How to Deal With Unsupportive Friends and Family

Ultimately, it's natural to seek recognition, love and support from our friends and family. But what if, one day, we decided to venture onto a different path in life? One that is not as conventional as the others around us have chosen for themselves. Our support systems might be taken off guard with our non-traditional desires and aspirations of being entrepreneurs. The last thing we want is to be ridiculed for exploring the unknown.

You may confuse a lot of people when going against the grain of conventional thinking, and that's perfectly okay. As an entrepreneur, standing up for your vision to your family and friends might possibly be the best practice you will get for the life that awaits you. When you are competing for attention and eyeballs, articulating value and evoking possibility and vision can be powerful tools.
Below are three ways that will help in overcoming the obstacles of unsupportive friends and family.

Don't argue. If you decided to turn down a degree in law or business, a higher paying job or are transitioning completely from your current career to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams, you are going to cause a lot of confusion and judgment from those around you.
When confronted in this manner, do not argue. Your relatives and friends will have a hard time seeing things from your point of view, and they may even refuse to do so. They will only understand the career paths they are familiar with. Avoid setting up a confrontational battle.

Related: The Right Way to Ask Your Parents to Finance Your Business
No matter how much energy and frustration you pour out, you may not change their minds. You can be the greatest persuader in the world and yet your friends and family will be tied to their own opinions.
Instead of arguing, articulate your desire in a language they will understand: share the vision you have of your business and assure them that you will be responsible with your decisions. Tell them their support means a great deal to you.

Recognize authentic friendships. Anyone can freely offer their opinions. When beginning your entrepreneurial journey, acknowledge that you become a product of the five people you spend the most time with. So choose your company wisely.
There will be many people that will await your failure. I call this group the "I told you so" bunch. Be wary of their presence. Your intention is to develop a business that should be committed to delivering value, not proving this person wrong.
Gradually distance yourself from these negative people. Surround yourself with those who are like-minded and are going to the places in which you envision yourself being.

Related: Stop Spending Time With Toxic People
Authentic friends will support your goals and help you move forward. If you see people around you not showing support -- acknowledge it and move on with your life. With the positivity you bring, the right people will cross your path.

Dig deep. Explain to your family that if you don't pursue this entrepreneurial vision, you are going to live with regret. This is a feeling everyone can relate to.
Your family will expect you to give up after a specific time if you are not obtaining the results they might expect. You will be questioned in the most indirect way to see if you are still working on the venture you discussed.
This process will test your ability to handle your emotions on all levels; seek your inner voice and your true intention for committing to entrepreneurship.
For them, it will be easy to pinpoint your failures. You will be criticized, laughed at, be compared to. Your official 'moment of truth' will not be between anyone but yourself. This is an opportunity to dig deep and get to the core of the vision you have for your life and your business.
This pivotal moment will help define your energy and desire to succeed. Do not sit and wallow. Take action and make it happen. Don't wait to become worthy of your dreams.
The world is awaiting your gift -- all you have to do is show up with the right intention!

Why Faith Belongs in Your Workplace

It still is today. It's my personal belief that faith stretches me to be more, do more and live more than I ever could alone.

Faith is not beating someone over the head with your beliefs and trying to get them to convert to your way of thinking. Faith is believing in the unseen and calling those things that are not, as though they are.

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230590#ixzz2piT3TKKF

The Truth about Life

Life is hard. But it’s even harder without Jesus.

You have been created for life with God. He wants to be your Companion on life’s pathway, your Comforter during adversity, and your Guide when you are perplexed. God wants to rejoice in your successes and help you through your failures.

Where are you in your life’s Journey? We are all going somewhere. No one is really standing still. Every day moves us further along the path of life. Since God is the originator of life, and we are his creation, it only makes sense that your life’s journey can be explained by where it is taking you in relation to Him.

Unfortunately most roads put distance between God and us. Some roads bring us closer to Him. But the best road is the one that begins with our spiritual birth and ultimately leads to our eternal home in heaven. On this road we do not travel alone, because He travels with us.
God has mapped out the route for each one of His children. It is a journey that is filled with adventure and opportunities. But it is also a journey during which we will encounter distractions, temptations, and obstacles.

Where are you in your Journey with God? Are you on a road where you will eventually have an encounter with Him? Or have you already started your personal journey with God through spiritual birth?

It’s Your Journey!

Would you like to know God personally? If you haven’t already done so, begin a personal relationship with God today. Begin traveling on the road for which God created you.

Begin the Relationship

If you have already been born again into God’s eternal family, discover more about the wonderful plan God has in store for you.

Purpose for Life

Source:

Jesusonline.com

Three wishes

If you were granted three wishes, for what would you wish? Would you wish for the eradication of global poverty? Would you wish for financial security? Would you wish for good looks, good health, and long life? The question itself isn’t as important as how we answer the question; for our answers reveal our character and what’s important to us.

Many millennia ago, King Solomon was placed in a “three wishes” predicament, and his response was both surprising and quite revealing.

After firmly establishing the kingdom and faithfully worshiping God, Solomon had a dream in which God appeared to him and asked: “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” King Solomon didn’t choose wealth, riches, security, fame, or the death of his enemies, but he humbly asked for something very practical and unselfish: wisdom and knowledge to lead and govern his people (2 Chronicles 1:10).

The wisdom and knowledge Solomon sought was the ability to discern and judge human affairs faithfully and the practical skills to handle the day-to-day issues of the kingdom. Solomon’s humble request revealed a selfless character, the alignment of his heart with God’s heart, and his desire to serve others more than an appetite to serve himself. In the end, because Solomon’s request pleased God, He not only granted his request for wisdom, but He also gave Solomon more than what he asked for—wealth, riches, and fame (2 Chronicles 1:11-12, 14-17).

Jesus gives us a guideline on how to respond to the “three wishes” scenario: “Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). When we seek to place God in charge of our lives, His desires become our desires, and we will refine our requests to please Him.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 5:1-16

To the glory of Your name-LORD

God has raised from death our Lord Jesus, who is the Great
Shepherd of the sheep as the result of his sacrificial death,
by which the eternal covenant is sealed. May the God of
peace provide you with every good thing you need for doing
his will, and may he make of us what he would have us
be through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever and
ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20–21,

*2013!!!

Happy New year 2013!

JUST FOR YOU!

A Generous Heart

Scripture: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. " (Luke 6:43-45)

Have you ever thought about how the condition of your heart could be connected to how generous you are and what you are generous with?

A couple of weeks ago, I started to notice a few things about myself: I was getting angry a lot easier than I usually do. I was feeling irritated or even sad for no reason. Instead of “light-hearted” I was feeling “heavy-hearted”. I was impatient. I was dwelling on things that made me upset.

I started noticing these things about myself because I had just finished reading a journal entry I wrote a long time ago. It was about how I was grateful and blessed that it was not hard for me to be joyful and happy, even in very difficult circumstances. I even wrote that I was so optimistic about things, sometimes to the point that it would drive some people crazy! But, I truly felt that there was always something good to find in the things that were not so good. After I read that, I asked myself “Why don’t I feel that way anymore?” I couldn’t figure it out. I asked God about it, but I didn’t get an answer right away.

That weekend at church our pastor preached about generosity. He said that the way we are generous determines the condition of our heart. And he wasn’t talking about just being generous with money or resources. In fact, he didn’t talk about money at all. He talked about things like our time, our words and our prayer.

Prayer is the one that stood out to me the most. I thought about the things I pray for and noticed two things: I don’t pray as much as I thought I did during the day, and when I do pray it’s usually for myself. I began to feel that I wasn’t praying for others enough on a regular basis. Prayer is kind of like having a conversation with God, and the more we pray, the more we keep God involved throughout our daily lives, relationships, decisions, and the list goes on. Since I have been intentionally praying for others more lately, I can definitely say that my heart feels lighter and my negative emotions have been triggered less frequently. I’m positive it’s because I’m spending more time talking to God and thinking about the ways He might be using me to do good things. But, I know that God does still want me to pray for myself and ask Him to be continually transforming me so I can be more and more like Jesus. So, I’m praying that God will also show me where else in my life I can be generous because I want Him to use me any way He can to bring others closer to him (even strangers that I meet!).

As the year comes to an end and looking forward to ushering in the new year.Just take sometime off,and ask yourself this simple question...

Are you being generous with your prayer? Maybe there are other ways you can be more generous in your life. It could be through the type of words you chose to use or the way you spend your time. Think about it and ask God to show you how He wants you to be generous so that your heart can be more like His.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HARDWORKING NEW YEAR FULL OF GOD'S BLESSINGS .