Choosing to Live Versus Choosing to Exist

1 Reply

I ran across the quote today from Oscar Wilde that stated “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”  This made me reflect on Pillar 4 and how living a life that is enjoyable and has purpose and meaning  makes so much difference in anyone’s life. Many people today don’t ever fully live their life.  They become so wrapped up that they forget to take the opportunity to get out and enjoy their own lives.  They don’t take time from work or away from everyday routines that it becomes more and more difficult to truly live.  These people, as Oscar Wilde said, merely exist.  They sit in their own complacency, grumblings, and frustrations in life.  This effects their relationships with family and friends, their work, and their faith as well.

Now what does it mean to live and not merely exist?  Living can be so many different things.  It could getting be betting out and experiencing new things.  Getting actively involved in things that you enjoy and have meaning to you around your community. Taking vacations with your family and getting away from the normal grind.  Take risks in starting a new business.  There are so many things that apply to living and this is such a small example.  The biggest thing is that no matter what you do, it is important that those things have a sense of purpose to you and something that you enjoy doing.

Living our lives to the fullest is something that is mentioned by so many.  God’s Word mentions the joys of living where it is stated “So I recommend having fun, because their is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some of the happiness along with all the hard work that God gives them under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15).  We are also told “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16).  It is important that throughout our entire lives we take the time actually enjoy life and do things that we enjoy and love and has purpose to us.  We have been granted a tremendous blessing of life and it is so short. Wasting this opportunity can leave you with tremendous regrets.

I was at an event where John Maxwell was speaking a couple of years back and he express that we have to take responsibility for our own happiness.  If you have bologna in your life, it’s because you make it.  This was a very powerful message.  At the time, I myself was in a state of confusion and uncertainty of my own direction.  What he said was very true, we have to take responsibility for our own happiness.  You get out of life what you make of it.

Earl Nightingale mentioned that one of the biggest issues people have is that they conform, people acting like everyone else, without know why or where they are going.  This also speaks truths because it shows us that we cannot lump through life like others. Get out and do things that bring joy to your life.  This will help you build success in the other pillars of life and help you to fully come alive.

So my message today is to live.  Don’t just exist, conform, and get along…Live!!!  Make the most of everyday God blesses you with here on earth.  The sky’s the limit.  You are only limited in life by how much you limit yourself.

Sunset

An Unconditional Covenant

Leave a reply

One of the 4 big pillars I have found in life revolves around marriage and the family.  I want to take a moment to talk specifically about marriage.  In my coming book “4 Pillars to Coming Alive”, I talk in much greater detail about this and each of the 4 pillars.  Here at 4 Pillar Living, I will talk about different segments as we go forward and even give some teasers as to what my new book will entail.

Marriage is a union that in many ways has seem to have lost a sense of importance today.  For many, life becomes so hectic and busy with work, kids activities, and a multitude of other things that many couples forget to take the time to just focus on one another.  I want to write for a bit today about this sacred unity that many of us are blessed to be able to take part in.  If you have not yet, this will also apply if you happen to venture down this road.  Now, I am not the world’s foremost expert by any stretch, but what I do have is a lot of conviction and life experience in this area.  My bride and I have been married for 15, going on 16 years.  We were married very young, but did that intentionally and knew we wanted to grow together and for the rest of our lives.  We have been on quite a journey and I have learned a lot about what it takes to make a marriage work and how a marriage that is healthy, helps you come alive.

What is so vital in any marriage, I don’t care who you are, is a focus of unconditional love.  Too many times these days, couples make it easy for the distractions of life, to influence their mind to where their love for their spouse starts to come with conditions.  This could be in disagreements or struggles with bills and finances or any of a number of other things.  I have seen marriage struggles around me over the years.  Many times it falls down to the same kind of thing conditions were not met which destroyed the fabric of their union.

Our love for one another is not meant to have conditions around it.  It is meant to be a reflection of the unconditional love that God has shown us even when we are not worthy of it.  No matter how much we fall, because Christ came and died for us and was risen to life again, He is always their to take us back.  This is the ultimate showing of unconditional love.  Our marriages with that one person that we are meant to cleave to for life is to be a reflection of that love.  Love endures all and choosing to love unconditionally just has God did for us will go a long way for your own marriage.

Now for some, I may be preaching to the choir, and for others, you may think what is all this love stuff.  This is the very fabric of who we are though.  If you have any struggles there that try to rip at your marriage, you should vow to stay strong and together with your spouse you can get through it all.  Don’t turn to blaming one or the other for their faults.  Instead resolve to get through any situation together.  Remember, now that you are married, you are no longer two.  You are one.  A union that is never to be broken.  Resolve with your spouse to build an everlasting covenant together.  One that is built on unconditional love.  Doing so will enable you to get through any challenge in life together.

More to come on this in the future…

The Launch of 4 Pillar Living

Leave a reply

Over the last couple of months, I have been on a journey building up my new brand and platform that will be used to serve people in many aspects of life.  I started with the platform of GEN Revolution.  This provided a great way to get myself going and to place my writing under a single name.  As time has passed and the work continues to evolve, I have come to a point that it was necessary to re-brand myself under a name that seemed to fit more with what I feel is God’s calling for me.  Introducing 4 Pillar Living!!!  A few weeks back, I wrote about what I called The Four Pillars to Come Alive.  This really got the ball rolling as I figured out, this was the direction that was needed.

Through 4 Pillar Living, a platform is in place to help people truly unleash their God given potential by paying attention to these 4 key pillars; Faith, Family/Marriage, Work, and Life Purpose.  Each area of life has a significant impact on the type of life someone may lead.  Neglecting one more areas, prevents someone from coming alive, from what I have found.  Paying attention to each area will bring out the best in you.  Many people have become very complacent in their lives and don’t pay attention to certain aspects of their life.  They don’t walk closely with God, they neglect the relationships with their families, the hate their work, or they feel their life has no purpose.  One or more of these areas may be you.  I have been there myself.

I am here to help anyone with struggles in these areas to build more clarity in how to focus and bring the best out of each pillar.  I want to help you to come live through 4 Pillar Living.  I have already began writing my first book on these four pillars.  In the next month, 4 Pillar Radio will be launched, which will be my regular podcast where I will talk about each area and have discussions and interviews with others on these pillars.

I have been called to serve you all and will do my best to provide the information and insight I can drawing from my own experiences and knowledge and the insight of many others that have grown to trust, in particular, God’s Word.  It’s going to be great ride!

A New Year is Upon Us

Leave a reply

2012 is about to fade into the history books and we will begin to embark on a new year.  The start of a new year can mean so much to people.  A chance to start over and make a fresh start or a chance to resolve to accomplish something through a New Years resolution.  Many will make resolutions, but unfortunately very few will hold to those resolutions.  I always see that at my Gym after New Years where people flood in for the first few weeks and then it slowly dwindles back to the regulars.  Many times, life will just get in the way or there can just be a lack of will and determination to stick with what is resolved.  Who knows, there can be any number of reasons for this annual phenomenon to occur.  For myself, I have usually tried to avoid to New Years resolutions.  For the simple fact, that it seems to add additional pressure to stick with a new habit or practice.  Resolving to change should not just be focused on the New Year, although symbolically, I can understand why it is.

Aside from resolutions, moving into the New Year provides a great opportunity to refocus ones life toward optimal living.  We have the opportunity to move away from things that discourage upward movement and take greater control of our lives to truly live out its purpose.  This can come in how we approach our faith and walking closer with God.  It can be how we manage our homes and focus on our families.  It can come with the work we do and whether we decide to find work that is purposeful to our own hearts.  Finally it can be how we live and enjoy the life we have been blessed by God to have.

I have started a journey toward optimal living in every pillar of life, as I highlighted in a previous blog.  It has been a phased process for me.  It first started with my faith and my walk with God.  Over the past couple of years, I have gradually committed myself to more to my faith.  I spend time everyday in God’s Word which has helped me build a closer relationship with Jesus than I had before.  With that renewed faith can the quest for clarity with my family and how lead my home and the time I spend with my wife and my children.  Through lots of reading and prayer I found greater clarity in the father and husband I should be and one that keeps God central t how I lead my home.  Now comes the next phase in the work I do.  I am determined to focus on building a business doing work that I love to do and that will have greater meaning and purpose in serving and helping others.  My wife will be an integral part of this journey, which I am so excited about.

What I have found is that everyone of us has the opportunity come fully alive in every aspect of our lives if we choose to do so.  We all have a chance to take charge of our futures by focusing on each key area of life.  As we move into 2013, take some time to think about areas of your life that may need greater clarity or focus. It could be in your faith, your relationship with your spouse and children, the work you do, or not enjoying life in general.  Each area is an integral part of what I call Coming Alive Through Optimal Living.  Taking the steps to focus on each area will help you to come alive.  This may not call for drastic changes to your life, but maybe just a little bit of clarity and refocusing.

In 2013, I will continue to talk to each one of these points through my writing and in the coming Podcast.  I want to help you find that clarity in each area to come alive.  Through Faith, Family, Work, and Living.  2013 is going to be the start of a great ride with GEN Revolution and I hope that you will join me on this journey and help spread the word as well.

I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year in 2013!

Merry Christmas from 4 Pillar Living

2 Replies

Christmas has arrived!  This, by far is one of my favorite times of the year and always has been since I can remember.  I fondly remember the years growing up and the anticipation of this day.  Waking up in the pre-dawn hours to sneak down stairs and see what the jolly ole’ elf had brought us.  As a father, that that joy has continued with the joy of their faces on Christmas morning and the wonderful traditions we have established over the last 15 years as a family.  Through all of that, the one that has remained a constant and I strive to ensure my children never forget, is why we celebrate this season.  It is a celebration of the day that God stepped into this world to deliver his promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Celebrating the birth of Jesus is near and dear to Christian faith.  It is also a celebration of the peace that is possible in our lives through Jesus and developing that personal relationship with him as your savior.

Often times, people get so worked up and stressed out, especially this time of year trying to find those right gifts, or stressed that they may not be able to afford much for Christmas if anything at all.  Many times, this can cause strife in the home between couples who get more stressed out about finances.  I have been there.  But one thing I have learned through the struggle is that building that personal relationship with Christ and turning back to God is the best way to get through any of those struggles.

I was up early Sunday morning, and watched a sermon from Dr. Charles Stanley from First Baptist Church Atlanta, while the family was still sleeping.  He spoke of Jesus, The Prince of Peace and how peace in our own lives, real peace, was only possible through our relationship with Christ.  Many times in our lives we encounter situations that we just wonder why would God allow this kind of struggle, or why would He allow suffering such as in Newtown, CT.  Dr. Stanley mentioned one thing that was very real and caught my attention.  He mentioned that we do find God when things are great and we have plenty of money.  No, the struggles are when people turn to Him.  These struggles are  wake-up to turn back to Him.  No matter what kind of struggle may be in front of you, whether it is finances at Christmas time or whatever it may be, by turning back to God and to prayer, you will build the foundation to pull from those struggles.  Let Him take over.  He can bring you through any struggle in life and His promise for salvation and peace is so real.

I will approach this much more as we move forward, but with all of that said, I would like to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.  May the Lord’s blessings shine down on each of you and your families.

Take care and God Bless!

Clinton Family Christmas 2012

The Four Pillars to Come Alive

1 Reply

Ever since I first began this GEN Revolution journey, I have spent much time reflecting on what is it that I was really doing.   What do I want to focus on and what do I really want to bring out to everyone?  I always knew that one day I would be able to pursue my own work avenues.  It has taken some time to figure out what it is I really wanted to do.   Even after developing the idea of GEN revolution, it still took time to figure out what it would turn out to be.  I knew I wanted to help people in some one.  To provide guidance to help them in their work lives and maybe more.  With much prayer and thought, the idea is really beginning to take shape in what I feel I was called to do.  I have known for some time that God has been calling me into service in some way.  I have written many times about this in the past and now here.

The journey of GEN Revolution is coming alive and my mission has really started to unfold.  I was thinking through my mission statement this week and this is what came about,  “Use the abilities God has given me to make a difference in my life and the lives of those I encounter and work with. Motivate and inspire others to stand up for what they believe and never make excuses for unleashing their full God given potential. Create value for people in wanting to live in freedom with intentional purpose and achieve prosperity.”  There is a lot being said behind that statement.  There are so many areas in life that shape who we are and the kind of life we decide to leave.  These are areas of faith, marriage and family, work, and life purpose.  What was made clear to me was that neglecting one of these areas leaves  void in your life.  I will give a quick high-level look here.

Our walk with God and faith in Jesus Christ is a very important aspect of living.  He is the creator of all and placed each one of us here to glorify Him and serve Him, praise Him, and to follow the path He has laid forth.  We need to be able to turn back to God, repent, and continue praising Him for the blessing we have.  Doing so, is building block that carrier over to everything else in life.  Next, is our family and marriages (if you’re married).  One of the biggest issues I see is when married couples begin to disconnect and let little things get in the way of their happiness.  Your love for each other is meant to be unconditional just has God’s love for us is unconditional by the way he sent his son to bear the punishment we deserved for falling short of his grace.  People need to not neglect this area of their lives and also not neglect the time they have with their children.  Work is next and this is big.  It is our means providing for making a living and providing for our families.  Far too often, people settle for work that makes them miserable and they dread getting up in the morning.  I have most definitely been there.  They neglect this area by not pursuing work they love and actually has meaning to them and is profitable.  Finally it is life purpose.  All of these pieces fit into our life purpose and discovering what it is we want to accomplish in life and the kind of life we lead.  This is they way to unleash your full God given potential in life by answering each of these areas.

These four critical pieces will be the foundation of GEN Revolutions focus.  In 2013, you will begin seeing ways that can help you reach each of these areas and unleash your potential.  I will continuing writing each week on each of these areas and I will also begin to offer what will be Revolution Radio, my new podcast that will be launching soon.  Finally, I will be developing and providing a coaching service that will help people reach all of these areas and getting out to speak on the subjects as I can.  This is what I have been called to do  and something I have absolute passion for.  I may not have all the answers, but I most certainly will be able to work with you help you find the answers to your life’s mysteries and unleash your own potential enabling you to come alive.  It’s going to be an awesome journey.  I look forward to be able to serve and help people in their lives.  We can all come alive, nothing is impossible with God on our side.

 

The Journey to Growth

Leave a reply

Each day I find myself taking time to reflect on my personal growth journey.  I use that time to read and take note of the actions many have take and the advice that has been place before me to help me in my journey.  I have become very intentional, also, about opening my heart to listen to the path God continues to lay before my feet.  Every step of my journey through life and work has been another step in the pathway He has laid out.  They all build upon each other as a preparation for fulfilling my life purpose.  This goes for everyone.  Every decision to get up and go to work, to go to school, and everything in between on that journey is all a building block.  Many of us find ourselves taking a journey that may not seem like the path that was intended.  It all builds toward your ultimate purpose though.  God has granted us the free will to make decision on our path and we have to choose whether to listen to where he leads us or to take a different route that does not reach that ultimate purpose.

In my thinking today, I looked back on things I wrote a couple of years back.  This was a time, when I was really questioning my path life.  I had lost my Dad a year prior in a horrible car accident, and I was still reeling from the effects of the dark shadow that was cast from that event.  I reflected on talking to my older brother Rob, who had asked me after we had finished a workout, what is it that I want to be remembered for.  Part of my answer was that I wanted to be someone that can make an impact on the lives of others.  When I think about it though, I think what I said in 2010 very valid in the direction I am taking now as I build this platform to impact lives.

I also took time to look back on notes that I took at a book launch event for John Maxwell in October and his “15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.”  One of his laws is the “Law of the Mirror.”  This law states that you must see value in yourself to add value to yourself.  Two years ago, that journey may not have meant as much to me.  Today, I really see the importance of that statement.  All too often,  people fail to see their real value in themselves and don’t capitalize on making the most out of their potential.  They find it easy to stay complacent in their role because they do not believe in themselves and their value enough to grow further.  If you find yourself in that spot, and believe me, I have been there, you have to know that there is always room for further personal growth and that if you listen to Him in your heart, God will help you find that value in yourself put you on that path to growth spiritually and in work and life.

While driving today, I was listening to an audio CD today with Dan and Joann Miller as they reflected on their journey together in “Living, Loving, and Working.”  There was a great deal that took from that, first that applies and mirrors the life Amber and I have led in our lives together.  I will reflect on that in later writings, but one thing Dan closed with was from Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret” which is on my reading list.  The point that was mentioned was that “A man becomes what he thinks about.”  This is important because it also ties into the concept of what value we see in ourselves and our growth journey.  Start thinking of ways you can succeed in your life journey to answer God’s calling.  The more you think about it, I also believe that you will get there.  Think about it, not just in reflection to yourself but also talk about it with others, maybe your spouse, and most definitely, think about it by talking to God.  This will help open the path for you.

Me, I have been on a path of growth for many years.  Each step has brought me to where I am now, and I have found that avenue to realize everything I have worked for and unleash my full potential in life, love, work, and spiritually.   You can get yourself on that path as well, no matter what it is.  We all have a purpose under God and we can all find that purpose and realize that purpose through intentional growth.

Never Forget What’s Important

Leave a reply

This has been a week of emotion changes. I began the week pumped after a great weekend of networking in Tennessee and then a week filled with brainstorming new ideas including book ideas that will be unfolding soon and nailing down the GEN180 strategy. After all that greatness building up, the week ended with the sadness of Newtown,  CT and the shooting that took place.  My wife and I were in line to pick our kids up from school when he got wind of what had happened. It tore through our hearts and Amber was in tears from the thought of what happened.  Such tragedy with the deaths of so many innocent little children along with the adults that were taken as well.  On top of that, we found out this evening, that one of my son’s former coaches was killed in a car accident today driving home with his son through Texas.  My family and I have been through our share of tragedy and it never gets easy to see.

It is hard to try and stay focused on the good with such sorrow blaring through the news and the evil that the adversary continues to push in our lives. As many people stated over and over, I hope everyone takes the time to hug their children tighter and not forget the importance of the relationships we have in our lives. The time I have with my family is so precious to me and this event shined a bright light for many people on just how precious life is for all and how much we need to not waste the time we do have.

Christmas is coming in 10 days and I know many of you will be spending this time with your loved ones. I would like to stress the importance of looking beyond just Christmas time and make the most of the time you have with you families throughout the entire year. I have always been very intentional about my time with my wife and kids, no matter how busy my work and schooling has become. I am now going to take a step to make them even more of my priority, as they, next to my walk with God, are the most important thing to me.

I know it can be very easy to get bogged down in our work, whether intentional or not. Just never forget what is important in our lives. Hug your spouses and children tighter and maximize your time with them. I have a big focus with where GEN Revolution and GEN180 will be headed next year. Through it all, I will not lose sight of my family. That balance is very important.

Let us all continue to pray for the families and the community in Newtown, CT. Pray that the Lord brings comfort to everyone involved

The Power of Can

Leave a reply

All to often we get bogged down in life and unwilling to step forward to pursue our dreams and passions.  We get caught up in a world that tells us we need to live “responsibly” and pursue security in our careers to provide for our families.  As a husband and father, I have been in that realm for the last 15 years.  I have pursued jobs that provided paychecks and benefits that provided a semblance of security for my wife and kids.  Amber and I were one of those couples that married very early, at 18, and had children early.  We struggled with getting by many times over.  People discounted our chances to make for being so young, and we have grown stronger and stronger as the years rolled.  I’ll approach that topic more at a later date.

Going back to dreams and passions, I want talk about something that I think has influenced many of our lives.  That is the idea of can and can’t.  Those two words can have a significant factor in how you choose to drive forward through life. Whether you settle with mediocrity or complacency or whether you decide to unleash you full potential in life.  Many times we will see the negative influences from those that tell you that you can’t pursue this passion or that dream because its not practical.  It’s not normal to step away and do work that has purpose and meaning and that you love if it is not that typical career avenue that provides that steady pay and benefits.  You have to be responsible and can’t rock the boat by stepping into an unknown avenue.  Dreams are great, but don’t pay the bills.  I have been down that road and encouraged to continue down my career path.  I have even told myself that I can’t venture out because I needed to be able to provide for my family.  I looked at this option 7 years ago, but bailed from fear of the unknown.

Now, there is that word that, CAN.  That is to be able to, or have the ability or power to do.  This word is a very powerful force in life.  It is a word that can help build the motivation to unleash yourself.  When I started my doctoral journal, I told myself that I CAN, and I am within a year of meeting that goal.  In recent months, I told myself that I CAN venture out to find my passions and pursue work that has purpose and meaning to me and that I would love.  As a result, GEN Revolution was born and is only just beginning.  My partnership with GEN180 born and will takeoff in the coming months as well.  In addition, I am pursuing a dream that I have had for years to publish my first book.  I am going to be working on not only one, but two books with more to come later.  This is where my life passions and dreams lie and that is where I will drive toward.  I CAN and I will do it.

The word CAN can make a difference in all our lives.  If you have dreams you want to pursue, you CAN go after.  If you believe in those passions, step away from your comforts and do it.  You may be worried about being able to provide.  I know from others experiences and knowing the achiever in me, that I CAN pursue my passions in way that is fulfilling and probably will be more profitable than if I continued down the same path.  Tell yourself that you CAN and you will make.  Pray about it.  Talk to God and ask him to show you the way.  He will reveal that path that He meant for you and knows that you CAN make it down.  Don’t let the negative and fear of the unknown keep you from those dreams.  That’s the adversary trying to keep you miserable and unhappy.  Tell yourself that you CAN and you will take huge step toward unleashing your full potential coming alive and free.

SpiritofPower