Psychology Help Today

"And remember, life is about the big picture and the small; life goals, five-year goals, yearly goals, monthly, weekly, and daily goals.  I love to not only think about the big picture in my life and work, for the small goals as well.... "And that day will be added to other days that will give me a week's success, a month's success, and so on.... "Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, commonly known as SMART goals.  Dream big, but make that big dream something real that is able to be attained, measured, and can fit into the real world of time and deadlines.  Real, attainable, and structural goals will engage you and help you feel successful along the way. "God made you like him, a person who is creative, has talents, brains, and abilities, and can see into a future that does not yet exist.  Goals will help you bring all those together.  Create your dreams, large and small, and engage your talents and abili...

"When we set goals and put legs to our desires and teach them, it definitely does do the heart good.  A listless life that never strives to reach goals can feel lost.  The research says that not only the attainment of our goals but also the pursuit brings joy along the way.  As happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomitsky says, 'People who strive for something personally significant, whether it's learning a new craft, changing careers, or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don't have strong dreams or aspirations.  Find a happy person and you will find a project.'  Further, 'it turns out that the process of working toward a goal, participating in a valued and challenging activity, is as important to well-being as its attainment.... "Not that an entire life can look like the spring of that one week.  Life is a marathon.  But what we know about goals tells us that both the sprints of short-term goals and the marathon of a life...

"My experience has been that when people get a wake-up call about their level of happiness in life, their first realization is that they are responsible for their own happiness, and their second realization is that they will need to pursue certain activities.  I have seen many people who, having been stuck for years, finally "get it," wake up, and say, "I do not have to live like this.  I am going to do something about my life."  Then they get busy, and a year later.  I hardly recognize them. "But for that to happen, you have to find the "push."  You have to overcome the entropy and lack of movement that has dominated you for so long.  You have to "do something."  So how you do that? "Other than those who might be clinically depressed or suffering from a real illness of some sort, there are two broad types of people reading this book.  The first is the type who, upon reading what I have written so far, gets up and ...

"Contrast... attitude and behavior with that of happy people.  Those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord!"  instead of "Good Lord, morning," usually do not find themselves in that place by happenstance. They find themselves there by exercising God-given energy, investing their time, moment by moment and day after day, in the activities of building a life that is fulfilling and meaningful.  In effect, they are living out the created order itself.  God designed us to be, in his image, persons who use their hearts, minds, souls, and strength to create and invest themselves in producing life.  They build relationships and use their talents and abilities to achieve things, and God wants to do the same.  He wants us to be active toward life, not passive.  "Happy people are active, not passive, in their pursuit of life. If you look at some to of the activities that research has proven produces happiness, you'll see that it ...

"The extraordinary doesn't just happen. "Picasso didn't accidentally paint impressionistic masterpieces.  U2 doesn't accidentally write and perform music that moves millions of fans. The president of a country doesn't accidentally get elected to that position.  Works of artistry, significance, and greatness are the product of intention.  Being intentional about how you live and the kind of difference you want to make is the first step toward becoming extraordinary.  "Live with intent.  Let the difference you make be your signature difference." - Mark Sanborn in Fred 2.0 I love the this.  When we concentrate and take action on good goals our life is more enjoyable.  Life gets hopeful rather than hopeless when we move towards the things we want.  Renee Madison, MA, LPC, CSAT is a counselor in Colorado.  She can be reached for appointments at 303-257-7623 or 970-324-6928.

"1. Committed people are generally happy.  I have never met an unhappy Fred.  I've met some who felt under-appreciated, taken for granted, or frustrated, but it strikes me that overall, people who embrace these ideas and do business the Fred the Postman are a happy group of people.  "...Not everything we must do each day--at home or at work--makes us happy.  In those cases we need to remember that how we choose to do anything has a significant influence on the emotions we experience.   Doing an unpleasant task cheerfully trumps doing a pleasant  task begrudgingly. "2. Committed people are clear about what they do and why they do it.  A. W. Tozer said, 'It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.'  In other motives matter. "What you do to make a difference is important, but so is the reason you do it.  You can do the right things for the wrong reasons (which is...