The following message was sent to the participants of the  75 Days of Action Challenge on Facebook.

For all previous messages for this 21-day series on self-discipline,  see recent posts on this page.  It is important to honor this system and do your daily activities along with the suggested activities IF creating a powerful new success habit in 21 days is your goal.  Have fun!

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Hi there!

I hope all is well and wonderful in your part of the world. And if it’s not, my wish is that you are able to bring something good to the situation.

These 2 days are reserved for reflecting, reviewing and processing the lessons learned over the past 23 days – 21 days of action plus the 2 we spent on planning.

I’d like you to:

1)  Review your answers to the questions asked on Day 1 – Nov. 10th – and see if you would answer them any differently today.

2)  Review what you have written in your journal and then just sit quietly to hear the guidance that comes from that deep inner voice.

3)  Reflect on how the days flowed when you were in action and how they flowed when you were not.

4)  Don’t move ahead just yet, planning the next phase – that time will come. For now, get the insights and learn the lessons you will be applying moving forward.

5)  Write as much as you’d like about these insights, lessons and accomplishments.

6)  Share with us all at the event wall.  I’ve been told again and again by participants of these programs that so much is learned from hearing about other people’s experiences, suggestions and challenges.

7)  Have fun…continue the celebration. You deserve it!

Have a magnificent day…with as much joy, wisdom, love and kindness as you can muster!!

Julette Millien

♥♥♥~~~
P.S. All messages for the past 23 days are here ► http://bit.ly/3QyXKX

Today, I will join my colleagues Paul Jensen and Chuck Miller in leading a training/retreat day for the international board and key staff of Open Doors International. We have developed a five-year plan to help them be intentional about putting spiritual transformation at the heart of all they do as a minister to the persecuted church around the world.

In the afternoon, I will share a presentation titled “Rhythm of Life.” A rhythm (or, classically, “rule”) of life is defined by Marjorie Thompson:

“A rule of life is a pattern of spiritual disciplines that provides structure and direction for growth in holiness. When we speak of patterns in our life, we mean attitudes, behaviors, or elements that are routine, repeated, regular. Indeed, the Latin tern for ‘rule’ is regula, from which our words regular and regulate derive.” (Marjorie Thompson. Soul Feast. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995, p. 138.

In my preparations, I came across this sage counsel from Elton Trueblood on spiritual discipline and true freedom:

“We have not advanced very far in our spiritual lives if we have not encountered the basic paradox of freedom, to the effect that we are most free when we are bound. But not just any way of being bound will suffice; what matters is the character of our binding. The one who would like to be an athlete, but who is unwilling to discipline his body by regular exercise and by abstinence, is not free to excel on the field or the track. His failure to train rigorously and to live abstemiously denies him the freedom to go over the bar at the desired height, or to run with the desired speed and endurance. With one concerted voice the giants of the devotional life apply the same principle to the whole of life with the dictum: Discipline is the price of freedom.” (Elton Trueblood. The New Man for Our Time. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1970, p. 69.)

“I am most free when I am most bound. Discipline is the price of freedom.” This is a truth that I haven’t always embraced. I learned it earlier this year as I persisted in daily exercise, losing many excess pounds and gaining endurance, stamina and strength. I was free to cycle 375 miles over five days because I let myself be bound to such daily practice. In the weeks since that ride, I have instead chosen freedom from such daily practices. The fruit has been a diminishing of the freedom that greater energy and resilience have given me. (In case you’re concerned, I am working on a 16-month plan to be in the best shape of my life when I turn 50 in March 2011).

Why do I become lax in discipline? Somewhere in my thinking are these ideas: “I need a break from discipline. I want to be free of these restrictions. I just need a breather.” Such false freedom has actually reduced the life-affirming freedom I had been enjoying. A relaxing of discipline has diminished me rather than developed me. I don’t have something good to show for my false leisure. Even Sabbath takes discipline. The discipline of saying “No” to the impulse to accomplish something is a hard one, but that will do good work in my body, my mind, my heart and my soul.

I am not to be bound in slavery to without-God passions in my life, but bound in love to Christ Who desires my full attention and devotion. Keeping my gaze fixed on Him is the most fruitful discipline I could possibly practice. How will this grow in me? How will it grow in you?

Buy a copy of Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life
or The New Man for Our Time on Amazon.com

The following message was sent to the participants of the  75 Days of Action Challenge on Facebook.

For all previous messages for this 21-day series on self-discipline,  see recent posts on this page.  It is important to honor this system and do your daily activities along with the suggested activities IF creating a powerful new success habit in 21 days is your goal.  Have fun!

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Hello there you wonderful, self-disciplined people!

We made it – if you are reading this and you have been following the activities for the past 21 days…

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !!! - I sure wish I could BOLD and use HUGE font and the whole works!

[as it turns out, here on my blog I CAN!!]

Congratulations on completing this series, for starting and finishing something and for having sufficient commitment to your best life to actually DO something about creating it. That’s rare you know. You have something to celebrate today!!

Before the actual celebration [:-)] I’d like you to consider and do  a few things:

1)  Touch base with accountability partners and say thank-you…

2)  Oh! #1 should be: DO YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES, as usual. Today is NOT the last day of doing these things…remember you were doing them to create a habit.

By now the habit is probably formed [depending on your output] so it’s vital to keep the behaviors going [in the frequency you desire] in order to maintain the new or improved success habit.

3)  Visit the event wall and share your insights, challenges and suggestions…we will all benefit so very much from this group sharing.

Yesterday I asked you to consider your patterns and triggers…

Today, consider this approach….You are the writer and star of your life story – which means YOU get to decide which actions, which emotions, which thoughts to have. People get confused about this…many of us when pressed would suggest that our feelings and thoughts are in charge, even more, that they ARE WHO we are.

*as my head shakes* Not at all…that is not the case. My essence, my identity, my presence in this world amounts to so much more than my transient feelings and my fleeting thoughts. Granted they do represent much of who I think I am, but they’re not the whole or the real sum of me.

And you know what? THANK GOD I’m not just my thoughts and emotions – because some of those have been so very limiting and even negative over the years.

I’m so grateful that we are all made of something more – an essence, a life force, a consciousness, an energy that transcends memory-based, pain-driven thoughts and feelings.

So as the writer and featured ’star’ of your life, be sure to write your own script and not adopt another person’s view of your best life.

Be sure to edit appropriately and cut those sections that no longer serve your highest and best vision of you. Memories are based in the past and when they no longer serve a positive purpose should be used for their lessons, adjusted and re-framed. Same with negative feelings.

Be sure to highlight and feature those strengths and behaviors and relationships that actually bring value to the world.

Be sure to leave room in your life script for people, events, relationships and happenings you have no control over…write them in, leave space for them – this is where life gets lived. And sometimes it can get very sticky as you loose control of the script. People will say and do whatever they choose BUT YOUR reactions are completely UP TO YOU. That’s the only part you get to write, your thoughts, your emotions, your behaviors, your choices.

Your self-discipline is completely within your control.

Looking forward:

Tomorrow and Friday are dedicated the LEARNING…We started this series with 2 days of Planning, then spent 21 days taking ACTION, and now we will spend 2 days reviewing and learning. [that's the PAL approach in action]

So I’ll be in touch with some suggested activities.

Have a truly magnificent day you wonderful and courageous people – takes a lot of courage to honestly look at ourselves and then take action to create our vision.

Take good care,
Julette Millien
♥~

When I’m asked why I’ve been celibate for more than three years I’d like to reply that tis ‘cause I’m not into people, but that basically invites asssumptions of bestiality or tuber abuse. What I really mean is that almost all humans are weak and boring, to be blunt. Sure, I’m still a man and boobs are great, but they almost always come at a cost that just makes bad business sense.
What would (eventually) (hopefully) wet my whistle is a bona fide Nietzschean Übermensch – preferably both buxom and sans boner.

‘What a right wanker,’ you might say, and you’d be accurate in at least one way. In another you’d be a judgmental prick though, as my stance could be a biological impulse, an ideal of enlightened self interest, or both. That’s right, I bet deez nuts are both base and benevolent, and while my baby batter cannot be bought or bargained, that doesn’t make me averse to decorating the interior of the right rumpus room/s – although reproduction is most likely out of the question. There’s far too many of us already and my bloodline has a few bugs. But before I digress too far, let us get back to being balls deep…

Sex with somebody changes everything irrevocably, codependence went out of fashion last millennium and comfort is our frenemy. While crushing pussy sure can be fun, too often I’ve seen a root sooner or later result in a rut. Neither gender is guiltier than the other, for as they say, a bitch is a bitch.
Too many expect too much already, and humping heralds the imminent arrival of further expectations. But before you girls get all Germaine Greer on my ass, this isn’t an issue of commitment, rather one of risk vs. reward: temporary pleasure is not worth the potential pain.

‘Meaningless’ sex could be considered worthwhile if it didn’t come with consequence/s, but humans are by nature erratic and emotional animals. In simpler terms, what has been fucked cannot be unfucked, and truly letting go is a lesson most still have to learn.

..Which leads us back to the idea of the irresistible Übermensch. For those who haven’t spoken to Zarathustra, such superwenches would live to perceive, strew golden words yet perform still more than their promise, and be free both in spirit and heart.
While this might seem like a recipe for Captain Planet, think about it and be honest – with a pair of chest puppies and a makeover you’d totally hit that tight blue body too.

Without truth we lose, freedom is the best thing in the world, and integrity gets me wet. Subsequently, there’s nothing sexier than a hot girl who also happens to be honest, honourable, curious, open, and not secretly plotting to peel the skin off my penis* (that’s a metaphor).

Such discerning discipline when it comes to dicking most probably won’t end my drought for a while, but I’m willing to wait. I’m also willing to become a role model unless you’re religious and trying to taint children more than you do already.

I know there’s posthuman poontang out there somewhere – there just has to be. If 100 typewriter wielding monkeys would eventually bash out the works of the Bard, and Sarah Silverman is somehow fucking funny, female and Jewish all at once, anything is possible.

* if you happen to fit this description OR would like to lease a passable penis with low mileage, contact author. Conditions apply.

Hello!

I hope this message finds you in the best of health and state of mind.

We have just one more day of consistent, wonderful action with self-discipline!

For today:
1)   Be SURE to complete your chosen action steps – symbolic, challenging and nay other you added…Do them with as much PASSION and JOY you can muster.

2)  Answer: Were you accountable throughout this process? Did you check in frequently with your partner? Did you give an account to yourself as you ended/started each day? (did you honestly admit your shortfalls to yourself as you renewed your commitment?)

3)  If you answer ‘yes, absolutely’ — that’s AWESOME!! Take a look at question 5b in particular.  But perhaps you had a slip or two? If so, reflect on question #4 as well.

In addition, as you revel in the great feeling of success, think of who can benefit…can you perhaps have a conversation with a teenager today about self-discipline? Or, someone you know who would benefit from your insights?

Perhaps you can have a family meeting about the importance of self-discipline? Find a way to give.

4)  If you answer ‘no’…can you provide, for your own benefit, any explanations about what got in the way? If you don’t understand the ‘whys’ of life, that’s not so bad BUT at least get to the ‘what I can do about it’ aspect of things.

WHAT can you do differently?

WHAT can you learn from what transpired?

WHAT were the recurring distractions?

5)  Repeating that last question – WHAT were the recurring distractions…consider both sides of that question.  First, what got in the way of you taking daily actions, being accountable, being honest, being consistent?

5b) Then, as important to understand is WHAT happened on those days that things went well? On the days when you took action, was accountable and so forth, WHAT was going on? You might need to back up…and take a look at what took place, or what actions you took the night before or earlier in the week.

The point here is to understand what you can learn from your patterns and experiences.  What’s working, KNOW it’s working and continue those actions. What’s NOT working, get to know about that and decide exactly what you can do to stop those actions/feelings/thoughts/associations/decisions/etc.

If we take a close look at the process of self-discipline, we’ll find a personal pattern. We’ll see what our triggers are. We’ll see how an occurrence today can impact tomorrow.

Self-discipline comes from your optimistic, confident, focused, enthusiastic, committed self.

A lack of self-discipline and even just the slightest tendency towards reduced self-discipline comes from an attitude of pessimism, less confidence, a lack of focus and less commitment.

We ALL have these tendencies.  Being human, we all have the ability to go in these opposite directions. Our challenge is to understand what pulls us where and to learn how to direct our self on this path of life.

So today I suggest you reflect, write and observe.

What are your patterns? What are your triggers?

And What can you do to craft the behaviors, emotions, mindset and life-style of your choosing?

Don’t get too heavy with this – still manage to have fun along the way. “heavy” will make things way too serious! And that surely won’t help with taking action. To take action we need to be light.

Have a magnificent day!
Julette Millien
♥~

Well, I’m on my second day of this Lent in Advent commitment.  I must admit I’m not doing too well…this is very humbling…

One of the things I’ve committed to do is two nice things every day.  Yesterday we were home all day so the only ones I could do something nice for were my husband and daughter.  We were a busy bunch with household projects and I did the normal homemaker stuff (which should count, since I do it for them), but by the end of the day I realized I should go above and beyond the usual. So…I wrote a note and taped it to the bathroom mirror so both would see it…it said “You two are the greatest and I love you!”.  Ummm, yeah…lame.  I know it was only one thing, but I did it for two people, so I’m thinking that counts as two.  

Today had its moments too.  I began a day fast of ingesting only liquids.  I used to do this regularly (years ago), twas no big deal…not today!  I think I need to ease into this…I know this sounds pathetic, especially as I used to be able abstain for days, but there it is.  My stomach growled painfully quite often and at one point I became light headed.  I drank water (mostly) with  juice, chicken broth and coffee thrown in on the side…still I caved in with a bowl of rice at 5pm…very weak, very weak…One benefit of this fast: as my stomach screamed for mercy I thought of  and prayed for those who go to bed hungry. Ugh, how horrible to go hungry all the time…

I entered contemplative prayer both days:  yesterday was interrupted by incessant phone ringing by our daughter (I guess she needed us to pick up the phone…finally I ditched the prayer time and answered it), but I did come back and complete the time.  Today I kept the commitment too, although the time dragged on–I found myself checking the clock for the 30 minute mark. Oftentimes I felt the gray nothingness of sleep/unconsciousness tugging me…sleep is a different place in the mind than contemplative prayer–how to describe this, I don’t know, just know the difference between the two when I’m ‘there’.  I managed to stay awake, though.

I actually did do something nice today for someone else.  She was carrying a sleeping 5-6 year old boy in her arms while entering Target. I was amazed at how small she was compared to how big he was, yet she somehow managed to carry him, blankie and all. Instead of bustling ahead of her to grab a cart and go, I stepped back and let her go first and then helped her pull out a cart.  She was most grateful as she hoisted her completely unconscious child into the deep part of her shopping cart.  Whew! I actually have a bona fide nice thing that I’ve done this Advent season. 

Inner resistance to all of this is rearing its ugly head…I’m feeling like these are “shoulds”, even though I’ve chosen to do them.  I recently heard that we learn best by doing something instead of just knowing it in our head–that by actually doing it, it changes our brain, it changes us.  I’m praying that that is the case, for this commitment requires action and not just when I feel like it.  Seeing someone in need requires attention and an eye for the other.  Giving sacrificially demands some planning and discipline.  Fasting invites focusing on God and not on bodily discomfort.  Prayer in a chair for 30 minutes means setting aside time and space for solitude and silence, which often takes some doing in this fast paced, noisy world. 

I’m realizing how weak I am with all of this, how, in large part, unnatural it feels.  I’m realizing I cannot do it in my own power…I’ve started praying, asking Him to give the strength and wisdom needed to keep going and to give me direction as to whom to help and how to help…something I should have done earlier, but then again, I’m learning as I go…

So now it’s week three, the final week of the course in self-discipline.  Here’s what you need to do:

Day One - Go to the store and buy your favorite brand of chips or cookies or whatever snack you really like. Go home, open it up and eat one serving size. Leave it on the counter and do not touch it again the rest of the week.

Day Two – Skip breakfast then go into your favorite fast-food place for lunch. Get one small thing to eat and a water and leave.

Day Three – Set your alarm for 3:3o in the morning. Wake up, do two jumping jacks, go back to bed.

Day Four – Bake some cookies. Wrap two in foil for yourself and then give the rest to a neighbor or co-worker.

Day Five –  Go to an all-you-can eat buffet (a cheap one). Fill up your plate just once. Eat it and go.

Also, gather up all your old diet books and donate them to the public library.

Day Six – Do one sit-up a minute for 60 minutes.

Day Seven – You made it, congratulations. Have your favorite meal to celebrate. A lot of books will tell you not to celebrate weight-loss or sticking to a weight-loss plan with food.  That’s because they think you’re too weak to be able to enjoy a nice meal without completely going off the deep-end. But I disagree. You can have a good meal and then go back to whatever your weight-loss plan is as soon as you set down the fork.

Also, if no one else in the house has eaten it in the past week, throw out whatever it is you bought on day one.

There you have it.

See how it builds? In week one you practice doing random things you don’t want to do. In week two you practice doing thing you don’t want to do that may have some emotional weight to them. In week three you practice doing things you don’t want to do that have some relationship to your overall goal. So if your goal is to stop smoking then in week three you’ll spend one day not smoking after you eat (or whenever it is people smoke) or going out drinking and not smoking. Or whatever, I don’t know, I don’t smoke.

What you want to do is to put yourself in the position to fail, and then when in that position, make the choice not to fail.

You might say, “Well sure, I can put myself through these little tests, but that doesn’t mean I’ve developed any self-discipline.” I understand that logic. But here’s the deal, everything is just a series of little tests.  Waking up 20 minutes early to walk a mile every day is a daily test. Getting a single doughnut as opposed to a half-dozen is a test you might deal with once a week. But now you can look back and say, “I can wake up a little early to get in some exercise. Hell, one time I woke up in the middle of the night to do two jumping jacks.” Or, “I don’t have to eat everything they have at this superbowl party. One time I went to an all-you-can-eat buffet and just had one plate of food.”

I know the argument will be, “Why practice eating one doughnut? Why have one serving of the snack-food you know you shouldn’t have any of. Why not just practice not going to the doughnut joint or buying any junk food.” Because, I don’t want you to be scared of food. I want you to have mastery over it. Even if it’s a complete struggle for you, you can still master the impulse.

I may have used this analogy before — and whether I have or haven’t I know I’ve thought about it before which is pretty disturbing. If I have to have a pedophile living next door to me, I want the one who has dealt with the impulses and is now able to be around children without acting out on those impulses. I don’t want the guy who has locked himself away so that he doesn’t see any kids and that’s what keeps him from acting out. That guy is weak. And as soon as it happens that he has cracked the door open to get the newspaper at the exact moment my son is walking by, then POOF, there goes Junior’s pants.

Self-discipline is about having the impulses but not acting on them (or, in the case of exercise, not having the impulse but doing it anyway). I want you to be able to walk into Taco Bell and just come out with one or two things. I don’t want you hiding from high calorie food and subsisting on just lettuce and puffed rice and one day when you pass a Taco Bell you end up raping a burrito. Got it?

Well, I will find no greater summary than that last statement. I hope my attempt to codify the manner in which I kind of organically improved my own self-discipline will help others or give them something to think about. If you have any questions, send me an email.

Why Hypnosis Can Change Your Life For The Better
Believe the hype or think for yourself
For too long hypnosis has had ‘difficult’ press. If a person doesn’t understand something they have 3 options open to them.
1) They might be sceptical and therefore save the trouble of looking further and possibly benefiting. 2) They may conclude it is dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. 3) They may spend time discovering the truth behind the hype.
If you don’t know much about a topic it’s easy to be suspicious. Some people assume hypnosis is akin to a carnival side show, others consider it mystic mumbo jumbo or ‘mind control.’ For those who look beyond the hype the truth is far more illuminating.
The most powerful tool you possess
There are potentially huge benefits for those who use hypnosis as part of everyday life. When you understand hypnosis you start to see its potential to improve human performance in the physical, emotional and intellectual realms. For me, rumour, gossip and suspicion weren’t good enough.
I determined to learn all I could about hypnosis – I learned every fact and practised every technique under the sun. I took several training courses – some good, some terrible. I invested thousands of hours of devoted study to hypnosis and discovered just what is possible. I hypnotised friends, neighbours and work colleagues. Hypnosis greatly changed things for me on a personal level
How hypnosis helped me
I used to be shy. Thanks to hypnosis I can now talk to thousands at a time and can approach anybody calmly and confidently.
I used to have poor concentration and procrastinate; thanks to hypnosis I can instantly motivate myself.
I used to find physical work outs and exercise exhausting but because of hypnosis I am now in the best shape of my life.
Incidentally I also stopped myself blushing with hypnosis. Now if ever I have a difficult call or conversation coming up, something I may naturally feel reluctant to do (you know the kind of thing) I spontaneously self hypnotise and rehearse the upcoming situation feeling good, with myself remaining calm. In this way I habitually set my own emotional ‘blue prints’ for up coming situations. Having said that it’s naturally that some people have concerns or half digested ‘hand me down’ ideas regarding hypnosis. A common one is the one about ‘mind control.’ However what does this really mean?
Why you are more in control of yourself in hypnosis
If someone expresses concerns about being ‘controlled’ in hypnosis what they mean is they don’t want to be like a robot, an automaton that is forced to obey the every whim of the hypnotist. We can’t help but influence others but we don’t control them. To understand why you need to understand hypnosis better.
So what is hypnosis like?
Hypnosis isn’t like a coma. It’s not unconsciousness – more a subtle shifting of consciousness. In hypnosis, you can still think logically but you also have access to the ’software’ of your mind so that you can update instinctive emotional and physical responses. In fact the hypnotised subject (not the hypnotist) calls the shots. When I hypnotise someone I need to go at their speed and respond to their needs and expectations. Hypnosis will give you more control in your own life because of what it enables you to do.
How can I be so sure?
Because over the decades I’ve seen all kinds of people, all ages and from all backgrounds turn their lives around thanks to hypnosis. When you use hypnosis for yourself it improves confidence in all kinds of ways. When you use it to change other’s lives it just blows you away. This is what I mean.
When I first hypnotised someone to feel no sensation in a painful arthritic arm it was an incredible feeling. When I first cured life long phobias quickly and comfortably I was astounded. When I stopped hardened alcoholics from drinking and even got a heroin addict off the stuff and back into mainstream life again I started to feel angry that people could just associate hypnosis with entertainment.
With the aid of hypnosis I (and many people I have trained and worked with) have helped severely depressed people feel strong and positive again. The rewards and satisfactions are hard to describe. I’m going to take a stand against ignorance and short sightedness around hypnosis and here’s why.
Why you need to reclaim hypnosis for yourself
Hypnosis is your birthright. It’s nature’s optimum learning tool. In fact to learn and perform anything well you need to experience a natural focussing of attention, a natural kind of hypnosis. To be successful hypnosis needs to be your companion and friend.
Successful people use it naturally all the time because hypnosis is natural. It’s the way we learn new responses. Unlike medications its side effects are purely positive – one expectant mother I worked with to feel relaxed during child birth later reported that she was also more relaxed when flying!
Hypnosis is easy to learn and every body can benefit. Hypnosis is a safe environment to ‘try out’ new behaviours and emotional patterns before you experience them for real. So the young man can ask a woman out for a date many times in calm relaxed hypnosis so that by the time he does it for real it feels real and natural and relaxed. Sports people who use hypnosis learn new quicker and more accurately. So hypnosis gives you more control of yourself and your life, it’s natural and gives you instant benefits and it’s a way of ‘trying on’ and establishing new patterns of emotional response and behaviour, Hypnosis enables you to develop yourself as a human being.
HypnosisDownloads.com offer a free course called ‘Learn Hypnosis in 5 Days’.
Article by Mark Tyrrell of Hypnosis Downloads.com.
Struggling to get blog traffic? Click here

Hello!

Today is day 18 of our 21-day self discipline program, the first part of our 75-day journey together! Can you believe how fast the days are flying by? Seems like we were just on day 1!

So…here’s what I suggest you do today:

1) Be clear on what the source of your life, your power, your joy, your peace is…

2) Do whatever you do to connect. How do you plug into the source of your power? What are your activities for connection?

3) Write in your journal – “What are trying to accomplish with your increased self-discipline that will benefit others?

4) Do your daily activities as usual.

5) Say hello to your accountability partner…just because.

Wishing you an abundance of love, peace, joy and love,

Julette Millien

♥~

To reach me on FaceBook

The suggestion for today was to try and save water and electricity by remembering to turn off the light switch, a power point, a tap, etc. Because we forget these things the book suggests making stickers to place next to a light switch for example.

This is a somewhat simple solution to a possibly costly memory issue, in that forgetting to flick a switch/turn off a tap costs money by way of the bill, as well as costing more in terms of environmental costs.

I have found myself being far more efficient in these areas in the last little while and hardly ever forget to turn off a light when not needed, turn off a tap when brushing teeth, etc. It did however take a lot of self-discipline and I can see how stickers/post-it’s, etc, can be handy for some people.

A response to reading ‘365 Ways to Change the World,’ by Michael Norton

Maybe it’s the same here in Arkansas, but in Maine every seventh grader has to take Maine State History. Under the guidance of Mrs. Pasteur, I learned all kinds of useful and not so useful facts about the State of Maine. Like, Maine has more moose than any other state. Maine has over 2,000 islands. And, one of my favorites, Maine produces 99% of all blueberries in the country.

Another interesting fact about the great state of Maine is the discovery of the Maine Penny. It’s also called the Goddard coin, but we Mainers like the title Maine Penny best. It’s a Norwegian silver penny dating back to the 11th century. And it is the only Viking artifact generally believed as genuinely found in the US. It pretty much proves that the Vikings discovered Maine over 1000 years ago.

In the world of archeology, the Maine Penny is know as an OOP Art. Which means it’s an out-of-place-artifact. Because it is the only one of its kind found someplace no one would expect.

And that’s kind of like the last fruit of the Spirit we encounter in Paul’s list from Galatians. Self-control seems like an out-of-place fruit. I say that because it doesn’t share the two main characteristics we’ve encountered in the other eight fruit. The first eight fruit all pointed outward. They’re about laying down the self in order to pick up a more Christ-like life. But now, we seem to be focused on the self. And maybe more important, the first eight fruit were all characteristics we see and know in God. They flow from God into us through the Holy Spirit. Scripture never talks about self-control as part of God’s character. So, you’ve got to ask: What is up with this seemingly out-of-place fruit?

The ancient Greeks believed that self-control was the foundational virtue. The great philosopher Plato believed that our animal urges had to be governed or else they would produce “a feverish state in the soul [like] a city of pigs.” Basically, without self-control our life is a pigsty. And that’s probably a lot like our understanding of self-control today. It’s the idea that we have the power to change ourselves. That somehow if we just work hard enough or long enough, then we can be better. It’s the great self-help theory of the ages.

While this concept was well-known to Paul, it isn’t what he has in mind when he lists self-control as the last fruit of the Spirit. There is no self-help theory in the Bible. The whole point is that we can’t do it on our own. Paul talks about our dilemma in Romans: Read Romans 7:18

Paul is telling us that our common understanding of self-control is impossible.  Sin is way too powerful. It corrupts everything and everyone. There is nothing we can do to help ourselves against the power of sin. Self-control is not self-help.

Paul’s understanding of self-control is best seen in today’s passage. Paul is talking about his own ministry and how the life of faith is like being a good athlete. He argues that athletes exercise self-control because they’re focused and have a purpose. They can’t afford to get distracted by every passion or desire that comes along. In the same way, Christians need to stay focused on a relationship with Jesus Christ and our God-given purpose to love others, which takes self-discipline. All of this is a gift of the Spirit. It’s what Paul neatly wraps up as “self-control.” But, I think it’s better to think of it as Christ-control.

Let’s look a little closer at how Paul develops this idea of Christ-control. Paul asks: Read 1 Corinthians 9:24

In order to be victorious in the life of faith, we need Christ-control. Good Christians aren’t softies, according to Paul they are highly disciplined athletes. And to avoid the accusation that he’s nothing more than an armchair athlete, Paul assures the Corinthians that he practices what he preaches: Read 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Paul’s committed to a life of focused, purpose-driven, deliberate self-discipline. In short, he’s committed to a life ruled by Christ-control. Let’s look at these three principles that make up Christ-Control.

We are focused. We are focused on a relationship with Jesus Christ. That means we don’t let all the stuff in our lives get in the way of knowing and growing in Christ. Do you remember the Rich Young Ruler who couldn’t give up his wealth to follow Christ? He was more focused on his stuff than a relationship with Jesus. We can be like that too. We all need to filter out those things that keep us from making God the priority in our lives. The life of faith takes focus.

We are purpose-driven. This series began by exploring the fruit of love as the foundation for all the other fruit of the Spirit. We learned how Jesus gave us the Prime Directive to love others. That is our purpose. Sure, it takes hard work. But if we are purpose-driven then each day we will choose to love others and keep loving no matter how hard things get. Purpose-driven Christians make the commitment to love even when you don’t feel like it. We love the same way God loves us. That’s our purpose and when we are living our purpose day by day then we get better at it bit by bit.

We are self-disciplined. We are determined to live by the Spirit instead of slaves to sin. Throughout this series we’ve explored what it means to live by the Spirit. To love others. To live joyously no matter what happens in life. To be a peace with ourselves because we’re created by God. To cultivate patience by taking a little time to rest. To pay it forward with kindness. To be good by living into our purpose. To be faithful promise keepers. To find power in humility. All of these fruits take self-discipline. Let’s face it: It’s a whole lot easier to give into sinful urges. But these pleasures are short-lived. Disciplined Christians know we’re in it for the long run. And to live the life God intended takes self-discipline. To seek after those things of the Spirit rather than sin.

Paul’s last fruit of the Spirit seems out of place because it’s name is misleading. But, if we dare to rename it “Christ-control” then we can see how it fits into this esteemed list of characters of the Christian life. Christ-control isn’t something we do, but rather something God does in us through the Holy Spirit. It comes from letting Jesus Christ have control over our whole lives so that we’re focused, purpose-driven, and self-disciplined.

The question you have to ask yourself is: Who has control of your life right now?  As we close this message and this entire sermon series, I invite you come to know or recommit to Jesus Christ, and let him have control of your life – your public world and your private world.  Choose this day to abide in him.  Stay connected to him.

And the result, over time, will be the fruit of Christ-like character:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Let me pray for us…

An important step in making this life change  is righting my wrongs, completing a really bad period in my life, allowing me to move on to a fresh and self-empowered era. However, it was really hard for me to start this process because I not only had to admit that I did something wrong but I had to open myself up to the possibility of rejection and allow myself to be vulnerable. New experiences for me.

To my amazement, Patrick’s parents, cousin, aunt and brother, one by one, accepted my apologies for hurting their beloved and expressed their belief and support in my ability to change. Our friends were forgiving and understanding and being open and honest about everything has ALREADY expanded and enriched my relationships. Every day I feel more and more connected to my authentic self as well as to all of these incredible people that we have in our lives.

I have worked my way down to four people that I NEED to apologize to for my behavior and how it may have directly and/or indirectly affected their lives: one of Pat’s brothers, a little “French girl”, and my first married friends. I am going to write the brother an email (only because he is out of the country) tomorrow. I am going to send a letter and a little birthday surprise to mon bon ami by Saturday at the latest. Lastly, I am going to accept a friend’s invitation to get to know each other better. These are simply the first steps. I commit to fully expressing my love for my friends and family always.

Coach Bob Starkey, LSU Associate Head women's basketball coach

The following is from Coach Bob Starkey’s blog: http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com. He shared Brian Tracy’s thoughts on discipline and persistence and I share them with YOU! I have already mentioned how great Coach Starkey’s blog is (more info on ALL his blogs below)…so read and apply to your life:

Many thanks to Coach Starkey!

Persistence is Self-Discipline in Action
Perhaps the greatest display of self-discipline is persisting when the going gets tough. Persistence is self-discipline in action. Persistence is the great measure of individual human character. Your persistence is, in fact, the true measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed. Each time that you persist in the face of adversity and disappointment, you build the habit of persistence. You build pride, power, and self-esteem in your character and your personality. You become stronger and more resolute. By persisting, you become more self-disciplined. You develop within yourself the iron quality of success, the one quality that will carry you forward and over any obstacle that life can throw in your path.

Get Going and Keep Going
Orison Swett Marden wrote in his book, “There are two essential requirements for success. The first is ‘go-at-it-iveness’ and the second is ’stick-to-it-iveness’” Referring to the quality of persistence he wrote, “There is no failure for the man who realizes his power, who never knows when he is beaten; there is no failure for the determined endeavor, the conquerable will. There is no failure for the man who gets up every time he falls, who rebounds like a rubber ball, who persists when everyone else gives up, who pushes on when everyone else turns back.”

Persistence is Your Greatest Asset
Perhaps your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay at a task longer than anyone else. B.C. Forbes, who founded Forbes magazine and built it into a major publication during the darkest days of the Depression, wrote, “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”

Adversity is What Tests Us
Throughout history, great thinkers have reflected on this paradox and have concluded that adversity is the test that you must pass on the path to accomplishing anything worthwhile. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.” The very best qualities of strength, courage, character, and persistence are brought out in you when you face your greatest challenges and when you respond to them positively and constructively.

For more from Brian Tracy visit:

http://briantracy.com

http://briantracy.com/blog

Hey Everybody!

I hope you’re all well and wonderful. If not, hold on tight as this too shall pass.

Yesterday I suggested you connect with your source.

Today I suggest you examine your daily routine and assess your schedule and priorities.  Is connecting and communing with your source something you have space and time for?

Do you make time daily to get yourself focused and re-energized?

What we do daily are our habits and excellence is all about habit and conscious effort to excel.

So, how are you crafting the best possible you?

Are you leaving this vital job up to chance?

To get the best out of life, you have to consciously put the best into it. We must sow that which we hope to reap.

To get to the best of your magnificent self, to keep yourself at your highest and best, to remain motivated and energized, to maintain your self-discipline at a “10″ you MUST have a specific and customized daily plan that gets executed DAILY and specifically.

While it’s nice to connect with our source regularly what is necessary for consistent excellence is constant connection.

This is only possible with daily deliberate activity.

Determine today what your connection activities will be – if you don’t already have a series of things you do to maintain your connection to your source of power.

A commitment to these daily activities is essential if you hope to remain empowered and motivated. There is SO much negativity around us, we have to do our best to remain on our chosen path.

As you attempt to mold the best you possible…creating a habit of self-discipline… all kinds of obstacles pop up [some even internal] and having the strength to stay the course is only possible if you are connected to your source.

An additional benefit to doing a few things every day is the additional SELF-DISCIPLINE you create…this self-discipline spills into every area of your life.

Again, how are you crafting the best possible you? Is it just a goal you have with few supporting activities?

• Decide what to put into your mind and heart before bed and as you rise.

• Decide how to start your day, understanding that how you start is often how it goes…

• Decide and commit to the those daily activities designed to connect you to your source.

• Decide how others well benefit from your excellence.

Have fun with these reflections and decisions.

Wishing you an abundance of peace, light and love,
Julette Millien
♥~

P.S. I’ll post what I do daily at the event wall, and I encourage you to share with us. We will all be so blessed by it. ♥~

For the participants of the 75 Days of Action Challenge…a little story with a big lesson, a holiday wish and some encouragement. ♥~

For my family– ALL of you — nucleus, extended, spiritual, online, I wish you an abundance of love, peace, joy, health and prosperity. Now and always.

Thank you all for adding your special blessings and challenges to my life.

My request and wish for each of us…that we be guided by our faith, by our highest and best aspirations and not by our little feelings in any one moment…that we reach our true promise in life.

God knows, if I went with my feelings, this video…well, let me say no more!

Wishing you an abundance of joy, peace and prosperity,

Julette Millien

♥~

The following message was sent to the participants of the  75 Days of Action Challenge on Facebook.

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Hi there – late, I know.

It’s been such a wonderful day of giving…this time of year is particularly wonderful. Wouldn’t it be great to be thankful all through the year though? (Thanksgiving here in the US on Thursday)

…Anyway… by the nature of the responses to yesterday’s message, I am suggesting we linger here for awhile. It seemed to strike a nerve of some sort, for some.

So for today:

1)   Please consider and reflect upon Day 12’s message.
2)   Do your daily activities…as usual.
3)   Spend 5 minutes alone, be still and breathe deeply (using diaphragm) five times. Here’s a helpful article on proper breathing at ehow.com ►http://bit.ly/4mHVSh

Celebrate your unique and magnificent self!

And, as one of our members – Marguerite Orane – would say…laugh, just laugh! A lot!

That combined with some good breathing will do wonders for your heart, health and happiness.

Be well!
Julette Millien
♥~

The following message was sent to the participants of the  75 Days of Action Challenge on Facebook.

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WOW!!

The day just slipped away…amazing. I feels like I looked up and 7 hours elapsed.

I’ll be brief as it is so late in the day. We have participants in parts of the world where it’s already tomorrow!

We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow…for today please think about areas of your life where you might be displaying addictive behavior.

On a self-discipline scale of 1 thru 10, addictive behavior would be near a zero right? When we’re addicted we exercise no control and we seek a thing or activity with laser focus.

It seems then, useful to consider what aspects of your personality or character might have elements of addictive behaviors.

There are gray areas in addiction. Some people are quite capable of masking and concealing. But it makes no sense to go after self-control in one aspect of your life if you are not honest with what’s going on in other areas.

The fact is, try as we do, we are not compartmentalized. We are all one person. And what is done in one area spills into another.

So for today:

1)  Do a self-assessment – overall, where are you on a scale of 1 – 10 in the area of self-discipline? Compare to your earlier assessment.

2)  Reflect on all areas of your life - home, work, school, community, relationships, are there addictive behaviors to be accountable for?

3)  Before you say no, consider all the food types (sugars, carbs, etc) or other substances you must have to get through your day. Consider activities that are wrapped up in your self-image that you feel compelled to engage in. Consider your patterns – falling asleep, eating, working…that you depend upon, yet they add nothing of value to your life. They actually take away from your sense of peace and joy…ultimately. Some patterns are overtly negative, those are easy to uncover. Some, not so easy.

Think of anything that you do that feels like a strong NEED, a compelling pull on your emotions…and like the ant and the elephant (Day 9’s message) try to see what is beneath the need. Peel the onion back to reveal truth.

OK — talk to you soon…Have a wonderful day/evening!

Light & Love,
Julette
♥~

P.S. Be sure to stay in action. If you slipped, just get back on the path. If you’ve been stellar, challenge yourself further. No complacency allowed! We only build muscle with weight/resistance.

P.P.S ALL PREVIOUS MESSAGES are POSTED HERE►►► http://bit.ly/3QyXKX

The following message was sent to the participants of the  75 Days of Action Challenge on Facebook.

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re doing well and enjoying your self immensely!

Let me just apologize to all of you who have reached out personally – well first,thank you for your kind comments, gratitude and questions. The apology is due because my responses have been slow due to the quantity of inquiries. I appreciate each message and will personally respond as soon as possible.

For today… Oh – first let me share what Nina said on the event wall… one of my most favorite quotes…

Nina Curtis (Los Angeles, CA) wrote
at 9:53am yesterday
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.~Aristotle.

Let our self discipline create our habits and our habits create our Excellence… Wishing everyone an ‘Excellent’ day!
In Light,
Nina
—————————————————————————————

What are you repeatedly doing? If you are doing those activities – symbolic and challenging ones – on a daily basis those are the habits you are creating and the source of your excellence.

If you are inconsistent,THAT is the habit you are creating or reinforcing. Inconsistency.

What ever it is you do on a regular, daily basis, there you will find your habits.

For today…

1) Ponder the above

2) Consider the past 8 days of self-discipline and ask yourself: “What have I done with the space created in my life?” What space you ask?

Well, as you do things in their right order, first things first (a spiritual principle I honor) your life will naturally become more ordered and organized. Being self-disciplined brings order to your day, even if in just one area of your life at first. Self-disciplined people become more organized and begin to take more ordered actions.

Space will be created in your day, in your physical space, in your mind, in your emotions…and my question to you is this – “what have you done with that increased space?”

Have you created more ideas, products, conversations, internal peace, needed “confrontations,” money, joy, time, clearance of clutter, associations, etc, etc?

And with those creations, what have you done? Are you using what you are gaining to move yourself closer to your bigger and bolder goals? Are you helping others?

Remember — our goal with this program is to empower ourselves so we can impact the world.

3) How will you use your increased self-discipline to improve and impact the world? [in this question, "the world" is all that is outside of you]

4) Continue with daily actions…no skipping of days. If you have skipped a day, it’s important to start over at day 1 and go for 21 DAYS consistently.

This is IF you’re trying to create a new habit, the foundation of your excellence.

5) Write in your journal about questions 1,2,3…

Have a fun and exciting day!

Wishing you ABUNDANT success,

Julette Millien

♥~

First messages are posted here ► Nov 9 – Nov 13 ► 5 messages

Day 3 Message here ► Nov 14th ►Top Ten Self-Discipline Habits to Create
Day 5 Message here ► Nov 16th ►Day 5, Still Motivated?

Day 6 Message here ►Nov 17th ►Day 6 of Self-Discipline!

Day 7 Message here ►Nov 18th ►Day 7 of Self-Discipline.