Author: Mark Joseph

It’s a simple fact: we cannot control life, no matter how much we try. None of us can.  

Many of you might be thinking it isn’t true that you have no control. With a good plan and solid people around you, it’s possible to control things. Sure, much of life allows for you to have a certain amount of control, as long as you allow for contingencies, but even then, things don’t always go perfectly. The fact is that most of life is beyond your absolute control.

• Other people, their choices and behavior are beyond your control.
• Tragic events, disease, accidents — these things are all way outside the scope of your control.

If you’ve been following my blogs or have read my book, you know that everything changed for me when I had my conversion, when I first experienced the unconditional love of God. Concurrently, I found that I had very little control over things in my life. I was so tightly wound, trying to control my company and everyone in it, my customers and my vendors, trying to keep track of my family and their needs, and in the end I just couldn’t maintain control.

God Knows Best for Us

What I’ve learned on my 13-year faith journey is that we have a God who loves us more than we can imagine, Who wants to see us happy, Who designed us for a specific purpose, uniquely and individually, Who knows best for us — the God who made us for greatness. I know this to be true for me and to be true for you.

So let’s consider these points objectively:

• God loves us unconditionally
• He wants the very best for us
• We really have very little control
• We’re overwhelmed by what the world offers us as solutions to life

What Surrender Means to Most

If you’re like most, surrender probably isn’t a word that you’ve considered much, and for good reason. It’s generally thought of as in giving up or acquiescing, not having control. It certainly doesn’t imply strength or independence, the things we are taught that are so important.

Growing up playing sports, followed by starting my career in sales, I never thought of giving up, of surrendering. It was always about winning, either the game or the deal. And winning was about more than just winning. It was about what it said about me…my talents and strengths. Losing pointed to just the opposite…my faults, failings, and frustrations.

The Real Impact of Surrender

It’s a simple fact: surrendering to God’s Will relieves the pressure you feel and plays a critical role in you living a life of peace, joy, and fulfillment.

Instead of conceiving of something on your own, relying on yourself to get it done, and then facing the consequences alone, you can surrender to God’s Will, discerning what He wants for your life and particular situations, and relying on Him for whatever happens. You can use your unique and God-given gifts to do your very best, leaving everything up to Him and understanding that everything in life is part of His grand plan. As long as you know His love, it just doesn’t matter what others think.

God our Father loves us absolutely and handing it all over to Him brings incredible relief. In my case, surrender removed the pressure. It wasn’t just me alone that was responsible. I no longer had to own the outcome. Instead surrender leads to peace, joy, and fulfillment. All we can do is give every action our best, using our God-given talents, remaining open to His will, and leaving the outcome to Him. Try it…you won’t be disappointed.

Please comment to me at [email protected].

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

The holidays are difficult for many. First are the burdens of travel. All the traffic and long lines. Then what it takes to prepare the perfect meal. And sometimes even more time to clean the house (men need to help too), making it spotless for all the visitors.

Holidays can bring sadness, reflecting on those who used to be in our lives, having passed onto the next. Or there may be thoughts of despair from past conflicts, sometimes leaving wounds and even resentments.

Who Needs It?

There can be a real stress to the holidays, where you might think, “who needs it?”

I’d propose that you do, I do, we all do…especially Thanksgiving!!!

The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and celebrated a bountiful harvest. The history of the Thanksgiving Holiday, including its spiritual aspects, can be found at https://www.allabouthistory.org/meaning-of-thanksgiving.htm

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is obviously a time to remember and be thankful for all of our blessings, whether related to our:

• Health
• Relationships
• Work life
• Leisure.

All of us in the United States ought to also be incredibly thankful for our great country, no matter what political differences some of us may have. There’s truly no other nation like it. Thank God for the USA.  

With all of the above, including the things to celebrate and the hurts and wounds that might come to light, I’d suggest that it’s always best to have an “attitude of gratitude”.

Grateful People are Happier People

Studies show that grateful people are happier people and healthier people too. My attitude of gratitude means that I believe that there are no coincidences, that everything happens for a reason, all according to God’s grand plan. And I am grateful for all that has occurred in my life, the good and the bad, because I wouldn’t be who I am without every single one of those occurrences.

So believing the above to be true, we need to understand that the people in our lives are there for a reason. Loving our neighbors as ourselves, as Jesus told us in the Great Commandments, means that we need to love our brothers and sisters, our parents, children, and friends. We have to remember that nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to always lead with love. And in doing so, let’s be grateful for who they are and the impact they’ve had on us.

Embrace Those in Your Life

Instead of “who needs it”, let’s embrace our family and friends in a special way this week, leading with love and being incredibly grateful for all.

Please comment to me at [email protected].

May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

If you recall, technology was supposed to solve so many problems, i.e. make things more efficient, save time, provide more free time, etc. I’m not disputing that there are significant benefits. There are and the examples are numerous. And although there are certainly efficiency and time saving aspects to technology, I don’t feel like it provides me any more free time. Everything just moves so much faster. And whatever time it saves is just filled with other tasks.

The Old Way Versus the New

When I began my career in technical sales, we were just transitioning from drawings being done manually (on a drafting board with a mechanical pencil) to computer aided design (CAD). Back in the day (as I love to say), an order would be secured, followed by drawing time of 2 or so weeks, with approvals and/or changes taking another 2 weeks, and the drawings being mailed both ways. Now the initial drawings are done much faster with CAD. They’re sent via email in the push of a button. Approvals are done in days rather than weeks. Although there is unquestionably gained efficiency and time savings, it is now accompanied by more pressure and greater stress, given how everything is so compressed.

More Things, Less Time

There are more things to do and less time to do them. I don’t know about you, but I have far less time as compared to the days before email, notebook computers, smart phones, social media, and wifi. It seems like there is no “off” button on any of these things….no way to disconnect and as such, no downtime.

I don’t help the situation either, showering with the TV on in the bathroom, watching it when preparing something in the kitchen, doing the same or putting in a DVD when on the elliptical. The radio is on in the car or I’m on the phone. There’s never any quiet, most of which is my own doing.

Some Proposed Solutions

Over the course of the last several years, I’ve been doing some things to decrease the noise and increase the peace, which include:

• Prayer
  • During my commute in the morning, I say 5 rote prayers, including one I wrote years ago, which aligns with the lessons God has so clearly taught me. I then spend the rest of the 30-minute drive thinking and praying….no radio.
  • Prior to daily Mass, 3-4 days per week, I pray in front of the Eucharist, sharing with God my thoughts, feelings, dreams, and challenges, then listening for His guidance
• Very intentionally having the TV turned off and the devices (smart phones) set aside when talking to my wife, both during meals and otherwise. She is my focus. I try very hard to do the same when talking to anyone else as well, especially my kids.   
• Reading good books, every night, for 20-30 minutes, before turning the light out.

In the noisiness of life, the above have helped quite a bit. I hope they help you. Please let me know your thoughts at [email protected].

May God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph