Rick Osborn | Life Coach, Nutrition, Fitness & Graphic Designer

I woke up this morning with the following on my mind and in my heart. I felt it important to share with you. It may seem simple in light of my usual longer blogs, but the profound nature of this scripture can and will change a life . . .

“Praise the LORD
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His love endures forever.

Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
or fully declare his praise?

Blessed are they who maintain justice,
who constantly do what is right.”

Psalm 106:1-3

Quite simply, what you can take from this passage are three very practical steps that will revolutionize your life:

1. Praise God.
2. Be thankful - no matter what your circumstance, for this is God’s will (see I Thess. 5:18).
3. Do what’s right.

I won’t get long-winded here and elaborate on these things for they are quite simple.  But, let me just say, if you’re in the midst of difficulty, adversity, trial or tribulation - take heart, because God has a plan for your life - if you’re in relationship with Him.  If you have a right relationship with the Father through Jesus His Son, the above three steps will keep your path straight and your focus on target.

My prayer for us all is that we might live accordingly.

God bless you today!

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Many times, small decisions can have big consequences. Living without understanding, moving beyond boundaries, operating without knowing the truth, making choices without conviction - all can get you into trouble. Up front and out loud, let me get straight to the point -

Look before you leap!

Watch your step!

Guard your heart!

There, enough said. If I thought that just mentioning these clichés would keep someone from making stupid decisions, I’d stop right here. Unfortunately, most of us are hard headed and willful, myself included. The cruel truth of the matter is that many times it’s the bad choices that we make, along with their unpleasant consequences that teach us the best and most valuable lessons in life.

We’ve got to be vigilant, watchful, careful, guarded, etc. with the decisions that we make every day. One misplaced step - one wrong decision - one unfiltered calculation can land us in the mud and even destroy our lives. So, how do we know? How do we keep from falling into a pit in the midst of life?

The answer lies in our filter. My question for you is - what kind of filter do you have?

Picture for a moment the best cup of coffee that you’ve ever had. Pouring hot water through savory, fresh, roasted coffee grinds produces a rich aromatic brew of coffee that engages the brain and body. If you’re like me, there’s nothing like enjoying a great cup of coffee in the morning. But, imagine for a moment what that cup would taste like without using the right filter. It would either be too weak, too strong - full of grounds and taste like gritty mud - not too appetizing.

This is much of what our lives are like when we don’t use the right filter. A filter is used to keep out the bad stuff. It’s that simple. If we simply allow anything in, then our lives become polluted, sludgy, messy, stinky, filthy with severe consequences that we’ll have to struggle to overcome. Even worse is the fact that our bad decisions and involvements can negatively affect others, especially those whom we love.

Now, I’ll ask you again. What kind of filter are you using for your life? Do you even have one? Have you ever even thought about what you’ve allowed into your life? Furthermore, how is it affecting you? How’s it affecting the ones that you love?

Even if you have a filter, it’s a worthy question to be asked. Examine it, try it and test it. Make sure it’s the right one for you - the best one that will help you move positively forward from this point onward. It may be that you’re dealing with circumstances as a result of not having a filter or of using a faulty one.

Use God as your Filter

The first step towards putting the right filter in place is to understand the truth about yourself and your situation in relation to God’s wisdom.

Christ stated in John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

My Suggestions for Adjusting Your Filter:

1. Ask God to reveal His truth to you on a daily basis.
2. Seek to know God in a personal way through prayer and studying His word.
3. Pray that God will transform you with His truth and wisdom.
4. As you learn more about God, allow Him to transform your life, creating the right FILTER for you.
5. Rest in the fact that you’re protected daily, because your choices and decisions are in line with God’s truth - a filter that He created because He knows what’s best for us.

Before your life leads you somewhere you don’t want to be, check your filter. Learn God’s truth, apply it to your life and live in freedom.

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An Exercise in Visualization to Gain Perspective and Achieve Goals

Sometimes in the midst of life, we tend to become overwhelmed with the difficulties of the moment, to the point of being paralyzed with fear and confusion.

Perhaps this is the case with you. Maybe all you see right now is problems and not solutions -

• the stack of papers that need to be reckoned with on the edge of your work desk,
• bills that are ever mounting and need to be paid,
• family and personal issues that are growing by leaps and bounds,
• clothes that fit too tightly due to recent weight gain or being overweight.

It’s summertime and you feel miserable, but there is hope. It takes focus.

Think of it this way. You’re like a submarine - perhaps too deep down in the dark water to even raise your periscope to look above and beyond where you are.

Whatever your problem is right now - and God knows we all have problems - I’d like to offer you some encouragement for staying on track and moving towards solutions for your life.

Try this little visualization exercise -

1. Stop what you’re doing right now, just for a moment, and close your eyes.
2. Imagine you’re a submarine deep in murky water.
3. Mentally, turn your engine off.
4. With your eyes still closed - take in a deep breath and hold it.
5. Allow yourself to be perfectly still and fully absorb where you are for the moment. (Feel all the pain of your current situation.)
6. Exhale slowly.
7. Now inhale again and as you do so, imagine your periscope beginning to ascend through the dark water towards the lighted surface. Higher and higher it goes - eyes still closed, body relaxed.
8. Imagine your periscope breaking the surface of the water into the sunlight and turning towards a beautiful island. The breeze is blowing, the palm trees are swaying. (refer to image above)
9. With the above site fixed in your crosshairs, exhale slowly.
10. As you exhale, envision starting the engine on your submarine. With that island in view and in focus through your periscope, imagine your vessel moving upwards to the light surface and forward towards the island.
11. Inhale as you keep the island in sight and exhale, allowing the escape of air to propel you towards your destination.
12. As you reach the island, your vessel surfaces and the top door opens.
13. Step out onto the beautiful beach, inhale the clean air and take in the landscape of paradise.
14. Open your eyes and begin your day.

Read the keywords below and plug them in to the above visualization scenario to make it practical for your situation.

Keywords

Deep, murky water = problems, tasks, issues, fears, frustration, being overweight, personal issues, etc.

Submarine/vessel = you

Periscope = your mind, your soul, your spirit

Crosshairs/view/sight = your focus, your intent

Raising of the periscope = planning, praying, setting goals, strategizing, etc.

Island/destination/paradise/beach = goals, end results, rest, hope, relief, where you want to be

Engine = work, mind, intelligence, wisdom, talents, synergy

Breath/Inhale = inspiration, fuel, knowledge, empowerment, balance, spark, ignition

Exhale = expelling the negative thoughts, problems and emotions; propels you forward and helps fuel your engine

Now that you understand what the above keywords represent in this visualization exercise, apply them to your particular situation. If you have trouble doing this, feel free to contact me and I’ll help you. That’s what I do. If you’re confident to do it on your own, write down what each particular part of this exercise involves for you and allow it to bring your vessel back to the surface and towards your dreams and goals.

Don’t worry about tomorrow or the next day, but focus on today. Focus on what you can do today to make a difference. Focus on getting to this one island today, because getting there will bring you closer to the mainland - where you want to ultimately be. It’s not your final destination, but this island - now in the crosshairs of your periscope, is where you can get to today. Once you have it in view - once you have in your mind what you can do today, you’ll begin to move through, past and upwards towards your dreams and goals.

Designate an island for each day. You’ll do a bit of island hopping until you get to the mainland, but if you follow this strategy with good planning, you’ll eventually get there.

 

 Begin Each Day with the End in Sight [6:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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