Wisdom

Wisdom rises upon the ruins of folly. ~ Thomas Fuller



We gain knowledge from other people, but wisdom comes from within. We have to live our own lives, profit from our blunders, and learn from our experience. Nobody can do these things for us.



Part of living is making mistakes. Some of us have to keep on making the same mistakes until we suddenly make a breakthrough and achieve a new perspective on ourselves and our actions. It often seems we are never going to be ready for the next step...and then suddenly we take it and we come through. We think we're not going to make it; then we make a leap forward.



Nothing needs to be lost or wasted in our lives. Even the folly of our problem can teach us hard lessons if we are attentive and brave. Our craziness may help us to see more clearly and gain insight into ourselves and others.

~~

Failure Is An Inside Job

In our culture, too many people bleive that contentment come from attaining material possessions or positions of power. But they aren't the keys to contentment either. If yo are tempted to believe that they are, remember the words of John D. Rockefeller. When a journalist asked him how much wealth was enough, the millionaire, who was at the time one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, answered, "Just a little more".

Contentment comes from having a positive attitiude. It means:

• Expecting the best in everything - not the worst
• Remaining upbeat - even when you get beat up
• Seeing solutions in every problem - not problems in every solution
• Believing in yourself - even when others believe you have failed
• Holding on to hope - even when others say it's hopeless.

No matter what happens to you, a positive attitude comes from within. Your circumstances and your contentment are unrelated.


~John C. Maxwell, in Falling Forward
http://www.johnmaxwell.com/

~

Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #5 of 13

Irrational Belief #5: By going off my food plan, it proves I can’t stick to it.

Challenges:

• If I go off my food plan it proves nothing more than I choose not to stick to it at that time.
• I can now freely choose to go back to it at any time even though it may be difficult.
• Variations are normal; I have the ability to go back at any time, including today.
  

Behavior: Identify and log the triggers that led to the lapse. Log behaviors following a lapse that support resuming your food plan. Identify other situations where you failed multiple times but then eventually succeeded

Irrational Beliefs and Challenges #4 of 13

Irrational Belief #4: If I eat at all I am a failure.

Challenges:

• If I eat too much it means nothing other than I temporarily failed at managing my food.
• I can choose to refocus and ultimately succeed.
• But even if I never eat properly, I am still an acceptable human being.
• Failures or success are not inherent qualities of human beings.
  

Behaviors: Identify and log the triggers that led to the lapse. Log behaviors following a lapse that support resuming your food plan. Identify other situations where you failed multiple times but then eventually succeeded.