Surviving the Heat

The smoldering hot summer temperatures are here. Other parts of the country have been feeling them longer than we have here in Georgia and we are now in the middle of the oppressive heat. It's an overwhelming high temperature that tests the capacity of air conditioning systems and human tolerance. This obviously leads to complaints wherever you go about the summer time temps and how awful they are.

I can't do anything to change the triple digit heat, but I can try to do things to adapt. I've had to adjust my exercise routine and no longer run right after work. We're closing curtains to keep out direct sunlight and have added a window A/C unit in our bedroom. We've even adjusted our dinner habits on the hottest of days and don't cook anything that requires the oven to be on for long periods of time. Our best option is to make adaptations where we can for our best benefit.

There are many circumstances in our lives we can't directly alter. Complaining about the state of things often becomes the next natural step even though that only increases our frustration level. When we are faced with those seemingly unconquerable moments, we'll cope more effectively by shifting our perspective. We aren't always able to transform what we're going through, but we can revise the way we approach it.

If you can’t change your circumstances, you’ll need to change your attitude if you want to survive.

Tending To It

The idea of being consistently thankful has great merit. We tend to focus more on it during the holidays than others although I honestly don't know many people that are only thankful on Thanksgiving either. I do know I have a better perspective on my life when I maintain an attitude of gratitude through positive and negative circumstances.

This doesn't happen automatically however. I can't just write a blog post about being thankful and hope it carries over. Much like planting a garden the key to maintaining a positive attitude is in my willingness to cultivate it. I have to break up the hard soil of negativity, entitlement, and complacency to prepare to be thankful. I have to establish the daily discipline of removing the weeds of dissatisfaction and cynicism to give it room to grow. Then there is the careful nourishing of grateful thoughts and prayers which gives that habit encouragement to grow.

I won't live a more grateful life just because I think it's a good idea. This is something I must work to maintain if it is going to become a healthy part of my lifestyle.

Enjoy It

I was driving in town today and passed by employees of two different restaurants. They were each holding signs advertising their lunch specials and hoping to entice drivers to stop in. The first one had a huge smile on his face and was dancing as he tried to get your attention. The other employee offered a halfhearted wave and limited smile. I didn't stop at either one, but it did make me think about their commitment to what they were doing. One of them was passionately engaged in the task at hand while the other was apparently going through the motions.

The tasks we are charged with completing won't always be the most enjoyable thing to do. I've discovered that the difference is often found in our attitude. Our individual perspective determines how we engage in sweeping floors, speaking in front of hundreds of people, or taking out the trash. We get to decide whether we will enjoy what we do or not.

Need An Adjustment?

Our attitude changes our experiences. If we expect to walk into a room and find something positive we can almost be assured of it happening. If we anticipate that only negative things are going to occur then we are most certainly going to end up seeing it in that light. Most of the time we set ourselves up to react to our environment before we ever get there. I don't think we can change every set of circumstances just by adjusting our expectations, but I think we'll find more good than bad when we align ourselves on a positive path.

Facing the Right Way

I talk with my girls quite frequently about our personal attitudes and how they affect everything around us. They determine the relationship status of our friends and family while also coloring our view on what happens to us. The circumstances of our day and the words and actions of others can quickly derail us if our attitude isn't in the right place. It can either cause us to react poorly or to patiently breathe through adversity while finding peace and understanding.

It isn't always easy to maintain a positive attitude. As much as I share that truth with my lovely ladies, I don't always practice it myself. Part of it is a reflection of my lack of consistent focus. When I neglect to keep the guardrails up on my attitude it tends to slide off the road and cause damage. It's only through careful monitoring and an effort to stay on the path that it's possible to stay in between the lines of positivity.

Daily Perspective

The pace of my day has been different than I anticipated, but as I wrote recently that doesn't necessarily make it a bad day. Looking back in retrospection reveals a lot of positive things that didn't show up on my to-do list.

• A good cup(s) of coffee and morning meditation 
• Reading that challenges my thought processes
• Encouraging & praying for friends going through difficulties
• Feeling like I am making valuable contributions to forward movement
• Being part of a team
• Talking with a like-minded colleague about the potential of ministry
• An overly enthusiastic greeting from a happy dog at home
• An appropriately enthusiastic greeting from a happy family at home
• Pushing through exercise in increasingly cool weather
• A really good meal at the end of the day
• Taking time to read & write with another good cup of coffee

Our perspective determines the outcome and today's outcome has been good. Here's to finding those parts that help us see the positive things happening around us.

At the End of the Day

How do you know if you had a good day? Is it all about your emotional state as you lay your head on your pillow? Is it about the number of things you checked off on your to-do list? Perhaps it's the accomplishment of goals and a feeling of success. Do we fall victim to the lie that one bad moment causes the entire day to be bad?

The encouraging news is that we get to decide what makes it a good day. We are the ones assigning value as we determine how things are going. Maybe we should look for a positive moment and let that define the day instead of hanging on to the negative. It may not alter every part of our reality, but it will definitely alter our perception of it.

The Peacemaker

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 
Romans 12:18

Even if you don't believe in God or His principles this is fairly sound advice. It's a call to be someone who willfully advances peace in personal relationships. The key part of this statement is, "as far as it depends on you." To me this means that we will sometimes find ourselves advocating for peace when others are actively opposed to it. It puts responsibility back on the individual through a call to do what is right regardless of the circumstances. This is certainly not an easy posture to adopt, but I firmly believe it will positively impact all of our life relationships if we can actively pursue it.

We can either seek to be a peacemaker or choose to engage in conflict at every opportunity. It's difficult to find peace in your life when you aren't striving to create it through your actions and attitude.

Set the Tone

 Our attitude sets the tone for our experience.

If we anticipate a positive interaction or a negative one we will usually be correct. Nothing ever flows exactly as we expect, but our attitude can make the difference in how we view the outcome. This is true of personal encounters, job situations, community experiences, and even church services. We can either learn to expect the best or anticipate the worst. We will find that what we set ourselves up for is what we end up experiencing.

Unexpected

Each day will have something unexpected in it for us. It might be a reaction from someone, a pleasant surprise, a distasteful experience, or an unplanned event. While some of these are big enough to be completely out of our control we still get to determine whether it will be a positive or negative reaction. Like most of our life circumstances, it's our attitude that determines whether something completely derails us or if it becomes part of the story of our daily growth. 

Seems About Right

It's a proven fact that things will not always go as well as you hoped. There will always be circumstances that you can't control and unforeseen complications that can hinder your plans. My wife and I have taken to a phrase when misfortunes seem to pile up, "Seems about right." I suppose it's our way of admitting that it seems as if things sometimes pile up and yet they are often just a result of the pattern of life. The truth is that things will often go awry and become more complicated than you think they should be. The key to survival and avoiding emotional implosion is to maintain an attitude of survival and adaptability. As a good friend of mine says, "Life is adjustable" and you have to figure out how to be flexible so you survive the unexpected.

Recognize the Tone

As I continue to read my way through Old Testament history, I read this morning about King Solomon and his leadership. During his reign Israel thrived in a period of safety and prosperity unlike any other. They were not threatened in any real way and increased their influence and affluence as a nation. Obviously God was blessing them through Solomon's leadership and fulfilling His promise to his father, King David. Through his character and abilities Solomon was able to provide guidance for an unparalleled time of peace, safety, and prosperity for his nation.

On a personal level, what would be said about the tone of our leadership? How would our families describe the way that we lead--is it one of contention, preoccupation, and selfishness or one of safety, focused quality time, and generosity of spirit? How do we lead in our organizations--career, church, and community? Are we leading with negativity, criticism, and insecurity or with affirmation, constructive coaching, and genuine humility? Our personal philosophy of leadership will contribute heavily to the success of the people we lead.

There is no discounting the way that God works through us, but it's also vital to bring the healthiest tone of leadership to our circles of influence.