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There Just Has To Be A Solution!

Neil Armstrong working at the Apollo Lunar Module

I was working in Chicago for Ozark Airlines on July 20, 1969.  A few of us were sitting in the break room and the radio was on.  We all listened as Neil Armstrong stepped out on the surface of the moon.  He looked up, and saw the earth.

I know, today we send space ships to Mars, but back then, in 1969, it was a very big deal. On that mission, two human beings, Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin, actually spent time on the surface of the moon.

Today, flying in an airplane from one end of the country to the other is no great feat. Thousands do it every day.  But at one time, it seemed impossible for men to fly.

It’s Just Impossible!

There will always be those who view their problems as impossible to overcome, at least for them anyway.  But there are others who take the opposite point of view.  Their focus in life is on possibilities and solutions; they are problem solvers.  They live with an attitude of, “Well, there just has to be a way!”

Many times in our lives we are faced with challenges.  Those with a positive attitude address those challenges as great opportunities for success.  And when someone accomplishes what most everyone else thinks is impossible, it is very inspiring; at least it is to me.

I Couldn’t Believe This Story!

I remember a few years ago when I first heard about Erik Weihenmayer.  I was almost stunned.  It’s one of those stories that when you first hear it, your mouth almost falls to the floor.

Almost all of the seeing population on the planet would never even consider climbing Mt. Everest.  Yet, Erik Weihenmayer, a blind man, did just that.  He has also climbed the highest peaks on all of the other 6 continents as well.

Erik’s first book, Touch the top of the World, is really something to read.  When you read this, it starts at a really low point, but hang on!  It’s going to take you up high, really high.  Publishers Weekly said:  “In this moving and adventure-packed memoir, Weihenmayer begins with his gradual loss of sight as a very young child. By the time he became fully blind in high school, he had already developed the traits that would carry him to the summits of some of the world’s highest mountains.”

I put a link for the DVD, Farther Than The Eye Can See – Mount Everest (2003).  I have seen parts of this video documentary. It is an intimate look inside one of the most successful Mount Everest expeditions ever. It’s 75 minutes and it really captures the emotion, humor and drama of Erik’s historic ascent as well as four other remarkable ‘firsts’ on Mount Everest.

I recently found out that it has won 21 International Film Festival awards, was nominated for two Emmy’s, and was ranked by Men’s Journal as one of the top twenty adventure DVDs of all time.  So, if you’re interested at all, just use the links at the bottom.

Are You Planning To Climb Mt. Everest?

Now, you and I may never climb Mt. Everest and we may never walk on the moon.  Perhaps you will be inspired to remember these and other seemingly impossible tasks when you face challenges of your own.

I think that remembering seemingly impossible great accomplishments are not only inspiring but they tend to make our problems look a lot smaller, and more solvable.  What do you think?  Does hearing about those kinds of things inspire you?  Does it help you to look at your challenges and see them as solvable?

One of the reasons that I like to say, “There has to be a solution,” is because if you’ve read some of the Bible then you know that God is in the solution business. And He has provided some very miraculous, over-the-top solutions.  In fact, He is very good at it!   He can help you and He can direct your path.

There Just Has To Be A Solution!

Mike Verdicchio
(I mentioned Erik Weihenmayer climbing Mt. Everest.  There is a DVD movie about it called, Father Than The Eye Can See – Mount Everest. This movie brings truth and new meaning to the phrase “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.” Erik Weihenmayer is an inspiration to blind people and sighted people alike. Not only was this film inspiring, a great story, and a historic landmark, but it is beautiful to watch too.)

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Having Some Problems?

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to be happy and positive when things are going well?  When there are no interruptions, obstacles or problems around you, it’s easy to enjoy life.  You might even say, “I’m feeling pretty good and everything seems to be just fine; life is great!”

But what is your reaction when something unexpected interrupts your life?   What about when something unpleasant comes up? Suddenly, for many, it’s not so easy to remain positive; or is it?

No one welcomes problems with open arms, no matter how insignificant they seem.  I don’t know of anyone who anticipates having to deal with something unpleasant.  However, you and I both know that things are going to happen from time to time; that’s just how life is.  Tires wear out, drains get clogged, and people, at times, do stupid things.

When something unpleasant occurs, most people stop being happy and positive. Whatever it is that happens, it’s enough to change their attitude. And for some people even the slightest bump in the road and they change from happy to angry in a matter of seconds.

We really can choose what thoughts we are going to think. The thoughts that we choose to think have a direct effect on our feelings and our emotions.  We can’t always choose what happens, but we can always choose how to think about what happens.

I’m not trying to imply that we should live in a make-believe world where you just tell yourself, “Nothing is wrong; everything’s okay.”  When something comes up we most certainly need to assess the situation.  We need to find out what is going on before we issue a positive statement.

What?

A positive statement?  Yes, a positive statement: a solution-oriented statement.  I know some will say that certainly is not a proper reaction to a negative or unpleasant situation!  Or is it?

Suppose you come home from the grocery store and find that your bread is smashed like a pancake in the bottom of the bag because of the way your groceries were packed.  What would your reaction be to that situation?  Would you become completely livid? Some people would.

“I am so mad!  Now I’ve got to go all the way back to the store!  Why don’t they teach those young kids how to do it right?  I knew that kid packing up my groceries had a lousy attitude!  He probably piled those heavy cans on my bread on purpose.  I’m going to talk to the manager about this! ”

Hold on just a minute!  Chill out!

Now this may sound like a silly illustration to you, but as a teenager I worked at a grocery store, and saw far worse reactions than in this example!

Instead of having that kind of an attitude, why not have a positive attitude and make a positive statement? What?  Say something positive about your smashed bread?  A positive statement? Sure, why not?

“Okay, I’ll just take the bread back and exchange it.  I wonder if there is anything else I need that I forgot to pick up at the store.  I’m sure glad that they have more bread.  In fact, I’m glad that there is so much food available.”

Hey!  But what about the guy who smashed my bread?

Here’s the point: Our thoughts trigger our emotions and feelings. And our actions so many times follow our emotions and feelings.  In fact, the kind of mood you are in right now is not somebody else’s fault. It is because of your decision to think the way that you are thinking.

The next time something unpleasant comes up, take note of how you react.  Observe where your thoughts go.  What emotions are triggered?  Those emotions are directly tied to some information.

Now stop and think about it for a minute.  Do you really expect that everything is always going to go perfectly smooth without any hitches?  No one that you will ever deal with will ever make a mistake, right?  We all know that is never going to happen.  We do not live in a perfect world.

So then why are we so surprised when someone makes a mistake?  Why get angry over something that someone did that inconvenienced us?  It wasn’t the first time and it will not be the last time.

The real question you need to ask yourself is not, “Why did he smash my bread?” but rather, “Why am I so angry about this?”

Do you expect perfection in all that you do?  Do you beat yourself up when you make a mistake?   These are interesting questions, and it is important to find out just why you are angry.  You certainly don’t want to live with anger, do you?  You don’t want to see yourself as an angry person, do you?

Once you recognize the anger, and see how it is attached or tied into situations, for whatever reason, then choose to get rid of it.  Look that anger right in the eye, and say, “Anger, you need to go.  I don’t want to live with that emotion any longer.  I may have been angry in the past, but now, I choose to get rid of this anger.  And, in its place, I choose to put in patience, understanding, and, forgiveness.

Most people just keep looking at the incident.  As a result they stay angry.  Then, they just love to relate the incident to someone else.  As a result they stay angry.  How does that help you to live your life with confidence and joy?  It doesn’t.

You see, it really doesn’t matter if they smashed your bread on purpose or by accident.  What matters is do you want to control your own life, or, do you want to have your life controlled by circumstances and situations.  Do you really want other people’s actions to determine your own happiness?

Your own life is in your own control.

Thomas Edison’s workshop burned to the ground one day and he had no insurance.  They asked him, “What are you going to do now?”  He answered, “We’ll start rebuilding tomorrow.”

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I’m Happy!

I started my day “happy” this morning; did you?

Some people wake up and are not very happy to face the new day.  For them, each day is another struggle.  All their problems from yesterday are still there.  And, most of the time they have nothing to look forward to.

But I rolled out of bed “happy” this morning.  Why?  Because I have no problems, no challenges and no opportunities; my life is perfect and everything always goes according to plan!

I Am Being Facetious

Everyone has challenges; it’s part of life; we don’t live in a perfect world, at least not yet.  But I am happy first of all to be alive!  Life is a gift, a precious gift.  There are no guarantees.  I have been given another day to live.

I am also happy because I am expecting and anticipating a great day today.  Why not?  I am looking for and expecting His blessings throughout the day.  I am looking for and expecting open doors to help someone else too!

And Here’s The Best Part!

I am happy because I know that our God is a God of solutions.  He is an ever present help in time of need.  He is the One Who said to cast all our cares on Him!  He wants to help us.  Knowing that, I am not only happy, but I am really full of joy, having confidence in a loving God Who promised He would never leave or forsake.

Life was meant to be lived to the fullest!  Yes, there will set backs and obstacles at times, but no matter what happens, nothing is too big for our God, and His promises are still true!

Choose to have a great day!

Mike

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Are You Lost?

Some people think they are lost.  I’ve even had people tell me, “I’m so far gone that God would never take me back. I’m just lost.”  Well, let me tell you a story.

My wife has a real long suit in trusting God to help her find things.  She is not usually someone who misplaces things.  But, when things go missing, she is almost always the one who ends up finding them.

She found the timers we use for our holiday lights several weeks ago. I looked all over the house, and I even looked in the closet of my office three times!  That’s exactly where she found them.  But, that’s nothing compared to the little diamond she found.

A Lost Diamond!

A couple of years ago, for our 35th wedding anniversary, I got Kathy a new diamond ring to replace the one she has been wearing since 1971.  The diamond in the ring from 1971 was so small I do not know how they could have even called it a diamond.

But I got her a new one, and it certainly wasn’t extravagant.  It has three diamonds in it, and I think they are pretty tiny.  And if you were to lose one, well who in the world could ever find it?  Kathy could, and she did.  Twice!

We have a metal shed in the back yard that we use for storage.  Kathy had been cleaning it out and noticed the next day that she was missing one of her tiny little diamonds.  She looked everywhere, including in the yard where she had been working.

She looked in the grass hoping to maybe see a glimmer of light.  She looked in and around the three cardboard boxes that were still out there near the shed.  No diamond.

Then, almost two days later, she walked over toward the shed again, and looked. On one of the open flaps of one of the boxes, there it was!  She had found her diamond.

We were so grateful.  She told the people at the jewelry store where we purchased it that there must be something loose.  We had hoped that when they put that little diamond back in the setting that they would have fixed the problem.  After all, they had the ring in the repair shop for two and a half weeks.

No, Not A Second Time!

But scarcely a week went by with the repaired ring on her finger and, no!  It couldn’t be.  The same stone was again missing.   Now I told you Kathy is great at finding things.  But could she find her tiny diamond again, the second time?

About six hours after she noticed it missing, and having looked everywhere, she had a feeling it was in the kitchen.  But how could you possibly even see it if it were in the kitchen?

Nonetheless, she looked around the kitchen here and there, but no diamond.  She checked out the counters, no diamond.  In the sink, perhaps?  No, no diamond.  But wait!  What’s was that tiny sparkling little shining on the tile floor?  Well what do you know?  She had found it again, for the second time in less than three months.

Now here’s my point.  If my wife Kathy, who is so wonderful, but only human, can find a little lost diamond, twice, could a person ever be so lost that God could never find them again?

The truth of the matter is that God is waiting for us to come back to Him.  Read about it in the parable in the Gospel of Luke, often mistakenly referred to as, the parable of “The Prodigal Son.”  It really ought to be called the parable of “The Forgiving Father.”

People feel lost because of their own actions.  They condemn themselves for what they have done.  They end up feeling so badly about what they have done that they feel too ashamed to even approach God.

But, from God’s point of view they are not lost; they have just chosen to distance themselves.  The open and forgiving arms of our loving Father are never far away.  His love does not waver.  No one is ever lost to Him.

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What Direction Are You Going?

I have been busy putting up content here on Confidence And Joy.com.  I have been preparing for some time now.  Today, with most of the building of the site completed, I decided to post a good amount of content.

The site still needs some minor tweaking, but hopefully that will be done soon.

Just below the navigation bar, you’ll see a little box with three tabs.  If you click on the tab labeled, “Confidence Articles, you will one called, “How Big is Your God?”  That was the first real post on this site.  And i did that for a reason.  If you want to read it you can just Click Right Here.

Well, it is a brand new year – 2009. I guess i can still say that, right?  I mean we are still in January.

So, what direction are you going?  Do you have any big exciting plans for your life in ‘09?   A lot of people have already started off this new planning on spending the year as a victim of circumstances?  It’s sad, but a lot of people see their lives that way.

Destination?  Problems

Have you noticed that people who complain a lot never seem to run out of things to complain about?  They are focused on “what’s wrong?”  As a result, that is the direction they have chosen for their lives. Their destination is, “problems.”  And that is exactly where they end up.  They have problem after problem after problem.

We really do attract into our lives the things that we choose to dwell on.  It is true that if you want to see things change in your life, you do it by first changing your thoughts.  But be prepared!  You must do this consistently, it takes effort.

LA to NY

If you’re driving from Los Angeles and you want to get to New York City that means you need to drive east for a long ways.  But, when you get to Nevada, if you decide to go north for awhile you are no longer on your way to New York City.

You could then go West and head back to California.  In fact, you could go in circles for weeks if you wanted to.   As long as you have gas and the car is running, it will go in the direction you point it.  Sadly, so many people spend their whole lives just going around in circles.

Where are you going?

Get clear on what you desire for your life for this year.  Refuse to be a victim.  Refuse to allow the circumstances to dictate how your life is going to be.  Focus on where you want your life to go without wavering and flipping back and forth.

God promised that He would give you the desires of your heart.  He can still bring you all that you need to live a fulfilled and successful life.   Your job is to keep your mind pointed in the right direction.  Set your course, and stay on that course until you get there.

Choose to have a great day, and choose to have a great year!

Mike Verdicchio

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Based on a True Story

I like to watch movies based on true stories.  Recently, I saw for the first time the movie, “Music of the Heart.”  It is the amazing story of Roberta Guaspari who started an amazing violin program in East Harlem.

Most of the time, these kinds of movies inspire us.  That is certainly the case with the movie, “Miracle,” one of my favorites.   It is based on the true story of the USA Olympic Hockey Team in 1980.

But, my all time favorite is “Seabiscuit.” To watch and see the three main character’s lives change is remarkable.  I love the line in the movie, which comes up at least twice:  “You don’t throw away a whole life just because it’s banged up a little.”

Those movies are inspiring!

Movies like that really can inspire us, can’t they?  We think, “If Roberta could accomplish all of that she did with so many obstacles to overcome, then I can accomplish what I want to as well.”

“If the USA could beat the unbeatable Russians, then I can win and be successful too.”

“If Charles Howard could regroup after all that he went through, well then, so can I. If Tom Smith could find a new direction and purpose, so can I. If Red Pollard could let go of his past and become who he really wants to be, then so can I.”

Here’s my point

If movies based on true stories inspire us, why shouldn’t the stories in the Bible inspire us as well?  Too often, Biblical stories are dismissed as fables, myths, or, just something that somebody made up.

Movies about true stories are identified as, “based on a true story.”  The records you read in the Bible are not just based on a true story; they are the actual and real true stories!  No embellishment, no Hollywood additions, no adapting the screenplay was necessary to make it fit into a ninety minute time frame.  What you read is what really happened.

Many of those stories have a miraculous triumph or a supernatural event in the story.  Perhaps that’s why some people might just dismiss the story.  They think that something like that could ever happen.

If movies based on true stories can inspire people, just think how much more the true stories in the Bible could inspire people, if they only accepted them as being true.  They could really lift a person’s confidence toward God to new heights.

This is a true story

One of those stories is about a woman and her son who found themselves right in the middle of a famine.  This was something completely out of their control.  They didn’t cause the famine.  But there they were with no food.

It had come down to the woman having only a little bit of food left for one more meal.  She was going to prepare it for her and her son, eat the meal, and then die.  That was it.

But then, God did something remarkable.  The woman shared some of her last bit of food with a man of God.  He then stayed with her for over a year, and during that time, that little bit of food never ran out.  All around her was famine and starvation, but in her house, day after day, there was food to eat.

How inspiring is that record if you choose to believe that it really is true?  How much more confidence in God does that give you in light of your own circumstances?  How much more trust in God to help you supply what you need does that give you?

If He did it for her, then He could do it for me too.

On the other hand, if you choose to not believe it, what does that story do for you?  Absolutely nothing, it is just entertainment.

One must wonder and ponder carefully why there are such records in the Bible.  Are they there for our amusement?  Are they there make the book bigger and more impressive?  Are they there because someone had a wild imagination?

Or, are they divinely inspired and placed so that those who want to have more confidence and trust in a powerful and delivering God can read them, get inspired, and grow in their confidence and trust in God?

Easy answer!

Mike Verdicchio