By Sister Shirley Tarpley
NDG Staff Writer
Work on your weaknesses until they become your strong points. Bear in mind that a great effort is usually the result of a great attitude. Learn to accept your winning battles with humility and your losing battles with grace. Ignore those who discourage you, they don’t know “your story.” Mark Twain once said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that … .” Remember that talent is God-given; learn to be humble and thankful. Fame in life is man-given; and conceit is self-given, therefore be very careful; and seek to understand the difference.
Do what has to be done, when it has to be done and as well as it can be done. Always give your best; a successful life is built one day at a time. Tough decisions that you make will test your courage, improve your strengths, and reveal your weaknesses. The importance of a lesson learned is not what you get from it, but what you become because of it.
Don’t allow yourself to get like concrete—all mixed up and permanently set. In real life, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Henry Ford once said, “Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.” Some life changing inventions are often the result of an error.
You may not be able to change the world you see around you, but you can change the way you see the world. You will be measured by your reactions to life’s inequities. Never accept the negative until you have thoroughly explored the positive. People that never do any more than they get paid for will never get paid for any more than they do. My maternal grandfather, Mr. James Baker once said, “You can’t pay a man enough money to do a good job, the good job that he will do comes from within.”
Secret to Happiness: 1) Trust God in the face of adversity. 2) Forget the unpleasant things that come into your life. 3) Apologize if you have offended someone; believe that a sincere apology is the superglue of life. 4) Admit an error and do your best to learn from them. 5) Try your best to Avoid mistakes. 6) Listen to advice; and ask God to help you make the right decision. 7) Keep your temper. 8) Shoulder the blame. 9) Make the best of things. 10) Maintain high standards. 11) Think first and act accordingly. 12) Put the needs of your family and others before your own. 13) Forgive and forgive more. 14) Pray without ceasing for family, friends, church members, leaders of your church and leaders our country.
The Tongue Can Be Your Worst Enemy: Your words, your dreams, and your thoughts have power to create conditions in your life. What you speak about, you can bring about. If you keep saying you can’t stand your job, you might lose your job or you will remain unemployed. If you keep saying you can’t stand your body, your body can become sick. If you keep saying you can’t stand your car, your car could be stolen or just stop operating.
If you keep saying you are broke, guess what? You’ll always be broke. If you keep saying you can’t trust a man or trust a woman, you’ll always find someone in your life that will hurt and betray you.
If you keep saying you can’t find someone to love or believe in you, you will attract more experiences to confirm your beliefs. If you keep talking about a divorce or break up in a relationship, then you might end up with it. Turn your thoughts and conversations around to be more positive and power-packed with faith, hope, love and action. Don’t be afraid to believe that you can have what you want and deserve.
Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for. “In my search for me I discovered truth. In my search for love I discovered God. And in God, I have found everything.”
