Posted by
peripheral on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 10:02:05 AM
From My Perspective - - -
What
will the New Year 2009 hold for us? Can we all be assured it will be a
“Happy New Year”? There is an interesting Fortune Magazine series of
articles on http://money.cnn.com where indication is given to 8 SCARY
PREDICTIONS for the next two years; and a summary of the 21 DUMBEST
MOMENTS IN BUSINESS IN 2008.
Retrospect is always valuable!
One can assess the negative situations and experiences to determine
what could’ve and should’ve been done differently if the future
involves one in similar circumstances, situations and experiences. One
can also learn from the positive situations and experiences and
evaluate in terms of how these positives can be improved upon to
increase the merit and worth of them in the future. In other words,
there should always be the openness and readiness to move forward and
upward in a more effective way.
A favorite summary for one’s
life should be: “I’m not what I used to be and I’m not all I’m going to
be!” This phrase can be adjusted to: “I’m no longer where I once was
and I haven’t yet reached the destination of where I am going to be!”
Life is lived on a continuum and should always be progressing toward
achieving one’s Core Values and Goals. For instance, the Goals of the
U.S. Army are clearly stated as part of their Philosophy of Training
and Values expected to be embraced by all recruits. Those values are:
Loyalty; Duty; Respect; Selfless Service; Honor; Integrity; Personal
Courage. The Recruits memorize these values and can repeat them in
full. The military values, in summary, mean:
LOYALTY: Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone.
DUTY: Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team….Our work entails building one assignment onto another.
RESPECT:
We pledge to 'treat others with dignity and respect while expecting
others to do the same.' Respect is what allows us to appreciate the
best in other people.
SELFLESS SERVICE: Selfless service is larger
than just one person…you are doing your duty loyally without thought of
recognition or gain.
HONOR: Honor is a matter of carrying out,
acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless
service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do.
INTEGRITY: Do what's right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles.
PERSONAL
COURAGE: Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). Facing
moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing
forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not
popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily
standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.
Consider
these things with me - - - Scary Predictions and Dumbest Moments aside,
one’s life should never consist of things or “stuff”! In Luke 12:22-26,
29-32 (NLT) Jesus stated: “I tell you, don't worry about everyday life
– whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life
consists of far more than food and clothing. Look at the ravens. They
don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds
them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds! Can all your
worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not! And if worry
can't do little things like that, what's the use of worrying over
bigger things?... Don't worry about food – what to eat and drink. Don't
worry whether God will provide it for you. These things dominate the
thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs. He
will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of
God your primary concern. So don't be afraid…” If this becomes basic to
YOUR CORE VALUES, you will have a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We
don’t need to be concerned with HOW God will do it – just remain
focused on the Truth that God WILL do it for those who have placed
their Faith and Trust in Him alone!