But I’m not here to talk about technology just yet.  I want to talk about one of the greatest lines, in my opinion, from Star Wars, Episode I.  Qui-Gon Jinn is giving insight to Anakin Skywalker and says, “Your focus determines your reality.”  This statement speaks volumes, which I won’t get into here, but I do want to bring up a few points.

What Do We Believe? 

What do you believe? 

We all approach life with a belief system which influences everything we do.  Much of what we believe comes from the people who raised us and as we grow we adopt some of the beliefs of friends and others who have made an impact on our lives, whether negatively or positively.  But how are our beliefs framed?  How often do we stop to examine our beliefs and see if they are still valid, or if they were ever valid?

“Is it possible to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps? Try it. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.”

We’ve been talking about the issue of “self-help”. In this third installment, let’s look at the phrase, “You need to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.”

“When you make a true decision, you select a course of action.  You cut yourself off from all other options and begin moving.” - Andrew Seltz

What comes to your mind when you hear the term “Self-Help”?  Perhaps you see an image of a well-dreesed, clean-cut individual who is very enthusiastic about life and has overcome tremendous obstacles… and now this person seems to have everything together.  Maybe you can hear the voices of “self-help” language: you have the power within you to create your world!  All you need is to harness the power of positive thinking!  Speak the right formula of words and you will have all of your dreams for success to come true!

There were 3 questions that were asked of me this past weekend at a leadership retreat.  Theses 3 questions blew me away and I believe, if answered honestly, they have the ability to begin to bring transformation to our lives.

What makes you happy?  What makes you sad?  What is your passion?

 “The Greatest enemy to the movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity.” - Erwin McManus, author of The Barbarian Way

What comes to your mind when you hear the term Barbarian?  Erwin McManus confronts those of us who have fallen into the seemingly sweet sleep of laxity and “niceness” with a re-imagined image of a person empowered by the Spirit of God, that harks back to a biblical view of what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. 

 You might as well give this book a subtitle: 48 Days to Change Your Life!  48 Days to the Work You Love (by Dan Miller) is a book that is about living from a focus on ”Being” rather than solely on the concentration of “Doing.”  Why 48 days instead of any other number?  Good question.  You’ll have to read the book for the answer!

 “Things are not what they seem.  We are at war.  We each have a part to play.” - From the book EPIC, by John Eldredge

 John Eldredge is one of my favorite authors because he just seems to capture the deep desires that live within the heart of humanity… and brings them to the feet of the One with the deepest heart and the deepest dreams for all of us… God.  For everyone who feels as if their life is just a mundane happening of nothing extraordinary day in and day out - I would recommend you read this book.  The author and I concur with the belief that every human being on this planet longs to be a part of something greater than ourselves.  And I agree with the author when he begins to describe what the greater reality of our existence is made of.

 Paulo Coelho Captures the Heart in his book: The Alchemist
A young boy with a dream… an adventure that is his to explore - along the way encountering mystery, foes, allies, obstacles and challenges that lend to the growth of greatness within him. Different lines of thought which weave into a marvelous story of increasing awe and wonder about our lives, the world, the universe and the God who created it all. In reading this book I discovered that I was not only this boy, but also parts of all the main and supporting characters who were at different stages in either discovering or denying their own Personal Legend. Coelho captured the yearning of my heart, which desires to deliberately take this journey through life, breaking through the barriers and becoming more than I perceive myself to be. An excellent literary work that everyone should read to gain insight into their own lives.