Overflow.

At this point, you may have come to one of three conclusions:

1. You're doing exactly what you need to do to get where you want to be. (Good job!)
2. You haven't really been moving in the direction you should be in order to achieve your goals. Or...
3. The goals you had in mind aren't really worth dedicating your entire life towards pursuing.

No matter where you find yourself in life, you can always find a way to get back on track. One of the greatest aspects of life is that no matter how many wrong decisions you make, you always have the option of making your next decision a morally/productively "right" one. If people applied this concept to their eating or exercising habits, we wouldn't hear so many say, "I'll start again on Monday."

Think about this:

If you have a hectic day, and happen to miss a meal, do you quit eating altogether? Imagine missing a meal and telling yourself, "I'm such a bad eater! I quit! I'm never going to eat again! I'm just not good at it!"

That would be pretty ridiculous, wouldn't you agree? Unfortunately, people tend to think this way about things such as abandoning addictions, prayer, exercise, and dieting. 

• "I hadn't smoked in 3 weeks, and now I smoked a cigarette. I'm not good at this quitting thing, forget it, I give up on quitting."
• "I tried really hard to not have sex, but I ended up sleeping with someone... I'll never be able to control myself. Forget trying."
• "I tried working out consistently, but then I missed a workout. And then another one. And another one! I don't have what it takes. Guess I'll try again next year."
• "I tried praying to God every morning, but I forgot to pray today. What's wrong with me? I must not love Him as much as other people at my church. Whatever, He knows my heart."

My point is this; Five successes and one failure is still a success. In the same way, five failures, followed by one success, is still success. No matter what you've done in the past, or what you do today, you still have an opportunity to live a good life. 

And the funny thing is, that's exactly what Jesus Christ said he wanted for your life. A lot of people look at God and Jesus Christ as a buzz-kill. Two supernatural, egotistic, self-centered fun-robbers. With the way the Gospel is incorrectly preached in many churches, I can honestly say I understand your confusion. But the truth is, Jesus himself was quoted saying, 

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life,  and have it in abundance." (John 10:10)

To the full. Till it overflows...

Whether Christian, Buddhist, Agnostic, or Atheist, an abundant life is probably something you crave. We all want enjoyment. Are you surprised that God wants you to have fun and be successful? Yeah, I said it. (The popes of the past are rolling in their graves.)

Today, I want to end with a very open-ended question. Write down as many answers as you'd like.

What brings you enjoyment?

YOLO.

In the last section, we discussed how "Attention influences direction, which determines destination." We pinpointed that the things you pay attention to direct the path you are on, which ultimately decides where you'd end up. I asked you what some of your goals were, and whether you were on the right track to achieve those things.

Reflect on your answers for a moment. (If you didn't participate, think about these things for a moment.)

A middle-aged man decides he wants to compete in a marathon that's two months away. He has all the right reasons for competing; it would be fun, support the research of a certain medical issue in the community, and overall help him improve his personal health. He commits to the event, and sends in his application to compete. Now, you as a reader, choose which two scenarios might lead to a successful marathon experience:

1. He goes shopping for Converse High-Tops, eats McDonalds every day for the next two months, plays fantasy football 25 hours a week, watches Track & Field events on Youtube twice a day, and reads an article about running every night before bed.
2. He buys a pair of high-quality running shoes, eats a balanced and nutritious diet, runs daily, invests in a stopwatch to record his times, conducts research on successful methods of training for a marathon, and completes a physical exam with his primary care physician.

You'd have to be a knucklehead to get that one wrong. Interestingly enough, however, many people don't realize this applies to other areas of life too. The things you invest your time, money, and energy in are the same things your future is built upon. You can't expect to be fit if you never exercise. You can't expect to be rich, if you never work. You can't expect to become a master pianist if you never practice. Yes, there are exceptions, but chances are that isn't you. 

So, knowing this, why do so many people do things halfheartedly? This applies to the religious and non-religious alike. Why do religious people say they love God, yet fail to love people? Why do people wish to be rich, yet never want to take risks. Why do people sign up for the gym on January 1st, but stop going by March?

This blog isn't a challenge to be religious, but instead a challenge to be real. 

• What is your real GOAL? 
• What do you desire to do, or be, more than anything else in the world? 
• Are the risks involved in reaching this worth it?
• Are you moving towards that?

I know it feels like these questions are almost exactly like the ones I asked in the previous post, but that's because I can't stress enough how important this is. You've heard it, YOLO. You Only Live Once. Is this an excuse for stupidity, or a CALL TO ACTION? You have one chance at this thing called "life", and I just want to make sure you are completely satisfied with how you choose to live it.

See you soon.

G.P.S

If you haven't read my last post, I'd recommend starting there. If you already did, then pat yourself on the back. You're doing good. This might just make sense.

I ended by asking you, "In your life, where is Jesus?"

I should start by saying that there is only one correct answer to this, which I'll give you by the end of this post. This question reflects the human tendency to think that the world revolves around us personally. Just the idea of locating something based on its proximity to me is completely egocentric, and ignorant to say the least.

Many of us know that until recently (recently being hundreds of years), scientists believed the Sun revolved around the Earth. Man was so caught up in the idea that our home was the center of the universe, that they failed to notice the Earth was dependent on the Sun, and not vice versa. Without the Sun, the earth would have no light or heat, plants would wilt, and nations would freeze.

While the historic way of thinking seems so illogical scientifically, many are stuck in this method of thinking spiritually. We think that God exists to serve us, or that he doesn't exist at all because he has failed to serve us. We base our GPS (God-Positioning-System) completely on emotions, situations, and circumstances. If we don't feel God, He's either "far away", or non-existent in entirety. We are an Earth with our own Sun.

I ask you to take this moment, and analyze your relationship to your home. When you are at work, is your home far from you, or are you far from home? When you step outside your house, are you standing in front of your house, or is your house standing in front of you? Because you are the moving being (like the Earth), it is safe to say that your location is in proximity to your house, and not vice versa. I hope I'm not losing you, I know this all sounds pretty confusing.

My point is this: God hasn't moved. No matter how many circles you've tried to run around Him, He is still right there.

Instead of trying to "look for Jesus", or "find God", why don't we take a second to figure out where we are? This is a challenge to atheists and theists alike. Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself to figure out where you stand in this universe:

• What role do people play on the Earth?
• What is the purpose of my life?
• Am I living in a way that would lead me to achieve this purpose?
• What goals do I have?
• Who is the central character of my goals?

A wise man once said, "Attention influences direction, which determines destination."

The things you pay attention to influence the direction of your life. The direction your life is heading determines the destination you end up at in the end of this vapor we call life. 

Are you living in a way that projects a proper course for the destination of your life? 

What are you doing to draw closer to those goals?

That's enough for today. Stay tuned for more.

Introduction

No, not Jesus, the hispanic kid who sat next to you in eighth grade. Jesus Christ, that guy Christians claim is the "Son of God". Many people have searched for him in tombs, graves, and monasteries all over the world. Some say he's alive and walking the earth, others say he died just like any other man. No one can find him. He's like the Waldo (or Carmen San Diego) of religion. Some claim they saw him on their burnt toast, while others say he is a myth. One thing is certain; everyone has something to say about Jesus.

What would you say if I told you I found him? If you saw me running to the local newspaper building screaming "I found Jesus! He's real!"? You'd think I was crazy, until I showed some type of proof. Even still there would be doubts, because fake evidence is easy to create. I would literally have to introduce you to him. Maybe coffee for three? That would open up some great conversation. I wonder what Jesus would order from Starbucks...

Maybe now is a good time to say that I haven't sat in front of Jesus in person and had coffee with him. I don't know where He is geographically. I don't even know what he looks like. But strangely enough, I've come to know him pretty well. He's definitely someone worth knowing. And while the three of us (You, Jesus, and I) can't share a Pizza from Frankie's, or go play Mini Golf, I think that it would be pretty cool if you and I could sit and talk with him. For those that don't believe Jesus is real, entertain yourself with the idea that you and I are having tea (or coffee) with an imaginary friend who happens to bring up some saucy topics about life. 

For those that do believe in Jesus, this blog should challenge you to pinpoint where he stands in your life. Is he kind of just behind you, watching all the decisions you make, and wishing he could be more than a backseat driver in your life? Did you leave him outside on the porch, afraid to include him in your private life behind doors? Or do you have him in the passenger seat, letting him take the wheel only when you need to take a bite out of your Big Mac? For you, the challenge is that you would unbuckle your seatbelt, and switch seats with him, letting him guide you through life.

Now I will ask you: in your life, where is "Jesus"?