I can say "No" to requests I do not feel comfortable with doing. Occasionally, people expect too much from others. I love to help people. However, I know I cannot say "Yes" to every person all the time. It is acceptable and healthy to say "No" sometimes.

Even if I said "No," I still care for those people to whom I said it. "No" is not a sign of my sentiments for the person who made the request. Saying "No" is about preserving my happiness, joy, and peace instead of giving them away to please others.

Folks still love me when I say "No" to them. They know why I sometimes have to decline their request. I am able to take good care of the folks I love without agreeing to everything they ask of me. I understand that it is okay to say "No."

Saying "No" can be healthy. By saying "No," I safeguard my happiness and peace of mind. I say "Yes" when I can, "No" when I cannot, and that is perfectly fine with me. Others welcome my honesty.

I still feel good about myself when I say "No...

I am sure you have heard the saying, ‘you cannot pour from an empty cup.’ This is why you need to learn to take care of yourself. Keeping yourself motivated is an inside job.

You might do an excellent job of creating the right environment and getting the requisite resources to succeed, but if you are not taking care of yourself, you will not stay motivated for very long. It is hard to keep pushing yourself to do more when your body is already falling apart under pressure.

 “You, my Lord, are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. You will not grow tired or weary, and Your understanding no one can fathom. You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but when I hope in You, O, Lord, my strength will be renewed. I will soar on wings like eagles; I will run and not grow weary, I will walk and not faint. (Isa. 40:28–31).” — Beth Moore

Achieving success at the expense of y...

To achieve your goals, you need a plan. To do this, look at where you are now and then look at all the things you would need to build the life you are picturing. For instance, you might find that you need a certain amount of money to make your traveling dream happen.

In that case, you need to look at the options available to you to make that money. Or maybe you want to achieve a certain thing in your career, and you realize that you need to acquire a certain amount of experience to get there. How can you acquire said experience?

There are many similar examples of how you might go after a particular goal, but the thing to remember in every case is that you need to focus on small steps that are just ahead of you. That might mean the next small promotion. It might mean a small upgrade to your home. It might mean developing any form of small income.

With that in mind, you are then going to break these smaller goals down even further. Now the objective is to look at the smallest possible...

Developing balance and harmony among all the aspects of your life can bring you true happiness. It can be challenging to keep everything in order, but the harmony you create makes a tremendous difference when you do.

The trick is to spread your focus reasonably equally among the different areas of your life. This means that, while your work life might be stressful, you cannot overlook your relationships, spirituality, or other areas that are also vital to you.

The situation can be compared to the beautiful music performance by an accomplished orchestra. All instruments perform in perfect harmony together. Occasionally one instrument will come forward into the spotlight while the other instruments wait or keep on playing quietly, fulfilling their part of the total beauty.

Use these techniques to bring the beauty of balance and harmony to your life:

1. Avoid completely focusing on one issue. If you devote all of your energy on one aspect of your life, the others fall by th
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I maintain my composure and respond gracefully in heated situations. I am sometimes faced with enraging problems, but reacting negatively would only worsen the situation.

The circumstance that I find myself in is less critical than how I respond to it. I can only control my behaviors. I have tons of life experience under my belt. So, I developed the necessary maturity to hold myself together in tough situations.

Occasionally, when the situation gets too heated, I find it safest to walk away. I prefer to be the bigger person and react in a calm, cool, collected way. By walking away from a situation before it gets out of control, I have time to gain y composure and diffuse my emotions.

One more method I like to use is simply kindness. As an adage says, "you can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar."

This reaction may upset those who love to argue. But I do not have time in my life for drama. So, I instantly detachment myself from these kinds of people...

 Marriage is regarded as a sacred covenant, symbolizing the profound love and commitment that Christ has for His church. For Christians, marriage is not merely a formal agreement but a spiritual and emotional union divinely designed and ordained by God. This bond reflects the deep connection between Christ and His church, emphasizing love, devotion, and mutual support.

Building a strong Christian marriage involves focusing on essential elements such as love, trust, communication, shared faith, mutual respect, and support for each other's growth.

Understanding the essence of a Christian marriage involves imbuing the union with spiritual significance and adhering to Christ's teachings. Couples seek to ensure that their relationship reflects God's will, which in turn fosters a deep sense of joy and fulfillment. This entails prioritizing selflessness, love, respect, and mutual support within the marriage while continually seeking spiritual guidance and growth as a couple.

H...

Positive living can sometimes seem like a stretch, right? With everything that is going on in your life, it is easy to get dejected. But you can get beyond that and convert your frustrations into positivity.

Life coaches are great examples of positivity. They seem like godsends when you are at your lowest. And you probably wonder what special secret they have for joyous living.

Great news! There is no secret. It is all about the Truth Mindset.

Try these steps to develop your abundance of positivity:

1. Own responsibility for your life's outcomes. One of the first things a life coach teaches is that you are in charge of your life. When you accept that, it will be easier for you to move on from negative experiences. On the flip side, you can take all the credit for the positives!

* Knowing that you are in charge helps you to make adjustments. Let's say you see a situation developing into something negative. Your actions can result in a complete turnaround for the better.

* When yo...

Dealing with conflict diplomatically can be an overwhelming challenge if you have a short temper. The way you treat others affects your career contacts, friendships, job security, and even romantic relationships.

To deal with conflict kindly, be willing to agree to change.

The next time you face confrontation, follow these tips:

1. Step out of your shoes. Scrutinize the situation objectively as it will allow you to see both sides of the story honestly. Why is the other person unhappy? What could you maybe have done to offend them or cause them to feel as if they were wronged or attacked? Is there any merit to their reaction?

* Remember, most people hardly ever lash out without a feeling of justification. Find why they approached you so hastily so you can figure out how to diffuse the situation.

2. Be understanding. Sometimes, all someone needs to calm down is to feel as if they are understood. Say something that will make them feel like they have the right to think
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Fear is a healthy, natural emotion necessary for survival. Instead of folding in the face of fear, I utilize it to stir my courage. Fear renders it possible for me to experience a degree of bravery stored inside of me.

Courage is the presence of action amid fear. My courage brings me above my fears and into a place where dreams come true. Because of courage, my heart is bursting with bold hope.

I annul the power of fear in my life, which tries to dictate my actions. With faith illuminating the way, I take risks beyond everything I have accomplished before. I shake off timidity from lack of confidence and change it to courage. 

I dare to dream outside of the limits set on me from my childhood. I do not believe negative words voiced about me as a child. I think my Creator has greater purposes for my life.

I seek to know my purpose with a heart prepared to do whatever it takes to see my destiny fulfilled. By clothing myself in uplifting peace, I stand up to the fears that ...

Patience is frequently the most confusing of virtues. For one thing, many people do not realize that patience is a learned quality!  It does not come instinctively for most of us.

Here are three areas in which patience does pay:

1. Goal setting. You have heard the saying that anything good is worth waiting for. Waiting does not mean simply sitting and doing nothing, waiting for great things to happen to you. You have to make them happen! Give yourself a realistic time frame to sit down and write out your goals. Remember, Rome was not built in a day. Set mini-goals within larger goals so you can get a better visual of your progress. You will feel motivated by your accomplishments when you see your plan developing.

2. Learning new skills. As we get older, it is not as easy to learn new skills. We can become discouraged and feel like giving up. People out of the workforce for many years are entirely out of the technology loop. And it can be challenging to get up to speed. Havi
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