Tag Archives: faith

A New Year is Upon Us

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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

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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

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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.