Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind (28 page)

Think about It

What can you do to have some fun today, even while you are working?

Choose one thing each day you would like to do just for the joy of doing it.

Set a New Goal

When I started my journey to learn how to enjoy life, I set a goal of purposely enjoying everything I did, even things I normally just did to get them over with or to check them off of my list. For example, instead of hurrying to get ready in the morning so I could get about my day, I purposed to enjoy the entire process. Things like choosing my wardrobe for the day, putting on makeup, and fixing my hair. Although I did these things daily, it never occurred to me that they were a part of every day of my life and I could and should enjoy doing them. I said to myself, “I am enjoying this moment in my life and the task at hand.” I try to do for God’s glory what I commonly did out of routine, and with no purpose except to get it done.

The Carmelite monk called Brother Lawrence, who wrote the spiritual classic
Practicing the Presence of God,
learned to do the same thing. He found kitchen work to be very distasteful, but learned that if he did it for the love of God, he was able to practice the presence of God in the midst of it. This same principle was applied to every facet of his life and practicing it enabled him to enjoy life in a superior manner. He turned what could have been a boring, mundane, miserable existence into one that was admired and coveted by many. People wanted his simplicity, joy, peace, and profound ability to converse with God while doing everything he did.

There are dozens of things that pertain to ordinary everyday life and we can enjoy them all if we just make a decision to do it. Things like getting dressed, driving to work, going to the grocery store, running errands, keeping things organized, and hundreds of other things. After all, they are the things that life is made up of. Begin doing them for the love of God and realize that through the Holy Spirit, you can enjoy absolutely everything you do. Joy doesn’t come merely from being entertained, but from a decision to appreciate each moment that you are given as a rare and precious gift from God.

Keys to Enjoying the Present Moment

Please remember that any day you waste is one that you will never get back. Make sure that every day you live counts! I want to share with you some specific keys I have found to help me learn to live in the present moment and enjoy my life. I believe, if you’ll put them into practice in your life, they’ll help you too.

Give Yourself to What You Are Doing

When the term
multitasking
first became popular, everyone seemed to want to do it. Many job descriptions suddenly included phrases such as “must be able to multitask,” and they still do. While there are certainly times a person must juggle responsibilities and handle more than one thing at a time, I am not sure multitasking serves us well in everyday life, and I don’t think it should become the normal way we live. In fact, I think trying to do too many things at once creates stress and prevents us from enjoying any of them. Some people are able to do several things at once and still stay calm and focused, but even they have their limit and limits should always be honored. Whatever our abilities and work habits are, we need to be aware that stress, confusion, and frustration are not the way to enjoy the moment.

I want to challenge you to stop trying to multitask excessively and learn to give yourself to what you are doing. Commit to do one thing at a time and determine that you will enjoy it. It’s certainly fine to read a book while you sit in a waiting room before an appointment, but begin to resist the urge to simultaneously do more than one thing that requires brainpower or your full attention. For example, don’t talk on the phone while you try to pay bills online. Don’t make a list of weekend home improvement projects while you are supposed to be paying attention in a business meeting. Don’t put on your makeup while you are driving. Don’t answer e-mails or text messages while driving.

The ability to e-mail and text is certainly convenient and has enabled us to communicate much faster, but if we let every little beep of the phone or message that announces “You’ve got mail,” be the controlling factor in our lives, we will end up frustrated and often appear to be rude.

Listening requires your attention and pretending to listen when in reality your mind is on ten other things is not only rude, but it does nothing to build good relationships.

The
Amplified Bible
explains Ecclesiastes 5:1 this way: “give your mind to what you are doing.” In other words, train yourself to focus your full attention on what you are involved in at any given time. Then finish what you’re currently doing before you start something else. This kind of concentration requires discipline, but it’s worth it because being able to focus helps you enjoy the present moment. I recently made progress in this area when I decided that from now on if I was doing something important that I was not going to answer the phone. Usually I answer it no matter what I am doing and often find that it frustrates me and causes me to lose my focus. I look at the caller ID to make sure it is not an emergency, and I do return my calls, but I am not going to let them control me.

We will not enjoy the present moment and the gifts it contains if we don’t have balanced attitudes toward work. Luke 10:38–42 tells the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha was “overly occupied and too busy” (see Luke 10:40). But Mary sat down at Jesus’ feet and listened to what He had to say. Martha was distracted with much serving; Mary determined not to miss the beauty of the present moment. And Jesus said that Mary made a better choice than Martha did. Jesus did not tell Martha not to work, He told her not to be frustrated and have a bad attitude while she worked. Jesus wants us to work hard, but He also wants us to be wise enough to realize when we should stop all activity and not miss the miracle of the moment.

Breaking the bad habit of excessive multitasking may sound easy, but it is actually quite difficult in our society, so be determined to form new, balanced habits in this area. This book is about learning to control your thinking, and the art of focusing on what you are doing is a vital part of that goal.

What multitasking “traps” do you most often fall into? Do the thoughts flying around in your mind make it feel like a freeway in rush-hour traffic? Take a deep breath, slow down, and be determined to only do what you can do peacefully and enjoyably.

Become Childlike in Your Approach to God

Acting like an adult is generally considered a good thing, and in most cases it is. But we are to approach God as little children—not being
childish,
but being
childlike.
One thing is for certain: little children can easily find a way to enjoy whatever they are doing. Our youngest son, Daniel, has always had a “let’s enjoy life mentality,” and I can remember when he was a small child how he thoroughly enjoyed all of life. I recall one day telling him to sweep the patio and noticed a few minutes later that he was dancing with the broom. Another time I made him stand in the corner to correct him for something he had done wrong and soon I noticed he was playing with the flowers in the wallpaper. I think we can learn a lot from watching little children. They find a way to enjoy everything—even chores or correction. They are quick to forgive any offense and trusting people comes easily to them.

Come to God with a childlike trust that does not always have to understand the “why” behind everything. Most parents get very weary of hearing their children ask why a hundred times a day and I believe God gets tired of it too.

Have simple faith; pray simple prayers; be quick to repent; and be quick to receive God’s help. Believe God is good. If you need forgiveness, ask God for it, receive it by faith, and don’t waste your time feeling guilty and condemned. With this kind of simplicity in your relationship with God, you’ll find yourself growing spiritually and enjoying Him more than ever. Remember, enjoying God at all times in whatever we are doing is our goal!

Think about It

What are three childlike traits that you could practice in your relationship with God?

Enjoy People

We certainly cannot enjoy the present moment if we don’t learn to enjoy all different types of people, because many of our moments have people in them. I recently read that most of our unhappiness is caused from people not being what we want them to be or doing what we want them to do, and I couldn’t agree more. That being the case, what is the answer? How can I enjoy the day if I am going to have to deal with annoying people? I have found it helpful to realize that even though they might annoy me, God loves them very much and doesn’t appreciate me having a bad attitude toward anyone.

I cannot enjoy anyone that I am judging critically, so I often say to myself, “Joyce, the way this person acts is none of your business.” Being merciful in my attitude toward others actually helps me enjoy my life and I highly recommend it. I recently encountered a clerk in a shoe store who talked on her cell phone the entire time I was in the store and even when I needed help finding a right size. I was aware that she wanted me to hurry so she could get back to her conversation. She was speaking Spanish so I couldn’t understand her, but as my aggravation mounted I chose to think,
Perhaps she is handling some kind of emergency or is dealing with something that is very important to her.
I was on the verge of losing my joy, but decided to be merciful and stay happy. I highly recommend it!

God has created all kinds of people with many different temperaments and personalities and I truly believe He enjoys them all. Variety seems to be something that God really delights in. If you have never given this any thought, take a little time and look around you. God created variety and He says that what He has created is good, so I urge you to accept those that are different from you and learn to enjoy them as God does.

We encounter a lot of people. Some of them are by choice, but a lot of them just end up in our life as we go through our day. You will not enjoy a lot of your “present moments” unless you decide to also find a way to enjoy the people who invade them.

Think about It

How often do you fail to enjoy your day because a person isn’t what you want them to be?

Enjoy a Balanced Life

A door of opportunity is opened for Satan to bring destruction to the lives of those who get out of balance (see 1 Peter 5:8). Too much of anything is a problem, even if we are doing too much of a good thing. For example: work is good, but too much of it causes stress which can result in disease, resentment, depression, and the breakdown of relationships. Food is good, but as most of us know too much of it is not good. It is good to be organized, but if we become a perfectionist we can drive ourselves and everyone around us crazy. Sleep is vitally necessary and if we don’t get enough, we don’t feel good, but the other day I was talking to someone who said, “I have discovered that if I sleep too much, I don’t feel good.” Any area that is out of balance causes confusion and distress in our lives and steals the joy of the present moment.

I truly believe that maintaining a life of balance is possibly one of the biggest challenges we have. I encourage you to regularly examine your life and ask yourself honestly if you have allowed any area to get out of balance. Are you doing too much or too little of anything? A lack of balance could be the root cause of not enjoying life.

I have not always lived a balanced life, but I thank God for helping me reach the point where I do stay balanced now—at least most of the time. I encourage you to do the same. Balance your activities and vary your routine. Don’t do the same things all the time or overdo anything. Do all things in moderation. That way, you’ll avoid burnout and be able to enjoy everything.

Think about It

Do you live a balanced life?

Where do you need to improve and how can you do better?

Let Go of the Past

Your past can be an unbearably heavy load when you try to carry it into your present. The way to let go of it is to stop thinking about it. Get it off of your mind and out of your conversation. Satan will remind you of your past because he desires that you stay stuck in it, but please remember that you can choose your own thoughts. You do not have to think about everything that falls into your mind. You have the ability to choose your thoughts. Without a doubt, holding on to your past will keep you from enjoying your present and from looking forward to your future. If you struggle with guilt, condemnation, shame, blame, or regret about your past, God will forgive you and set you free if you simply ask Him. If you feel disappointment due to the mistakes of the past, it is time to shake it off and get re-appointed. Your future has no room in it for the past! I recently wrote in my journal that I was eliminating the reverse gear from my life, and I did it so I could never waste time on what was or could have been.

The apostle Paul was determined to live in the present moment. In Philippians 3:13, 14, he writes, “I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.” Use all the keys I have given you and keep adding your own as you progress in your new life of enjoyment. And above all, keep meditating on and confessing this power thought: “I live in the present and enjoy each moment.”

Think about It

When you read Philippians 3:13, 14—about forgetting the past—what situation comes to mind for you?

Choose Your Battles

I believe one of the best ways to enjoy the present moment and avoid undue stress is to refuse to let every little thing upset you. In other words, choose your battles, and don’t make mountains out of molehills. Before you devote time, energy, and emotion to an issue or a situation, ask yourself two questions. First, ask yourself how important it is; and second, ask yourself how much of your time, effort, and energy is really appropriate for you to put into it. Know what really matters in life, and focus on those things. Learn to discern the difference between major matters and minor matters.