May 12, 2013

So I was forced to follow my own advice and I found that it wasn't easy and didn't feel good, but it was definitely necessary.  I certainly understand now how difficult it is to listen to me lol.

I attended a leadercast that was filled with top speakers on motivation, discipline, pruning the bad stuff and clutter from your life, learning to speak your mind in a productive way, learning to deal with those things that take your focus, and learning what your focus is and how to stay going in the right direction.

One of the hardest things they discussed was pruning things from you life that are not productive and continually drain on your resources.  There are those things in your life that are for a lifetime and those things in your life that are only for a season.  We tend to get attached to the seasonal things and make the mistake of thinking they are lifetime things, and then wonder why they continual zap our focus, peace, strength and drain us.  They discussed hoarders and how they don't want to get rid of anything even if it hasn't been used in 10 years.  They're afraid and they are afraid because if they get rid of something they're afraid they won't be able to get it again and everything will crumble for them.  But I think we are that way with relationships, we hold on to them or allow them to hold on to us out of fear.  What if noone else ever loves us, what if that person is right and we really are horrible and unloveable and we should be glad they're generous enough to love us because noone else will.  So if they only give us crumbs, when they feel like it we should be grateful and understand that's all they can give and it's really all we deserve. 

Well, that's a lie from the pit of hell, and sadly he is using that person to hurt you and belittle you.  Now sometimes it's a person, it could be a job, an old car, a habit just anything.  Our minds get so filled and cluttered with things we haven't taken care or things someone has continually said to you to upset you, or a relationship that just isn't what it was.  One of the hardest things we will ever do is to prune dead stuff from out lives.  But you have to sit down, clear your mind and decide what you focus is going to be and then decide what things in your life are destroying you by working against you.  Get rid of them.  It's hard.

When you are striving for your personal best in every area, this becomes necessary.  I found that there are so many areas in my life that need to be pruned, it's hard but it will pay off.