What is Truth?

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Asking the question, ‘what is truth’ sounds like it could well be a rhetorical question.  But there is an excellent way to recognize what truth is.  The answer may surprise you and will likely give you a new perspective on the matter.

If we look to the Hebrew language, we get a pretty amazing bit of insight.  The word for lie is shekkar.  The three Hebrew letters that make up this word are, shin, koof and rosh.  These three are found near each other in the middle of the alphabet.  In other words, we learn, because the Hebrew alphabet is rich with deep meaning, that a lie focuses only on a narrow bit of information.  In contrast “emmet” the Hebrew word for truth is made up of three letters, alef, mem and tav.  These are the first, middle and last letters respectively of the alphabet.  In other words, truth looks at the whole picture.  A great example is if a new neighbor moves in next door and they are loud and noisy every Friday night around midnight waking you up.  The “lie” is easily concluded that they are disrespectful, self-centered and lousy people.  The truth may be quite the contrary.  If you look at the whole picture, you can conclude that the noise only lasts five or ten minutes once a week.  Likely, it seems it is the oldest teenager coming home who is making all the noise.  You may also find out that the parents are also displeased with the behavior and taking measures to correct the problem.  So, when the whole picture is looked at you may conclude differently that the new neighbors are overall pretty good people.  In fact, they definitely show better characteristics than the neighbors you used to have.

What lie are you believing today that neither serves you or others very well?  Chances are you are only looking at a very narrow set of circumstances in order to reach your conclusion.  Take a moment and explore the entire situation and reassess your previous conclusions.  There is a likelihood you may change your opinion.

My Recent Interview with Pentecostal Evangel Magazine

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I wanted to share this with you.  It is an interview that appeared April 19, 2016 in “Pentecostal Evangel Magazine Online.”  Below is the article.

 

Official news source of the Assemblies of God

NEWS

Lessons of Hope

by  DEANN ALFORD on April 19, 2016

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DON’T MISS ANY STORIES. FOLLOW PE NEWS!

At age five, doctors diagnosed Jeff Grillo with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. At 21, tests revealed he had developed two forms of malignant cancer, one with a 90 percent death rate.

Grillo had no medical insurance; eight weeks of chemotherapy saved his life, but wiped him out financially. He opted against declaring bankruptcy, which left him with debt that took him more than a decade to repay.

But Grillo refuses to dwell on his blindness or the chronic pain that still besets his body following cancer treatment and later heart valve problems. He has become associate rabbi of Rock of Israel, a Messianic Assemblies of God congregation in Hickory, North Carolina. He launched his own YouTube channel with videos designed to impart hope amid trials.

He also has authored a pair of motivational books, The Excuse Assassin and Power In Perseverance, that detail his challenges and how he has overcome limitations. Grillo wants others to see that Romans 8:28 holds true even in the face of calamity. His mission is to share that hope with others.

“Do I want to take the world’s view that I’m just very unfortunate or accept the biblical view that there’s something else going on here?” Grillo asks. “God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. We shouldn’t allow our challenges to get the best of us.”

A common question that the 46-year-old Grillo hears is how can he continue to preach and teach that God heals while he’s blind?

“What you don’t see is the miraculous part of my story,” Grillo says. “I should be dead.”

Modern medicine did save his life, even if it left him in pain and with a chemo-damaged body.

“It doesn’t matter what your circumstances or challenges are in life,” Grillo asserts. “There’s something to be learned from it, a valuable life lesson critical to becoming who you were meant to be in the body of Messiah.”

For every obstacle, including those seemingly insurmountable, he’s found a way around or through it. After studying at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, he embarked on a career in radio and Internet communications. Though he hasn’t been able to read printed text for decades, technology empowers him to “read” through audio books.

“If a person wants to do something, there’s a way the obstacles and crises in our lives can be overcome,” Grillo says. “Ultimately we all need to be completely dependent on Jesus. God really can use anybody. It’s all by faith that we walk with him.”

The Rock of Israel Messianic AG congregation started two years ago. Before that, Cliff Maynard, a Messianic rabbi, led a Bible study in Grillo’s living room. Today the congregation has moved to its own building. Average attendance is 55.

“Jeff wants to do something for God in the capacity God has given him, to be able to help others overcome their disability,” Maynard says. “Jeff is extremely kind, passionate about people, loyal, and loves God. He wants to win people to Messiah.”

To that end, Grillo carries out essential functions in the congregation, including much of the church’s media. He creates a weekly study, both in writing and from the pulpit.

Mentoring with Jeff Grillo, “The Excuse Assassin”

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Many choices exist today from which you can invite a professional to come encourage, motivate and inspire your staff and students.  Events which include a dynamic speaker can help all who listen to become more and do more than they may have previously thought they could.

The trouble is when the speaker leaves, so does the feelings of excitement and hope.  An extremely good speaker will touch people deeply and may have a lingering effect days later.  This positive effect drops off rapidly as typically with the end of the event comes the end of the commitment on the part of the speaker.  So what exactly did you get for your investment?

This is where you will find a tremendous difference when investing in an event with Jeff Grillo, “The Excuse Assassin.”  Not only is Jeff a dynamic and powerful speaker with an extraordinary story of how he has faced and overcome many life challenges including blindness, two forms of malignant cancer, heart problems, financial collapse, chronic pain and more, but he also offers a year long commitment to measure and track your progress and the progress of your students, faculty or staff in twenty areas of attitude and performance.  The data gleaned using iGoals9 helps Jeff to tailor his mentoring to address the specific challenges that will lay out a clear set of goals and a plan to achieve them.  Ongoing mentoring happens on a closed Facebook group platform where each individual not only receives group mentoring but also has the opportunity to share and learn from their peers.  Additional one on one mentorship is given as needed and determined by the Jeff Grillo Mentoring Team in order to ensure the progress of each mentee.

What are you waiting for?  Contact the Jeff Grillo Mentoring Team now and learn more!

How to Take Control of Your Life

I have not conducted a formal study on the biggest challenges that our society faces today, but I think even a moderately observant person would agree that among the top issues is that of responsibility.  I believe that the blame game has become an epidemic in our nation.  One needs only to turn on the news on any given day and listen, I mean truly listen to what is being said.  It seems everyone is blaming everyone else and everything else for the ills facing us today.  Mothers of criminals blaming  the police for their adult children being killed in a police chase.  You have anti-gun people blaming gun manufacturers for violence.  Republicans blame democrats and democrats blaming republicans for everything that is wrong in our nation.  And the list goes on almost without end!

How often do you see this mindset creeping into your own neighborhood or circle of acquaintances?  It is awful!  Do you know why it is so awful?  The answer may surprise you.  It comes down to a matter of control.  You see, if we as individuals engage in attitudes of personal responsibility then the control for change of the things we do not like or approve of lie with us.  The keys of change are in our own hands and we can determine proper adjustments in our course that will lead to different outcomes, more positive outcomes.  Conversely, if we do not walk in personal responsibility then we hand over control to someone else or some other power, authority or ruling body.  When we give up the keys to change, we are stuck in a perpetual rut, a rut of our own making.

This is what happens when we want to lay claim to the responsibility when things go right only.  It is easy to pat ourselves on the back when we succeed.  It feels good to cue people in to the one responsible for all the obvious good in our life.  Oh how we love to feed the monster of pride!  When the outcomes of our own decisions are not the desired or intended outcomes we tend to run and hide and point our fingers as a societal norm.  As long as we do this, we are essentially saying the control is over there; I’m helpless and a victim, there is nothing I can do.  How does that feel?  No wonder there is so much angst and tension in our nation today, we have collectively raised a generation of helpless, powerless victims who are angry and tired of being victims.  The trouble is that everything they read, hear and listen to through the media pats them on the back and reinforces them in their unenviable position.  Only when the message gets out that the fix is to stop blaming others, take responsibility and therefore take control over their lives and future and begin to make choices and decisions that will lead to better outcomes.

The power of choice and the power of a decision in the end is the most powerful tool we as individuals have in forging the life we say we desire.  Who are you going to give the power to in your life?  Great leaders are not great blame givers, they are great responsibility takers.  Take the responsibility for your own life, make the best choices you can, follow through on those choices with appropriate action and reap the future you desire!

What do you Expect?

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The question of how to change your future is firmly rooted in the garden of our mind.  Specifically, it is a massive and ever-present plant called “expectation.”

The idea of expectation conjures up the age old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg?  In other words, do our circumstances and present reality determine what our expectations are, or do our long held expectations determine our present reality?

I suppose an argument could be made for either position.  As you might imagine, my purpose is not to engage in argument or contention, so let’s objectively agree that regardless of which came first, the reality is that if we want to change the reality in which we live we can make monumental strides towards the desired end by adjusting our expectations!

Let’s just for the sake of example say that “Bob” finds himself with poor self-esteem and low expectations or success in his life.  Bob has come to the place in his life where he has such expectations because his history shows a long established pattern of failure, bad choices and loss.  How would you encourage your friend Bob to change his fortunes going forward?  Hopefully, you could persuade Bob to get excited about the possibility of success.  Perhaps you could speak to him about the strengths he does possess and inspire him to dig deep into his soul and try again.  I believe you could excite him and help take his eyes out of the rear view mirror and focus on his future enough to help cultivate different expectations.  Reinforcing his newly adopted expectations, you cheer him on to a short term goal and bolster his confidence and reinforce positive expectation.

I could go on, playing this scenario out but I am sure you get the point.  When we make the conscious choice to change our focus and, therefore, change our expectations from failure to success our lives will bear out the better reality.  When we expect to succeed in an area or specific endeavor, our actions will fall in line with what it takes to be a success.  If I want to start a landscaping business, but I don’t really expect to be successful for whatever reason then my actions will be in line with failure.  I will likely not invest in the best equipment or in the best employees.  I will likely not bother to spend the money or time to advertise and market my business because, well, what’s the point?  I’ll just go through the motions and wait for reality to catch up to my expectations.  Conversely, if I fully expect to be successful, my energy level will be high and I will hustle and work my back side off in order to gain customers and earn their satisfied referrals.  I will invest in whatever it takes to get the job done and grow my new company and the end result will be that the new guy on the block is really making a splash in the market!

So, what do you expect?  If your answer is not exciting to you, adjust your expectations!

Join Me on Social Media

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Today’s post will serve as an announcement and invitation to my readers.

Actually, there are a couple of announcements and invitations I will make, to be more precise.  First, I am excited to announce I will appear on the Dove Broadcasting network tomorrow evening.  As soon as I receive the DVD of the Live broadcast, I will repost it in its entirety on my YouTube channel!  I presume at this time that this means it will likely post some time next week if all goes well.

Secondly, I am excited that an interview I gave recently has been posted on the “Word of Life Project” website.  I think it went pretty well and can serve well to encourage people with another perspective on my personal story.  To read the story and subscribe to the “Word of Life Project” blog, please Click Here.

My interview that was done with the “Pentecostal Evangel” magazine has also been completed and I am awaiting news from the writer as to when it posts online.  Again, as soon as I get this news I will post an update and a link.

Now, for the invitations!  I want to connect with you in as many ways as possible so that you can get the latest news, information and inspiration as soon as it is available.  Also, by connecting we will hopefully be able to get the message out to a broader audience.  Below, please find the links to my YouTube channel, Twitter account, facebook page as well as Pinterest.  If you have not yet subscribed to this blog, I highly encourage you to do so.  I not only encourage you to share my posts in an effort to help as many as possible, but I am also quite humbled every time one of you does just that.  Together we can work to making this a better and brighter place or many!

Thank you most sincerely!

YouTube Channel

Twitter

Facebook (The Excuse Assassin official page)

Pinterest

How to Have Peace in a World Gone Mad

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The question of how to have peace of mind in a world that has gone mad is one that is not necessarily the easiest one to answer.  Nevertheless, I will do my best to share some ideas and things that I have personally done in my life in order to increase peace of mind in my own mind as well as in the mind of my family members.  There is certainly not one thing, or set of things, that is appropriate for everyone.  Hopefully, simply sharing my thoughts about the topic will stimulate conversation in your house and put you on the road to finding your own set of solutions to this growing problem.

No matter how you look at life it is undeniable that the world is under more stress and chaos.  Terrorism, war, crime of all sorts, rising prices, stagnant wages, political strife are all stirring the pot of stress in the world, and these are only a few things I could mention.  How do we deal with these mounting pressures of life without living a life paralyzed with fear?  Burying our heads in the sand and hoping it all magically goes away somehow is not only unrealistic, but is pretty irresponsible in my opinion.  So what can we do?

Here is what I do, and it may be a bit simplistic, but it so far has worked nicely for me.  I encourage feedback on all my posts, but especially on this one I want to make a public appeal for your input.  Like I said, there is no one set of answers that satisfy every person or every situation so variety of opinion is welcome and will hopefully prove to be constructive for all who read this.

One thing I have had to adjust in my own personal life is to limit my exposure to the news.  This was particularly difficult for me as I am a news junkie and my radio days began in the news/talk format, so I think it’s a bit in the blood as they say.  I found that constant exposure to news via radio, tv and articles flooded my mind with too much information and too much negativity.  So much of what we get in the form of news is opinion and is thrust forth with a certain agenda in mind.  I mentioned earlier that burying one’s head in the sand is not good either!  Striking balance was key for me.  News sources on the radio deliver local and national/international news at the top and bottom of every hour.  I decided I am not the President of the United States, so therefore I didn’t need a moment by moment briefing on the state of the world!  Now, I still get my news from various sources so I can make a more informed decision as to where truth abides but I only tune in a few times a day rather than receiving a constant drone of never ending stress.  I still remain among the more informed of my peers on the topics of the day without  putting myself in a place where I am stressed and sick to my stomach.  When it comes to my favorite three talk shows, which are about 3 hours long,  I decided at most to listen to one hour of one program per day.  I enjoy these programs, but in the end I do not enjoy the angst they sometimes create artificially.  I also do not need to flood my mind with the opinions of others as I am fully capable of forming my own. This one thing alone has brought me a long way away from the nutty amounts of stress I once lived in.  You see, you cannot control what happens in the world, but you can control how it affects you.

Economic crisis looming!  This and similar headlines rule the day in just about any news source.  Is it true?  I would be hard pressed to formulate an intelligent argument against this idea, so I would have little choice but to agree with it.  So what do we do about it?  We cannot control federal, state or international policies.  We cannot control international events that influence currencies and markets.  We cannot even control whether or not our local bank remains solvent and our money is safe or not.  What I can do is put away a little provision here and there.  Over time, if you do this, you will find that you could sustain yourself and even be a blessing to others in a time of crisis.  It is amazing what comfort a few large bags of rice and dried beans from these wholesale stores can provide.  Does the prospect of eating rice and beans for weeks on end excite me?  Yes!  Given the potential alternative of starving, it brings me great joy and comfort.    I’m not talking about turning yourself into a crazy prepper with a bunker and warehouse of food to last years.  Although, if that is your thing and it brings you comfort, who am I to argue.  A lesson I learned from years of living in Florida where the annual threat of hurricanes impresses upon you to have enough supply of food, water and medicines to last a week or so only makes sense.  Threats to our comfort and way of life are not only economic but there are also natural disasters that could drastically alter the way we live.  Government is wonderful in many ways.  Government alone, however, should not be the only thing you rely upon in an emergency.  What if they can’t bring relief for a week or more?  See, it is easy to justify being prepared with at least a few weeks of food and water to care for your family and have a little to share with someone in your neighborhood who needs your help.  A little forethought goes a very long way to bringing comfort and peace to your mind.

Safety and security in a world gone mad is a difficult one to address.  Every state is different in terms of their laws and restrictions on how a person may protect their home and their family at home and while they are out and about.  How you defend yourself will to a large degree depend upon these laws and should be consulted prior to making any decisions.  Beyond the usual choices of everything from firearms to baseball bats, there are many other things you can do.  If you can afford a security system, that is highly comforting to have not only in terms of peace of mind that you will be alerted of break-ins but monitoring for fire, carbon monoxide are also great peace of mind tools to have access to in this world full of worries.  Finally on this topic, if nothing else appeals to you there are many forms of self-defense you can learn.  Even if you cannot afford lessons, YouTube is rich with free videos offering up the basics.  Whatever you choose is your decision to make.  Personally I am all for layering when it comes to safety and defending my family.  Doing something is far better than doing nothing and again the payoff in terms of peace of mind is priceless.  Also, be aware of statistics.  Numbers don’t lie, and depending on where you live the chances of death or serious harm through a crime is very small indeed.  That alone should give great comfort.  I almost forgot one of the best choices for security if you are able to get this… a dog!  Once a dog of any kind acclimates itself to your home, it is no longer your home but theirs!  They are amazing early warning sentries that can alert you to potential trouble and normally the barking of a dog will make someone think twice before proceeding.  Of course, there are ongoing expenses with a dog but the expense & responsibility they require are far outweighed by the peace of mind and love they provide.  If you can, put this one at the top of your list!

Finally, I will share what is for me my number one source of comfort and peace in life.  It comes from a deep and committed faith in Yeshua (Jesus).  Because of my faith I understand that no matter what measures I take to protect myself, my family and my way of life, ultimately it cannot beat or even touch the promises made to us who put our trust in Him.  Let’s face it, if every measure fails and I lose my life, what have I really lost?  Eternity in the presence of my Creator beats a hundred years of peace and prosperity in this life, hands down.  So, in the grand scheme of things having faith is ultimately the greatest relief from the cares of this life.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still human, and a husband and a dad myself.  I still have concerns and take action to fulfill my responsibilities to protect and provide.  I just find it comforting trusting a perfect Messiah over trusting only in me.  If you have questions about this final point, I would love to hear from you.  I would also enjoy the challenge of further pointing you in the right direction with any questions you have.  You can direct questions to jeff@jeffgrillo.com.

Any one of these ideas, if implemented will indeed deliver big on answering the question of how to have peace in a world that has gone mad!  Of course, the more you can implement, the more peace you can have.  Again, I’m also looking forward to additional ideas from you.

If you have not yet checked out my YouTube channel, “throttleupradio” please click the following link and see what it is all about, and subscribe to the channel and if you have not already subscribed to this blog, please do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YamzUDTAj1w

How to Change Bad Habits

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Everyone at one time or another asks the question, “how can I be more successful?”  It is a great question to ask, and it can take volumes of books to answer.  The answers can be almost endless when you factor in all the different areas one may choose to direct their quest for success.  Most adults are already on that quest to some degree.  I will offer up one simple thing you can do to improve your odds of achieving success that you can implement right away and realize great improvement within a mere thirty days.  Change the question you ask!  The question should be, “how can I correct bad habits?”

You see your habits shape your future, for better or for worse.  The things we do on a daily basis determine who we become and what we will achieve or not.  Your daily routine is likely the culmination of habits you formed long ago and now you probably don’t even think about them because your life is on a sort of autopilot.

It may sound like an oversimplification to be honest with you, but it really is just this simple.  It goes back to the most basic computer analogy I can think of.  If you want to change your output, change the input!

Here’s what I mean, and I contend that this is one of the best lines I ever learned in my life and I learned it at about age 18.  I was getting ready to enter my first year of college.  I was a bit delusional in that I had dreams of being a musician.  I had played keyboards in one capacity or another since I was 5.  Let me clarify this up front.  I did not consistently study and practice from age 5 on, I simply began lessons at that age and then as you might imagine only stuck with it a short period.  On and off again, I came back to music and by my teen years I had the bright idea of being a professional musician.  At any rate, I learned that upon arriving at college I would be required to perform certain classical pieces on the piano before the professors of the music department and other students waiting their turn.  I had never played anything like this before.  I sought out a highly recommended professor of music at a local college (not the one I would attend) and took private lessons from him.  Dr. Henry Santos was his name.  The piece I brought to him to get help with was Bach, Inventio #1.  I was more or less able to play the song one hand at a time, but it was too complex to get it altogether.  He sat me down and asked me to show him what I had.  Almost immediately he stopped me and had some corrections to make.  The problem he picked out right off the bat was that I  was nowhere near holding my hands in the proper position.  My wrists were angled downward and my palms relatively flat on the keyboard.  He explained proper technique was to have my wrists angled upward and my fingers somewhat curled.  This was the proper technique.  I thought I was a witty young man and said, “practice makes perfect!”  Dr. Santos was not amused!  He retorted, “No, it doesn’t!  Practice does not make perfect, but rather, PERFECT practice makes perfect!”  His point was that if I was practicing wrong technique all I was doing was cementing bad habits into my mind and putting myself at a tremendous disadvantage.  But, if I would take the time to practice using proper techniques that this would make all the difference.

I eventually corrected the bad habits by consciously focusing on the new habit I had to learn, not in the old way.  I was able to play that song for a recital my first semester and my piano tutor at the college I attended was quite proud of my progress.

So, to answer the question of how to correct bad habits I would simply say to focus on right ones!  It’s not so much that you are learning to correct a bad habit or to overcome the wrong way of doing things, but simply learning the right way.  In fact, it’s best to take your focus off the bad habits as completely as you possibly can.  Instead, in whatever the capacity you are wanting to change simply learn the right, or more beneficial habit and simply with repetition over time you will learn the new habit and automatically the old will be a thing of the past.  How long can this take?  I think to some degree it depends on exactly what we are talking about, but in general terms they say it takes about 28 days to establish a new habit.  Perhaps a little more or less time depending on the nature of the habit and how long it has been engrained in your mind.  But the bottom line is that it generally is not a terribly long process.  Additionally, it is typically not too difficult if you are determined, focused and truly wanting to improve the area in which you are making the change.

My final word of advice on the matter is be careful not to replace one bad habit with another!  Be certain that the thing you are trying to replace is truly the best possible technique!  Remember Dr. Santos!  Perfect practice makes perfect!

Get a FREE copy of my book, “Power in Perseverance”

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I am excited to announce an amazing offer!  I almost feel like one of those crazy store owners doing those local commercials that only seemed to air at off hours.  You know the ones promoting the giant blowout sale and my prices are so low they’re crazy!  That’s the guy!

Now, I sincerely hope that this is not the impression you get from this offer!  I am excited most of all to be able to put two powerful tools in your hand.  Plus, it is just in me to enjoy to give things away to people, especially when they’re gifts that will bring blessing and improvement to quality of life for the recipient.  I already offer an absolutely free initial life coach session so you can kick the wheels a little and see what great value my sessions offer.  Now, I want to put a signed copy of one of my books in your hands absolutely free, too!

This is a very limited time offer.  In fact the offer ends this Wednesday March 9, 2016 at midnight eastern time (US).  That is just over three full days from now!

All you have to do to claim your FREE copy of “Power in Perseverance” is to go to my website www.jeffgrillo.com and visit my product page.  Once there simply order your copy (ebook or paperback) copy of my latest book, “The Excuse Assassin.”  You pick the format you prefer!  Then, once you make a verified purchase from the Amazon website which my product page links to, give the book a positive rating and leave a positive comment.  Send me a screenshot of your comments or simply email me what you wrote and I’ll verify for you.  It’s simple as that.  Oh wait, you’ll also need to email me the address you want the book mailed to and any personalization you wish me to include.

My email is jeff@jeffgrillo.com.    Again, “Power in Perseverance” will be mailed to you a absolutely FREE with your purchase and positive feedback on Amazon’s website.  I am even going to pay the shipping and handling myself!

Between the two books you will be encouraged, motivated and inspired beyond your expectations.  You will be filled with the strength and determination you need to persevere through the toughest of trials.  You will learn how to identify and destroy the fear, excuses, and obstacles that stand between you and your goals.  These are books you will want your whole family to read and grow along with you.

Hurry now, don’t delay this offer will expire at midnight March 9, 2016 (eastern US time.)

Be sure to subscribe to this blog, as you won’t want to miss out on a single post.  I do not often post about offers.  What you will find is a variety of life lessons that have brought me past my obstacles and over the toughest hurdles life has thrown at me.  Join me, and subscribe today!

Also, I invite you to join me on my YouTube channel.  I call it throttleupradio.  Please come by and see what you can learn there as well.  Again, its free!  Subscribe today.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHLygph0OEw

How to Deal with Crisis

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One way I like to measure personal growth is to to consider how one handles a crisis.

Crisis is one of those dirty little words in life we simply cannot escape.  It is a constant companion that may take a brief vacation from time to time, but it always knows its way home to you!  When speaking about crisis, I always love to point out an amazing lesson on crisis from the Chinese perspective.  The word for crisis in Chinese is made up of two characters.  Individually, they are danger and opportunity.  I could almost end this blogpost right here!  The self-evident lesson in the idea that crisis is made up of danger, as well as, opportunity is pretty immense and has great application in our everyday life.

First, I want to just make solid the point that when crisis enters our life, whatever form it takes, we tend to only see the danger aspect of it.  If we take a moment to take a breath and understand that hidden within the danger of the moment there is a hidden gem of opportunity of one type or another it should guide our every decision during the course of the current calamity.

The evaluation of personal growth in the midst of crisis is, or at least can be, summed up in the statement that mature people will respond to the crisis while immature people simply react.  Reactions tend to almost always lead to bad or unintended consequences while deliberate, thoughtful decisions made in response to the calamity will tend towards the betterment of the mature individual.

Using the crises in my life that have guided me for quite some time may help you to understand somewhat of what I am trying to convey.  The loss of my eyesight is something I have had to deal with for practically all of my life.  It has been a long, gradual decline, but hit a crescendo on November 14,1999 when I finally lost my driver’s license.  We can also look at the crisis of cancer some seven years earlier.  First, with respect to the crisis of lost freedoms with the loss of my license; the danger there was obvious.  I was faced with potentially falling into the trap of forever being completely dependent upon others for pretty much everything in life.  Couple that with the crisis of facing my own mortality during the cancer crisis which taught me to live life with a sense of urgency and you can see how my path ultimately was directed by seemingly terrible events.  I say seemingly because in the end they did not destroy me, but have taught me valuable lessons over the years.  I cannot write this and say with any honesty that I have always responded to these challenges!  There were plenty of reactions —reactions that cost me dearly in terms of lost time, various kinds of setbacks and emotional pain.  Will you make mistakes along the road?  Of course! If you are an adult reading this, you can likely point to a long list of reactions that have cost you dearly.  That is ok as long as you learn from them and grow to the point where you learn and recognize as each new crisis comes along that you need to slow down and respond rather than react.  Recognizing the need to do this  in and of itself is a sign of maturity.  Have you ever reacted to a situation off the cuff, perhaps even in anger and later looked back at it saying, “boy that was a great decision I made in danger.”  I think not!  But when we feel the urge to react, we should allow this to be our flashing sign to pull back, slow down and think things through and look for the hidden opportunity within the immediate crisis.  It may come to the forefront quickly, or it may take a little time.  It is ok to wait and act from a place of patience and wisdom.

The opportunities are there.  Commit to yourself now to seek them out in every crisis!