Category: Life Purpose

Transitional Friday: 10 Steps to Making a Decision

Transitional Friday: 10 Steps to Making a Decision

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

decisions

 

 

Last week we discussed how much our decisions matter.

Often when we’re in a transitional period, we don’t know which way to turn.  We often wonder what is the best path and how to decide.

Here are a few tips, I’ve discovered the hard way:

  1. Pray about the situation and seek God’s will
  2. Pretend a friend came to you with this situation.  How would you advise a friend?decisions2
  3. Journal your thoughts and feelings about the situation.
  4. Make a list of the Pros and Cons to the situation.
  5. Listen to your gut and what your instincts or saying.
  6. Imagine 20 years from now.  Do you see regret?  What would your future self tell you now?
  7. Write out all of your concerns and seek the answers.
  8. Role Play—if this involves another individual role play the situation {even if you do this with a different friend or spouse}.  This often gives you the other individuals point of view.
  9. Limit the information and don’t focus on too much information.  You’ve heard the adage that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  This is the same idea.  I often worry about issues way down the line, instead of the present.
  10. Pray—this is so important, it’s worth repeating.  Pray, study the Bible and seek God’s will in the situation.

 

How do you make a decision?

Transitional Friday: 10 Questions to Ask if Our Choices Matter

Transitional Friday: 10 Questions to Ask if Our Choices Matter

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

life is all about choices

 

 

 

When I reached adulthood, I made a lot of dumb choices.  At the time I did not think about the long term affect these choices would have on my life.  Some of these choices effected the direction of my life, made life a lot more difficult and cost me some of my dreams.

I didn’t stop to think or pray about what I was doing and I did not consider the long term cost these decisions would have on my life.

Some questions we can ask when looking at our choices and decisions are:

  1. How does this affect me now?choices
  2. How will this affect my future?
  3. Is this a want or a need?
  4. Does this have a life and death impact?
  5. Can I wait or postpone for a better future?
  6. Do I feel pressured to make this decision or change?
  7. What does The Bible say about this situation?
  8. What does my gut say?
  9. Am I following my intuition, my heart, my dreams or my hormones?
  10. What does God say about this?

Most importantly, take time to pray and ask God for guidance and direction.

What mistakes have you made that you wish you could change

Transitional Friday: When Change isn’t your Idea

Transitional Friday: When Change isn’t your Idea

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

Life throws us a curve ball at times and change is forced upon us.  This can be through the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, abusive relationship, natural occurrence, decision of another person, tragic accident and number other causes.

So, how do you deal with change when it isn’t your idea?

  1. Cry—sometimes we just need to cry and express our pain.  There are times when there just aren’t words. mourn
  2. Mourn your loss—a loss is a loss, regardless of how large or small.  Even if the change is one that we want, our life is changed and we need to mourn and say goodbye to that part of our lives.  Sometimes this is a few hours or a day and other times it is months or years.
  3. Pray and ask God for guidance and to help you move on—in all things we need to pray and ask God what He would have to do now.
  4. Accept your new normal—we have a new normal, even if it is for an interim time.  We have to accept this and learn how to live in this new reality.
  5. Determine your ultimate destination—we need to decide what our goals are.  What do we ultimately want in life?  Sometimes it takes weeks or months to determine what we may truly want and what God’s will might be for our lives.  We mustn’t forget to seek God’s will.
  6. Make a list of steps to reach that goal—now that we know where we are going, we need to access where we are and the steps to get from one place to the next.  Again, sometimes our goals are short term and other time they are long term.reach
  7. Work hard towards those goals—we work hard to meet these goals, whether it is returning to school, searching for a job, selling a house, etc.
  8. Continue to put one foot in front of another—there are days when life gets difficult and we don’t feel that we can keep going.  We take a deep breath and continue to put one foot in front of the other.
  9. Reach for your dreams—never give up—if this is truly what God has laid on your heart, never give up.  Ask for His help and keep pushing through no matter how difficult life gets at times.

Sometimes life altering events, lead to positive change.

What other ways do you deal with change?

 

Tweetables:

When Change isn’t your Idea

Techniques to deal with change 

Transitional Friday: Facing Your Fears

Transitional Friday: Facing Your Fears

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

We all have fears!  I don’t like heights!

I’ve also overcome some fears, such as flying.

So, how do we face and overcome our fears?fear

  1. Make a list of your fears—make a list of all of your fears.  Which one is the easiest to cross of your list?
  2. Challenge your thoughts and the reason behind it—ask ourselves why this is a fear, what has caused this to be a fear and why you are fearful of this event.
  3. Make a list of steps to overcome this fear—make a list of steps that need to be taken in order to overcome this fear.
  4. Ask yourself what is the worst case scenario—then ask what the worst case scenario is.  With my fear of heights, that would be falling and breaking bones.
  5. Relax and visualize yourself going through the motions of what you are afraid offear2
  6. Revisit past victories—what fears have you overcome in the past?  How did you do this?
  7. Ask your family and friends for encouragement—we all need encouragement to keep moving forward and reach our goals.
  8. Take deep breaths—often deep breathing calms us and helps us to have perspective on the matter at hand.
  9. Face your fear head on—you may want a friend with you to lend emotional support

How do you overcome your fears?

Tweetables:

Facing Your Fears in Life Transitions

Transitional Friday: Thinking Positively Through the Transition

Transitional Friday: Thinking Positively Through the Transition

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

When life gets us down, it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The devil pounces on the darkness and insecurities to bring us down.  In order to see the good and move forward, we need to see the positive.

This has often been a personal struggle for me, but each day I work to have a better attitude and move forward.

  1. Write your goalsgoal
  2. Write stepping stones towards your goals—what steps are necessary to reach the goals made.
  3. Reward yourself—find a way to reward ourselves for each small accomplishment we’ve made.  This could be a book or CD, massage, favorite restaurant, etc.
  4. Write positive affirmations and repeat them—I find that writing and repeating positive affirmations helps me to begin to believe them in time.  I heard one speaker {I wish I could remember who at the moment} state that they state these right before bedtime every night.
  5. Reflect on your situation, what brought you here and how far you’ve already come—I find it difficult at times not to dwell on how far I still have to go, but I have to look at how far I’ve come.
  6. Replace negative thoughts—don’t allow the dark places to crowd in and bring me down to where I’m useless.  The positive affirmations really help. prayer
  7. Pray and ask for God’s guidance and peace
  8. Listen to uplifting music and watch heartwarming movies—these lift the mind and help me to change perspective.  I have to remind myself I deserve this also.
  9. Find a peaceful place {ex. Lake, mountains, meadow, etc.} and remind yourself this too shall pass

What do you do to think positively?

 

Tweetables:

Thinking Positively Through the Transition

Transitional Friday: Finding Support in Life Transitions

Transitional Friday: Finding Support in Life Transitions

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

There are times when we feel all alone or there is no one to talk with.  I’ve struggled with this often.  As a caregiver, I often find it difficult to have the opportunity to become involved with other groups or organizations due to my responsibilities.  However, regardless of where we are in life, we all need a support system. Finding support in life transitionssupport

  1. Have a friend to talk to—everyone needs a friend to confide in and trust, as well as to just hang out with and have fun at times.
  2. Find a support group—a group of likeminded people going through the same struggles often helps us to feel that we are not alone.
  3. Get involved with an organization like Celebrate Recovery or Divorce Care {if you are dealing with addiction or divorce}.
  4. Find programs for your need {ex. Several local churches have Employment Support Groups for those searching for jobs}journaling
  5. Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Feelings—often we may be embarrassed to share our feelings, think no one cares or just be afraid to speak out.  We can’t keep it all bottled up, because this isn’t healthy.  We need to get it out and express ourselves.
  6. Try Journaling—often it helps to write your feeling.  If journaling doesn’t work, try expressing yourself through music or art.
  7. Get involved with a local church—find a local church to get involved and join a group {this could be a Sunday School class, small discussion group, senior adult group, Women or Men’s group, etc.}

Who supports you?

 

Tweetables:

Finding Support in Life Transitions

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 18-22, The Purpose of Life

Transitional Friday: Ecclesiastes 3: 18-22, The Purpose of Life

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

We are wrapping up our look at Ecclesiastes 3 and a season for all times.

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals—God tests us to show us that we have the beastly quality of animals and will prey upon others.

 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals—man is frail     ashes and dust

the same fate awaits them both—their existence is temporary

As one dies, so dies the other—all living, breathing animals {whether human or not} will died one day

All have the same breath—we all breath the same air

humans have no advantage over animals—we do not have long to live in righteousness and honor before God

Everything is meaningless—if we’re not living for God then it is all meaningless
 All go to the same place—life is fleeting and we all go to the same place

all come from dust—we came from dust ; Abraham asked in Genesis 18:27, “who am I but ashes and dust”  return to earth

and to dust all return—one day we will all return to dust; think about the burial ceremony, we say “ashes to ashes and dust to dust”
 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?—only God knows if the human spirit goes up and the animal spirit goes down.  Some may say if the saved goes to heaven and the unsaved goes into the earth.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work—God wants us to enjoy our work and to work hard

because that is their lot—because that is why He made us.  He has a purpose for ALL of our lives.
For who can bring them to see what will happen after them—only God knows the purpose for our lives, how we will touch others and what will happen in the afterlife.  He also knows the rewards this life will bring into the afterlife.

What is your purpose in life?

 

Tweetables:

The Purpose of Life

Discovering My Life Purpose

Discovering My Life Purpose

Posted on by trinitychristianlifecoaching

Have you ever wondered what your life purpose is?  Did you know that God made each of us for a purpose?  We were made in God’s own image and with a purpose.

Only recently have I begun to question and seek what my purpose is.  Seeking these answers has made me wonder how my life would be different, if I’d known this years ago.

Did you know that God has a purpose for each and every life?  Psalm 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”    life purpose questions

So how do you determine God’s purpose for your life?

Let’s begin by defining life purpose.  Your life purpose is a declaration of your passions, gifts, and talents that intentionally provide life direction and is driven by the Holy Spirit.

When determining your life purpose, ask yourself these five questions:

  1. Does it honor God?
  2. Does it reflect my passions, talents, skills and spiritual gifts?
  3. Does it apply to all seasons of my life, not just my current chapter?
  4. Does it give me a specific direction for life, but remain flexible to allow God to lead?
  5. Can it be easily reduced to one short phrase?

When determining your life purpose, seek God’s wisdom and guidance through His prayer and Bible Study.

What is your life purpose?

purpose of life