The "Inspirational Success Tips" Ezine blog

FORGET IT! FORGET YOUR FAILURES AND MOVE ON TOWARD YOUR DREAMSBy James M. Becher

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:33:00 +0000

FORGET IT! FORGET YOUR FAILURES AND MOVE ON TOWARD YOUR DREAMS.
It is a fact of life that all of us will inevitably fail
in something in someway at sometime along the bumpy road
of life. As illustrated by our first poem (above), when this happens, we need to be able to forget it and move on toward our dreams and goals. If you've sinned, ask for and accept God's forgiveness and then forgive yourself.
To quote Steve Goodier, Publisher@LifeSupportSystem.com, "Unfortunately, no delete key can correct the past so that memories no longer hurt, frighten or humiliate. The past is what it is -- past. And that, too, is good to remember. It is past. Over. Finished. There is no taking it back, yet no purpose is served in re-living and rehashing old memories. It is gone. Let it be a teacher. Let us learn from its harsh les¬sons as well as its joys. Then let us leave it where it be¬longs -- in the past."
Robert H. Schuler tells of a shocking experience he had when a car dealer friend insisted he drive a demonstration model, and when he put the car in reverse, suddenly the digital odometer started registering the MPH in reverse.
As he says, "In times of defeat, it's easy to think of going backwards. If we're going backwards, let's not count it! The secret of success is to look ahead."
To quote Norman Vincent Peale:
"One of the most important of all skills is that of forgetting. It is said a man is what he...eats. A man is what he forgets. ...to be happy and successful you must cultivate the ability to say to yourself--forget it! Memory is one of our greatest facilities, [and] It is a great skill to be able to be selective and say, 'I will hold this...this other, I will cast from me."
Why is this so important? Because, and I speak from
experience, if you don't, the memories and regrets will eat at your mind like a cancer and will paralyze your progress to the extent that you will never be able to move ahead.
And, after all, the failure you are remembering with so much regret may not be as big of a setback as you think.
To quote the mother superior in "The Sound of Music," when the Lord closes a door, He opens a window." But we will never see the window if we are focused upon the closed door.
But, what can we do, if, having tried to forget it, the
thoughts persist in our mind? To further quote from Dr. Peale:
"There are only 2 things to do:
(1)do everything you reasonably can about it,
(2) then practice forgetting it. Walk away from it
in your thoughts. Conceive of it as lying back there growing ever more dim against the horizon as each day carries you further from it."
But, not only must we walk away from the old, but walk toward the new. Start filling your mind with new ideas and prospects for success. If you find your mind blank, try praying. Ask God to fill your mind with fresh new ideas.
Then trust that He will. (See Phil.3:13, our verse for the week listed in the Quotes section below).

Excerpt from Formula for Dynamic Living By James M. Becher

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Let’s suppose for a moment that we all believe in God. If we believe that He made us, then He best understands how we function. And is it not reasonable that he would have left us some sort of instructions for this thing called life? Well, He did. It's called the Bible. When you buy a VCR, say or a stereo, it usually comes with a manual. But how often do we, in our haste to enjoy the product, try to set it up and run it without checking the manual? We think it seems so simple. Just plug this here and push that button. And then we wonder why it doesn’t work. Well, it's time to check the manual. It’s the same with life. If your life is messed up, perhaps its time to check the manual.
FORMULA FOR DYNAMIC LIVING :
DL=(GGE+GPS)xPSI
dynamic living =
God Given Equipment [potential]
+God's Principles of Success
X Proper Self Image.
------
FOR MORE ON GOD'S SUCCESS PRINCIPLES AND WHY I PUBLISH THIS EZINE, CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE.
AND CHECK OUT MY LENSE ON FAITH FOR DAILY LIVING.CLICK HERE
AND For more inspiring motivation articles, go HERE, or better yet, subscribe FREE to the bi-weekly ezine (PAGE DOWN for instructions)

QUOTES :

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:58:00 +0000

1)"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious
triumphs, even though checked by failure, than to rank with those
poor spirits who neither enjoy
nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows
neither victory nor defeat.
-- Theodore Roosevelt 1855

2)"If we might have a second chance to live the day's once more,
and rectify mistakes we've made to even up the score. If we might
have a second chance to use the knowledge gained, perhaps we
might become at last as fine as God ordained.
But though we can't retrace our steps, however stands the score,
tomorrow brings another chance for us to try once more. "
---Unknown

For a new quote twice weekly, go HERE OR to subscribe to the bi-weekly ezine, keep paging down.

POETRY CORNER: Help me believe in beginnings (author unknown)

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:30:00 +0000

Help me believe in beginnings
God of history and of my heart,
so much has happened to me during these whirlwind days:
I've known death and birth;
I've been brave and scared;
I've hurt, I've helped;
I've been honest, I've lied;
I've destroyed, I've created;
I've been with people, I've been lonely;
I've been loyal, I've betrayed;
I've decided, I've waffled;
I've laughed and I've cried.
You know my frail heart and my frayed history -
and now another day begins.

O God, help me to believe in beginnings
and in my beginning again,
no matter how often I've failed before.

Help me to make beginnings:
to begin going out of my weary mind
into fresh dreams,
daring to make my own bold tracks
in the land of now;
to begin forgiving
that I may experience mercy;
to begin questioning the unquestionable
that I may know truth
to begin disciplining
that I may create beauty;
to begin sacrificing
that I may make peace;
to begin loving
that I may realize joy.

.......
Help me to believe in beginnings,
to make a beginning,
to be a beginning,
so that I may not just grow old,
but grow new
each day of this wild, amazing life
you call me to live
with the passion of Jesus Christ.

For more poems, go HERE, and/or subscribe to the ezine (Keep paging down for instructions)

TOPICS COVERED BY different ISSSUES

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:00:00 +0000

HERE ARE TOPICS COVERED BY THE DIFFERENT ISSUES OF "INSPIRATIONAL SUCCESS TIPS":

1)Inspiration & Success 2)Dynamic Living
3)Love and self image 4)Purpose
5)The Law of Use 6)Vision
7)What about Goals?
8)Forgetting the past 9)Conquering fear
10)Do it NOW 11)Time management 12)Belief
13)Attitude 14)Self image review 15)Focus
16)Enthusiasm 17)Self controll & discipline
18)life's Seasons & sowing & reaping
19) What you need 20) Slow down
The cycle repeats, but issues are constantly updted & improved and new issues are added occasionally. There are also special Holiday issues. (For subscribe instructions, keep paging down)

SAMPLE OF THE FORMAT

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 01:34:00 +0000

Welcome & review of mission statement
In This issue (index)
Top Sponsor Ads
PROVERBS OF THE WEEKS
POEM1:
Short Article or by or word from the publisher
POEM2:
Swapped Ads1:
Guest Article1:
POEM3:
(etc. for as many Guest Articles, poems & ads I have in the issue)
QUOTES OF THE WEEKS
A touch of thoughtful humor

This is pretty much the format you can expect in any issue of the ezine.
Each issue covers a different topic. (See topic list) (Subscribe instructions are below:)

SUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS & What If The Validation Email Doesn't Arrive?

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:01:00 +0000

TO SUBSCRIBE (AND RECIEVE THE EZINE IN YOUR IN-BOX EVERY 2 WEEKS): (It is double-opt-in, so, what with spam filters, to insure that you receive the ezine, follow these 3 steps:

1)PUT the return address: inspirasucestips@bellsouth.net in your address book or list of approved senders. (procedures may differ depending on your service provider)

2)SEND a blank e-mail to: inspirationalsuccesstips@Freeautobot.com

3)Wait for the validation email (from the first address, with subject like "Please validate you subscripton to Inspirational Success Tips"), open it and CLICK ONCE on the long validation link (starting with http://www.freeautobot.com/...) toward the middle of the email. You'll see a page that says you have successfully subscribed. You'll receive a more detailed welcome note right away and the first issue in a day. Normal delivery is every 2 weeks.

WHAT IF THE VALIDATION EMAIL DOESN'T ARRIVE? (SPAM FILTERS) (adapted)

Don't forget to add inspirasucestips@bellsouth.net to your email white-list (address book or list of approved senders, etc.). This should actually be done first before you send the subsribe email to inspirationalsuccesstips@Freeautobot.com. ALSO: check your junk, bulk or spam folder.

If you don't receive the verification email, and don't have a whitelist, spam, junk, or bulk folder, then your email provider has probably deleted the verification email.
This is especially likely if you use AOL, Comcast or Excite. I've found these email providers to be especially poor in they way they handle spam-filtering.
You will need to get an email address from a reliable provider, if you want to subscribe to Inspirational Success Tips. I find that Yahoo mail works well.

Once you've got your Yahoo Mail account, join again using your new Yahoo email address. (send a blank email from it to inspirationalsuccesstips@Freeautobot.com). Then look for the validation email (from inspirasucestips@bellsouth.net"). If it's not in your in-box, check the Bulk mail folder.

If you still have problems, write me at inspirasucestips@bellsouth.net
I'll try deleting you and adding you again which will send another validation email

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noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:10:00 +0000

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PRESS RELEASE: Unique Free Bi-weekly Ezine Combines Motivation with Spirituality "

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 20:59:00 +0000

Unique Free Bi-weekly Ezine Combines Motivation with Spirituality

Author James M. Becher's bi-weekly ezine, "Inspirational Success Tips" combines motivation with Spirituality, in an effort to apply God's principles for successful living.

Author James M. Becher has managed to combine motivational thinking with Biblical Spirituality in a one-of-its kind ezine, called "Inspirational Success Tips." In addition to his own articles or sometimes just comments, he includes articles by Christians and non-Christians alike on motivational themes which he feels reflect God's principles even though the writer of the articles may not realize it.

PURPOSE

noreply@blogger.com (James M. Becher) — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:57:00 +0000

PURPOSE By James M. Becher
I was made to realize recently the importance of purpose in the Divine scheme of things. Without purpose, we are like the proverbial man who "jumped on his horse and rode off in all directions at once." As Rick Warren reminds us, in his book, "The Purpose Driven Life," it all starts with God." So easily we forget this simple fact. One thing he says is that "the purpose of your life fits into a much larger cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity. "
God had a purpose when he created the universe and He had a purpose when He created us.(Rom.9:11)
Thus, our lives have a purpose. Thus, instead of being driven by guilt, anger, fear, resentment, materialism or need for approval, we should be driven by our purpose, that is, God's purposes for us. This will give our life meaning. It will also simply and focus our life. Without a clear purpose, you will tend to make decisions based on pressures, circumstances or you present mood. Without a purpose, you may try to do too much and thus become fatigued. Without a clear purpose, we are constantly changing our direction. A knowledge of our purpose is what should motivate us and thus, energize us. And knowing our purpose prepares us for eternity, because we were made to last forever. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says the God has put eternity in our hearts (Eccl.3:11). Pardon the preaching for a moment, but I can't get away from it--when you stand before God, He will ask you two questions: 1)What did you do with my Son, who died to save you? and 2) What did you do with what I gave you? One crucial thing which we must realize is that we were created to be loved by God. Think about that for minute--the creator of the universe made you in order to love you. Of course, we rejected His love which is why he had to send His Son to die for us in order to bring you back to Himself. We will all have to live somewhere forever. If you accept by faith the gift of His son, it will be in heaven with Him. It's simple, but if you need further instruction, please write me at inspirasucestipe@bellsouth.net with "Salvation" in the subject.
But, let's get back to earth. Whether you are prepared for eternity or not, to get anywhere in this life, you need to realize what your purpose is. It is almost impossible to have a vision without purpose. And without a purpose, any goals which we might set would be meaningless. So let us ask ourselves, what is our ultimate purpose in life. The Westminster confession summed it up this way: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." In fact, as C.S. Lewis said, "In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him." Have you ever thought about that--to enjoy God? If you are in sin, you are enjoying the pleasures of sin, but, as the Bible tells us in Heb.11:25 , the are "for a season." On the other hand, the Psalmist says of God, "At your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11b ) It also says "The heavens declare the glory of God and …" All creation gives glory to God and we can enjoy the fruits of God's creation, and in so doing bring Him glory. Everything that God created brings glory to him except for two classes of beings, the fallen angels (demons) and us (man.) We have all failed to give Him the glory He deserves. That's why Paul adds the second phrase in Rom.3:23. After stating the universally known fact that "all have sinned," he adds "and come short of the glory of God." If it were Hebrew poetry, this would be considered a parallelism, that is, two phrases referring to the same thing. Thus, sinning fails to glorify God and failing to glorify God, ultimately is sin. Thus Paul also tells us "Whatever you do, whether ye….do all to the glory of God. How can we do that? Just by being aware of what we are doing and asking ourselves "would this glorify God." Try it for a week and see if it doesn't change some of your habits, what you watch and listen to, etc.
But you may ask, "How do I know if a particular thing is glorifying to God or not?" Since all true beauty and creativity originated with God, the apostle gives us another test in Philippians 4:8: "..whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about these things." If a certain activity truly meets all these requirements, I believe we can say it is glorifying to God.
The bottom line is this: When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, it brings glory to God. So it's sort-of a circle. Our chief purpose is to glorify God and when we fulfill our purpose, we do glorify God. But how do we find our specific purpose, or purposes in life? By getting to know God. We do this first through accepting the gift of His son, as mentioned earlier, and second through reading His word, applying it to our lives, and through prayer and worship. Then, through prayer we can also discover the gifts He has given to each of us and how He wants us to use them for His glory. Part of that may include reaching out and telling others about Him. We also glorify God, as I said, by running our leisure activities through the sieve of Philippians 4:8. All of the above bring glory to God, and thus helps to fulfill our ultimate purpose.