Tag: resolutions

Categories
Weekly Blog

Two Do’s and Don’ts for Everyday

Happy New Year!!! On behalf of Mark Joseph Ministries, I wish you and your family the very best for 2021. In fact, we’d like to help you make it the best year of your life. It’s our prayer that we can do so.

To kick-off the year, I thought that we’d start with some simple things, that can make life better…make us better at life. Here we go.


Photo by Vie Studio from Pexels

Have you ever felt that you’re fairly good at a task, but see something come along that you think can help you improve? That just happened to me. Over a long period of time, I’ve been a good planner, both short and long-term. Having seen an online course put on by someone whose work I really respect, Donald Miller, I decided to take it.

One of many things Donald covered in the course was the notion that we ought to identify and track the 2 things that every day, we want to do and the 2 things that we want to make sure we don’t do. He suggests writing them down and reviewing them (as part of a much broader process) every morning, then checking them off as being completed when done. Donald indicates that his process serves as a reminder as well as sources of affirmation and inspiration.

My suggestion would be to take it to prayer, then writing the things on a small piece of paper, i.e. Post-it note. That way you can look at it while brushing your teeth in the morning and then again before bed.


Photo by Polina Kovaleva from Pexels

My list is below…5 in the affirmative (not meaning to be over-achiever here…they’re the things the Lord put on my heart) and 2 in the negative, although one could be flipped. It includes:

  • Things I do…every day
    • Prayer
    • Go to Mass
    • Serve others
    • Exercise
    • Read
  • Things I don’t do…everyday
    • No negativity towards self or others
    • Don’t miss opportunity to tell/show Cyndi my love

It is said that for a behavior to take hold, you need to do it for 30 days. Are there some new behaviors you’d like to master? Or maybe your list includes things that you do already, but want to now stretch yourself with, or be more consistent. What are your 2-5?

Hope the above is of some help. As always, feel free to contact me at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com, with comments, questions, concerns, challenges, or prayer requests.

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!
Remember always…GOD made YOU for GREATNESS!!!

Mark Joseph

Categories
Weekly Blog

Three Things to Help Ourselves and Others in Time of Crisis

It was Monday, March 16th, that the President’s 15 Days to Slow the Spread of Coronavirus, went into place. It was the day after my wife and I went to Sunday Mass for the last time at our Parish (we now watch online). Since then Churches have closed across the country, as has almost everything else. With the exception of those serving in the essential services sector, we’re all at home. Many are able to work remotely, while some (into the millions) have lost their jobs due to the crisis.

We’re still not out of this thing. With what started outside of our country, the ripple effect is incredible. It would seem probable that there are parts of our country, our world, our way of life, that are going to change forever…something that wasn’t close to being on our radar earlier in the year, when things were humming along.
In watching the news, seeing what’s being posted, and talking to folks, there’s a lot of fear and anxiety out there. I can genuinely say that I’ve experienced neither, which I would attribute to my faith. What I’m absolutely amazed by is how everything flipped on a dime. The world has literally been turned upside down by Coronavirus overnight. It’s surreal. It’s nuts. It’s really unbelievable.

Photo by Charry Jin from Pexels

So, the question becomes what we can do for ourselves and others during these times. I’ve identified three things:

  1. Stay in a place of Gratitude
  2. Do what you can…don’t worry about the rest
  3. Help others

Stay in a Place of Gratitude
It was a year ago that I posted a blog titled, “Do You Need An Attitude Adjustment Too?”, which you can find here. Not wanting to be redundant, I want to stress the importance of gratitude in these times. BTW, a quick internet search will indicate how important gratitude is to us. Without question, we are currently facing challenging times. And at the same time, so many of us are so blessed. For me, I am so thankful for so much…

  • Starting with Jesus Christ as my Savior
  • Very close second is my wife and the relationship we have, followed by our children and their families, all incredible blessings to us
  • For my journey (everything that has occurred in my life, including the tragedy) and what God now has me doing in my life
  • For my upbringing, my loving parents, my brothers, and our broader family and friends
  • For everything that occurs in my daily life, the good (for obvious reasons) and the bad (for the lessons they teach me).

I don’t mean to drone on, but want to provide you with examples. We all have so much to be thankful for in our lives. We need to take account of these things daily, thanking God in prayer.

Image by Bongkarn Thanyakij from Pexels

Do What You Can…Don’t Worry About the Rest
I’m reminded of the Serenity Prayer, which I say daily:

God grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would like it.

Trusting that He will make all things right,
If I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this world
And supremely joyful in the next.
Amen.

We have very little control over much of our lives, i.e. Coronavirus. I believe strongly that the above prayer, including the first four lines, are indicative of the healthy way to live life. Do what you can and don’t worry about the rest.

Help Others
This one is obvious and we’re seeing examples of it everywhere. I, like you, could fill 13 pages with examples. Here’s a different slant though. Those who do mission work or ministry most often feel more served by those they’re serving than the other way around. In other words, it’s in those in need that we truly see the face of Christ, where we feel the love of Christ.

While serving others is not to be about us, we do benefit from it, which is a nice thing in these challenging times. Reading Scripture this morning, I came across Luke 8:39, where Jesus says to a man he just healed, “return home and recount what great things God has done for you”. Two things…first, be grateful. Second, another way to help others is to share the Gospel message, including your testimony.

Praying for all of us as we make our way out of this crisis. As always, should you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

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

Mark Joseph

Categories
Weekly Blog

New Years Resolution…The Six Primary Areas of Your Life

One year ago, on January 2, 2019, I wrote a blog titled, “Tired of Not Accomplishing Your New Years’ Resolutions – Follow these Four Steps”. You can find it here. In it, I discussed a goal setting process, suggesting the following categories:

  • Spiritual
  • Intellectual
  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Financial
  • Professional

This year, I thought I’d suggest what you might want to consider for these categories (if I can be so bold).

Spiritual

There are so many options, like with all of these categories. Still a fan of saying my rote prayers (slowly praying through every word), I’d like to suggest 10-15 minutes a day, where you share your thoughts and feelings with our Lord. Tell Him what’s on your mind and/or heart, the good or bad, opportunities or challenges. Describe the situation and your thoughts on how to address or solve for it. Then sit in silence, allowing God to speak into the situation, speak to your heart. Try it…it works.

Intellectual

Read good books. Watch good shows. Do whatever stimulates you intellectually. My personal preference is faith-based books and movies. There are so many good ones, that feed your heart and your head. In relation to books, I’d suggest reading 15-30 minutes a night. Doing so for years, I can’t begin to quantify how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve grown as a result. I love reading right before I go to sleep. I can set my watch to it. Regardless of the specific topic (assuming it’s healthy and positive), doing the above will stimulate your mind and help you grow.

Emotional

How are your relationships, starting with “you”? How do you feel about yourself? Do you have a positive self-image or are you your own worst enemy? My experience is that the only way we can have a healthy self-love is to understand and internalize the unconditional love of God (check my website and past blogs for more on that).

Are your relationships positive or negative? Can you count on those around you or are they always tearing you down? I strongly believe in the concept of an inner-circle, whose members are only those who have a positive influence on you. Everyone else belongs in your outer-circle.

Physical

It’s all about diet and exercise. What are you putting into your body and how active are you? To be your best and live your longest, as a temple of the Holy Spirit, requires some discipline. That said, it doesn’t have to be torture. My wife and I live a very healthy life style and enjoy life very much at the same time.

Financial

Are you earning enough? Are you saving enough? What about retirement, kids’ education, houses, cars, vacations? I’ve always heard that you ought to pay your “savings account” before paying for anything else. And if you don’t have expertise in this or any of the other areas, solicit advice. Get a mentor. You can’t start planning for your finances too early in your life.

Professional

What are your goals? What are your passions? What are your talents? Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years? Start planning now. There being no reason to reinvent the wheel, get a mentor, someone whose “been there and done that”.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. I strongly believe in and have had success by doing a few things really well. The best way to fail is to try to do too much. So with all of the above, take it slowly and work on it regularly. And take it to prayer. God is on your side. Surrender all to Him and you’ll be amazed by the results.

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or challenges at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

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

Mark Joseph