All right, so welcome to this.
For those of you not here live, you're missing out.
What a conversation we've been having, but welcome.
I want to have a recording for those of you not here, welcome, welcome.
This is our monthly Prosper Leader Member Kickoff.
So we, at the beginning of every month, we kick off the month.
So ladies, those of you that are here will be interacting,
and those of you watching the recording, you can do this at home.
I want to, as we kick off a new month, December, the final month of 2024,
it's a very important month.
Of course, every month is important in a different way.
That's how God, you know, orchestrated it.
Seed, time, harvest, there's seasons.
But this is such an important month, in my opinion.
So if I look at it in relationship to the Christmas story,
that as, you know, Christians, we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Christ,
there is this idea of preparing space and making room for that which we desire.
And so for me, December is always a season of clearing out,
what do I not want to bring into the new year?
Just a few weeks from now, we're going to be starting 2025, a brand new year.
Which, by the way, I'll tell you guys, mark your calendar now.
The 27th of this month, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31st.
So the 27th through the 31st, every morning at 9 a.m.,
I'm going to be doing Jumpstart Your 2025.
So I'm going to really dig deep for five days with you, how to jumpstart into the new year.
So today is just a special little taste of some of it.
So the idea is, what do I need to release that I do not desire to take into the new year?
And what do I need to create space for in this new year?
And so it's a powerful time.
And I've done this every year.
One of the things I start doing is clearing out clutter.
It's a really great time.
A lot accumulates over the year, some of you have found.
And I usually, in my case, I don't know about any of you,
but I just start accumulating way too much stuff on my desk.
I have a really big desk, and it can hold a lot of stuff.
And I'm putting books that I'm reading, and I've got stacks of notes I'm working on,
and I don't know if I have any stackers in the house.
But I just end up, it's a characteristic, if you've studied brain leads with me,
it's a characteristic of frontal right brain lead.
We don't put stuff in files, because once it's gone, we don't know where it is.
We never look for it again.
So we keep it in stacks, and we know exactly where it is in the stack.
But anyway, that can get a little obnoxious.
So I take everything off my desk.
And then I only put back that which I want to bring into the new season.
And so it's a wonderful feeling of bringing closure to a year.
And you can do this also on the desktop of your computer.
You can, this is a good time to go through your subscriptions
and look at ones you don't need to take next year.
You didn't use them for three months, six months, a year.
It's a great time to unsubscribe, even if you do it in little bite-sized chunks.
Ladies, like every time you open your email, just unsubscribe from five things.
Not Prosper, not Prosper, but other things, right?
And so cleaning out your email.
I start a fresh calendar, so that's important.
You can make a new vision board.
I start a fresh journal.
Clean your lists.
Make sure we've talked about the lists all along, your top 100 list,
your referral partner list, your clients that you want to renew, reactivate, right?
So just these things that begin to...
who creates space. Okay, so I'm going to start with a prayer.
Just to kick us off. And then I'm going to go through you all
should have. Oh, good. Maggie just got here to let me let her
join as well. Hey, Maggie, welcome. Hey, Maggie, welcome.
We were just having a great conversation, something that is
up your alley. So I'm connecting Natalie to Kate, but also if you
and Maggie have not connected yet, you guys are all in the
same space and can really, really benefit each other. So
I'm going to start with prayer and welcome also Bev. So glad
you're here people coming in late here. I'm gonna start with
prayer and then you all should have received a monthly kickoff
energizer. I did email it out this morning. You could just do
it in your notes if not, but if you have it, you can print that
out. We're going to go through that together briefly. And then
I'm going to break you into your groups and then we're going to
come back and wrap it up. But again, for those of you that are
just coming, December is a really significant month. And I
always think in terms of the Christmas story, that infinite
love, savior of the world came. And it says, they had to put
them in a manger because there was no room at the end. And
that has always got me thinking, what is there not room
for in our life, because we did not create space, space in our
mind, space in our heart, space in our environment, space in our
calendar, right? Space in our life. And so it's a what
December is such a wonderful time to be very intentional,
very intentional. What do I not desire to take into 2025? I
literally think in my mind, almost like I'm packing up and
moving, because I am I'm moving into a brand new year. And so
I'm always looking at everything and saying, does this go into
the new home? Does this go into the many of you started new
businesses into the new business? And into the new
relationships, whatever it is that's happening in your world?
And what do I need to let go of and release? So let's do that
first in prayer. And then let's go through the real quick
through your energizer, because I found that I send them to you,
but I don't always get them back. So I'm going to give you a
minute to do it actually now. Then I'm going to break you in
your breakout room, and then we'll come back together. Okay,
so let's start with prayer. Father God, I just thank you for
the gift of new. You've said that you are doing a new thing
in Isaiah, and you have asked the question, will you not
perceive it? So first and foremost, Lord, I just ask Holy
Spirit that you reveal to us that you open our spiritual
senses to know, where are you working? What are you doing
right now? What is on your heart in this season? I know Jesus
said, he only did what he saw the Father doing. Lord, would
you open our minds, our hearts, our spirits, to knowing what
you're doing and desire to do in this season in us, through
us, collectively as prosper leaders, collectively as the
body of Christ. Open our minds and hearts. Lord, may it never
be said that there was no room for the Savior, that we did not
create space. May it never be said that there's no room for
the people you've called us to serve. May it never be said that
there's no room to create, to have creative times to write, to
paint, to do whatever it is that you've called us to birth. And
so Lord, whatever we need to release and let go of, I ask
that you reveal it.
and you give us the courage to let that go.
And so I ask in this call,
that your purposes will prevail,
that you'll touch our minds and our hearts
with that which you want us to receive
for this month, for this season, for this day.
We love you and we give thanks in Jesus name.
Amen.
I'd like for all of you just to breathe in
and with the attitude of openness and receptivity.
One of the hugest things that blocks our success,
that blocks everything God is trying to do
is that we're not open and we're not receptive.
Why?
Because we fear, we doubt, we worry, we're angst,
we're busy, we're like Martha,
we're troubled with many things.
There's a lot of reasons,
but I would like you as an act of just receptivity
to say, Lord, I'm open to what you have in this new season
and then just breathe in, just breathe in,
take a deep, deep breath and just breathe in God's love,
God's word, God's power,
and then breathe out as a form of releasing
everything that no longer serves you.
Just breathe it out.
So let's do that again.
Breathe in deep all that God has for you.
And then as you breathe out, just release,
give a sigh, let everything go.
And let's just take a look.
Like I said, you can print this out, you have it,
but let me just share the screen real quick
and let's go through this together right now.
And there's what Natalie is doing.
If you guys missed it, it is pretty, pretty exciting.
Okay, here it is, right?
It should be right here.
Why do you put stuff up and then it doesn't show up?
Come on.
Well, I had it up and ready to show it.
We can see it, Brenda.
We can see it.
Can you see it?
Yep.
Okay, perfect, beautiful.
No, okay, I had it.
Okay, now it disappeared.
All right, we'll just do it from this, that's fine.
Okay, so it says we always experience our dreams
many times in our imagination before we live them.
And so having some time at the beginning of the month
and at the beginning of every day to just be still,
dedicate your God-given image maker
and let God show you the picture.
Everything is created first in our imagination,
the chair you're sitting in, the table,
and let God begin to show you
because he's doing a new thing and letting him show us.
And so no matter where you are, there's only now, right?
The past is a memory, future does not exist.
And so we start right here.
Every day is the first day of the rest of your life, okay?
So as we look at December,
I like sending you each month this,
and like I said, you guys didn't always do it,
so I'm doing it together with you, okay?
So first question, you can just be reflecting with us
and you can put it in your notes, you can print this out.
Are you serious?
Are you all in for your life goals, dreams, ambitions?
Are you willing?
Whatever God has for you, for what this season holds,
what this month holds, what this day holds, yes or no,
are you all in?
And then I want you to be honest and say,
what level are you willing to play?
One, I'm just putting my toes in, 10,
I am going all in in December.
I'm going all in.
What level, one through 10, are you willing to play at?
Okay?
And then we look at the desires of our heart.
Those are a sign.
When your heart has been redeemed,
when you've given your life to God,
because some people go,
oh, the heart is desperately wicked, I can't trust it.
No, when you've surrendered to the Lord,
the Holy Spirit.
it lives in your heart and and this is where God speaks and this is a sign of your divine purpose
and so you look at your desires death of sire the father so what has God put on your heart
that never leaves what are the things that God like you as long as you can remember
whatever it is for you you know when God started putting something on your heart
what is it what is God put on your heart it just doesn't go away
just take a minute and reflect on that and write that down
that's the basis for your God-given vision
what are what are those things maybe you were afraid to think about them maybe you were too
maybe you were too busy to think about them but when you give yourself a minute
they're always there light you up
you could say it would give me so much joy if
go ahead and take a minute reflect on that
what has God shown you that you just know like with Esther for such a time as this
you just know we were talking earlier the beautiful thing Natalie is
is doing and what I could see right through that is part of that call is training up leaders
to be able to do such a such a massive thing in her city to have 4 000 people and working
with the homeless and all that she's doing that started with a vision correct Natalie
started with a small picture just eight women that gathered together or men or women gathered
together to create a vision that grew and grew and grew and this year 4 000 people and 800
volunteers and all the community coming together for homelessness it just starts with a small seed
just like a huge oak tree starts with a small acorn but in that acorn is the whole making of
the tree in your heart is the whole making of what God is is desiring to birth the the reason
you were created and you can scale it down small or scale it big you can go total life purpose that
God has shown you or you could go in this season I'm feeling so strong it doesn't matter
it all works it's just going with what God has put in your heart so raise your hands if
you've done it I want to give you enough time to do this everybody got it or still
if you're still working say give me a minute
looks like you guys all got it yeah okay all right so once you're clear on your desires and
if any of you want just email me one of the things I do in coaching is the tournament of desires
so if you are not um I'm gonna let me I want to be able to see the chat so I can see what
you guys are saying but I can't so I'll have to come back to it um so if you want the tournament
of desires um that's another way to get clear on what you truly desire and which ones to focus on
now if you're kind of like I don't even know I don't know my desires I don't know which ones
matter I've kind of shut that down we'll back up a step and do that okay so now that you've got that
vision what do you what do I need to become to create that vision what do I need to become more of
more organized more bold more confident more prayerful more mindful
in order for this vision to happen more purposeful more consistent
more loving more forgiving more faith filled
write down what do I need to become because it's all about the being
to live out this vision to create this vision
write that down
you
and if I was already
Eddie, living this vision, fully living out this vision.
How would I show up?
What would I do more of?
What do I need to do more of?
What do I need to bring more of into my life?
So again, as we're talking about the month,
we're talking about what do I need to let go of and release?
What do I need to bring more of?
Go ahead.
So I would need to do more visibility.
I would show up more.
I would need to be diligent in writing or creating
or live events or networking or building connections
or what would you do more of to truly live out this vision?
And then if I was already living this vision,
what habits would I need to have?
I am a firm believer,
any change that you desire in your life
is as simple as creating a habit.
So you just pick one new habit.
Even in December,
I'm going to develop the new habit
of a morning spiritual practice,
journaling, posting every day, walking,
whatever it is for you,
calling three prospects, whatever it is, okay?
If you can create one habit in December
that's gonna move you forward,
that's gonna move the needle forward
because almost all that we do is habit.
So if you change your habits
and if you haven't read Atomic Habits,
that kind of walks you through it,
you could read that,
but what habit do you need to create in December?
You can start now.
You still have almost a full month to develop.
You could have a new habit.
You realize you could go into January
with a brand new habit.
Is it writing every day?
Doing your morning pages?
Is it doing a live every day?
Is it sending out?
What is it?
What's the new habit that you could put in place?
Is it drinking water?
Is it, you know, whatever.
It's something that you can do in December
that you'll start the new year with.
Can you imagine going into 2025 with a new habit?
Which habit is it gonna be?
Exercising every day?
What is it that's gonna move you forward?
And then the other side is,
if I'm already gonna be living this vision,
what do I need to let go of?
Watching too much, scrolling too much,
sleeping too much, not sleeping enough,
burning the candle of both that.
What is the time that, like I said,
we're moving, consider like you're moving into a new house.
2025 is a new house.
What is it that you absolutely do not wanna take
into the new year?
What do I need to let go of?
So what do I, what's the habit I need to add?
What do I need to let go of?
And then what resources are gonna be important
for you in December?
To do what it is that you're desiring to do.
Now, yeah, we'll do it in the next question.
So what resources?
So do you need some virtual assistant?
Do you need someone to help you clean up your books?
Do you need to ask?
This is a great time to ask the group.
Hey, do any of you know, do you have an app that does this?
Do you have a virtual assistant you can recommend?
Do you have a something that you can recommend?
Let this be a resource, this whole group, ask me.
So what resources do you need to accomplish?
And then your goals this month.
I would like you to write your top three goals.
And I'd like you to start the habit
of writing those every single day in December.
You just write them down real quick.
This is so powerful.
We know scientifically that those who write it,
it ends up, it ingrains in your brain.
It ends up, God, it just.
works, okay? So number one, number two, number three, no more than three, but December, your
top three goals, write them down. One, two, three. December goals. Remember, we're going
to come back at the end of December and see how you're doing. Three goals for December.
Make them SMART goals, specific, do not be vague, like more money, more time, no, no.
Make them specific. Make them specific. How many new clients, how much money, specific.
Make sure it's measurable so that at the end of the month, you can know if it happened
or it didn't happen, okay? Achievable, relevant, and timely. By when? These are goals I want
you to do by December 31st. So I will write my book or a chapter a week, you know, whatever,
four chapters in my book. That would be very specific, measurable, achievable, relevant.
Okay? Everybody have that? Okay. And then, everything, activating the flow. You've all
learned from me about activating the flow. So what are you going to give or so to activate
the flow? How are you going to activate the flow? So let's say the goal was three new
clients and let's say that what you were going to give is you were going to create a free
resource that will totally help them and, or you'll get on and do a free masterclass
or you will call or you'll coach five people for an hour free, whatever. What are you going
to sell? Or if it's monetary, it could be time, it can be money, it can be ideas. And
then you're going to write it or schedule it. Okay? Then the biggest question always,
in December, how are you going to add more value? You're trying to increase income, increase
clients, increase impact. You do that by adding value. So how will you add value in December?
How will you add value? Okay? And then who will you add the value to? Write it out, schedule
it. How will you add value? So I always am looking at my prosper leader members that
I adore, you ladies and clients, how, and I'm looking, I look at December and I asked
this question, how will I add value? I said, I'm going to do jumpstart 2025. Then you schedule
it like, okay, when am I going to do jumpstart your 2025? Well, Christmas falls on a Wednesday.
I'm not going to do it the day after that's too much. Let's start Friday, the 27th. And
now I'm going to give, this is again, what am I sewing? How am I adding value from the
27th through the 31st every morning, I'm going to show up and do jumpstart your 2025. I've
done this for many years. I do a really specific meditation to help you go into the new year
each day. I give you specific tools, right? So how are you going to add value to whom?
Write it down, schedule it. And then for your top three goals, what's your next right
action? What's your next right action? Write it down and schedule it. I haven't made my
lists. I'm going to get those lists made. My next right action is to follow up with
the people from XYZ. My next right action is to schedule XYZ. My next right action is
to hire XYZ. What is your next right action? You've got your top three goals. You've got
how you're going to add value and open the flow. What's your next right action? And then at the
end, December 31st comes, you get there, you accomplish this. How are you going to reward
yourself? When December
31st, before you go into the new year, woohoo, I did it. I created the new habit. I added value.
I accomplished this goal. How will you reward yourself? Okay. All right.
Was that helpful? Is that useful?
Pop something in the chat. Let me know if that got you kind of started or you
already were doing that or that I need to know. Is that helpful? Is that useful? Give me some
feedback in the chat real quick. Yes. Hey, Victoria, sorry I didn't see you. You had to
wait to come in for a little while, but it's in your email. Awesome. Anybody else? Was it helpful?
You can say no and I won't do it anymore. You can say yes. Your feedback really matters to me.
Give me a chat real quick. I've only heard from Victoria.
And then I'm going to break you into your breakout groups and then we're going to come back.
Okay. Hey, it's useful. I got a little stuck on the adding value. Good. Good. But it's stretching
me. Good. Thank you. That's great feedback. One of the most important questions to ask consistently,
you want to grow your income, you want to grow your business, you want to grow your impact,
the number one question is today, this month, how can I add more value? So you're going in the
public sector, in the community, what could you provide for them? What resource do you have?
Can you add them on LinkedIn and can you be giving tips? Can you start a newsletter that
adds value? Can you mail a Christmas card that just sends love, adds value? Start a prayer
chain that you pray for them and you let them know, hey, community prayer time once a month,
that's adding value, right? So it's that sewing, it's that giving. Okay. I love it. Okay. Natalie,
helpful. And I had started something similar. Beautiful. Well, is there things that you had
that I didn't have that we should be adding Natalie or anything that you would say more
since you're already on it? I would love to hear. And then I did not hear from Maggie and Tracy.
How about you guys? Your feedback really matters. It helps me create what best helps you.
Do you want me to just speak it? That's easier. Okay. I'm dealing with a move,
an unexpected move and a kid who's applying to colleges and Christmas and having to sort the
kids stuff out before the move. And so business has really taken a backseat. So when I listed
the priorities, like none of them were about the business, which they were a month ago. And right
now they're just not. Okay. There's seasons sister. We go through seasons and not everything is
business. You know, one of my three goals has to do with relationship. Also just your space. This
is a beautiful time. If you're moving, like I said, it's a wonderful time to just start releasing
a lot of stuff to make the move fresh and easy. Right. So good. I think you're still muted. I
don't know if you're still talking, but yes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Tracy, I didn't hear from you.
And Natalie, you're raising your hand. Go ahead. I was just going to say to Maggie,
the young people have this saying now and it's called life be lifin. And so they say life be
lifin. And so one of the things that I would just encourage you is that life be lifin. And sometimes
what I have learned is that in the season, the priority can maybe shift, but the other priorities
are not forgotten. So for instance, something may just shift because of the season or what you're
moving in. And so not to get frustrated if it's not about the business, but make sure that there's
something there, even if it's, you know, going back to what Brenda said is making one of those
goals. Just when you write three times a day about your business, because it keeps it
in the forefront, but you may not be working on it right now, but it keeps it. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was talking to Kate yesterday and she's like, Maggie,
we really need to talk about this text that you sent me like a month ago. And I was like,
what text? And then she read it to me and I was like, oh my gosh, that was me. But a month ago,
my life was exceedingly different. And it kind of feels like every time I get to this point where
I'm just like, let's go, God, let's do the big one.
Let's just go into the, which I have gone in 100%,
so many times in my life, right?
For different times that I've had to 10X basically,
like I'd have to move up.
But when that happened, the amount of pushback
on literally the lives of my children
hanging in the balance in the last month
and me having to then completely pivot.
And not that my kids aren't always
the biggest part of my life, they really are.
They've always been, and so has everything.
My job takes a very significantly small role in my life.
But that being said, the pivot was just so hard.
The pushback from the spiritual, I think,
was just so hard that it has me spinning right now.
Yeah.
So perhaps to consider, and I'm gonna,
after we break out,
I'm hoping that we have enough time,
and we're probably not.
I'll send it to you guys by email.
There's something I wanted to share,
but this went a little bit longer.
Put a vote in.
Well, I think we need to break out
because you need your prosperous sisters.
Can you make this a very genuine time of connecting?
And can we go five minutes over the hour?
Can I give you guys 10 minutes
and then we come back and connect for five?
Can we do that?
Will that work okay?
We're just running out of time.
Okay, I'm gonna do the breakout room right now
because it's important that you guys have time to connect.
One, two, three, four.
Okay, one of your rooms is gonna have three in it.
Let's see.
You guys are moving around.
What are you doing?
Okay, I'm gonna do the breakout rooms right now,
and then we're gonna come back
because I wanna just wrap it up.
Okay, here we go.
Oh, all right.
Okay.
Hey.
Hey, Victoria.
You're muted.
Did you request help?
I can't hear you.
You're muted.
Can you hear me?
You got to unmute yourself.
Not working, huh?
You can't unmute.
You might have to leave and come back.
I'll let you back in.
I'm not hearing anything.
You're muted.
Go back to the Zoom here.
He can't hear you.
Yeah, maybe you can let me turn that on.
pop something in the chat. Okay, now I couldn't get back to that screen. No, I'm here by myself.
Yeah, your Bev is in, but I guess she didn't jump in the room. I had you and Bev together, but
okay, no worries. That's fine. Yeah, so sorry about that. I don't know unless she left or
what happened because I had you and Bev together. Well, we've only got, yeah, no, no, it's fine.
It's fine, but I'm doing this reset, which has been like, it's a big band thing and I really,
I'm just going to do it messy, whatever, but once I get it going, I think I'm going to have one
every month. I was so proud of you when I saw your information. I was so proud of you. It's like,
girl, you stepped up. Oh, I know, but I love the adding value. So I'm going to remember that and
just go with it and just kind of improv every month. If you just go from that standpoint,
I'm going to show up. I'm going to let God shine through me. I'm going to love, I'm going to add
value. It's perfect. I was so proud of you. I'm like, oh girl, she actually scheduled something.
So proud of you. Okay, thank you. Okay, and I've got to figure out how to get us out of here,
which I don't, let me just see if it lets me now. I can just leave and come back or something or
just are you able to get out? I don't know. I've never jumped into one like this. Let me see if I
can look at the breakout rooms. It shows Bev did not join. I had you in here with Bev, but she did
not join. Okay. I guess when I close all rooms, we'll just all go out together. It'll be fine.
So I'm going to give everybody four more minutes.
So yeah, I'm just letting go of the perfection. Yeah, the perfection.
I'm so proud of you. Wow. I really got it. Like I said, my cousin, there's two friends of mine
that actually want more information and stuff, but it's going to be this, it's going to be the
nine. So I'm way, I'm way late, but it's, it's okay. I'm just going to do it anyway. It's,
you know, I'm just going to do it and then I'll just get the feel of it and the momentum. And
then I'll just, that's all it is. I'll need to reset, like unplug for it. I mean, so yeah.
Let me make an announcement. Let me see if it lets me make an announcement here.
No, it's not going to let me. Okay.
So
Bev may not have figured out how to join the room. I'm guessing.
Which one was Bev? She's new. She's joined the group recently. She's actually a therapist and
a coach and yeah, she'll be great for you to meet, but I don't know what happened.
It's okay. I was on the airplane, on an airplane. So I'm just kind of,
I'm just going back home to visit my mom and my boyfriend, but.
Then I could have hooked you differently because there's three in another room,
but it's too late to move everybody. Well, I got the best one. I got the group.
I so appreciate you sister. And I'm so excited that you're doing this.
Oh yeah. It's so time and I'm really letting God do it.
Like repetition on all sources. So you reach out to them by text, you reach out to them by email,
you reach out to them on social media and direct messaging. I mean, you've seen me model.
There's something many times to show up. Right. Yeah. So that's the key is just repeat, repeat,
repeat. I thought about hiring Carolyn Beck. I'm just going to do the generic 10,
talk to message 10 people a day and follow up. And sure. That's all it is, is talking to people.
Right. That's all it is.
Okay. I'm going to close.
is out the rooms here. See if the group I don't know. Out of
my room. Hello, are we in a room? We're all together,
ladies. So let me. There we go. And every is I think
everybody's back. Not sure. No, not quite. My team was not
back. I got somehow I got kicked out. You got kicked out.
Okay. Yeah, but it's okay.
I never landed in a room. So I
well, you were there, but you didn't join Bev. So Victoria was
all by herself waiting for you. So maybe in the chat right now,
Victoria, you and Bev can exchange information. Okay. And
you guys could have a call and get to know each other. Because
yeah, Victoria wrote me in a panic that she was all by
herself because you never joined the room. Okay. Okay. Ladies,
can I see you? Do we have everyone? Put your cameras on
so I know you're back. I can't tell if you're back or not.
Okay. Everybody back? All right. I'm going to read a little
something just to close us out. Oh, it looks like Kate got
bummed out too. Okay. All right. I'm just going to read
something real quick to close this out. Something to think
about. All right. I just love this. I got this if Bill Harris
wrote, wrote this issue and it came by by email. So just kind
of listen and we'll close out with this, especially Maggie
what's going on in your world. I love this. This is what made
me think about it. So insert your name. I'll just say
beautiful sister. Let whatever happens, be okay. This is
principle number one of the nine principles for conscious
living. That Centerpoint founder Bill Harris, as the core
principles behind the coaching that they do there. So here is
here is the skipping ahead to do this. All right. The truth is
this wisdom is harder to implement into your life than
you might think. Because when things don't go our way, when
life deals us a hand that's out of control, our first instinct
is to say this is not okay. So how can we let whatever happens
be okay, even when the outcome is something we really don't
want or dislike? So Bill has the answer. So this is what he
says. Do you find yourself sometimes or often at the mercy
of anger, resentment, stress or jealousy? Let's be honest with
ourselves and each other. Of course you do. Nearly everyone
on earth has these feelings from time to time. But I'm here to
tell you that you do not have to live at the mercy of your
emotions. With enough awareness you can choose to filter your
experiences through any emotion including joy, acceptance, and
or gratitude. Does that sound impossible? Unlikely at best. It
doesn't happen overnight. But it does happen with enough
practice, stillness of mind and awareness. This notion of
letting whatever happens be okay, is the first of my nine
principles of conscious living. It sets the foundation for
living a life that is more enriched, happy and fulfilling
than you might possibly imagine. So the key is, let whatever
happens be okay. Three rules that govern the world created
by our rule number one, everything changes and
eventually passes away. Rule number two, sometimes you don't
get what you want. Rule number three, sometimes you get what
you don't want. You can approach these rules in one of two ways.
is the first way is to resist them, fight against them.
When you resist change, you can experience unpleasant emotions
and physical symptoms.
You get angry, become stressed, anxious, fearful.
You might even behave in ways that
have unpleasant consequences.
Wanting things to be different from what they really are
is like beating your head against a wall.
Stop fuming, fussing, and suffering.
It is what it is.
The secret way to approach the three rules
is to let whatever happens be OK.
You can accept what is.
You may prefer that things not change and pass away.
You may wish you would get what you want
or not get what you don't want.
You might take action to change things or keep them the same.
But if you don't succeed, you can accept what is.
And so anyway, it goes through.
I'll send you the whole article because it's very thorough.
It's not that we're not taking steps
to continuously seek the Lord and do what he calls us to do.
But it's that every step of the way, we're not in resistance.
We're in a place of knowing, Romans 8, 28,
that everything is working together for our good,
that God is on the throne, and that this too,
even when it's unpleasant or I don't like it
or it's uncomfortable, is all part
of the divine tapestry of my life.
And I can welcome it with gratitude.
And I can say, what's the lesson here?
What's the blessing here?
What do I need to bless?
What do I need to forgive?
What do I just need to allow without resisting?
Because it is.
It already is.
Resisting what is accomplishes nothing, right?
And so anyway, I want to leave the thought that just says,
when you let whatever happens be OK,
you're independent of the outcome
and can experience happiness and inner peace regardless.
You remain solidly peaceful and happy.
Whether you try to change things or not,
allow yourself to accept whatever happens, it's OK.
I will remain happy and peaceful.
The amount a person suffers in their life
is directly related to how much they
are resisting the fact that things are the way
that they are.
This has got to be one of the key secrets of human wisdom.
If there's suffering or discomfort,
there's resistance to the way things are.
Period.
To master this principle, addictions or attachments
to things being other than they are
must be upgraded to preferences.
That means that when what is is not what you want,
you do not suffer it over or get angry or fearful or anxious
or so on.
And your happiness and inner peace
are therefore not controlled by forces outside of you.
You prefer things to be such and so,
but you're not attached to them being that way.
To the degree a person is willing and able to let
whatever happens be OK, they do not suffer.
It's as simple as that.
People with many rules about how things are supposed to be
suffer more.
Because no matter how much care they
take to protect their rules and see
that they are followed both by themselves and others,
these rules are often violated.
That doesn't mean a person can't be goal-oriented and work
toward making things the way they want them to be.
But the emotionally healthy person
prefers the outcomes they seek rather than being emotionally
attached to it.
That means they work toward what they desire,
but whatever the outcome, they maintain their equanimity
and inner peace.
This approach, then, is not fatalism or disinterest
in the outcome, but rather it's a decision
to not let the outcome throw you off center.
I'll stop there, but I pray that has blessed you.
I'm looking forward to seeing you on Thursday
for office hours.
Mark your calendar for Jumpstart Year 2025
starting on the 27th, 9 AM.
I love you, sisters.
I've just been such a joy to be here with you.
God bless you.