another and another and another. On the flip side, saving that money from not going out can cause you to like your own cooking, which leads to you cooking for yourself, and then others, and then a restaurant, and multiple locations and now you’re a retired multi millionaire because of those decisions. 
 
The choice you make also comes from how you view things. I think of your mind having its own positive and negative filtration system. So many situations are neutral, but the you see will be determined by how it’s filtered. 
 
I had one of my tropical plants really just shrivel up and die on me. I saw it as dead, it was sad and I never got around to throwing it away. But to my plant lady, (Ms Nancy) she sees that all the time, “it just needs a plant vacation” (sit it outside for some sun, water, and air). Not dead at all. 
 
We may see hopeless fixer upper, but some with an eye for it may see a gold mine. 
 
So the decision is ours.
We choose greatness or not. 
It is an ongoing thing. 
We make the choices by the filters we use in our mind. 
Lastly, we influence the filters by what we allow to influence them. 
Another choice causing greatness or not. 
 
The old cliché is that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and get this if you fill your eyes with trash, trash will be the only thing you are able to see.