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The 4:8 principle book encourages the reader to think on things which Philippians 4:8 can change your thinking. Thinking positive versus negative so there will be fruit from thinking positive versus negative thinking.
The book has questions to make you think of your gifts, your uniqueness, your value. It is a Christian book so your value to God and his plan for your life comes into play.
It is easy for people to think negatively of themselves, there’s a lot of negative comparing, to see our faults instead of your accomplishments. When we are in the negative thinking we don’t live up to our potential. We look at all that we can’t do.
The author’s children hear every night words and verses that encourage the children, to live to their potential, to see themselves as a unique and wonderful gift of God. His hope that he gives his readers is that they too will live to their potential.
I, myself, think it is easier to look at the negative versus the positive, in the my faults versus the accomplishments. This has held me back in many ways. I give up when I fail, take a long time to catch hope again. I am trying to change that thinking and it is time to keep in mind the positive. And I want to teach my son to be able to think positively about himself and his potential dreams.
Short term goals, and long-term goals for each person are important. To accomplish big things, I am a firm believer of people being able to accomplish big things in their life. They can be thwarted their negative outlook on themselves that they received from others in their past.
“Here is the key: you’ve got to send your words out in the direction you want your life to go. You cannot talk defeat and expect to have victory. You can’t talk lack and expect to have abundance. You will produce what you say. If you want to know what you will be like five years from now, just listen to what you are saying about yourself. With our words can we either bless our futures or we can curse our futures. That’s why we should never say, ‘I’m not a good parent. I’m unattractive. I’m clumsy. I can’t do anything right. I’ll probably get laid off.’
“No, those thoughts may come to your mind, but don’t make the mistake of verbalizing them. The moment you speak them out, you allow them to take root. There have been plenty of times where I’ve thought something negative and I’m just about to say it, but I’ll catch myself and think. No. I’ll zip it up. I’m not speaking defeat into my future. I’m not speaking failure over my life. I will turn it around and speak favor into my future. I will declare, ‘I’m blessed. I’m strong. I’m healthy. This will be a great yer.’ When you do that, you are blessing your future.” – Joel Osteen by I declare, 31 Promises to Speak Over Your Life
Speaking negative increases the outlook of a negative day and future. We have to train ourselves to look and speak positive.
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a licensed counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
A very thought provoking movie:
To save a life
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a licensed counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
UK reduces Internet porn:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23401076
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
“We’ve seen that whenever trouble arrive at our doorstep, we’re presented with a series of choices. We start at the crossroads and see three paths: beaten, bitter, or broken. Do we surrender to God’s will or chart our own course? Do we withdraw into ourselves or accept the Lord’s invitation to move into a deeper relationship with Him–‘If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in’ (Rev. 3:20)?
“When trouble arrives and we don’t understand why, there is yet another decision we must make. If we know Paul’s secret, we can be confident of making the right choice. I believe the secret is simply this: Accept what’s happened even if it doesn’t make sense, and trust that God is in control.” – Jim Daly in Stronger
When trouble arrives, and it will, how we deal with it can help or hinder us. We don’t want to be beaten, bitter, or broken. We sometimes want to avoid the trouble rather than facing it.
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
“When we choose well, the paths of surrender, relationship, acceptance and trust lead us to Him and His power.
“Now we are standing in front of another fork. This time, we’re seeking a path that will deliver us to something we’re all looking for: joy, What’s interesting, however, it that the trail to joy is unmarked, full of rocks and overgrown weeds, and rarely traveled. As a result, whenever we arrive at this fork, we almost always choose the wrong path–and end up wondering why we’re lost.
“To put this is plain terms, we often think possessions and things will make us happy. Food, Sex. Money. A new dress, couch, car, home, job or spouse. We think that if we rearrange the circumstances, everything will get better. Eventually, some of us figure it out, at least some of the time, that isn’t how it works. The external possessions and things are enticing and may offer temporary pleasure, but ultimately, they don’t make a difference. They are the wrong path.
“Joy springs from an internal choice–a decision of the heart about the heart. It has nothing to do with circumstances and everything to do with God and where we are going with Him. It also–and this is the part that trips us up–has little to do with what we, in all our “wisdom,” want and believe we need. The path that leads to joy is based entirely on what God desires for us. Once we begin to walk in the direction He’s pointing out to us, we discover true delight.
“Said another way, joy results when we focus more on God and less…on ourselves.” – Jim Daly in Stronger
We all want joy in our lives. We can try to fill that space in our lives with things, and entertainment, but those things are fleeting. Inner joy comes from being who we are made to be, aligned with God. Then even when things aren’t perfect we can be content and joyful.
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
A thoughtful article on financial stress in the Reporter-Herald:
“Being short on cash may make you a bit slower in the brain, a new study suggests.
“People worrying about having enough money to pay their bills tend to lose temporarily the equivalent of 13 IQ points, scientists found that when they gave intelligence tests to shoppers at a New Jersey mall and farmers in India.
“The idea is that financial stress monopolizes thinking, making other calculations slower and more difficult, sort of like the effects of going without sleep for a night.
“And this money-and-brain crunch applies, albeit to a smaller degree to about 100 million Americans who face financial squeezes, say the team of economists and psychologists who wrote the study published in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.
“Our paper isn’t about poverty. It’s about people struggling to make ends meet,” said Sendhil Mullainathan, a Harvard economist and study co-author. ‘When we think about people who are financially stressed, we think they are short on money, but the truth is they are also short on cognitive capacity.’
“If you are always thinking about overdue bills, a mortgage or rent, or college loans, it takes away from your focus on other things. So being late on loans could end up costing you both interest points and IQ points, Mullainathan said.
“The study used tests that studies various aspects of thinking including a traditional IQ test, getting the 13 IQ point drop, said study co-author Jiaying Zhao, a professor of psychology and sustainability at the University of British Columbia.
“The scientists looked at the effects of finances on the brain in the lab and in the field. In controlled lab-like conditions, they had about 400 shoppers at Quaker Bridge Mall in central New Jersey consider certain financial scenarios and tested their brain power. Then they looked at real life in the fields of India, where farmers get paid only once a year. Before the harvest, they take out loans and pawn goods. After they sell their harvest, they are flush with cash.
Mullainthan and colleagues tested the same 464 farmers before the harvest, and their IQ scores improved by 25 percent when their wallets fattened.
“‘It’s a very powerful effect,’ said study co-author Eldar Shafir, a Princeton University psychology professor. ‘When you are dealing with budgetary finances, it does intrude on your thinking. It’s at the top of your mind.’
“in the New Jersey part of the study, the scientists tested about 400 shoppers, presenting them with scenarios that involved a large and small car repair bill. Those with family income of about $20,000 scored about the same as those with $70,000 incomes on IQ tests when the car bill was small. But with the poorer people had to think about facing a whopping repair bill, their IQ scores were 40 percent lower.
“Education differences can’t be a major factor because the poor scored worse only when they were faced with big bills, Safir said. The more educated rich may have learned to divide their attention, but that wouldn’t be a significant factor, he said.
“The study’s authors and others say the results contradict long-standing conservative economic social and political theory that say it is Individuals — not circumstances — that are the primary problem with poverty. In the case of India, it was the same people before and after, so it can’t be the person’s fault.
“‘For a long time, we’ve been blaming the poor for their own failings,’ Zhao said. ‘We’re arguing something very different.’
“Poverty researcher Kathryn Edin of Harvard, who wasn’t part of the study said the research ‘is a big deal that solves a critical puzzle in poverty research.’
“She said poor people often have the same mainstream values about marriage and two-parent families as everyone else, but they don’t seem to act that way. This shows that it’s not their values but the situation that impairs their decision-making, she said.” – Seth Borenstein
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado. She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928.
I love this article I found in my Sunday Reporter-Herald:
“As of August 2013, the average American’s credit card debt totaled $15,263; mortgage debt averaged $147,591; and student loan debt hit $31,646. And many households have all three! No wonder you report that you’re more stressed than you were 10 years ago. Twenty percent of you now say you live with extreme stress daily, and we think the real number is even higher than that.
“It’s not news that financial woes fuel tension, sleepless nights, relationship problems and depression. But a new report reveals that debt is also linked with higher diastolic blood pressure — that’s the second number in a blood pressure reading that tells you the pressure level BETWEEN beats. We say you should aim for 115/75.
“High diastolic pressure signals high-blood pressure problems. And that can double your risk for heart attack and weaker recovery post-heart-attack; triple the odds for digestive problems and ulcers; and lead to a 10 times greater chance for headaches and migraines.
“But you don’t have to inflict physical damage on your body because you are under financial pressure — and that’s great news since stress-related health problems can cost a lot in lost work time, doctor and hospital expenses (even with health insurance) and family happiness. And a great bonus: When you have less stress, you think more clearly, and solutions to many of life’s challenges, including financial ones, become more controllable.
“Step 1: Stay social. Counteract stress by investing in your social network, and we don’t mean digitally. Study after study shows that people with strong relationships deal better with stress and reduce their risk of heart disease, cancer, accidents and all causes of death. So make an effort to stay in touch with friends and family, organize get-togethers, plan day trips. And reach out to help others through volunteering — acts of generosity and altruism are good for the hear and the spirit (not to mention the brain!).
“Step 2: Make your health a priority. Financial stress doubles the chances that you’ll skimp on prescription drugs, medical tests and doctor visits. Ask your doctor about lower-cost ways to get the care you need. You’ll find free tips at www.sharecare.com and www.doctoroz.com to keep your health and weight on track!
“Step 3: Face facts. Avoiding tough situations or difficult decisions doesn’t make the stress they evoke go away — it amplifies it in the long run! So, identify at least one debt you’d like to stop stressing about, grab the most recent bill and do a little math. Determine what you can do to chip away at it more effectively. And then tell one friend or family member what you’re doing. In one study, half of the people who tried this approach were able to stay on track.
“Step 4: Eat out less often. It’s great for your budget, your waistline and your health! And clearly, if you stay healthy you’ll have less stress, because you won’t be worrying about illnesses and you’ll feel more in control of your future (a feeling that chronic debt can steal from you.)
“Step 5: Don’t use shopping as stress relief. Lots of you may hit the mall or outlets when you’re feeling down. But that’s a recipe for overspending! Dancing with your honey and friends in your living room to your favorite oldies is free. Reading aloud with your spouse or kids is fun and relaxing, and how about a family board-game night?
“Step 6: Adopt stress-busting habits. Financial stress increases your risk for obesity by 20 percent and ups the odds for smoking and excess alcohol use. Dodge those risks with exercise, meditation, breathing exercises, hobbies and making time for fun. They all can reduce levels of stress hormones and dial back anxiety. If your thoughts keep circling around to your bank balance or the latest un-opened bills, try writing down your worries. Sometimes they don’t look so large when you get them down on paper, where you can evaluate them and make an action plan.” – Mehmet Oz, M.D. and Mike Roizen, M.D.
Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT
She is a counselor in Westminster and Fort Collins, Colorado
She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928
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