Cohawk Blog

Let me just say this:

I have learned very recently to start living relationally, rather than religiously. I focus more on strengthening my relationship with God, rather than abiding by performance/ranking manmade rules.

By doing this, I am learning to live a life of expectancy, rather than expectation. After all, if God created me, and knows my past, present, and future… how can he possibly have any expectations for me?

Knowing this gives me the confidence that I am not, nor will I ever be a disappointment to God.

It also enhances my relationships with my friends and family. Think about it this way:

Expectation: When someone doesn’t call you for a while, we always think “that guy’s a jerk. I do my part and try to call them as often as I can, and he doesn’t even TRY to call me… what an ass.”

Expectancy: When someone you haven’t seen in a while (weeks/months/etc.) finally calls you on the phone. You immediately pick up the conversation where you had left off the last time you talked, and enjoy every minute of listening to them.

…that is a big difference, and that’s why I shared this with you. I hope you read it all the way.

Thanks for the inspiration Andi & Pastor Joe.

So it occurred to me, once again, that life is a game.  More so, life is a series of decisions that mold us into who we are.  In short, it’s all about the game, and how you play it.  So you have to ask yourself… am I playing the game, or is it playing me?

Bill Walsh was a successful football coach in the NCAA and NFL.  His style was known as eccentric… or innovative.  He re-invented the way the game of football is played.  Most coaches and teams would, and still do, watch films of the opposing team… studying the plays… scouting the players.  The team would then model their strategy around the team they were about to face.

Walsh’s approach to the game was different.  He would walk down the sidelines, with the plays he was about to run in plain sight, for anyone to see.  Rather then responding to the game, he made the game respond to him.  He made decisions in the game that would shape the way that game was played.  Coincidently, his team won… more often than not.

Not only did Bill Walsh make his intentions completely clear, his team followed through and executed.  They decided at the beginning of the game that ‘this was their game’.  They played the game, rather than getting played by the game.

So what’s with the football analogies???  Well… it really all boils down to this…  We make a decision, the minute we jump out of bed in the morning.  We decide if we are going to take charge of the day, or if we are going to let the day take charge of us.  Fortunately, we have a choice to make at that very moment every single day.

So, knowing this… what is your choice going to be?    Are you going to scout around to see how everyone else is handling their day?  Are you going to put on cruise control and live vicariously through someone else?  Or… are you going to march up and down that field making the game respond to you?

***If you’re easily offended, or afraid of reality, do not read any further***

Alot of people want to know the secret to life. What if I told you what the secret was?!? Would you take advantage of it… if it meant you would be able to obtain or achieve anything you wanted out of life? If you knew that everything in life was within reach, would you grab it?

Most people won’t for one simple reason… it’s not easy. If it were easy, everyone would be living the ideal life, and not have time for anything less. What if the secret lies in you?

Well… it does.

The secret to achieving anything you desire lies within the only thing any one of us have complete control over… Our thoughts. The Subconscious mind more specifically. By definitely planned thought, building faith through auto-suggestion of positive affirmation. (That means repeatedly telling yourself what you believe and making it come true.)

See, the brain is very similar to a computer. Just as a computer can be dressed up and loaded with different types of programs to make it work a certain way… your brain functions basically the same way.

The process of communicating positive messages to your brain builds one of the strongest emotions anyone can experience… Faith. This causes the development of self confidence, a defined sense of self worth, and a better understanding of your definite aim in life. (Who would have thought?)

So what are you telling your brain? What messages are you sending to yourself? Are you convincing yourself that you can’t do things? Are you telling yourself that you’re not happy? Or worse, are you letting the circumstances around you dictate the way you feel?

If you answered “YES” to any of those questions, then I have one suggestion for you. STOP IT!!!

Quit feeling sorry for yourself! Quit wanting someone to feel sorry for you! Take some Responsibility for your own actions, and quit worrying about what everyone else is doing. You have your own life to live. Don’t let what other people say or do dictate the way you feel about yourself. Don’t allow other people poison your well.

Instead… try living by these 3 steps…

- THINK IT
- SAY IT
- DO IT

Start telling yourself that you are capable of great things. You’ll begin to realize your full potential, and not accept anything less. Convince yourself that you do feel happy, and you will. Decide that you are what you say you are, and don’t be afraid to let people know how you feel.

Quit waiting around for “the time to be right”. Stop building alibis convincing yourself that it’s OK to come up short. (if I had more money… if I would have woken up earlier… if I wasn’t drunk… if I was better looking…) Just think it, say it, do it… and DO IT NOW!!!

The easiest way to stop making excuses for failing is to start explaining why you’re successful. Plus… it sounds alot better. They don’t make movies about people with problems… They make movies about people who overcome adversity.

If you are reading this… you might need to get off your ass and go do something about it!!!

Nobody likes a sob story. Be a HERO.

Now you know… and knowing is half the battle