Live Life Fearlessly

Living life without fear is like breathing without air. It is not possible. Fears will come. Fear shows up when the bill money is low but the bills are high. It's there when the doctor says she's sending your x-rays to a colleague to take a closer look. It rears its ugly head when the layoffs you have heard were coming...arrive.

Fear accomplishes many things in the lives of men, women, and children: anger, resentment, disobedience, violence, greed, theft, adultery, jealousy, hate, and a multitude of other destructive emotions. Our lives and relationships are damaged - sometimes beyond repair - when we allow fear to have free rein; to go unchecked. But it does not have to be this way. There is a way which leads to peace in the midst of even the most pressing and immediate fears.

That way is anchored in your faith in God, but there's more to it. I know plenty of God-'fearing' folks who are as tormented by the fears of this world as anyone. What separates my life and view from theirs?

The answer is found in the sure knowledge of WHY am I here on this planet. Fortified by my faith in God, I have taken the time to dig deeply into what makes me, me. Long sessions of self-examination successfully enabled by a foundation of prayer have revealed my design. Design? Yes...design. You see we are more skillfully crafted than anything we ourselves are able to design and manufacture.

Amazing software powering programs we call artificial intelligence are yet primitive when compared the brilliant complexity of the human being. The part of you which is not defined by your skin, eye, or hair color; your height or weight; your education or beliefs (or lack thereof), is unique to you. In teaching my D.E.E.D.S. curriculum I point my audiences to an undeniable fact - there is a reason there aren't six billion doctors on the planet. Not everyone wants to be a doctor!

We are all unique, masterpieces of design. Some of us are designed to be doctors, others to be pilots, still others to be movie critics. What is your design? What activity has always fascinated you? What were you known for as a child? What did you want to do no matter what other children wanted to do?

In my book, Be Known For Your DEEDS, I provide seven case studies of individuals who enjoy varying levels of financial success today (and nine traits they share), but who are all living a satisfying life based on following their intrinsic design. Back to the interplay with faith in God....

When you come to the realization there is a concrete reason why you are on this planet, and that you are uniquely designed to achieve the destiny for which you were created, there is little that will scare you away from so important a mission. Those who try to dissuade you based upon their own ignorance, and attempt to de-value your existence are to be ignored. YOU are created in the image of God, and are not the result of freakish, random chance!

YOU are here by plan and design. But why? Only you can discern that, and it is vital that you do. Destiny and a life to be lived fearlessly are waiting, but what about those nasty fears lurking in the mailbox, on the job, in the economy, not to mention the phobias which can paralyze us (fear of heights, confined spaces, the dark, death, snakes, spiders, etc.)?

Fear, no matter the name we assign to the symptom, stands in the way of your destiny and provokes you to turn back. Fear stands in the way of a life with great meaning, value and quality. It will be faith in the God who created you, and the will you demonstrate to define your passion in life (intrinsic design), that will eradicate fear as a threat. It may still rise up, but it will be ignored, dealt with, and/or handled because it no longer controls you. You now control your emotional responses and have become free to live the life to which you are called and were born!

Fearlessly,
JD

Be Known for Your DEEDS is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com

Wisdom Earned

Wisdom cannot be found lying about like so many pennies and dimes.  It will not attach itself to you, and comes not by accident.  It is not easily gained, but is worth the time and expense to acquire it.  Wisdom's payoff is most obvious when mistakes are not repeated, goals are set and met, and our tongue speaks blessings. Wisdom is not intelligence, but points to it.  Intelligence is not wisdom, but is pointless without it.

I don't believe that I am so different from folks in my age demographic.  I can look back upon my life and trace the roots and growth of my own wisdom.  It's often a humorous exercise as I marvel at the ignorance of my youth, and am yet standing today!  Surely this is the definitive in the proof of God's existence.  Without Him I am quite sure things would have turned out differently for me.

Wisdom put to use recently, I was engaged in a conversation with one of my coaching clients when the thought crossed my mind to expound more on a speech she was to give.  There were some tweaks which would have improved the text, and maybe added a laugh to move the speech along at a better pace.  But her confidence level going into the performance of her speech was not so much solid as fluid.  Wisdom dictated that I refrain from too much advice, and instead encourage.  She 'blue-ribboned' in her Toastmasters club, and when she said, "I couldn't have done it without you," wisdom was vindicated.

The path along which wisdom comes our way is winding, hilly, and laden with exposed roots, loose stones, and low hanging branches - all of which requires our attention.  We can navigate the path oblivious to the obstacles, stumbling as we go, but then they will remain obstacles in place for our next jaunt down this particular path.  It is when the obstacles are seen for what they truly are - opportunities - that wisdom becomes a companion, growing within us and enriching the experience of the journey.

If time permits, take a meditative pause in your busy day to reflect on activities, relationships, work, or other life experiences which have been enhanced through your accumulated wisdom.  Then smile.  You are progressing, getting better everyday, and earning the wisdom found in a life well-lived.

Fearlessly,
JD