Everyone Gets the Same 24 Hours

Everyone gets 24 hours in a day / 7days a week.  Why do some seem to get so much happiness out of that 24? And so much done in that 24?  Is it luck?  Is it consequences?  Observe carefully and you will see there is not a correlation between wealth, health and happiness.  And all hours are not created equal, some hours are definitely better than others. The best news is you get to decide. You don’t need to get a life, you already have one.   Make it count for something.

Make it count – now.

Stop living in future happiness.  Be content, be happy now. It is a sad thing to look back at any time and see moments or see years you have lost to wishful musings.  To see the time lost while waiting.  Waiting for more money, waiting for better health, waiting for the right person or the right opportunity,  time lost waiting for more time!  (One of our more ironic exercises) Be here and now.  Be present in your life and in the lives of others.   Be happy with others.  Forgive them for what they are not and love them for who they are.  Accept your life as is, grasp it and make the most of every opportunity. Live the life you have instead of wishing for the life you want.  This is life stop trying to cure it and start appreciating what you have.   

Make it count –  with encouragement.

Surround yourself with people who truly love you.  People who encourage you, smile at you and laugh with you.  Be with those who can be honest with you if necessary but do not use truth as a weapon.  Love is patient, love is kind, love does not insist in getting its own way, love is not jealous.  Do you know this person?  Spend time with them.  If you don’t know them--find them, they are out there but probably not hanging out in the ‘hot spots’ and probably not  one of the beautiful people.  Beautiful people invest in themselves while loving people invest in others.  People who truly love you will expect something from you, they will expect your love and effort in return.  You see love is not lazy either.

Make it count – without all the baggage. 

Lay down your pain and your anger. It is your right to have them, you may have been injured and truly wronged.   You can use pain and anger as a shield to protect you from future hurt.  But carrying them around makes living harder and less fun.  And soon that shield turns into a shell then it turns into a cage.  It gets heavy and you begin viewing life from behind bars.  Choose to give away the anger and the pain, let go of your right to be hurt.  Accept an apology that was never given because your life will be better for it.

Make it count – pick your battles.

Don’t argue about things that you don’t really care about. Unless there’s some real threat, let the folks who have something to prove, prove what they need to.  Ask yourself  “Is this the hill I want to die upon?”   There are very few issues worth our blood, worth giving up freedom, friendship or precious time and energy for.  When you come to one of those   “do or die” issues then by all means stake your claim on that hill and stand firm.  But for the minor issues in life, the personal opinions and pet peeves,  let others win- let the losers win.  Even let them gloat if it matters so much to them.  Find your peace and move on, you have a life to live.

Make it count – look for the best.

 Most conclusions we jump to are not only wrong, they’re negative. Negative conclusions lead us to prepare a defense. Being on the defensive isn’t living, it’s exhausting.  Often we have arguments inside our heads without giving the other guy a real opportunity to participate.  We are mad before the confrontation ever begins. STOP.  Give the benefit of the doubt, assume the best in others. Jump to forgiveness and love, then figure things out. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do. Value and protect the people and the places you love.  The harder you are working the less energy there is left over for resentment.  Invest in what matters.  Invest your money, your time, your sweat into others.  Give more than you ever expect to get. 

Make it count with God.

God is present, God is now.  Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever because Jesus simply is.  Looking back is depressing, looking ahead causes anxiety.  Hold on to Jesus, live today with Him and for others.  No wishing for a different (aka better) life.  He gave you this life with plans, fulfill them.  God loves you.  He is the ultimate encourager,  He knows you inside and out and loves you completely.  Spend time with God.  Let go of your pain, give it to God.  He will fill the void, help you and heal you.  God gives us the peace and security that allows us to let go.  Let others have the hill and win the argument.  As you learn to look at the battles and at the people through God's eyes, the colors of your world change.  Being right is more important than winning. Being kind is more important than being right.  People matter more than things. Things have value only for how they can be used in service. The choice of what to do with your next hour comes down to this;

          What can I do for God, what can I do for another in the next hour? Answer that and you will have an hour that will count for something.