First things 1st

I always find it funny when people say things such as I don't time to do "X" or I wanted to do "Y" but I ran out of time. I find those statement to be an excuse or a lie we tell ourselves. On a given day we have about 16 conscious hours to get things done give or take a few hours depending on how much sleep you require. In those 16 hours I find it hard to believe that you can't squeeze in activities you truly want to do.

For quick hitting activities such as praying, reading and meditating it only takes a few minutes to get them done and you feel better for the whole day. For the task that take more physical or mental energy such as exercising, writing or studying all that is required is a bit of preplanning and the development of a consistent habit. None the less whether the task is quick hitting of requires more energy it best to do it when we first wake up. When we first wake up our body and mind are recharged, our thought are clear, our willpower tank is full.

When we first start out doing our first things 1st activities in the morning we need not go all out by say thing like:

"I am going to write 2000 words this morning"
"I am going to meditate for one hour this morning"
" I am going to do an hour and a half weight training session at 5am tomorrow"

Setting your first thing 1st goals so high and lofty is a perfect setup for a future disappointment. When we fail at something we become disappointed in ourselves we quit. So why walk down this path when we know where it potentially leads.

Instead setup shorter and smaller goals such as

"I'm going to write for 15 minutes this morning"
"I am going to meditate for 5 minutes today"
"I am going to do an at home exercise video this morning"

Overtime you will start to enjoy your morning time first things 1st routines and add eventually you add more complexity to them.

My morning routine is usually devotion time. Not every morning run smoothly but I have tools to help me stay on track. Trust me my eyes are so heavy some morning that reading the Bible is a very difficult task but that's why I have audio sermons.

So if you want to make sure you get something done do it FIRST before you find an excuse to not do it. It doesn't have to be the whole activity you may only need five minutes worth.

What's your first thing 1st activities? Where are you struggling?

Why I don't need to make 100k a year?

At the age of 21 my goal was to be at least making 100K a year by the age of 30. Being a year away from thirty I am remotely close to this goal but I have also learned that it doesn't matter.

I guess being at the ripe age of 21 my mind was on all the things that a young man that age thinks about  namely money, women and having fun. At the age I am at now I realized that my priorities were all mixed up.

I have learned that my real priorities are now

1. continuing to grow in all aspects of my life mental, physical and spiritually. Jan Alridge a minster I heard over the weekend reminded me of an old saying  "if you're not moving forward you are moving backwards "
2. treasure genuine connection you have with people.  In my life I have had many friends come and go. I am often accused of being guarded and not open but that is far from the case. I choose who I call a friend very carefully. I take the saying "you are the average of your five closes friends literally".What is the point of keeping friends around that pushing you to become better. 
3. be more selfless. being an only child i have a lot of residual spoiled child tenancies  Over the years I have learned that our life goal and mission are to give. Give of your time, energy and talents to the world. 

Are we silent symbol of Jesus?

I was reading a Jim Pena article on prayfit.com and he was discussing about what does your outward appearance saw about your walk with God. I then thought to myself do people know that I'm Christian by the way I carry myself or do they think something else. For the most part I am not concerned how people view me but I do realize that I represent two legacies

1. I am a Marshall ;and
2. I AM a Christian (Christ-like).

I find it easier to live up to my family name since there isn't a particular exception I need to live up too. As a Christian however the standard is much higher. Christ has set the bar high for all of us and even though we will never be as holy as Christ we must press and strive for that mark. The World may think that Christians should walk on water and perform miracles but being a pursue of Christ is more than that.

Of course I can get a physical symbol to show my faith such as a cross pendant or tattoo of the face of Jesus but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something more!!! I want that when you walk into a room  room people feel my presence of God around me. I don't want this outward apperance for selfish reasons I want it because that is my purpose and that is my call. This life in the human body is only a test trail for the what God has in store for us and my goal is too have as many people as possible join me for the real thing after life. 

In order to achive this silent symbol of faith 

1. Spend more time in the word -  by spending more time in the word I will be saturated with God's wisdom.
2. Be aware of my body language - I am the type of person whose face expressions and body language gives away exact how I'm feeling. I need to be aware of the signals that I am unaware that I am projection. 
3. Spend the with the Lord -have you ever noticed that people who spend alot of time together pick up each others tendencies.  Some people even start to look alike, how often do you see pet owners look like their pet. If I want to be a reflection the Lord them I have tut spend time with him.

Thoughts? Comments?

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