THE MYSTERY OF BLESSINGS (part 1) ...what you also need to know about blessing...

Life is full of contradictions; with every blessing comes a burden which I choose to call: Responsibility.
It’s a blessing to get that bigger house; it’s a burden to have more to clean.
Its a blessing to get large congregation, customers, or followers; its a burden to handle or manage them rightly.
It’s a blessing to have that baby; it’s a burden to get up in the middle of the night and so on.

The mistake we make is wanting the blessing without the burden. That's not reality!
Many want the blessings but want to skip the responsibility. They forget that our Father will not give you 100 when you have not been faithful in handling 20.
He can never give you something that is bigger than you because if He do, it will crash you and you will blame Him.
He looks at your capacity and "shock absorber".

That's the reality!

Until you've the capacity to accept the burdens or responsibility and to handle the blessings, the blessings won't be given.
They come as a package which you have to carry!

Do you know that He only can tell when you are ready? It may seem to you that you are perfectly in shape but in reality (and to God) you are not ready for the next level. You still need to be brooded.
It may look like you aren't ready but to God, you are fully ready!
So just take every stages in life serious and be diligent!
Learn to grow and build yourself there before the next can be showered on you.
Learn from Abraham, David, Paul, Gideon, Moses, Elisha, Joseph etc.
Learn how they develop their capacity - intellectually, spiritually, geographically, etc before God found them worthy.
They had the capacity for the enlargement.

When planning and preparedness meet with Divinity touches, the sky is just the beginning.

The key is to be ready to enjoy the blessings with the responsibility and, to be fully prepared to accommodate the enlargement of coast the blessing will cause.

Don't be that pastor or store owner that seek more members or customers but don't know how to handle 10 members or don't have enough goods to sell and even plans to acquire them.

Get prepare for that which you are believing God for!
Enlarge your capacity and leave God to do he rest.
When He sees your diligent and readiness, He won't hesitate to open the floodgate of Heaven on you!.
He is rest assured that you will not fail and it will not crash and be wasted!

Before the advent of blessings, Divinity touches must meet preparedness - inward or outward.

Make yourself ready because no one pour new wine into an old wineskin or bottle! Those were the words of Jesus.
Be ready for the opportunity!

Stay blessed!

Happy Sunday!
Apostle Julius Ikhide-Iyke Etaifo
Nation Of Grace Ministries
LiveOutLoud!

Let go of your Stresses!

"Even as fire finds peace in its resting place without fuel, when thoughts become silence the soul finds peace in its own source. When the mind is silent, then it can enter into a world which is far beyond the mind. This is wisdom, and this is liberation." - The Upanishads

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

If you tend to get stressed out frequently - as many of us do in today’s demanding world - your body may be in a heightened state of stress most of the time. And that can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can suppress your immune system, upset your digestive and reproductive systems, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and speed up the aging process. It can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Problems caused or exacerbated by stress are numerous. So let it go before it kill you from within!

"If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person." - Seneca

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. It’s so simple! But yet many may think it's difficult to implement.

A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer against stress.  Its said that the simple act of talking face-to-face with another human can trigger hormones that relieve stress when you're feeling uncomfortable, unsure, or unsafe. So stay connected to others. The more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your risk of succumbing to stress. When you have people you know you can count on, life’s pressures don’t seem as overwhelming.
A brief exchange of kind words or a friendly look from another human being can help calm and soothe your nervous system. So spend time with people who make you feel good and don’t let your responsibilities keep you from having a social life.

If you have confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere through challenges, it’s easier to take stress in stride. Do not believe that you have little control over your life. Don't think that you’re at the mercy of your environment and circumstances, with limited ability to make changes. If you believe that you are the master of your life and everything is determine by you, stress is less likely to paralyze you and knock you off course.

The way you look at life and its inevitable challenges makes a huge difference in your ability to handle stress. So you have to work on your attitude and outlook. If you’re generally hopeful and optimistic, you’ll be less vulnerable.

Stress is not what happen to us. It is our response to what happens to us. And, response is something we choose.

Stress-hardy people tend to embrace challenges, have a stronger sense of humor, believe in a higher purpose, and accept change as an inevitable part of life. While others respond negatively and are drown in the effects.

How well do you deal with your emotions when they arise? Your ability to deal with your emotions matters.

Its not the LOAD that breaks you down, it's the way you carry the load.

If you don’t know how to calm and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or afraid, you’re highly likely to become stressed and agitated. Having the ability to identify and deal appropriately with your emotions can increase your tolerance to stress and help you bounce back from adversity.

Your knowledge and preparation - The more you know about a stressful situation—including how long it will last and what to expect—the easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful recovery will be less stressful than if you were expecting to bounce back immediately.

"The mind can go either direction under stress—toward positive or toward negative: on or off. Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyper-consciousness at the positive end. The way the mind will lean under stress is strongly influenced by training." - Frank Herbert

Events may create physical pain, but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is...The only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds. Allow your life as it unfolds. There are lots of things we can't change ourselves; why worry over them and allow them stresses out? What's stressful for you? Why is it stressful? Are you looking at the other side?

How often do you rest?  Do you relax at all? Get your rest and become more productive and emotionally balanced. Feeling tired can increase stress by causing you to think irrationally.
Even God rested! If God could rest, how much more we humans that are vulnerable? We that are mortals!
Learn how to relax. Learn to rest. We are not machines. Even machines stop for a while. And remember, machines do wear and tear.
You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, as proven by experts. Being in the state of restfulness will positively influence all aspect of your life.
Regular rest and relaxation will lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. Also, it will increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure. And this is one of the quality of a goal getter and leader.

Another tool is exercise. Regular exercise can lift your mood and serve as a distraction from worries, allowing you to break out of the cycle of negative thoughts that feed stress. Rhythmic exercises such as walking, running, swimming, and dancing are particularly effective, especially if you exercise mindfully (focusing your attention on the physical sensations you experience as you move).

Some people don't know that the food they eat can improve or worsen their mood and affect their ability to cope with life’s stressors. At all times, eat healthy diets. Eating a diet full of processed and convenience food, refined carbohydrates, and sugary snacks can worsen symptoms of stress while eating a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality protein, and healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids, can help you better cope with life’s ups and downs.

"More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate." - Roy T. Bennett

Don't let the sun go down in your stress. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. If not, it will disrupt you sweet sleep and makes you inactive the next day.

Introspect n re-introspect your own life to bring that change from within.

Remember to put the glass down!

Let go of your stress!

And, Live out loud!

Apostle Julius Ikhide-Iyke Etaifo
Live Out Loud

Step Out and Work!

Step out!

Between the begining of a man and the end of a man, two people are involve- God and man. Only this two are involve in man's destiny. Even the devil is not involve. Yes the devil spoils - but to the extent that you also him. He only tries to contribute to a man's destiny when we allow him in.
God and Man are the only two that determines a man's destiny.

Job 1:21."And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;..."KJV

Ecclesiastes 5:15, "As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour,..."KJV

A man comes naked into this world,
Lord gave,
He labour and,
He leaves this world naked.

God is to give, while the man is to labour (work). Which means man labour on earth with what God has given. God has always be giving. He can't fail on that.

2017 is going to be a better and bigger year for you. Lot of goodies and blessings for you and your family.
There are lots of prophetic declaration concerning this year.
"This year shall be great."
"This year shall be glorious."
"There shall be abundance this year."
"This year, my case is different."
All this are good but not the completion of the whole matter. Remember two persons are involve in the whole matter. God's gifts and Man, who uses those gifts.

You shouldn't take the giving of God to be the completion of the matter. The giving of God and the labour of man determine how quick a man succeed. The two must be complete and combined before a man can actualise his destiny.
The combination of what God gives to you and what you put in will determine your productive outcomes. Total success or Complete Failure.
Man must always have input, credible input and substantial input before his destiny can be glorious, irrespective of what God has given or said.

God gave His only begotten son. That only begotten son had to laboured to the cross in pains, if not there won't be salvation. Even Christ won't have been given a glorious name if he had folded his hands and done nothing here on earth.
Many Christians mistake the giving of God to be the completion of the matter.
When God says a word, it's not all. The words hang in the air - if I should put it that way. It do not go back to God unfulfilled. It hang there until it sees a man who make a move in the same direction. God had promised Joshua that the River Jordan will be separated but it didn't separate until they move and stepped in the river. God had promised Canaanland to the children of Israel but they have to fight, kill and destroy the canaanlites to claim the lands. God had promised the Israelites victory over their enemies, but when Goliath came, that promise was not manifested until David stood on that word and act.

What input have you put in with what God has promised?
What have you done for that glorious destiny of yours?
2017 will be bigger, blessed, glorious,...but your input determines the manifestation of those proclamations.

I was told a story sometime ago, but I will make it brief.
Two friends, Edet and Agbor went to a spiritualist (Babalawo) to see what the future holds for them. They went to enquire more about their individual destinies. The Spiritualist said to Edet, "Edet, you are born to be rich.. .you will be a wealthy man..."
To Agbor, he said "Agbor, you will not be rich..."
They left. Agbor went and started to work more harder and pray fervently. He eventually became rich while Edet who was lukewarm was poor.
So after 15 years they returned to the spiritualist confused. The spiritualist told them that what he saw was the truth. Only that Agbor worked himself out of it. While Edet, knowing he will become wealthy became lazy. The law of this earth never change...

From the story, we realised that no one is predestined in this world. No one is predestined to be rich, poor, a saint, a sinner, etc. We choose the path we trod.
It wasnt the seer that was wrong, it was Edet that was at fault for his eventual outcome.
So if God's promises or Words failed to be realise or materialised in a man's life, it was the fault of the man. God's word can not force a man. When God gives or say a word, he do not force it on you. You choose to receive it and work with it or discard it. We are free moral agent. We are not robots.
Don't say, "God said 2016 would be my year but it wasn't."
When God speaks it is done. When God promise it is established. But if it is not done,it means you didn't do it. In other words, you did nothing! Someone said when a man fails, it denote that there was something he didn't do rightly. So it was or is not the promises or words of God concerning the man's life.

God speaks the word in heaven, while man establish it here on earth.

Luke 19:11, "And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear."

The promises of God can not just appear in your life, you have to make it appear. You have to labour in that direction on the word or promises or prophesies and you will see the manifestation.
Yes, God's word will not return to Him void. It must fulfil what it is sent for. If the man concern fail to do his part, His word look for any man available who is labouring and ready to key into the word.

Conclusion,
The mountain in front of you, will not go away until you step on it. It remains because you refuse to move. The top of Mountain Everest would still be a wonder or mystery today, if not for those brave humans that climbed to the top. The moon, bottom of the oceans etc. are impossibities before man then until man acted.

God speaks in heaven, and you go on earth and do.

I charge you today, do what He has spoken.
The mountains that God gave is the mountain you conquer.

Arise today, everyday and enlarge your coast, not because I am saying it but because God has given it.
Utilise the power in God's word.
And live your life to the fullest.

Day 2 - Learn to love yourself

Learn to love yourself

How was the first topic? You now understand that LIFE is a journey not a destination.
Today, our second lesson on our to live life to the fullest:

Day 2

Learn to love yourself

There is a statement rather a command made by Jesus, "love your neighbours as you love yourself."  How can we live life without Love? And how can we love others when we don't love ourselves? Jesus was correct. That's truly the second commandment. In life it is very essential. It's sad to know that many do not know how to love themselves.

All too often, we spend a lot of time looking at what we don’t like about ourselves, when there are billions of reasons why we should have like. What we’d like to change, when most of those things are unique designs - they are we. What we think should be different - forgetting that no one is alike in this world. Our life will be in frustration as a rat running in circles, we learn to focus on things about ourselves that we don't like. Pending all your time focused on what you don’t like or what happened in your past means that you aren’t able to focus on your future. One will keep running in a circle, no progress.

"Many people find it easier to love others than to love ourselves" claimed by some writers. The truth still stand, we can't love others so well when we don't love ourselves. We can't give what we don't have. Those that do, most times are truly quite awful to themselves. 

We subject ourselves to a harsh inner critic, unhealthy connection with ourselves, and self-mutilation. We are caged in our own perceived inadequacies.
But regardless of the reasons for your lack of self-love, it’s time to start caring for yourself and treating yourself with the love you deserve. We can't live life to the fullest if we do not love ourselves. How can we enjoy our relationship with people if we don't love? How can we achieve success, greatness in life when we don't love ourselves. Our very self deserved to be love by us. Someone said: "we are our problem and solutions." 

How do we love ourselves. In what way can we do this simple important task?

Read on:

It’s impossible to love yourself if you don’t even know who you are. Who are you? A tough question? But it will take one who have successfully search deep within to answer that.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Others aren’t better or worse, more or less than you; They’re just different. If people tell you their weaknesses or flaws you will marvel. So why admiring others and condemning yourself. You have value just as you are and accepting yourself means there’s no need for comparisons.

Are you busy, busy busy? It’s time to slow down and allow your body and mind to rest. Allow yourself down time. You don’t have to do it all. Prioritize what matters most. All what you need is REST. Rest is a basic form of self-care. You can be drained and without knowing you lose yourself to others distractions and end up in the sea of frustration because we fail truly to know and be ourselves. Just a little rest can do.

We all have numerous, tremendous gifts, but many of them go unused. Know and use your strengths, gifts, talents, skills or potential. When we focus on our weaknesses we lose completely. We don't need to crave for items we don't have. Glorify what you have and people will join you. When you’re busy, distracted or focused on negativities it’s hard to access these great qualities of yours.

Focusing on your strengths will increase your positive feelings for yourself. There is no other way than this. Have you ever wonder why you are so closely attached or why you so love your friend that you don't notice or regard his or her weaknesses? Do you know the moment you start thinking of that weaknesses or flaws of your friends that friendship will crash? A single thought will start up the flame of separation. But, we are so happy with that person.

So focus on your strengths. Make a list of your strengths. What are you good at? These can be lofty achievements, such as inventing a new technology, or “everyday” skills, such as being friendly to others. Paying attention to what your strengths are can help you continue to develop them without focusing on yourself as a “failure.” Practice gratitude. Gratitude is one of the simplest ways to focus on the good in yourself and in your life. Try identifying 3 things, talents, gifts or skills you’re grateful for when you wake up every morning.

Do you know that when you surround yourself with people who treat you with kindness and respect, you love and value yourself? Who you spend time with reflects how you feel about yourself. People who feel worthy surround themselves with positive people. Sometimes loving yourself means you have to end relationships with abusive or unkind people. Learn to walk away from people that threatened you self worth and peace.

Are you honest with yourself? Do you accept your total self. Or you role playing, pretending and lying? Honesty is key in all relationships and your relationship with yourself is not exempted. Many of us are so good at self-deception that we don’t even know we’re doing it. We try to suppress who we are and showcase what we think we should be. Of a truth my friend, you can’t love your entire self - your messes, flaws, the good, bad and terrible - if you’re lying? Think deeply friend? Someone wrote: True self-love means taking responsibility and accountability. People don't want to accept themselves for who they are. I am black - accept and glorified it. I am fat - accept it. There is a reason why you are who you are. Use it positively and people will glorify you not knowing it was your weakness.

Paying attention to what your strengths are can help you continue to develop them without focusing on yourself as a “failure.” - Apostle Julius Ikhide-Iyke Etaifo

How can you love yourself when you are hard on yourself? Friends, let yourself off the hook for your mistakes and imperfections. Being hard on yourself diminishes your values, and diminished values results to to crash. No one is hard on you, I believe you’re probably harder on yourself than anybody else. Free yourself! Let go of yourself! Embrace your humanness. Mistakes are normal. Failures are steps. Imperfections are part of what makes you you. If I ask you, "who are you?" what will be your responses? You are "everything".That makes us beautiful. God knows you ain't perfect. Relax and live free.

How can you love a friend when you hold grudges against him or her? Sometimes we’re holding onto bigger regrets or transgressions against our very selves. Work on forgiving yourself. Someone said, "Self-forgiveness is a process of bit by bit believing you truly did the best you could." All that happened in the past are all in the past. You did your best. Accept it and move on. It's an error to live on it. You will only be dragging yourself back. You will continue to hate yourself for it. Have this in mind, today you could do better. Take note: it’s completely unfair to judge your past self with the knowledge you have now. Someone said: "when we know better we do better."

Love yourself, forgive yourself, be true to yourself.

Make a conscious decision to learn to love yourself, just as you are.

Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationships you have. Learn to love yourself first instead of loving the ideas of other of people loving you. There is no way to be happy in life beside this. Less nonsence you tolerate when you love yourself. You are the one person that you'll always be with, the person who will be there in thick and thin. The person who knows you best. Your relationship with yourself is the most important and longest relationship you'll ever have. I hope you you'll spend some time leaving to love yourself more.

Stand up for yourself.
Live your life out!

@ Live Out Loud - Official

How to Live Life to the Fullest

      The meaning of your life is something you create day after day with your own actions and thoughts. It is not a spontaneous entity. We create the results we get in life. Life unapologetically gives us back what we give to it. Don't be deceived we reap what we sow.

          What is living life to the fullest? It's not something that arise by chance but by the impact from us. What we give, we get! Granted, some lives are nothing to write home about. Some have it almost to the fullness.Sadly, some are at the point of breaking. How do we get on the course of "self realisation"? Is it by chance or what people claim to be luck? Can I get to that point of fullness, realisation, manifestation and satisfaction? It isn't difficult  as you think.

         So friends, always ask: 

What can I learn at every phase of my life? and

How can I move forward into the next phase of my life? 

And stop yourself from blaming other people if things aren't the way you would like them to be.

          Honestly, what living life to the “fullest” looks like is up to you. Here are some steps to get you started.

          I going to take you on a thirty days journey into LIFE. LiveOutLoud!

Day One

Recognize that life is a journey, not a destination.

This saying is a cliché, but it’s also true: life is as much about how you get where you’re going as where you go. Living your life to the fullest is a process that will take you your whole life to develop. We are evolving. What we face today is not the end of us. There are many colourful sides. Take note you are not living the end of your life. The journey is on and on and on it goes... Some may cry out, "is that how my life is going to end? " "is this the end? " When we cinclude it's the end, life open another phase for us.

             Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination, our purpose in life. Every phase cones with its own drama. The road will not always be smooth; in fact, throughout our travels, we will encounter many challenges. Some of these challenges will test our courage, strengths, weaknesses, and faith. Along the way, we may stumble upon obstacles that will come between the paths that we are destined to take. In order to follow the right path, we must overcome these obstacles. Each stages or phases are open to us immediately we master a phase and it's obstacles. Most times these obstacles are really blessings in disguise, only we don't realize that at the time. 

                Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. But note that each of those circumstances, is meant for us - to mould us, groom us, brood on us and make us that person that is needed in the next phase of our life. It is because of the heartaches, as well as the hardships, that in the end help to make us a stronger person. Have you ever seen a fish dissatisfied with the ocean? Have ever seen an image that tries to avoid the engraver or a clay pots complaining to the Potter? All these and many more flow with the current of things, accepting the journey and believing the maker, Potter, engraver knows better. Do you know when we don't accept an aorta part of life or any of its process, life becomes hard, and we become dissatisfied with the whole doughnut.

              So, how we react to what we are faced with determines what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like. You either take it with gladness, learn what life has over on your table and move on. Joss Shipp said/wrote, "You either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, it you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you."

Without that, life will be difficult and sch individual will continue to rigmarole at that phase - no progress. Don’t get frustrated if it takes you awhile to learn some things, or if you experience setbacks. This is a natural part of life. In the end you will know why the setbacks. Nothing happen without a cause. 

Someone wrote, "All life is a journey, not a home. It is a road, not the country. And those transient enjoyments which you have in this life, lawful in their way,  - those incidental and evanescent pleasures which you may sip, - are not home. They are little inns upon the road-side of life, where you are refreshed for a moment, that you may take again the pilgrim-staff and journey on, seeking what is still before you - the rest that remaineth for the people of God."

             When things don't always go our way, we have two choices in dealing with the situations. We can focus on the fact that things didn't go how we had hoped they would and let life pass us by, or two, we can make the best out of the situation and know that these are only temporary setbacks and find the lessons that are to be learned. 

           More so, the journey like time stops for no one, and we can't go back to the past, we can only take the lessons that we have learned and the experiences that we have gained from it and move on. If we allow ourselves to focus on the negative we might miss out on some really amazing things that life has to offer.

Life is a journey. When you look down the road you do not known:

What lays ahead where it going nor
How long it will take
What lies at the end of the journey
When you are going to get to the end
If you will reach the end.

 It`s the discoveries that you will make and the lesson you will learn as you thrush into your allotted time as a human being . When you see life as a journey, you will see stages and phases as scenery to "savor" as someone who is a tourist. That's why tourist enjoys their tour and visitation and uphold them as one great and glamorous memories. We should do the same as tourist or people on a journey. 

Love out loud. 

VALUE YOURSELF!

​​VALUE YOURSELF!
A little boy went to his old grandpa and asked, "What's the value of life?"

The grandpa gave him one stone and said, "Find out the value of this stone, but don't sell it."

The boy took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what its cost would be.

The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, "You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone."

The boy apologized and said that the grandpa has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller.

"What could be the value of this stone?" he asked the vegetable seller.

The seller saw the shiny stone and said, "Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone."

The boy again apologized and said he can't sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewellery shop and asked the value of the stone.

The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, "I'll give you 1 million for this stone." 

When the boy shook his head, the jeweler said, "Alright, alright, take 2 24karat gold necklaces, but give me the stone."

The boy explained that he can't sell the stone.

Further ahead, the boy saw a precious stone's shop and asked the seller the value of this stone.

When the precious stone's seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it.

Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby. "From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?" he asked.

"Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won't

 be able to purchase this priceless stone."

Stunned and confused, the boy returned to the grandpa and told him what had happened. 

"Now tell me what is the value of life, grandpa?"

Grandpa said, 

"The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler & the Precious Stone's Seller explain the value of our life...

You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but, people will value you based on their financial status, their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, and their risk taking ability. 

But don't fear, you will surely find someone who will discern your true value."
*Respect yourself.*

Don't sell yourself cheap.

You are Unique.

No one can Replace you!

Live Your Life Out Loud: 30 Ways to Get Started

1. Live your life on purpose.
Not on “default.” Be Proactive. Make conscious and deliberate choices. When you don’t choose, circumstances choose for you and you are never leading: you are following or catching up—or worse, living in “default” mode.
2. Utilize your full potential.
Give what you’re doing your best and fullest attention. Be here now. Even if you’re not where you want to be, giving it half your effort doesn’t move you forward. Master what you have at hand, for the sake of mastering it, and something will shift.
3. Overcome your fear.
Get out of your comfort zone. Find out you have a pulse. Let something give you butterflies in your stomach. This is how you know you’re alive—how you grow into something new. Every fear overcome is a freedom gained. Don’t know how to overcome fear? Do the thing you’re afraid of. Cross them off the list. Make it a game. Pretty soon, you will be invincible.
4. Discover a new talent.
One of my favorite quotes by Martha Grimes is, “We don’t know who we are until we see what we can do.” But we don’t find this out until we try something new.
Learn a new instrument, take an art class, play with a digital camera, sign up for a salsa class, take up cooking, plant a garden, join toastmasters, pick up a needle and thread, try mountain climbing, go scuba diving, camping, or kayaking. Find something that interests you and explore it. You never know what will come out of it.
5. Honor your word.
When you strip everything else away, your word is all you’ve got. Do what you say you’re going to do. By honoring your word, you honor yourself. And it doesn’t feel good when you don’t. So, make it a habit. Value your integrity and keep your promises. It’s a good life practice. It’s a good business practice.
6. Create a new habit or break an old one.
Who has dominion over your life—you or your habits? Make it a game. How many things can you get under your control? How many bad habits can you convert? There is a great sense of empowerment when you feel you are in charge of your life. This helps you get there.
7. Pay a stranger a compliment.
Not only does it make someone else feel good, but it makes you feel good to compliment someone else. All of the sudden the world is small and the stranger next to us becomes our friend and we recognize that we’re all in this together.
8. Take yourself out on a date.
Treat yourself. Bring a book. Bring something you’re working on. Bring a journal and use it to write up all the amazing qualities that you want in a partner or a friendship when it comes your way. Find somewhere that has music or wireless and plant yourself there.
Have a meal, enjoy it. Treat yourself. You deserve it. Living out loud is playing out loud whether you have someone to join you or not. And you never know who you might meet or strike up a conversation with.
9. Take 100% responsibility for your life.
If things aren’t working out in your favor, take note and ask yourself what your part in it is. Being a victim is passé, boring. There is no power in blaming other people. Don’t wait for other people to change. When you change, your world will follow suit.
10. Live in the question.
There is nothing you cannot be, do, or have, so do not impose limitations on yourself. Instead of saying you can’t get there, ask “How can I get there?” Live in the affirmation of possibility rather than the declaration of negativity.
There is always a way, and it is being presented consistently, but you have to live in the question to be on the lookout for the answer.
11. Make more decisions for yourself.
There is great power in making a decision. It’s a declaration. You don’t know what you want? Then look at what you don’t want and work backward. I bet you do know what you want; you just haven’t been in the habit of asking yourself. Hey. That’s a new habit to change! (See #6)
12. Learn to say “No.”
To live your best possible life, you need to learn how to say no to the things that aren’t serving you. The best barometer to measure this by is: if it isn’t a “hell yeah” (yippee, so fun, can’t wait!), then it is most probably a no. If you have to talk yourself into it, it’s a no.
Once you get comfortable saying no, everything becomes a matter of choice. Living a life of choice is a living a life of freedom.
13. Know your own value.
Others may be more educated, skilled, or talented in one or another area, but there is something magnificent and valuable about what you have to offer this world that, in comparison, is equal.
Do not allow yourself or anyone else to diminish it. You have a learning disability? So did Dr. John Demartini, and that’s what makes him the most powerful speaker today. Joe Vitale came from homelessness. Look at him now. Stop idolizing anyone else’s gifts and dismissing your own.
14. Give yourself permission.
For everything. Permission to make mistakes. Permission to shine. Permission to look beautiful. Permission to accept (instead of correct or dismiss) praise. Permission to have bad days. Permission to get angry. Permission to cry, to laugh, to scream. Permission to take the day off. Permission to take a nap, go to sleep early. Permission to get a massage. Permission to do nothing. Permission to succeed.
Life is about being here now, in all your full range of emotions, mood swings, wins and losses. Give yourself permission to live out loud today.
15. Own your own opinion.
No one has to agree with you in order for your opinion to matter. Stop waiting for consensus. You matter. Your opinion matters. The nature of living out loud is that some people will agree with you and some people won’t. You will never get consensus. So, stop looking for it.
The only question you have to ask is, does your opinion matter to you? Claim it. Own it. And know that with new information, it could change tomorrow. Life is transitory. Live in the evolution.
16. Do not punish yourself for past actions.
Your past behavior was what you’ve done, but it is not who you are. Who you are is still unfolding. Mistakes, errors in judgments, and failures all add to our character and value. They make us human and compassionate and wise. To berate yourself for acquiring these valuable qualities is wrong, so stop it. A new beginning starts today.
17. Live in the realm of “possibility” rather than “probability.”
Stay open at the top. You don’t know what the outcome can be. Statistics are made up of groups. You are an individual. Be the individual that charts your own course. You don’t know what is possible for you until you find out.
18. Do not argue for your limitations, but instead focus on your strengths.
We all have weaknesses, but we also have our strengths. What do you do well? Practice that. When you lead with your strengths, the rest follows suit. And miraculously, your limitations sort of disappear. What you focus on grows.
19. Practice gratitude.
In a world of imperfections, it’s amazing how perfect things actually are. But sometimes we have to look for them. When your life’s circumstances aren’t working in your favor, the one thing you do have control over is your attitude. If you lead with gratitude and create a habit of it, in short order, your life will change.
20. Be authentic.
Thoreau said, “If I am not I, who will be?” Did you ever notice that the ones who are most successful are not the ones that follow the masses and trends, but the ones who stand in their own authentic expression and declare who they are? Regardless of who agrees with them? There is an expression that is uniquely yours and to dismiss it, is to dismiss the divine.
21. Own your own power.
The answers are not outside of you. Own what you know. The more you practice this, the more you hone the powerful magnetic field that surrounds you and the more power you emit in your convictions, knowing, and in your life. Your results will confirm this.
22. Stop Complaining.
Complaining is a form of passive victimhood. Ask yourself instead, why is this happening to me and what part do I play in this picture? Then work on your part of the solution.
Have you ever found yourself not setting a boundary and allowing someone to take advantage of you? Or not taking care of yourself in a situation and getting burned by the outcome? We are always the single common denominators in our lives and we are the only ones we have control over.
Use what you are complaining about as your inner clues as to where you need to start taking better care of yourself.
23. Practice “being” and have nothing to prove.
Know your own value with or without results. Your value is in your human being-ness not your human doing-ness. In a society that is wrapped up in image, this is sometimes difficult to practice. People ask what you do, not who you are. But a person who knows their own value, does not have to prove it.
24. Be of service.
Offer your help where you can and do your part in making the world a friendly place. We are all in this together. As Gandhi preached, be the change that you wish to see happen. You would be surprised by the impact you have.
25. Love generously.
Spread random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. Hatred is already rampant. We need to tip the scales the other way. Love is a far more powerful emotion and has far reaching consequences. Living out loud means loving Out loud. And ironically, the more you love, the more love you have to give.
26. Find your bliss and live your passion.
Again, don’t know what that is? Then it’s time to find out! Your emotions give away clues. When your life has spun out of control and you are finding yourself in a tizzy, go back to what makes you happiest and do that.
The more you follow this thread, the more you are leading with the heart. There are always ways to monetize your passion, to find ways to make a living at what you love, but first you have to discover it. Your emotions don’t lie. Follow their lead.
27. Stop waiting.
Life is happening right now. Don’t wait for the right career, the perfect relationship, or the landfill of money. Make the best of what you have right now and be creative with it. Don’t put your life on pause. Live with the possibility that what you are waiting for can arrive tomorrow, and live your best life today.
28. Let other people off the hook.
They didn’t mean harm and even if they did, it hurt them more than it hurt you. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and rise even taller. Don’t use anyone as your excuse to shirk your responsibility to live a bigger life.
Victimhood is not a badge of honor. Overcoming adversity is. Use success and joy as your barometer. And march on.
29. Use co-creation to help you.
We are always working in conjunction with invisible forces. They want to create on your behalf, but they are waiting for your leadership to direct them. Living out loud means acknowledging that we are a big presence with a big force of nature at our disposal. We don’t underestimate our power. We utilize it.
30. March to the beat of your own drum and stay the course.
Do you hear your own music, but find yourself dancing to the tune of someone else’s beat? Stop it. Were you told at any point in your life that your own music was the wrong kind? Re-Consider.
The symphony of the world’s vibration, the hum of its tune, is the sound OM (aum). Your task is to find your own Om—your life force vibration, life pattern or purpose, your song or melody. Find it, claim it, express it, and live it. Never give up on yourself. You are who you are. It’s time to honor that and make use of it. Stay the course.
For many of us this is already a way of life. But to others, some of these practices may feel daunting. To you, I say this: just start. You may not succeed 100 percent of the time, but like a friend once said, “Life is a hard hat zone, we’re always under construction.”
Bloom where you are planted. Work from the inside out. Make the commitment to yourself and get started.
Find your “OM.” Claim It. Own it. Express It. Live it. You are divinely supported.

Courtesy Sonya Derian