Gospel: A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by grief of mind the spirit is cast down. -Proverbs 15:13

Reflection: A grain of sand finds its way inside the shell of an oyster. The intruder, though microscopic, is a source of irritation and pain to the soft body of the oyster. Unable to rid itself of the unwelcome pebble, the oyster seeks to reduce the irritation by coating it with layers of soft, iridescent mother-of-pearl material from its own shell. Over time, the oyster transforms a painful irritation into a beautiful pearl of great value.

Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to make spiritual pearls of joy out of grains of the sorrow in my life.

When things are not going right, do your best to see the bright side of the situation and how you can change the situation so that it turns into something better than you ever expected. Many of the wonderful discoveries that have been made around the world,were made by mistake, through failed experiments, or unexpected results.

So go make pearls out of your challenges.

The “A” stands for Actionable or Action Oriented. This means the when you write out your goals, you have to write them in the form of an action. This is important because the achievement of your goals requires action on your part. What that action is depends on what you want. By making the goal action oriented, you are being more specific, which as we have already seen, is a key to the whole process of achieving your goals.

So it is not sufficient to write down “Ferrari Modena” on your goal list. This doesn’t tell you whether you want to own one, rent one, see one, see a picture of one, or just dream about one. You need to turn this into an action so that your mind can understand how it is going to help you achieve this goal. And don’t forget to be specific.

Let me give you a couple of examples:

“I want to own a 2007 Ferrari Modena 430 in Ferrari red with tan interior.”

“I want to rent a Ferrari Modena and drive it on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada.”

Notice in the first case that I put in the year and model of the car. There may be something specific that you like about one particular year. Also, colors are very important because it is easier to capture the image in your mind.

In the second case, why do you want to rent a Ferrari? Where do you envision yourself driving when you do? Add as much detail as you can. What does it sound like? Feel like? Smell like?

That’s it for today. I am going to look at some Ferrari Modena photos and videos now.

The fact is, your dreams of today may be very different than your dreams of days gone by. As we learn new things, we develop new dreams. Or, your dreams may simply be tweaked into a new, clearer form. Or maybe you still want to be a fireman and just haven’t taken action to make it happen.

Whatever you dreams are and whatever state they are in, don’t let your fears hold you back. Make a plan to achieve your dreams and then…Take Action! The hardest part of taking a great journey or making a great change in your life is to take the first step. Once you set yourself in motion, the journey gets easier and easier. You may be faced with obstacles along the way.  Just correct and continue.

It is said that an airplane is only on course 5% of the time. The changing winds are always working to push the plane off course. The pilot must constantly redirect the plane to reach its final destination. Be the pilot of your life and diligently focus on your goals and dreams and make any necessary adjustments to reach them.

I’m going after my dreams. I’ve always wanted to travel extensively with my family and maintain a lifelong committment to education and personal development. I am searching for experiences. I have made mistakes and hit many obstacles. I just continue to focus on my dreams and how important they are to me and I find ways to overcome the many different situations and continue on my journey. I look at my challenges not as difficult, but as different.

Have you forgotten your dreams?  No you haven’t!  Your mind is only hiding them from you because it perceives them as a threat. Your mind remembers everything in your life. Your dreams are still there. Take control of your life and rediscover your dreams and show the world what you can do.

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One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.  Then, to everyone’s amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.

The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.

Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.

We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off and take a step up.