“ Self”- Help, In -Tandem

If you’re like me, you’re cautious with the “worldly” perspective of “self“ help books and materials. Many come from a perspective that I don’t share, calling upon the “power of the universe,“ rather than the Creator of the universe, God Himself. As a believer, we have to be choosy with what we allow to seep into our thoughts. But, I do find some very useful ideas in secular, self-help books that can give concrete action steps towards transformation, productivity, organization and success. Many times, it’s those tangible, action steps that we need to project us forward. We can test the words we read and messages we hear against scripture. That’s wise and discerning. We can discard the ones that don’t align with our beliefs and core values. But, the next step is important. Taking action on the useful information you have in your hand.

I love listening to positive, upbeat messages of Terri Savelle Foy. Her “ Cheerleader of Dreams” mantra is a scripture-based plan for success. Take what works for you and leave the rest, as I do. Joyce Meyer is another source of encouragement for me. I love her direct, no nonsense, scripture-based lessons. Again, take what works for you, according to your scriptural test, and leave the rest. These are people. They are not infallible. They are not perfect. But, in the darkest of times, we need women with a story of overcoming adversity, to rise above it, with the Power of God’s word. They let Him transform them from the ground up, by taking action.

I like to view life as riding a tandem bicycle, with God in front. We have to keep peddling, doing our part to maintain balance, heading in the right direction, with Him leading the way. But the peddling is the action that follows Faith towards our goals, otherwise we are sitting still, off-balance, impeding our own progress. God is the creator and author of our lives, but I whole-heartedly believe it does not stop there. Faith without action does not get us to the goal. Hebrews chapter 11 is full of examples of people that put faith into action. They were obedient to God, even when they didn’t understand the process and they kept on peddling anyway. We must do our part, in whatever way we can, to continue to improve, grow, act and become.

We can control our choices. We can choose what we eat, where we work, where we spend our money, what we spend our time on. We can control our thoughts and our attitudes. We can choose “self-help“ in the circumstances that we alone are responsible for. Otherwise, we are relying on excuses not to do so. We can turn on motivational podcasts and YouTube videos. We can read educational and spiritual development books. We can study the Bible. We can create a vision for our lives and start taking action steps that we are in control of. We can do our part to assist in bringing our best lives to fruition, letting God control the rest. He’s looking for a mustard seed worth of faith out of us, but faith without works, is dead. (James 2:14-26)

You can control your time. Identify what your talents are and get busy. Put down the phone. Turn off the Netflix. Quit drinking the wine. Build up your choice muscles and self confidence, by taking part in activities that propel you forward. We can use this time of waiting in the ditch to improve every aspect of our lives. We can transform an ordinary life to an extra-ordinary life by doing the extra. We can focus our energy on the solutions, rather than the problems. We can execute every day, regardless of what we feel like. In the self-help book, The Five Second Rule, Mel Robbins so effectively and simply describes the method she used to get out of habits that were impeding her success. Although this is definitely a secular-type book, her suggestions are spot-on for getting out of a rut of bad habits. In fact, I’m using them now to countdown backwards…. five, four, three, two, one, in order to put pen to paper and then get up and take action on improving my life. Today, I’m cleaning out the storage building that brings me stress. I’m foregoing the excuses of, “I don’t feel like it.” I am reframing my thoughts, strengthening my mind, clarifying my goals and dreams for my life. I’m using my time in the waiting to get ready. I’m preparing for the blessings to come. That, in my opinion, is the epitome of “self – help.“ Using the tools necessary to make physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, financial, relational progress. So count down 5,4,3,2,1 and take action on the things in your power to improve today. Get pedaling.