Crushed Spirit

I (Brian) generally don't write much on the blog, but I came across this blog entry from Dan Miller (author of 48 Days to the Work You Love) in his weekly e-mail from 48Days.com. Not a commercial for his service/book, just for the words written below the stars. Even without a crushed spirit, these are great suggestions for living our lives.

****

Recently I saw a 61 yr-old gentleman who lost his job back in May of last year. Whenever a long period of time has passed without a job I always suspect more life issues to be lurking in the sidelines. (Yes, even in this economy.) This was confirmed once again. He told me his wife left him four months ago, his daughter (“the joy of my life”) got married and moved away five months ago, his investments are now worth less than half what they were 3 years ago, He had worked for the same company for 36 years and then they let him go with a small severance package, he’s unconnected at his church and feels “rejected on all sides.” He made the last monthly payment three weeks ago on his dream house that now must be sold to settle the divorce and he’ll likely move into an apartment in town.

Where do we go from here? Proverbs 18:14 tells us “A man’s spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” Or in the Living Bible it says “what hope is left?”

Each area of our lives requires that we are making deposits of success. Even tiny withdrawals with no replacement deposits will lead to bankruptcy in relationships, physically, spiritually, and socially as well as in jobs and finances. I know that in crisis the area of most pain gets most of our attention. But often it is by making extra deposits in other areas that a person can springboard back to success in even the most critical ones.

My advice:
Set aside time for vigorous physical exercise. Walk 3 miles each day – it will help wash away anger and stimulate positive creativity. Smile while you walk -- and notice all birds, trees and children.


Seek out a Godly mentor. Much of the success of AA has been in having another person to call in the lowest times. Don’t isolate yourself. Maintain strong family and friend relstionships.


Reduce TV watching and instead read or listen to inspirational material at least 2 hours daily.


Volunteer for a worthy cause. Helping someone else in need is a great way to ease the inward pain.


Forgive everyone in your life. Make peace with your past. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.


Get a job – even if it’s not your dream job or a great career move. Deliver pizzas or work in the garden department at Home Depot – to get moving in a positive direction while you continue to build for long term success. Yesterday’s Nashville Tennessean lists 1814 jobs – and we know that listed jobs represent only about 12% of what’s available at any given time; thus there are over 15,000 positions waiting to be filled in this average sized city.


At the end of each day, complete these two sentences:
"Today I am thankful for......"
"Today my most significant accomplishment was......."