Living a GREAT life!

What does living a GREAT life mean to you?

You do know a GREAT life doesn’t just happen, don’t you?

It seems to me that a GREAT life has at least 3 components:

One, a GREAT life is one that is chosen and is lived in the service of something greater than self. What greater purpose is there than the Kingdom of God and sharing the Good News?

Second, a GREAT life makes a contribution to something larger than self. A GREAT life stands up, speaks out, and gets things done. A GREAT life makes a difference and leaves this world better than we found it.

Third, a GREAT life leaves a path for others to follow. A GREAT life leaves a legacy and inspires the next generation to go further and achieve more than we did. This is the crux of discipleship.

I love the story of the "star thrower," about a man walking on the beach after a storm, throwing starfish back into the ocean so they won't die on the shore. Someone criticizes him for wasting his time, noting that there are millions of starfish, and the few he saves won't make much difference. The man silently bends over, throws a starfish into the surf and replies, "It made a difference for that one."

Set your minimum standard to live a GREAT life: to know your purpose, make a contribution and leave a legacy. Make a difference for “that one” already in your life.

Some day each one of us must look back and assess our life, and when that time comes we want to know it was a GREAT life, with a certain purpose, contributions, and those who can carry the message on.

Here's Your Recipe for a Happy Year

Click here --> http://axshun.com/Recipe.pdf
(or copy and paste into your browser)

Happy New Year,

Barak Strickland

Self-Assessment

by Steve Pavlina

One of the best ways to bring more truth into your life is to conduct a quick self-assessment. Assign a numerical rating to each area of your life using a simple 1–10 scale. A 1 means this part of your life is terrible and could hardly get worse; a 10 means this area is absolutely perfect and you can scarcely imagine it getting better. Please take a minute to do this now. Here are the areas to rate:

Area of Your Life and Your Rating (1–10)
Habits & daily routine ___________
Career & work ___________
Money & finances ___________
Health & fitness ___________
Mental development & education ___________
Social life & relationships ___________
Home & family ___________
Emotions ___________
Character & integrity ___________
Life purpose & contribution ___________
Spiritual development ___________

Your answers should provide a nice snapshot of how you’re doing. Usually you’ll find that some areas lag behind the others, sometimes far behind. Interestingly, it’s in our weakest spots that we most often succumb to falsehood and denial, since those are the most difficult areas to face. But those areas can’t improve until you face and accept the truth.