Reflect on the past

If you want to have a great life, take the time to reflect upon and learn from the past. The end of the year is a great time to analyze how your year went. Did you accomplish any of your goals for the year?
How about spiritual goals? Did you grow in your relationship with the Lord? Were you involved in your church or other volunteer organizations? Did you memorize any new Bible verses or share the gospel with anyone this year?
How about family goals? Did you spend enough time with your spouse and your children? Did you go on any dates with your spouse? Did you take any vacations? Did you use your day off?
How about physical goals? Did you stay physically fit and eat right? Did you work out on a regular basis this year?
How about financial goals? Did you save any money this year? Did you get a raise?
How about intellectual goals? Did you take any college classes this year? How many books did you read?
All of these are good questions to ask of this past year. Even if you didn't complete many of your goals for the year, you can be thankful for the ones you did complete. One of my goals is to read 52 books for the year. I don't know if I have ever met this goal. But I am thankful for the approximately 30 I did read.
Even if you didn't write down goals for 2007, take some time to reflect upon your year. Spend an hour or two writing down the positive things about the year, no matter how small or big, and also write down your "learning experiences." Then plan on setting some goals for 2008. More on that later.
If you want to have a great life, reflect on the past.

Celebrate Christmas

If you want to have a great life, celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Gifts, egg nog, snow and gingerbread cookies are all fun at Christmas. Going to Grandma's, watching It's a Wonderful Life and enjoying the tradition of Santa are fun for all and build important and meaningful memories for a family. But the only way to have a great life is to know that life does not end when this physical life is over. Knowing that God became a man through the birth of a baby gives us hope and purpose. The miracle of Jesus being born of a virgin in Bethlehem as the prophets foretold (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2) gives us a foundation from which to build the rest of our lives. Knowing life does not end with this sometimes dismal world should bring a smile to our faces. We truly have the victory through Jesus Christ.
Renew your relationship with Jesus this Christmas. Go to a Christmas Eve service. Before opening gifts, read Matthew 1:18 - 2:12. Give a prayer of thanks for your eternal relationship with God through the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ. If we have trust Christ as our Savior, we can truly celebrate with joy and gladness this Christmas. Christ, our Savior, is born.
If you want to have a great life, celebrate the true meaning of Christmas this Christmas and every day of your life.

Get some Exercise

If you want to have a great life, get some exercise. There are so many benefits to exercise, it is hard to have a great life without it. Start slow, but set a goal of exercising at least 4-5 times per week. Walking is a great way to start. Later you can add small weights while you walk, or walk for 100 yards and then jog for 100 yards.
Variety helps you keep up the discipline while also having fun. Though my rheumatoid arthritis and bad knees (etc.) limit somewhat the exercises I can do, I vary my routine with walking, the gazelle, a mini-trampoline, weight lifting and shooting baskets. Yard work also counts as exercise. Quite often I will double up with my exercise. When I go for walks, I also use this as a prayer time. Time on the mini-trampoline is made more fun by playing Nintendo. I usually see if my son wants to shoot hoops or lift weights with me.
According to an article in Mayo.com (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676), exercise has at least 7 benefits. All the way from reducing stress to promoting better sleep. Most of these are common sense, but then again, isn't getting some exercise just good common sense. As always, if you have any questions about an exercise program you should contact your doctor. If you want to have a great life, get some exercise.

Read great books

If you want to have a great life, read great books. One source I found for a list of great books, is "Books that Shaped Successful People" by Kevin Kelly. Kevin asked dozens of famous people to give him their "top ten list" of books a well-read, well-educated person should read or simply should have read? He also asked, "What is the greatest book you have ever read?" As you might expect, the Bible was the number one response. Senator Mark Hatfiled wrote March 8, 1994, "The most influnetial book in my life has been the Bible. My faith guides me in every decision I make, and the Bible is a constant source of inspiration to me." (p. 189) Suprisingly to me, Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" was number 2. Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Homer, along with others, make the utlimate top 15.
Do you have some favorite books that have shaped your life? Maybe a top ten list? What book would you recommend to someone to read over the holidays? If you want to have a great life, read a great book over the holidays.

Don't overspend at Christmas!

If you want to have a great life, don't overspend at Christmas! Christmas is really not about gifts and toys, it's about the greatest gift, Jesus. Don't add stress and greed to your life and the lives of your loved ones by running up your credit cards to give others everything they want. If you are going into debt to buy Christmas presents you are definitely spending too much! In a perfect world, you have budgeted your money throughout the year, shopped sales when you have found the perfect gift, and have a list of ideas to look for when you do go Christmas shopping. Just like going to the grocery store, if you go Christmas shopping without a list and a budget, you often buy and spend more than you should.
A great idea for grandparents and parents is to put half of the money you might spend on your kids and grandkids into a mutual fund or savings account. How fun to be able to give a grandchild $1000 when she gets married or graduates from college and say, "this is money I've been saving for you every Christmas (you can do this for birthdays too) since you were born." Now that my children are appoaching college, buying cars, etc. I am so glad we have done this with our kids. It has taught them the discipline of saving (I hope) and provided a small start to the large amounts of money they will need for college, cars, marriage, etc.
Those who love and care for you will certainly understand if you need to cut back on your Christmas budget. Just communicate this to them. If your relationship is close enough to them that you are buying them a gift, they should certainly understand and not want you to overspend. If you want to have a great life, don't overspend at Christmas.

Have a Thankful Heart

If you want to have a great life, have a thankful heart! No one likes to be around negative people - people who consistently complain and usually point out what's wrong with life. We all know life isn't perfect, but let's be thankful for the good in life! Your job may not be perfect, but at least you have a job. Be thankful you have a job, and think of ways you can make it better. You become the encourager at work this week. Your home may not be the nicest on the block, but have you seen the impoverished homes in Mexico City lately? Be thankful! Once you have a positive spirit, you can look for ways to better your life and the life of those around you. You won't attempt this if you are thinking how bad you have it! This Thanksgiving, take the time to list ten things or people in your life for which you are truly thankful. You might even prayerfully thank God for His blessings in your life. If people are on your list, have you told them you are thankful to God for them being in your life? The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." To have a great life you should have thankful heart.

Know Your Finances

One of the greatest causes of stress in our lives is uncertainity with our finances. According to an USA Today article from September, "When asked what kept them awake at night, 38% of employees said they are concerned about being able to pay for basic necessities in retirement, according to a survey by The Principal Financial Group. Nearly half are anxious about enjoying the same quality of life they now have." (http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2007-09-04-foreclosure-stress_N.htm)
If you want to have a great life, know your financial situation. Wondering around in the dark about anything in life, leads to worry. Whatever your financial situation, you should know your expected income each month, and your expected expenditures. Know how much money you have in your retirement account. (You do have a retirement account, don't you?) If you want to have a great life you should know exactly how much debt you owe, and develop a plan to get out of debt. Yes, this all takes some time, but as you find out this information, and develop a plan, you will have a sense of accomplishment and victory, even if the news is not good. If you need some help with this, organizations such as Crown Financial Ministries (http://www.crown.org/) can be of great help. There may be someone in your church or office who has some expertise in this area who can give you some help. Hiring a financial planner that is recommended by a trusted friend may be a good investment. Some have even turned to their pastor for financial advice. Don't be left in the dark about your finances. If you want to have a great life, know your finances.

Don't be stressed out.

One of the greatest killers of a great life is undue stress. A certain amount of stress can serve as motivation to study for a test or work hard at closing a contract, but we must learn to entrust to God and others events and attitudes which are beyond our control.
The Serenity Prayer is a beautiful prayer which keeps the balance of this perspective:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Two Bible passages that encourage us to entrust our lives to God are Proverbs 3:5-6 and Philippians 4:6-7.

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. NASB

Phil 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NASB

These verses remind us to leave our concerns and worries before the throne of Almighty God. In His sovereignty and love, we trust that all things will work out for the good, to those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). This does not mean life necessarily will be easy, but we can have peace in the midst of the difficulties we face, and be thankful when we have a modecum of success.

Two other sayings help us keep this balance:

Work as if everything depends on you, pray as if everything depends on God.

Don't sweat the small stuff!

All that we might have a great life filled with peace, not stress!

I thought I'd share a few pictures of our family enjoying the great life this fall as we visited Powell Pumpkin Patch and Louisburg Cider Mill (The apple donuts are fabulous with the hot cider). This has been an annual event for us for 16 years. Building memories like these are part of enjoying a great life.

Get "In the Arena"

If you want to have a great life, get "in the arena." On my bookshelf next to my desk at my office is a quote from Teddy Roosevelt that is a consistent motivation to me to persevere when the going gets tough. This quote reminds me that failing is okay, and though I fall, I must keep getting up - life, people, my family, and God, are worth the effort and risk. Roosevelt shares,

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion; who spend himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

I hope this quote from Theodore Roosevelt encourages and challenges you as it does me.

Don't forget to have fun

If you want to have a great life, plan to have some fun! In trying to save money, be disciplined in your diet, and work hard, sometimes we forget to have some fun. Remember you are saving money for a rainy day, or so you can go to a movie, not just to hoard money. Remember you are working hard, so you can achieve certain goals and accomplish certain objectives, not so you can destroy your family and body. Set aside some time to go for a walk, or watch an old movie, or go to a ball game. I have tried to make sure our family goes on at least one significant vacation each year, and I take one day off each week. Playing games with your family is another way to have a great laugh. Our family enjoys Apples to Apples, Whoonu, the DVD version of Family Feud, and Disney Charades.
When you find yourself in the duldrums, do something that will make you laugh. Maybe something that is totally outside your schedule or expertise. Enjoying these times and hobbies with others (family members, close friends) will build memories and create closer relationships. All of these lead to a great life!

It Takes Hard Work

"The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If you want to have a great life, you have to work hard. Accomplishments and victorys in life bring fun and fulfillment. Winning a high school soccer championship with your team, or completing a computer project at work gives a sense of accomplishment. However, accomplishments usually take great discipline and hard work. Tiger Woods wasn't born with a great golf swing. Thomas Edison worked miserably hard as an inventor. My daughter, Abbie, spent years working out several times a week to become a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. When I was working on my first CD, I spent many extra hours redoing melodies and lyrics.

The key, of course, is that we work hard for worthy projects and for the right reasons. Too many people have worked hard to the detriment of their health and their families. We need to learn to work hard, yet keep balance in our lives. Keeping some of the disciplines of life, like a daily devotional time, exercise, Sunday Church attendance, and a day off, can help keep balance in our lives.

But let's be honest, things and accomplishments of value rarely come easy. If you want to be productive, you will have to sacrifice. Therefore, it is critical we choose to give our time and effort to worthy causes. Let us work hard at what will encourage others and help our communities. Let us work hard at what will help our Christian witness at work. Let us be diligent in providing for the financial, emotional, and spirtual needs of our famlies.

The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, do your work heartedly as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will recive the reward of the inhertance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." This kind of motivation will help us pick and choose how we spend our energy and time, and help us have proper attitudes when we are putting in long hours and making sacrifices to accomlish our worthy goals.

Study Your Spouse

If you want to have a great life, study your spouse! Since marriage is the most important earthly relationship we will have, it is critical to work at our marriage if we are going to have a great life. One way to do this is figure out the likes and dislikes of your spouse and minister to their desires and needs. Generally men are more physical and women are more emotional. Men want to be with their spouse, women want to talk with their spouse. Each individual has a variety of things which say "I love you." This may be receiving gifts, physical touch, doing the dishes, or going hiking. It is critical to find out what tells your spouse you love him or her and make sure to serve your spouse in this area.
I assure you dishes are not my thing, but I have found this is one way I can communicate to Kathy I love her. Especially doing them with her. One book that is helpful in this area is Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. This is an excellent work to read with your spouse to learn more about him or her. You can find it at CBD at http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=73156&netp_id=140652&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW
When in doubt about how you can serve your spouse, just ask. If you really want to have a great life, you'll make the effort to study your spouse.

Marry the Right Spouse

If you want to have a great life, marry the right person! In his wonderful list of how to have success, H. Jackson Browne puts at the top of his list, "Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery." (to see the whole list go to - http://web.utk.edu/~jgoverly/21suggestions.html ) Of course, as in many decisions, hindsight is 20-20. We learn much about our spouse after the fact.
But our divorce rate would say that many people are making the wrong decision concerning their spouse because they are basing their decision on the wrong information.
Quite often people base this decision on whether this person is attractive (emotionally and physically) and whether this person meets their needs (emotionally and physically). The problem of course is this attraction wears off in a marriage and then your marriage is based upon more fundamental issues.
Paramount in the marriage decision is a person's character and values. Going on dates and spending bursts of time together does not often reveal this. Therefore, a person needs to understand their potential partners core beliefs before getting married. The Bible is very clear that the Christian should only marry another Christ follower. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:39, "A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord." He states in 1 Corinthians 9:5, "Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?" In 2 Corinthians 6:14 he declares, "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Likes and dislikes, hobbies, thoughts on children and discipline, issues of money and work, are also important in making a decision about a spouse. Be assured, it's not about how someone makes you feel. Feelings of love should be there, but the marriage commitment should not be based upon this. To marry the right spouse you must agree with the character and values of the person you will marry. It's the only way to have a great marriage!

Spend Time with Great People

To have a great life you need to spend time with great people! Sometimes we can find great and fascinating people around us at the office or church. We should seek to spend time with them - take them to lunch, get involved in their small group, or invite them to dinner. Find out what makes them tick! Find out the disciplines and motivations of their lives. See if there is anything from their lives which you can add to yours.

Another profitable way to spend time with great people is through reading biographies. This has been one of favorite hobbies. Through biographies I can interact with heroes from the past like William Jennings Bryan, Benjamin Franklin, Eric Liddell and Herbert Hoover (we share a birthday). Not that I agree with everything about them, but I can learn from their strengths and weaknesses. I can see how they made their mark on history, how they dealt with failure and success, and how they made life changing decisions. This is certainly true of the people of the Bible. Abraham, David, Paul. We truly see many bad and good examples in how they lived their lives. Obviously, Jesus is the ultimate mentor. There is no excuse for not spending time with great people when we have biographies to inspire and challenge us.
What people through biographies have influenced your life? Do you have special people you spend time with today who help you be "great"?

Fix your old car

You can have a great life by fixing your old car! Unless you have alot of cash sitting around, or enough income to make payments which don't stretch your budget, it's almost always best to keep fixing your old car rather than buying a new one. An old car can cause stress and hastles, and maybe a hit to your pride, but the stress is much less than car payments you can't afford which seemingly go on forever. I came across a wonderful article which talks of these issues. http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/KeepYourOldClunkerOrBuyANewCar.aspx?page=all
Fixing up your old car can relieve possible stress, and help you have a great life!

Enjoying Traditions

Developing traditions will help you have a great life. Traditions are events and habits which make for memories and fun. A tradition can be having roast after church on Sundays or always doing a puzzle over Christmas break. One of the traditions our family enjoys each fall is driving to Louisburg, KS to pick out some pumpkins at a pumpkin patch and then going to the Cider Mill and having apple donuts and cider. We have videos from doing this for about 15 years. We have many other traditions like opening gifts as a family before our Christmas Eve service, going on a family vacation each year, and having frozen pizzas on Sunday evening (Of course, we cook them. ). Just a few traditions (some can also be called disciplines - like going to church each week) can bring a sense of cohesiveness and foundation to your life. Consider starting a tradition this month. With fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, it is a great time of year for traditions. These will help you have a memorable and great life.

Take Care of Yourself

If you want to have a great life you need to purposefully take care of your body. Exercise and eating right are essential. There are so many benefits to exercise. Of course, before starting a program you should talk to your doctor (there's my disclaimer). Exercise 4 or 5 times a week, at least twenty minutes, can help your mind stay fresh and give you more energy for whatever you are doing. It also helps you think more positively and feel good about yourself when you're dealing with our struggles in life. If you're feeling low today, take a walk. Shoot some baskets. Lift some weights. Work up a good sweat. One of my best workouts is hitting my "heavy bag." This is great stress relief. You must build exercise into your schedule, just like your daily quiet time and other priorities.
Also, just as your mother told you, eat lots of fruits and vegetables. There are many fad diets out there, but the key is the common sense ideas of staying away from too many sweets and snacks. Drink plenty of water. Many say five glasses of water a day is very helpful. Drinking water is not only good for your system, but will help you feel full in-between meals.
There are many informative sites on the internet which can help motivate and inform you. One I have found helpful is www.nutristrategy.com/health.htm. There are no guarantees to one's health, but we should do what we can to take care of ourselves. This will really help us live a great life.

Spending Too Much

If you want to have a great life, quit spending so much money! Credit Card debt only adds stress. Paying off credit cards adds a sense of accomplishment to your life. Be content with your income, and simplify your life by giving thanks for what you have, not lamenting what you don't. Look for ways to cut your spending by eating out less, going to garage sales, and buying used cars. Don't worry about trying to keep up with what others have, let them have all the stress. Have a goal to save at least 5% of your income for retirement and 5% for special purchases like furniture, or vacations. 10% is even better, but unrealistic for some people.
Critical in this process is developing a budget and tracking what you spend. Just keep receipts for everything you spend one month, and then add them up, along with your check book and credit card purchases. You will be amazed how much the trips to Starbuck's and McDonald's add up. When you budget don't forget quarterly or annual payments like car insurance or Christmas gifts. A financial web-site like www.crown.org will have many ideas for you in properly handling your money. If you will, you will be on the way to getting rid of alot of stress and having a great life. If you ever have any questions, or comments, let me know.

Stress Relief

Most of us have far too much stress in our lives. We go from morning to night, moving from one event to another, with little down time, and lots of stress. We wake up late, hurry to get to work, get caught in traffic, are behind in our deadlines, scurry to our child's soccer practice, with laundry, meals, and bills always inflicting themselves on our "free time." This is not living a great life, but living a "treadmill life."

Critical to living a great life is building margin into your life. Without times of reflection and relaxation, life begins to direct you rather than you directing your life.

An important way to build margin in your life is develop the discipline of having a quiet time of reflection each day.

In his famous and interesting autobiography, Ben Franklin describes his goal to reach moral perfection by considering his life at the beginning and end of each day. He would ask himself in the morning, "What Good shall I do this Day?" and in the evening, "What Good have I done to day?" Franklin looked to God for divine wisdom in living his life. He often prayed, "O Powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that Wisdom which discovers my truest Intrests; Strengthen my Resolutions to perform what that Wisdom dictates. Accepts my kind Offices to thy other Children, as the only Return in my Power for thy continual Favours to me." A pretty good prayer for a Deist!

Through this kind of daily evaluation, Franklin was able to accomplish much in his life without being overly stressed. However, Franklin did not seem to be overly concerned with morality in his life, and we have to ask, was Franklin prepared for eternity?

Jesus gives us the most helpful example of quiet time. He sought eternal purposes and perspective as He would get up early before His productive day began (Mark 1:35). Though the Son of God, He set aside time with the Father, seeking to affirm and obey the will of God. Because He had divine purpose and perspective in His life, He was ready for whatever came His way, even betrayal and the cross. Never being married and having no children also helped His stress relief!

A great life begins with taking time out to gain perspective on life. We need daily mini-retreats to replenish our souls, understand positive boundaries for our lives, and evaluate our goals. Get up each day with enough time to spend at least 15 minutes in prayer and reading the Bible. Pray for people and events, learn God's ways, and plan for productivity. Look for ways in your life to simplify and slow down, without sacrificing meaning and purpose. Productivity does not necessarily come from busyness. Build some margin in your life through a daily retreat and you will be on your way to having a great life.

It's all about relationships

Critical to having a great life is developing positive relationships. It doesn't matter if you are wealthy or famous, if you don't have positive realtionships in your life that you enjoy, you will not have a great life. Ask Howard Hughes or Lindsey Lohann. Positive relationships make you laugh and build you up. Positive relationships stand by you when you make bad decisions and help you make good decisions.

Take some time to think about the relationships you have in your life. Make a list of 20 people or so who influence you on a regular basis. Maybe you talk with them on the phone. Maybe you see them at church or school. Maybe you work with them or they are a family member. Then consider whether they are people who encourage you and build you up, or people who drag you down. Do you really enjoy being around them or do they drain you of energy?

Focus your time with those who are positive in your life. Obviously, there are some people with whom you have to spend time, but, when you have the choice, don't consistently put yourself around those who drag you down.

Also, consider groups you can get involved in where you can meet more positive people. This may be a small group at church, a group of guys who play basketball from the office, or maybe you need to volunteer at a local charity. These should be people around your same age, who have similar interests, and who will encourage you.

All of us need people in our life who will encourage and support us. A great life is really all about relationships.

Start Now

Critical in living a great life is start where you are at. To live a great life you must take the time to do an honest, realistic overview of how your life is going - your strengths, weaknesses, disappointments, and goals. Set aside a morning on your deck, or take a personal retreat to a coffee house, and think about your strengths and weaknesses. Make a list of your accomplishments, your dreams, your goals. This is a good start to taking a personal inventory which will help you have a great life.