1. Don't spend more than you have to spend. Remember the stories about the good old days when people made gifts or bought in bulk? Well, for many Americans, due to job loss, shrinking credit card limits and overall financial uneasiness, welcome to the good old days of NEW. Check out those glorious fixer-uppers-remake trash and turn it into treasure, like on the chic treasure television shows! Get out your craft baskets, glue guns, saws, hammers, and/or paint, or whatever it takes to create or decorate. Shop in bulk and be creative about saving money!
2. Instead of wishing for a personal financial bail-out, create a backup plan instead. In an economy where everything is not certain, you can be certain about one thing: Everything is not certain. Instead of sitting around thinking "it could happen to me, couldn't it?" get ready for any type of sudden economic crisis. Many financial analysts recommend that you should have at least enough savings to be able to pay your bills at your current rate for at least 3 months. If you have this already, it does no harm to attempt a 6 month term. Your cash flow challenges will not likely change right away with all of your debts forgiven. You will probably be fully responsible for them. So stop whining and start planning. I mean that with all the love in my heart, really I do.
3. Even if it hurts, think about the future. Take a long look at your current financial situations and think about savings, disability, even death. Some people still believe that having a diversified investment portfolio can withstand a poor downturn in the market, yes even another one. At all costs, start to build wealth, even one penny at a time!
4. Seek new solutions to old problems. Create a new Cash Flow and Change your Spending Habits! The jeopardy question of the day is: what do you do if you don't have enough money? The wrong answers are: create more debt by taking out loans (yes, I am also talking to Wall Street) and overspending. Here are the right answers: CREATE A NEW CASH FLOW! ADD TO IT by getting a part time job, being a consultant, or working a few hours during the holidays...Try to increase your cash flow AND change your spending habits.
STRATEGY:
Start off keeping a daily cash journal like the one I will offer shortly at http://asklynnjohnson.com. In the meantime, call Pebbles and order a Motivational Success Journal for $14.95 plus tax. Save gas and put it on your credit card and we'll ship it ($1.50 shipping). Keep track of your life, finances, and dreams. Take control over your life, don't merely react to it! Try to do it for at least 2-3 months. Once you live consciously, all areas of your life will improve even your money! You will save money, cut down on stress which will improve your relationships, and perhaps even find a new passion that leads to fulfillment. If you can start making smarter decisions about your finances, you can also make better decisions about your life! And if you are saving so much money that you want to just pass it out, remember all the free advice I gave you and pass it on! Give some money to charities.
Prosper!
Coach Lynn
Saturday, May 29, 2010
LET'S GET MOTIVATED!
CHANGE HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO MORE THAN BELIEVE IN IT!!!!!!
Do you really have Hope? Prove it.
We have all heard many time: CHANGE!!!!!! But are you really ready to change? It's not that simple. Change often means that you will have to let go, move on, explore unchartered territories or abandon familiar mindsets.
In order to change your life, you need to stop compartmentalizing your life. In other words, you are more than what you do for a living. You are more than your past, or how much money you have, who your family is or was, the tragedies or triumphs in your life. You are more than where you live or don't live, and the education you have or don't have. You are the sum total of things seen and those not yet seen. Your life is representative of the conscious choices you make and those you think you don't have.
If you really want to utter the word change, look at your life for what it truly is-not what you want your life to be, what your life was yesterday, but right now, with all of its complexities. Decide that your most important resource is y-o-u. If you are not in good health, your life is severely impacted. If your spirit is empty, you are a canyon of unrealized intentions. if you live without heart, life will swallow your dreams and they will be lost like they were sucked into a black hole.
Take the time right now to pick up the telephone. Call and book those appointments to start taking stock of your health, finances, and relationships. Take the time right now to do the things you would have done had you found out 15 minutes ago that you would die at the end of this day.
Prosper!
Coach Lynn
Friday, May 7, 2010
From Charlotte--Devoted Listener of the Coach Lynn Show
A sister friend sent this to me and I am passing this along to my sister friends of all religious and ethnic persuasions out here on the front lines. Religious orientation aside, I found the message uplifting and comforting. I'm not trying to convert anybody to anything. :)--Charlotte
The Dailyness
Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Proberbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress--attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream-you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, The thing is to rely on God...Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done.
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we are tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Would You meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace?
Prosper!
The Dailyness
Ariel Allison Lawhon, She Reads Co-Director
Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Proberbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress--attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream-you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, The thing is to rely on God...Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done.
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we are tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Would You meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace?
Prosper!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How to Love a Trauma Survivor
Many times, when we enter into relationships, we don't just enter into relationships with the person that we meet. You see, we also enter into a relationship with their families and upbringing, their past teachers, the people they were in past relationships with, their culture...the list goes on. The reason I say that is past experiences and relationships often come on into the room with a person and though you cannot see that they are there, they are there through how that person reacts, sees the world, their perspective, and their outlook on life and relationships. I said all of that to Eric to say that first of all, when you encounter a person that you want to date, get close to, marry, first think about your own perception. Examine your own intentions for that relationship BEFORE you try to examine theirs.
1. What do you want out of the relationship and do you recognize that extenuating circumstances--like significant past trauma means significant consideration on your part. I am in no way trying to get you to walk away from the start of what mean the legendary status for you as far as relationships go...BUT, you will need to be kind, diligent, considerate, patient and clear. A person with past trauma has a hard time trusting. A person who has been victimized through rape or abuse will need you to be monogamous, trustworthy, and mostly communicative about what you want from the relationship while allowing that other person to tell you what he or she wants you to do and NOT do. You see something as simple as sexual positions can elicit emotional pain or flashbacks for a person who has been victimized.
2. CAN YOU BE TRUSTED? Do not enter into a relationship with a person who has been sexually traumatized for the thrill of opening him or her up and being the person who unlocks the person. You see, there is an old statement that even doctors use as a creed and Buddhists use it as a mantra: DO NO HARM. When you enter into a relationship with a person trying to overcome trauma, get to know that person first so that you will have a good idea about what you could potentially do that will do harm to their well being. It is not an exercise in dating, it can create significant trauma to a person who has already been traumatized. Be a good person and don't take it lightly.
3. Be educated about their situation. One thing that anyone can do who is getting close to a person who has lived through trauma is to go back and learn about that trauma. Read about it. Google it. Why take this extra added step? Different significant traumas elicit different reactions. For example, an ex soldier may suffer from Post Traumatic stress disorder and will not like to go under tunnels or sit with his or her back to a window and find firework displays as a point of utter terror. A battered woman may feel completely victimized by a man who wants to control everything and flirts with other women when they are out with him. Likewise, a person who has been through sexual slavery and trafficking may never want to be put in provocative situations ever again or dress that way either. They may want to downplay their sexuality. A part of loving a person is understanding what LOVE means to them. If you can love them the way they want to be loved, and it agrees with the way you to love, your relationship can open you up to receive and give profound love like you have never know.
4. Take your time. Do not rush from date to sex. Unfortunately there are health aspects to engaging in sexual activity with anyone. However, there are also health related issues that may spring up from having sexual relations with a person who was forced to have relations with the kind of person who would cause them to be a sexual victim in the first place. You don't need to make this an issue it will certainly not empower them. However, be wise. Get tested together and know your and their HIV status. Also, use protection.
Being patient and kind in any relationship are hallmark features. It not only allows a relationship to grow, but also trust and the feelings that make natural affection and intimacy possible. Take your time and remember that whoever you fall in love with brings their baggage into a relationship and whether you know it or not, you bring yours also. There are no perfect people but with open calm affirmation honest communication, you can still have a perfect relationship that is healthy and perfect for you. Good Luck. Please write me about whatever you need tips on. I am here to motivate you to have a good, happy, healthy, balanced, well-rounded, successful life!
Prosper!
1. What do you want out of the relationship and do you recognize that extenuating circumstances--like significant past trauma means significant consideration on your part. I am in no way trying to get you to walk away from the start of what mean the legendary status for you as far as relationships go...BUT, you will need to be kind, diligent, considerate, patient and clear. A person with past trauma has a hard time trusting. A person who has been victimized through rape or abuse will need you to be monogamous, trustworthy, and mostly communicative about what you want from the relationship while allowing that other person to tell you what he or she wants you to do and NOT do. You see something as simple as sexual positions can elicit emotional pain or flashbacks for a person who has been victimized.
2. CAN YOU BE TRUSTED? Do not enter into a relationship with a person who has been sexually traumatized for the thrill of opening him or her up and being the person who unlocks the person. You see, there is an old statement that even doctors use as a creed and Buddhists use it as a mantra: DO NO HARM. When you enter into a relationship with a person trying to overcome trauma, get to know that person first so that you will have a good idea about what you could potentially do that will do harm to their well being. It is not an exercise in dating, it can create significant trauma to a person who has already been traumatized. Be a good person and don't take it lightly.
3. Be educated about their situation. One thing that anyone can do who is getting close to a person who has lived through trauma is to go back and learn about that trauma. Read about it. Google it. Why take this extra added step? Different significant traumas elicit different reactions. For example, an ex soldier may suffer from Post Traumatic stress disorder and will not like to go under tunnels or sit with his or her back to a window and find firework displays as a point of utter terror. A battered woman may feel completely victimized by a man who wants to control everything and flirts with other women when they are out with him. Likewise, a person who has been through sexual slavery and trafficking may never want to be put in provocative situations ever again or dress that way either. They may want to downplay their sexuality. A part of loving a person is understanding what LOVE means to them. If you can love them the way they want to be loved, and it agrees with the way you to love, your relationship can open you up to receive and give profound love like you have never know.
4. Take your time. Do not rush from date to sex. Unfortunately there are health aspects to engaging in sexual activity with anyone. However, there are also health related issues that may spring up from having sexual relations with a person who was forced to have relations with the kind of person who would cause them to be a sexual victim in the first place. You don't need to make this an issue it will certainly not empower them. However, be wise. Get tested together and know your and their HIV status. Also, use protection.
Being patient and kind in any relationship are hallmark features. It not only allows a relationship to grow, but also trust and the feelings that make natural affection and intimacy possible. Take your time and remember that whoever you fall in love with brings their baggage into a relationship and whether you know it or not, you bring yours also. There are no perfect people but with open calm affirmation honest communication, you can still have a perfect relationship that is healthy and perfect for you. Good Luck. Please write me about whatever you need tips on. I am here to motivate you to have a good, happy, healthy, balanced, well-rounded, successful life!
Prosper!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
7 Steps Toward a More Peaceful Mindset
"Yesterday is only a dream and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope."-Sanskrit Text
Here are seven concrete steps that you can take to help you feel more at peace in your life. According to ancient Hindu wisdom, you can constructively take steps to create a better, happier, more fulfilled life.
1. Breath
Your breath is a vital part of your life. Breathing also gives birth to your thoughts. The breath, without which you cannot even exist, is necessary to transform an idea into a living reality. Deep breathing indicates healthy lungs, which in turn manufacture prana, the subtle form of breath or life force, responsible for giving you strength and energy.
2. Thought
Deep, balanced breathing-in which the cycle of inhalation and exhalation is effortless-creates a state of inner calm in which clear, objective thinking can occur. You can become more focused on the immediate issue without losing sight of the greater context.
3. Action
Life can be challenging. However, once you are able to think clearly about a situation or a problem, you will know how to act. You will be able to discriminate between what you want and what you need, between attraction and love, and between what is really good for you and what is not.
4. Character
Habits provide the foundation of your character. Once a series of repeated actions becomes unconscious habit, you realize that you have begun to change your past tendencies.
5. Habit
Repeated appropriate actions create a positive habit. While these actions may require conscious effort at first, over time they become second nature. Practice makes perfect. Practice what you do want not what you don't need to have.
6. Behavior
Your behavior reflects the changes in your character. Others will perceive you as wiser and more loving.
7. Circumstances
With a more positive attitude and behavior, the circumstances of your life will improve. You'll find greater harmony in your work, in your personal relationships, and in your spiritual life.
Here are seven concrete steps that you can take to help you feel more at peace in your life. According to ancient Hindu wisdom, you can constructively take steps to create a better, happier, more fulfilled life.
1. Breath
Your breath is a vital part of your life. Breathing also gives birth to your thoughts. The breath, without which you cannot even exist, is necessary to transform an idea into a living reality. Deep breathing indicates healthy lungs, which in turn manufacture prana, the subtle form of breath or life force, responsible for giving you strength and energy.
2. Thought
Deep, balanced breathing-in which the cycle of inhalation and exhalation is effortless-creates a state of inner calm in which clear, objective thinking can occur. You can become more focused on the immediate issue without losing sight of the greater context.
3. Action
Life can be challenging. However, once you are able to think clearly about a situation or a problem, you will know how to act. You will be able to discriminate between what you want and what you need, between attraction and love, and between what is really good for you and what is not.
4. Character
Habits provide the foundation of your character. Once a series of repeated actions becomes unconscious habit, you realize that you have begun to change your past tendencies.
5. Habit
Repeated appropriate actions create a positive habit. While these actions may require conscious effort at first, over time they become second nature. Practice makes perfect. Practice what you do want not what you don't need to have.
6. Behavior
Your behavior reflects the changes in your character. Others will perceive you as wiser and more loving.
7. Circumstances
With a more positive attitude and behavior, the circumstances of your life will improve. You'll find greater harmony in your work, in your personal relationships, and in your spiritual life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
