keeping the faith.

Faith may signify a relationship with a higher power, a particular religion, a spiritual following, or none of the above. Faith is a personal belief; it's having confidence and trust in something. And that something can be anything you chose.

Regardless of our individual beliefs, faith is what allows us to keep moving forward during times of uncertainty, confusion, and pain. We must confidentally believe that everything will work out. We must truly internalize that everything happens for a reason. We must trust deep down that timing is everything. 

Faith has this incredible way of changing our perspective. Rather than approaching a painful situation as simply life's way of wreaking havoc on us, we can use it as a reminder to appreciate how blessed we are when the going is good. We can see a challenge as a means of making us stronger people. And hardships as the best teachers of life; allowing us to move forward with the courage to take on whatever comes next.

Often times it isn't until the going gets tough that we recognize the importance of faith. Yet faith shouldn't just be something to carry us through the life's lows. Faith is about embracing whatever life throws in our path, whether good or bad. Being thankful for the little things. Testing our personal limits when we're faced with a terrifying obstacle. Believing that with a whole lot of perseverance, we can push through anything. We can experience and embrace joy. We can transform any situation into something worth believing in. We earn our happiness through sacrifice and hard work. We, as absurd as it may sound, earn life's challenges so that we don't become complacent. Give up the illusion that you will ever have a problem-free life. Rather than being disappointed by that reality, look at it as our one-way ticket to something better in the future. Because for every challenge we overcome, our faith will grow. We have the opportunity to believe in ourselves and in life, simply by internalizing faith. We can make peace with every one of our experiences. It's our faith that will allow us to look to the future with nothing but positive thoughts and big dreams. Dreams that will be reached by having faith.

alone doesn't mean lonely.

When is the last time you sat quietly, alone, uninterrupted? No phone calls, TV drone, or keyboard typing to be heard. Complete silence. Aside from those few minutes when we are laying in bed falling asleep at night, we so rarely experience that void of noise and excitement. And it's not because we don't have the opportunity to have it. It's because we don't make it a priority.

Many of us don't make the time to just be alone, quiet, and content. The moment we could actually just be, we find ourselves instantly flicking on the television, flipping open our cell phones, or jumping onto the computer. And some of this comes with the era. Technology has allowed us to stay connected to the world at all times. Our smart phones firing off alerts of new tweets, Facebook status updates, emails, text messages, phone calls, blog posts, and voice mails. Our televisions with hundreds of channels filled with back-to-back movies and shows. Computers with a world wide web that never shuts off. It's very easy to lose sight of one small fact: Just because these things are always available, doesn't mean we always have to indulge.

Let me set a scene: A batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is placed in front of us. Do we have to take a cookie? Well, of course not. Yet we'll find that many of us do take a cookie simply because they are there (and they will probably taste good). Just like we can pass on the cookie, we can choose not to fill our rare moments of silence and stillness with sound and chaos.

The ability to sit in a room alone and in silence with only our own personal thoughts is a luxury. It is often during those moments of isolation that we are filled with creativity, personal reflection, and life aspirations. Silence can evoke the deepest of thoughts when truly embraced as a vehicle for achieving them.

It has the potential to bring our inner passions and true self forward. We all should learn to sit alone in a quiet room. Learn to shut out the clutter and confusion. Trade the noise for silence, and the unrest for relaxation. It can be a window to your heart and the door to your soul. Seek contentment in that moment. Desire nothing more.

taking on the adventure of today.

Every 24 hours we are blessed with a brand new day. A span of 24 hours that we too often try to rush though, getting only to the "good" parts. Wishing away the 10 drive to the gym. The 30 minutes on the treadmill. Maybe we look forward to a nice shower afterwords, but when it's time to flip off the water, we're back to wishing away our commute to the office and the 4 hours of work until lunchtime. And the 5 hours of work after lunch. Then wishing our commute home would be over so we can fill our stomachs with dinner. Veg out on the couch. See our significant other. Then before we know it, it's time for bed. Some nights we look forward to it; exhausted from the days stressors and hectic schedule. Other nights all that going to sleep means is waking up and doing "it" all over again. Until the weekend. Then maybe we look forward to sleeping in, seeing friends, and filling our days with fun.

Regardless of your daily schedule, you may find yourself wishing away all those "less-than-exciting" things to get to the good stuff. Think back on the past 3 days. How much of your time was spent wishing the minutes would pass just a little bit faster?

Of course, we all have to do things we don't want to do. Things we don't necessarily enjoy. Things which fill the time we'd rather be spending doing something else. And think we don't have much option except to do them. Yet, someday we'll reach our end, think back upon all our days, and reflect on our accomplishments, experiences, hardships, relationships; which, when combined, will make up your life as a whole. I urge you to stop wishing your minutes away. Every moment should be viewed as a new opportunity to experience and learn something that will enhance your life. If you notice your days are, more often than not, filled to the brim with things you dread, maybe it's time for a change. A new job. A new hobby. A new meaningful friendship. A new routine. Don't become complacent. Don't accept today as something you will spend wishing away to get to tomorrow, or get to 5 hours from no. No- make every single minute count. Life is too short to dismiss your moments away. Don't take the easy route through your day. Choose a path you are excited about. Choose a life of fulfillment. Get excited about life. Remember: Life is a matter of perspective. Get the most you can out of every single minute of every single day. Even during those times we aren't doing our most favorite activities. Above all else, remember to have faith that no matter what the present brings, it will help create a more enlightened you to take into the future.

vow to be happy.

What does being happy actually mean? Being content? Not wanting to change a single thing? Perfection? Many of us make promises to ourselves to just "be happy." To stress less, to live in the moment, to just be. To exist without feeling the desire for more. But when broken all down, does it mean living to a certain standard? Does it mean having a certain level of income? A certain relationship? A certain job? A certain body weight? Does it have to do with your access or ability to have certain things in life? 

To a dictionary, happiness is associated with good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy. But is that what happiness means to you? Do you think happiness is a way of life? Can it truly be permanent? Or is it a temporary feeling; only occurring when you are doing something you truly love? Is happiness a personal choice? 

So many of us vow to happiness, yet within just days find ourselves struggling to stay afloat. The key to achieving happiness is not to think it's a single determined destination to be reached someday. Happiness is today. Happiness is now. We have to recognize that hardships are part of life, and it's how we chose to deal with those challenges that will determine whether or not we can truly just be happy. We must learn to embrace the struggle, just as we embrace the joy. It, like to many things in life, comes down to perspective and outlook. We must chose to look to today with optimism; we must be willing to take on whatever life throws at us. Recognize that what doesn't kill us will make us stronger. And that no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, we will all experience things that challenge that happiness.

So the real question is, what are you going to do to protect and ensure your happiness?

first world pains.

I woke up this morning at my usual 5:45am, rolled over, and felt annoyed at the thought of dragging myself out of my toasty king sized bed. I should just skip my run, I thought to myself knowing full well what the weather was supposed to be like. No, I can't do that; I have to just stick to my training plan. So I rolled my eyes, lifted the blankets, and sighed heavily at the current situation. As I do every Thursday morning, I walked over to the window. I held my breath as I drew back a tiny corner of the curtain and peered outside. Much to my dismay, it was exactly as I predicted it would be; 29 degrees, dark, and a ground covered in snow and ice. I wanted so badly to gear up and do my usual Thursday morning run outside, headlamp on, and adrenaline pumping. Sidewalks weren't plowed, and with it being so dark in the mornings lately, I was worried I'd slip on some ice and injure myself. So all in a tizzy, I grabbed my sneakers and trekked on over to the gym, sporting my winter boots and jacket cursing the whole way. I had a case of the "First World Pains."

Recently, I stumbled upon a Twitter feed (@firstworldpains) that has now made me reconsider how I treated my first 15 minutes of being awake this morning. This feed is centered around mocking how ridiculous the people of the "First World" sound when they complain about their daily trials and tribulations. In reality, the "issues" that those of us residing in the First World face are bleak in comparison to what most of the population has to fight for every day. The ongoing quest for basic needs; a place to sleep, access to heat and air conditioning, food on the table, employment, a place to live, an income, access to healthcare and clean drinking water, the ability to communicate regularly with loved ones via phone and internet, access to transportation, and just feeling safe and secure. These are all things we, in the First World, too often take for granted. And when we take a minute to slow down and consider just how blessed we truly are, our daily problems seem miniscule...And laughable, according to the folks behind this Twitter feed:

I have to clean the kitchen instead of watching Netflix all day. #firstworldpains

There's too much syrup in my Starbucks latte. #firstworldpains

There are no good shows on television. #firstworldpains

After a nice facial yesterday, I woke up with a huge zit. #firstworldpains

My online order is going to take 7-10 days to ship. #firstworldpains

I'm really hungry, but nothing sounds good. #firstworldpains

I have "nothing" to wear. #firstworldpains

For my birthday, my parents got me a Droid instead of an Iphone. #firstworldpains

I have to go to work in the morning. #firstworldpains

My mom just bought groceries and there still isn't anything good to eat. #firstworldpains

My steak at the restaurant was totally overcooked. #firstworldpains

My sister is calling during my favorite TV show. #firstworldpains

I forgot where I parked my car in this mall's parking lot. #firstworldpains

My mom packed me a vanilla pudding, when I wanted chocolate. #firstworldpains

My backpack is too heavy from all my textbooks. #firstworldpains

Champagne gives me a headache. #firstworldpains

Having the heater on makes my throat so dry. #firstworldpains

I can't print my paper because my printer is out of ink. #firstworldpains

My satellite radio subscription expired while I was driving. #firstworldpains

I ordered Coke, but they brought me Pepsi. #firstworldpains

I had to go out in the cold to vote. #firstworldpains

I just memorized my debit card number and the bank sent me a new one. #firstworldpains

I forgot to put on deodorant today. #firstworldpains 

We're out of milk for my cereal. #firstworldpains

My web browser won't offer to remember my password. #firstworldpains

My dishwasher doesn't clean things perfectly. #firstworldpains

A foot-long Subway sub is too big for me, but the 6" leaves me hungry. #firstworldpains

The vending machine gave me Starburst when I asked for Skittles. #firstworldpains

My favorite show is a rerun tonight. #firstworldpains

My CC sticks to my my Iphone when I have them in the same pocket. #firstworldpains

All the food in my fridge spoiled because I bought way too much. #firstworldpains

My landscapers woke me up again this morning. #firstworldpains

My gum flavor runs out too fast. #firstworldpains

I always finish my shampoo before my conditioner. #firstworldpains

My radar detector only works on certain cop cars. #firstworldpains

I'm starving, but the kitchen is all the way downstairs. #firstworldpains

My arm is sore from playing Wii baseball. #firstworldpains

My parents are threatening to take my car away because of bad grades. #firstworldpains

I have to go to the Dentist. #firstworldpains

I can't think of anything I want for Christmas. #firstworldpains 

I had to wait 5 minutes for my car window to defrost. #firstworldpains

I have more shirts than hangers. #firstworldpains 

I dropped 17 cents, but refuse to pick it up. #firstworldpains

There is a dead bee in the swimming pool. #firstworldpains

Both bathrooms in my house are occupied and I have to go. #firstworldpains

All the groceries won't fit in the fridge. #firstworldpains

I don't have enough cheese for my crackers. #firstworldpains

The escalator at the mall is broken. #firstworldpains

I got a speeding ticket. #firstworldpains

I only have 10 minutes to shower. #firstworldpains

One of my headphone speakers doesn't work. #firstworldpains

I had to sit next to a stranger in the movie theater. #firstworldpains

This glass of water is unfiltered. #firstworldpains

Our new apartment is so big that we don't have enough furniture to fill it. #firstworldpains

The automatic toilet flushed before I was done. #firstworldpains

My car broke down, so I have to ride the bus to work. #firstworldpains 

The last sip of my cup of coffee had coffee grounds in it. #firstworldpains

A good song just came on the radio, but I have reached my destination. #firstworldpains

My school uniform doesn't look good with my new hair color. #firstworldpains

My parents made me hand write thank-you notes after my party. #firstworldpains

I finally have a day off of work and the cable is out. #firstworldpains

They didn't have my brand of peanut butter at the supermarket. #firstworldpains

I have to do laundry, but we ran out of dryer sheets. #firstworldpains 

Are you guilty? As much as we may get a good laugh about how pathetic we sound, the guys behind this idea were not so far off from some pretty serious food-for-thought. Don't lose sight of what's really important in life. We spend so much of our time complaining about the silliest and smallest things, when instead we should be remembering how lucky we are to have access to the things we have. When put this way, my morning seems like nothing. A king sized bed? Warm blankets? A gym membership? Running shoes? Winter boots? A jacket? My health? My ability to run? A lucky girl I truly am.

loving yourself.

Too many people in this world have a self-esteem problem. What happened to being happy with who you are? What happened to accepting yourself, flaws and all? What happened to embracing who you are, both inside and outside? What happened to being confident in yourself and your decisions? What happened to walking tall? What happened to believing you are worth something? Respecting yourself? Believing in yourself?

For too many of us, our positive thoughts about who we are have disappeared. We feel defeated and worthless. We inevitably all deal with bullying, hateful words, disrespect from others, "rejection," and failure at some point in our lives. For some of us, these types of things resonate with us for years and years following. We may find ourselves struggling with depression, eating disorders, thoughts of suicide, social anxiety, and shame. We may deal with intense embarrassment and refuse to ever truly put ourselves out there again, whether in the workplace, in friendships, in romantic relationships, or via social activities.

We will talk down to ourselves. We will actually begin to internalize the negative thoughts that other people have put in our head, or the thoughts we have put in there ourselves. We become angry and begin to hate ourselves for our "downfalls," and our positive outlook on life disappears.

"I'm overweight, no one will ever want to marry me."
"I'm too short, no one will ever take me seriously."
"I got fired from my job,so I'm incapable of doing anything right."
"I failed my exam even after studying 12 hours, so I'm dumb."
"I've never kissed a girl, so I'm ugly."
"I can't afford to wear designer jeans, so I won't ever be popular."
"I have acne, so no one will think I'm beautiful."

Overweight or under. Black or white. Short or tall. Poor or rich. Failed or passed. Hired or fired. Single or taken. Married or divorced.  No matter what your circumstances are in life, you are important. You are meaningful, powerful, strong, and worthy. You are beautiful, smart, and capable. Don't let your "flaws" get in the way of embracing who you are; don't let anyone tell you that you aren't worth something. Because you, my friend, are priceless. You are individual. You are unique. Every single part of you, down to the last freckle, grey hair, or pound, is important- it's what makes you, you. And you need to stop letting other people dictate who you should or shouldn't be. Just being you is the most powerful defense you have in life. There is nothing more inspirational than someone that embraces and lives their life based on who they truly are.

Although the world [and its inhabitants] can be the most hateful and angry place at times, it can also be the most bright and beautiful. Perspective dictates all. Fill your mind with positivity. Stay optimistic. Be tough. Speak to yourself and others will love and compassion. Remember that everyone [including y-o-u!] is fighting an internal or external battle that you may not know or understand. Kill only with kindness and praise. And above all, know that your daily struggles and hardships will pay off. Consider every single day as a new opportunity to push yourself to new limits and to embrace yourself and your reality.

have you heard of the 90/10 Principle?

Consider this; 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean?  We really have NO control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in the traffic. We have NO control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How...? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. However, you can control your reaction. Do not let people fool you. YOU can control how you react. 

Let us use an example:  You are having breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what has just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your wife and you criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60.00 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minute late, you realize you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?

B) Did your daughter cause it?

C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D.

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say: Its okay, honey, you just need to be more careful next time. Grabbing a towel you go upstairs and change your shirt. You grab your briefcase, and you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early a cheerfully greet the staff. Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you reacted. You really have no control over 10% of what happens in your life. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 Principle: 

1. If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You do not have to let the negative comments affect you. 

2. React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, or getting stressed out.

3. How do you react if someone cuts you off in the traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? (A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Who cares if you arrive 10 seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?

4. Remember the 90/10 Principle and don't worry about it. You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time to find a new job.

5. The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, why stress out? It will just make things worse. 

Now you know the 90/10 Principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. Apply it. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90/10 Principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this Principle. The result? You will see it by yourself! Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and headaches. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 Principle. It can change your life! Enjoy it! It only takes willpower to give ourselves permission to make the experience. Absolutely everything we do, give, say, or even think, its like a Boomerang. It will come back to us... If we want to receive, we need to learn to give first... Maybe we will end with our hands empty, but our heart will be filled with love... And those who love life, have that feeling marked in their hearts.

Author: Stephen Covey