Saturday, January 5, 2013

How to Trade in a Bad Habit for a Good One

"There are many ways you can get out of the ruts of boredom and mediocrity before you run out of road."

Making changes in our lives is hard isn't it?

Let's look at how to slowly but surely replace our "bad" habits with "good" habits.

Nanagyei / Foter / CC BY

"If you want to make some changes in your life, you have to make some changes in your life." ~ Mark Hendricks

Who, What, When, Where, and Why - these are our five trusty friends that can help us make changes in our lives.

Who are your current friends? Are they helping you in positive ways? Who would you like to spend more time with?

What are you doing that you would like to stop doing? What would you like to do more of? Pick one small beneficial thing and do more of it.

When do you do your best work? When are you at your weakest? Be sensitive to your rhythmic body clock.

Where is the place or setting that inspires you most? Where can you spend more time that will be beneficial for you?

Why are you desiring change in your life? Try to understand why you have the negative habits that you currently have.

A habit is a recurring behavior that satisfies, calms, or rewards an underlying emotional need. To break a negative habit, we don’t replace the emotional need, we satisfy or reward that need with a more positive habit. It's unlikely you'll stop an undesirable habit without replacing it with another (hopefully desirable) habit.

When you find a positive habit that fulfills the emotional need, continue to reward that need over and over until the new positive habit becomes your automatic response.

So now you know, we don't get rid of "bad" habits, we replace them with "good" ones. View this as replacing a losing strategy with a winning one.

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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Do You Understand the Law of Compensation?

"Learn this mighty law which can produce either success or failure, wealth or poverty, happiness or heartbreak, and once you fully understand it you will be able to control your destiny."

woody1778a / Foter / CC BY-SA
In his essay "Compensation" Emerson suggests to us that an inevitable dualism bisects nature, so that each thing is a half, and suggests another thing to make it whole; such as:

darkness and light

man and woman

in and out

heat and cold

motion and rest

Each part of the world has its dualities that by certain compensation balances every gift and defect – a surplus in one area results in a reduction in another area.

How do you know or understand happiness? I would submit that it is by experiencing unhappiness.

How can you read the words on this page? By discerning the dark type from the light background.

As Emerson states, “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.”

How can we have rewards if we don't take responsibility?

If you have taken some action toward an objective you have already begun to benefit. The reward of your action is being stored for you when you properly plant your action seeds in the right soil to achieve the true result, or continue nurturing with that magic ingredient, time.

The Law of Compensation is another way of stating the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping found in Galatians 6:7. It states that you will be compensated for your efforts, however much or however little.

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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program (affiliate link)

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Saturday, December 22, 2012

Personal Recap of 2012

The year 2012 started with both kids (Darren and Kayla) in Paraguay, South America. They left the United States in early December 2011 with Darren planning a 3-month stay, and Kayla staying 6 months. According to plan, Darren returned home the end of February.

In late February, Victoria and I had the privilege of being interviewed for the documentary "I’m Fine, Thanks" in Wilmington OH. We attended the film premiere at the Murphy Theater in Wilmington in August. I have a limited number of copies of the DVD available. If you would like a free copy sent to you, just go HERE and fill in your info. I’ll leave the link live until I run out of copies.

The spring (late April) saw me transitioning back from a 2-year career broadening assignment in supply chain management to aircraft systems acquisition. I was assigned to the C-5M program office and have been getting acclimated there this year. With the reduction in travel funds this year, I only traveled 4 times; twice to Georgia, once to Delaware and once to Illinois.

Armchair Aviator / Foter / CC BY

Victoria traveled to Paraguay in May for a month long stay. She and Kayla returned home the last day of the month just in time for Kayla to turn 19 in June.

In early June Darren graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. He went on to work for Wright-Patt Credit Union headquartered in Fairborn OH.


In August, our neurotic cat, Samoa, almost had a nervous breakdown when a bunch of roofers noisily installed a new roof on our house in eight hours. So much for the aromatherapy the vet had suggested to soothe fragile feline nerves! Also in August, Victoria and I celebrated our 24th year of marriage, and Darren turned 21.

The fall (September) saw Kayla move to Oxford, OH, where she began her studies at Miami University. She’s currently a junior majoring in International Studies with a minor in Political Science. Victoria also started on her Doctorate in Physical Therapy via correspondence with the University of Montana. Both ladies should complete their studies by the end of 2014. Darren was also able to move out in September. He now lives with 2 roommates in a rental house in Kettering OH.

Victoria and I (the new empty nesters) participated in The Luke Commission 5K here in Xenia on a rainy Saturday morning in October.


The day after Thanksgiving (Nov 23), I celebrated 30 years of government service and started thinking even more seriously about retirement and what comes after that.

Looking ahead to 2013…Victoria will continue her pursuit of her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Darren will continue his adventure of finding work he loves. Kayla will complete her junior year at Miami University. I will celebrate a BIG birthday and get more serious about planning my retirement from civil service.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a very fulfilling New Year.