A Virtual Memorial Day Celebration

Today is Memorial Day here in America. As stated on AARP’s website: “The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life as we know it, forcing us to alter our behavior for the sake of public health. Memorial Day is no exception. Although most parades and public events have been cancelled for this year’s Memorial Day, there are still ways to honor service members who lost their lives. We compiled a list of events and services that can help you observe the holiday from home or within your community.” (Quote source and their list of activities can be found at this link.)

I watched the “National Memorial Day Concert” on television yesterday that was broadcast on PBS, and it was excellent. It is available to watch on their website at this link, and it is one hour and 25 minutes in length. One of the songs performed during this concert is titled “Still a Soldier” and it is sung by Trace Adkins (YouTube video is at the bottom of this blog post).

There are several veterans in my family including myself, but I don’t count what I did as anything even remotely close to my other family members who served in the military. My dad and stepmother served in the U.S. Navy during World War 2 (and my dad remained in the Naval Reserve for 20 years after his active duty ended); my older brother served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and he was stationed in Saigon; and my stepbrother served in the U.S. Army for several years including being stationed in Germany. I served in the U.S. Army on a two-year enlistment they had at the time, and I was stationed in South Korea at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Three of them have passed on–my stepbrother died in 2008, my stepmother died in 2011, and my dad died a year ago in June 2019. While none of them died in active service, they were veterans at the time of their death, so I remember them on this day as well as on Veteran’s Day.

In an article titled, “Memorial Day Meaning,” published on AllAboutHistory.org is the transcript of a speech given by President Ronald Reagan at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day in 1986. Here is that article and the transcript of President Reagan’s speech:

Memorial Day Meaning – The History

Each May, the United States celebrates a day called Memorial Day. Does Memorial Day have meaning? What is the history of Memorial Day?

Memorial Day was first widely observed in May 1868. The celebration commemorated the sacrifices of the Civil War and the proclamation was made by General John A Logan. Following the proclamation, participants decorated graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.

In years since World War 1, the day has become a celebration of honor for those who died in all America’s wars, as well as those who are Veterans and current members of the US military.

In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday. The United States celebrates this holiday the last Monday of May.

Memorial Day Meaning – Reagan’s Speech

President Ronald Reagan is credited with reviving the practice of honoring Memorial Day and its meaning. One of his famous speeches was given at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day in 1986:

“Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be with the family and remember.

“I was thinking this morning that across the country children and their parents will be going to the town parade and the young ones will sit on the sidewalks and wave their flags as the band goes by. Later, maybe, they’ll have a cookout or a day at the beach. And that’s good, because today is a day to be with the family and to remember.

“Arlington, this place of so many memories, is a fitting place for some remembering. So many wonderful men and women rest here, men and women who led colorful, vivid, and passionate lives. There are the greats of the military: Bull Halsey and the Admirals Leahy, father and son; Black Jack Pershing; and the GI’s general, Omar Bradley. Great men all, military men. But there are others here known for other things.

“Here in Arlington rests a sharecropper’s son who became a hero to a lonely people. Joe Louis came from nowhere, but he knew how to fight. And he galvanized a nation in the days after Pearl Harbor when he put on the uniform of his country and said, ‘I know we’ll win because we’re on God’s side.’ Audie Murphy is here, Audie Murphy of the wild, wild courage. For what else would you call it when a man bounds to the top of a disabled tank, stops an enemy advance, saves lives, and rallies his men, and all of it single-handedly. When he radioed for artillery support and was asked how close the enemy was to his position, he said, ‘Wait a minute and I’ll let you speak to them.’ [Laughter]

“Michael Smith is here, and Dick Scobee, both of the space shuttle Challenger. Their courage wasn’t wild, but thoughtful, the mature and measured courage of career professionals who took prudent risks for great reward—in their case, to advance the sum total of knowledge in the world. They’re only the latest to rest here; they join other great explorers with names like Grissom and Chaffee.

“Oliver Wendell Holmes is here, the great jurist and fighter for the right. A poet searching for an image of true majesty could not rest until he seized on ‘Holmes dissenting in a sordid age.’ Young Holmes served in the Civil War. He might have been thinking of the crosses and stars of Arlington when he wrote: ‘At the grave of a hero we end, not with sorrow at the inevitable loss, but with the contagion of his courage; and with a kind of desperate joy we go back to the fight.’

“All of these men were different, but they shared this in common: They loved America very much. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for her. And they loved with the sureness of the young. It’s hard not to think of the young in a place like this, for it’s the young who do the fighting and dying when a peace fails and a war begins. Not far from here is the statue of the three servicemen—the three fighting boys of Vietnam. It, too, has majesty and more. Perhaps you’ve seen it—three rough boys walking together, looking ahead with a steady gaze. There’s something wounded about them, a kind of resigned toughness. But there’s an unexpected tenderness, too. At first you don’t really notice, but then you see it. The three are touching each other, as if they’re supporting each other, helping each other on.

“I know that many veterans of Vietnam will gather today, some of them perhaps by the wall. And they’re still helping each other on. They were quite a group, the boys of Vietnam—boys who fought a terrible and vicious war without enough support from home, boys who were dodging bullets while we debated the efficacy of the battle. It was often our poor who fought in that war; it was the unpampered boys of the working class who picked up the rifles and went on the march. They learned not to rely on us; they learned to rely on each other. And they were special in another way: They chose to be faithful. They chose to reject the fashionable skepticism of their time. They chose to believe and answer the call of duty. They had the wild, wild courage of youth. They seized certainty from the heart of an ambivalent age; they stood for something.

“And we owe them something, those boys. We owe them first a promise: That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we. And there are other promises. We must always remember that peace is a fragile thing that needs constant vigilance. We owe them a promise to look at the world with a steady gaze and, perhaps, a resigned toughness, knowing that we have adversaries in the world and challenges and the only way to meet them and maintain the peace is by staying strong.

“That, of course, is the lesson of this century, a lesson learned in the Sudetenland, in Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, in Cambodia. If we really care about peace, we must stay strong. If we really care about peace, we must, through our strength, demonstrate our unwillingness to accept an ending of the peace. We must be strong enough to create peace where it does not exist and strong enough to protect it where it does. That’s the lesson of this century and, I think, of this day. And that’s all I wanted to say. The rest of my contribution is to leave this great place to its peace, a peace it has earned.

“Thank all of you, and God bless you, and have a day full of memories.” (Quote source here.) (YouTube video of Reagan’s speech is below.)

This Memorial Day is quieter then most due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions that are in place right now and many of the ceremonies have been held online. As we remember those service men and women who have died in service for our country or later on in life, and as we honor those veterans who are still alive; let us pray for God’s blessing on America, and ask for God’s protection over those who are servicing in all branches of our military. And may we never forget . . .

Freedom . . .

Isn’t . . .

Free . . . .

YouTube Video: Reagan’s Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia — 5/26/86:

YouTube Video: Trace Adkins Performing “Still a Soldier” at the 2020 National Memorial Day Concert:

YouTube Video: Moment of Remembrance (Taps) – Memorial Day 2020:

Photo #1 credit here
Photo #2 credit here

Silver Linings

For over six years now I’ve been trying to find an apartment to rent in an income-based senior apartment complex. I thought that search had finally ended about a month ago when I got a call from an income-based senior apartment complex in the area where I am currently living that had recently opened in 2017, and on my third try at trying to secure an apartment there, I was finally told there was an apartment available for me to rent. Wow. It’s been a very long time in coming.

I met with the assistant manager on April 21st and I filled out the application to rent the apartment and paid the application fee. I submitted all of the paperwork required on my income/finances, and I was told the apartment was available for me to rent on either May 8th or May 15th. I chose May 8th.

I was sent my new address for that apartment via email also on April 21st along with the information I needed to set up utilities and internet/cable in that apartment starting on May 8th, but I had not yet been given a lease to sign. So I didn’t call the utilities company or the cable/internet company yet as it was not “official” as I had not been given a lease to sign nor had I received keys to the apartment.

About a week before I was scheduled to move in I received a communication from the assistant manager that their compliance department requested me to submit complete monthly statements on the two assets I had listed on the application. I had submitted summary statements regarding these two assets at the time of my application, and I had been told that the summary statements would be fine. However, the compliance department requested to see the full monthly statements on both assets that consisted of 23 pages, so I submitted them to the assistant manager. This occurred one week before I was scheduled to move in.

I inquired on that Monday of the week I was scheduled to move in (just this past week) if everything was still in order for me to move in on May 8th. I still has not heard back from the assistant manager regarding when I would be signing the lease and receiving keys to the apartment. I had not yet even seen the apartment as I was told by the assistant manager it would not be ready for me to see until the maintenance staff had completed work in the apartment after the previous tenant vacated it on April 30th.

I should note that I had no furniture to move into the apartment as I lost all of my furniture 11 years ago when I lost a job in Texas and I had to move back to state I previously lived in a year earlier (Florida) where I had lived before accepting that job in Houston that only lasted seven months, and I could not afford to move my furniture back to Florida as I was unemployed, so I gave it away to a inner-city ministry in Houston.

With no furniture to move into this apartment that I was about to acquire, between April 21st when my application for that apartment was submitted, and leading up to the day I was scheduled to move into the apartment, I went looking for furniture to buy. However, I did not order any furniture during that time as I was still waiting to sign a lease.

Exactly one day before I was scheduled to move into this apartment I received an email from the assistant manager stating that after reviewing my 23 pages of documentation, the compliance department stated that I was no longer eligible to rent that apartment as the monthly income they determined me to have from those documents (and not the actual monthly income I live on and I proved to them that it was my only income) was more then I was allowed to have to rent that apartment. So, at the last minute I ended up losing that apartment.

For six years I’ve been looking for affordable senior housing in which I have been placed on several waiting lists in two different states, but I never heard back from any of them even when I called to inquire where I stood on their waiting lists. And now, when I am finally told an apartment has opened up that I can rent (as I mentioned above I’ve gone to that complex looking to rent an apartment three times since they opened in 2017), at the last minute it falls through.

To say the very least, a silver lining can be very hard to find in a situation like this one. However, being an eternal optimist, I’ve gone looking for one. My optimism is firmly planted in reality, too, as I do not believe in a “Pollyanna” or “pie in the sky” type of optimism as there are plenty of forces in our world that try to hold people back from moving forward, and history is replete with examples.

In an article published on April 3, 2014, titled, “For Christians, a silver lining to losing the culture war?” by Matt K. Lewis, a political writer and commentator, blogger, podcaster, and senior columnist for The Daily Beast, formerly with The Daily Caller, and contributor with The Week, he writes:

As I wrote last year, the culture war is over, and conservatives lost. For Christians, though, there might just be a silver lining.

Now, of course, it’s understandable why many of my fellow cultural conservatives mourn the decline of Christian values in the public arena, inasmuch as they had a powerful influence on the rise of western civilization. Historians like Rodney Stark and sociologists like Mary Eberstadt (and many others) have chronicled this phenomenon. It’s not simply about “losing power and market share,” but mourning the very real downstream effects of secular liberal policies on issues such as defending the unborn.

But there are reasons for Christian conservatives to be optimistic about these societal changes, too. For one thing, the good times weren’t always so good. The peak of “Christian America” was probably the 1950s, and while this era had a veneer of spirituality and perhaps the post-war evangelical movement was at its apogee (think Billy Graham), America was plagued by the ugly reality of racism, which goes against the gospel. In many ways, the 1950s was a gilded age. While a lot of Americans presented themselves as Ward Cleaver, they drank and philandered like Don Draper.

In the 1960s and beyond, the rejection of Christianity was a logical extension for young people rebelling against the culture’s sterility and their parent’s phoniness. This was an ironic turn of events for a faith that began as a very revolutionary, counter-cultural movement about sacrifice and (yes, sometimes) suffering. But at some point, rather than being a dangerous choice, Christianity became the perfunctory, convenient, de rigueur even, choice of lemmings—and the way to gain the approval of the phony establishment, not unlike joining the Elks Lodge upon moving to a new town.

Eventually, in many parts of the country, the church became an almost wholly-owned subsidiary of the Republican Party, which pushed to return America to its Judeo-Christian heritage. This was a noble goal, but there might have been some unintended consequences. When religion enjoys the imprimatur of the state, it risks being corrupted and co-opted. Do Christians really want the state leading their children in prayer?

None of this, of course, is appealing to romantic young people who want to be boldly called to something larger than their own self interest. For this reason, we have seen the decline of mainline churches in America coincide with the rise of Christianity in other (less welcoming) parts of the world. And for this reason, I suspect, we have seen more and more young Christians checking out of politics.

That’s why the loss of the culture war is an opportunity rather than a crisis. It is in times like these—when there is a stark cleavage between the world and believers—that Christianity typically grows and rediscovers its purpose.

Just as political parties wrestle with whether or not it’s better to be a big tent, or (to paraphrase Reagan) to fly “a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors,” there is an argument that “nominal” Christians cause more problems than solutions. In politics, numbers matter, of course, and Christians who are still looking for a political savior may view this trend as bad news. But for Christians focused on something more transcendent—saving souls and winning real converts—there is a silver lining to losing the culture.

Consider this Christian Post article, citing Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission:

While Americans have traditionally viewed church participation as necessary for acceptance in their communities, Moore believes that will no longer be the case. This means that there will be fewer “nominal Christians,” or those who call themselves Christian but are not committed to the faith. With this “reverse rapture” of nominal Christians leaving the Church, Moore sees an opportunity for the Church to rediscover its true mission. [Christian Post]

The problem of “nominal” Christianity seems to have observable societal consequences, too. In his latest column for the New York Times, Ross Douthat hints at it, observing that “the social goods associated with faith flow almost exclusively from religious participation, not from affiliation or nominal belief.”

Another possible silver lining: As Christianity recedes as the dominant cultural paradigm, it might also have the ironic affect of sparking a renewed interest and curiosity about spirituality. Absence, I suppose, can make the heart grow fonder. With Noah triumphing at the box office, and a new show called Resurrection on ABC (a show filled with biblical allusions), it would be easy to conclude that a disenchanted and dispirited nation—having given up hope that salvation will come in the form of traditional American institutions—is yearning for some sort of spiritual fulfillment.

Christ promised that genuine Christianity would be met with opposition. And the entire book of 1 Peter was written for this purpose: How do we live as a faithful minority? I don’t think anyone should be rooting for persecution, of course, but I do think there may be some very positive developments to come from a nation that no longer pretends to be Christian. It’s hard to be a rebel when you’re The Man. (Quote source here.)

I do realize that this article does not specifically relate to my six-plus-years failed housing search, but then maybe again it does. Let’s continue on with that train of thought started by Matt K. Lewis above.

In an articled published on March 29, 2020, titled, “The silver lining: Finding an upside in today’s crisis,” by Dave Edgren, pastor and author, he writes:

I don’t believe God sends calamities. God didn’t send the coronavirus.

What I do believe is this: The Holy Spirit is busy insulating clouds with silver linings.

In the first hundred years or so after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Church went viral. It grew exponentially. The Great Commission was infiltrating families, towns, countries and continents.

Jesus’ disciples grew in number daily.

And they did it in homes.

That’s right. Every church was a house church. The church spread like wildfire because the church was liquid. Then our ancestors turned the church into a solid. They built walls around it—both theological and physical walls. They set it in stone. They bricked God in. Sure, they put in doors and stained-glass windows, but cathedral doors are often locked and theological stained-glass windows are always closed. The church of the Middle Ages restricted access to God.

Then the reformation decentralized the church, allowing denominational divisions to thrive. Now, the world hosts over 30,000 distinct Christian denominations!

And yet, Jesus said to His Father, “May they be one as we are one.” Paul riffed on this prayer of Jesus, saying: “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

So, here we are in 2020. Governments in dozens of countries have restricted mass gatherings due to the rapidly spreading COVID-19. Sporting teams played games to empty stadiums attended only by TV cameras, but now most codes have cancelled their seasons altogether. Pop stars cancelled concerts. Places of worship have been closed. Mosques. Temples. Synagogues. Churches. The clouds hang low, blanketing the world in fear. The 30,000 Christian denominations that meet in some 15 million church buildings around the globe have nowhere to go.

Or do they?

The Holy Spirit is unrestricted and goes wherever He wishes, like wind through trees.

Have you ever flown through a cloud? We are in one now. Can you see the silver lining?

Millions of Christians headed home. Not to do church but to be the church. Christianity, for a month or two, is going back to its roots. People meeting in homes. Families worshiping together in sincerity. No sound systems. No professionals professing. The body of Christ is returning to the lounge room. Just people. At home. Snuggled into fluffed up couches, holding steaming drinks. And sharing their hearts.

God didn’t send the COVID-19. But when the “corona cloud” enveloped us, God said, “I’ll take it!” And He sent His Spirit with silver paint and a message: “Where two or three are gathered, God is with you.” (Quote source here.)

“Liquid” –as in fluid and not static or confined. “Unrestricted–like wind through trees.” I like that thought. Sans any furniture of my own, or a year-long lease that I would have had a legal obligation to keep for the next year had I been able to rent that apartment, I am still very much “fluid and unrestricted.” I’m not tied down to any particular place for any set period of time. And where I am currently staying I pay rent by the week, and it came furnished, too. And that means more options are open to me then are closed to me. And that is a very big silver lining.

James 4:13-17 states, Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

I’ll end this post with words from Paul found in Philippians 4:6-7 —Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding…

Will guard your hearts . . .

And your minds . . .

In Christ Jesus. . . .

YouTube Video: “Freedom” by Jesus Culture:

Photo #1 credit here
Photo #2 credit here

Still Rolling

I made an interesting discovery this morning. My blog has been hacked by someone who is making comments on other bloggers’ blog posts but linking them to my blog. This is not me. See comments section in this blog post where she has posted a comment using my blog site’s URL link and my blog site’s name (click here).

How I discovered this was happening is that the blogger who wrote a blog post that the above mentioned hacker commented on using my blog’s name and blog’s URL decided to follow my blog as the result of that comment that was not written by me. This morning I got an email from WordPress stating that this blogger was now following my blog, so I decided to read his latest blog post. I really liked it and he has a very good sense of humor, so I decided to make a comment, and that is when I discovered that someone else using my blog’s name and URL link but using their own picture had already commented on it yesterday. After the initial shock wore off (that someone had hacked my blog), I decided to post my own comment and let the blogger know that the previous comment on his post was made in my blog’s name and using my blog’s URL but her picture was posted instead of mine and the comment was not from me.

The title of that blog post that was published yesterday (May 1st)  is “dEAr mE,” and it’s posted on a blog titled, “little big things,” by a blogger named Allan Nyombi.  He starts off his blog post by writing by a letter addressed to “Dear me, One day I will write a book…” He goes on to discuss the various topics he might write about like writing about young people, but then nixes that topic as his knowledge regarding young people is limited. The next topic he brings up is writing about children because he used to be a Sunday School teacher, but then he nixes that topic, too. He then approaches the subject of “farming” and “food” as he loves to eat, but he know little about farming so he nixes that idea.

His next topic idea is church as he says it has defined his entire life. He mentions that Sunday School was fun, as was the porridge that Br. Stephens brought every Sunday. He also states:

“It made learning about God worthwhile. And then the plays we acted in. Rose acting as General Naaman. Then came the teen years where confusion rained in. My silly mind started questioning whether God actually existed. If he did, then why do bad things happen? You quickly forgot all that was taught in Sunday school. Porridge just. Didn’t they tell you that sin is here because man disobeyed? Had you forgotten Adam and Eve and the talking serpent? Pause! A woman actually had a conversation with a talking snake! Fear women. But anyway, I can’t write about the church.” (Quote source here.)

However, his next statement, still regarding the church, is this:

“My beef with the church just ended the other day when I got to know Christ personally. How could the church have pulled me in different directions like that? You go for this conference that promises that ‘this is it’. You pray, listen, pay, try everything the man of God said and still it doesn’t work. And the preacher has already left town so you can’t ask him why it didn’t work. You wonder if indeed the man of God had actually heard God! My friend the other day was looking for the pastor that told him this year was going to be his year. I won’t write about the church. So much has already been written about it.” (Quote source here.)

So he nixes that idea as a topic, too. His next topic idea is on relationships. And then he laughs. “Ha ha ha,” he writes–bad idea. At this point he ends his blog post with the following:

What shall I write about then? I guess I will figure it out tomorrow. Tomorrow I will sit and think through a topic. I will switch off the TV and concentrate. Should I wait after the repeat of the arsenal game? Maybe. Who knows, Arsenal may somehow win. Maybe I will first re-watch my favorite animation, home, so am relaxed.

Tomorrow, I will figure it all out.

For a second, pause and think deeply about the most important things in your life. What are the top three things that matter most in your life right now? Can you write them down? How much time we are spending on these things? Are we giving them the care, the time, the energy that they deserve?

Is your top most goal receiving the best and most time of your day? 

Why do we find ourselves majoring on the minor? We are living in a world where books have been written advising us on how to prioritize our days, apps developed to aid in prioritization and practices invented to ensure that we keep the most important thing as the most important things. Yet we still don’t have time for the most important things in our lives. In coming parts, I will engage in practical ways we can overcome the monster called procrastination. (Quote source here.)

Bet you didn’t expect that ending. I sure didn’t. I thought his blog post was splendid. Seriously! I loved it! And the woman/hacker who wrote a comment using my blog’s identity and my blog’s URL link but using her picture was right on point with her comment, so why did she feel the need to use my blog’s name and URL to write her comment? Nice to know I have hackers at work using my online identity.

Procrastination is a killer, but we all do it. Amazing we aren’t all dead yet from our own proclivity to procrastinate, right? (Just a little humor.) In an article titled, “80 Procrastination Quotes to Get You Focused,” by Quincy Seale, KeepInspiring.Me‘s lead editor and content writer, he writes:

Over the years, I’ve come to accept that I’m a natural procrastinator. No matter how much I want to avoid it, its just my nature. Whenever there’s something that needs to be done–whether its big or small, important or irrelevant–my instinct is to “start later” or “put it off until tomorrow”.

I’ve come to accept that–no matter how much I want to avoid it–there will always be times when I’ll find myself frantically slaving away on a task that should have been finished yesterday, last week, or even months ago.

Of course, there are definitely times when I need to get some real work done and overcome my tendencies to procrastinate. When I do, I like to check out procrastination quotes from amazing people who took action and accomplished incredible things in their lives.

Of course, reading quotes instead of actually getting started on an important task is a form of procrastination itself, but after a few quotes I usually find myself pumped enough to get working.

Here are some quotes about procrastination to get you motivated to work–and maybe even a few quotes that will have you thinking a little delay isn’t always a bad thing. (NOTE: I’m not posting all 80 quotes on this blog post–I’m only posting a few.)

Quotes About Procrastination

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” —Napoleon Bonaparte

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“Getting an idea should be like sitting on a pin; it should make you jump up and do something.” –E.L. Simpson

“Following-through is the only thing that separates dreamers from people that accomplish great things.” –Gene Hayden

“The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.” –Alexander Graham Bell

“One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon–instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” –Dale Carnegie

“Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today because if you enjoy it today, you can do it again tomorrow.” –James A. Michener

“Perhaps the most valuable result of an education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” —Thomas Huxley. (Quote source here, and click this link to read the rest of the quotes on procrastination.)

Perhaps at times our procrastination stems from not knowing what to do when a certain situation arises and we honestly don’t know how to tackle it. In an article on Forbes titled, “What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do,” by Francis MacIntosh, Forbes Councils member, she writes:

We’ve all been there: knowing we need to make a choice, but not knowing how. When our brain feels clogged with too many options, choosing just one sends us into a panic.

So, we don’t make a decision. This leaves us feeling stuck, bringing with it feelings of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. In other words, vulnerable.

Feeling vulnerable or overwhelmed could be a red flag, a time when we need to pause and intentionally think of what the next step looks like. In fact, many companies now offer personal or mental health days, acknowledging the importance of self-care which is fantastic. But what can we do when we can’t take time away or need to move forward in the moment? What if we don’t want to reach out for help? How can we get back on track and out of our heads?

It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the answer is this: Stop over-complicating things and just keep it simple. When you stop overthinking, it’s so much easier to move forward and get out of the rut.

Exercise.

There is a wealth of evidence-based research that shows exercising boosts your mood. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins that give you a natural “high.” Ever wonder why runners smile? They’re high on endorphins!

For the most impact, exercise outside, taking advantage of the sunshine vitamin: Vitamin D. Even just a short walk around the block will release serotonin and other endorphins. No need to get sweaty to clear your mind–just get moving.

Smile.

Did you know that you can smile your mind into a different outlook? Smiling releases a group of feel-good hormones–endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin–acting as a natural pain medication and an antidepressant for the brain. The simple act of smiling can help change your perspective.

An added bonus? Not only is a smile the accessory that goes with everything, it’s contagious. When we’re making ourselves feel better, we make others feel better too, putting them at ease with something as simple as a smile.

Unplug.

We are way too connected to technology today. Switching off your cell phone or computer will allow you to become more creative. As Simon Sinek highlights, when we disconnect from technology, we allow our minds time to wander and access different perspectives within our own thoughts. When we’re not constantly “plugged in,” we can find solutions for problems that we thought there were no solutions for. We become more energized, seeing things around us that would otherwise be lost.

One last word about unplugging, remember that walk around the block I mentioned? Leave your phone at the office and look up and at the world around you. Clarity could be in the trees!

Watch an inspirational movie.

This is one of my all-time favorite things to do when I feel stuck: go to the movies by myself. Being an introvert, this allows me to just be. No worries about having a conversation, no concern if the other person is enjoying the movie or not. It’s a place to just be, watch inspiring stories and recharge.

Movies aren’t your thing? That’s OK. Find something that raises your energy, clears your mind and allows you to focus on something outside of you to give your mind space.

Get candid feedback.

Often, when we don’t know what to do, we miss ideas, solutions or next steps that are right in front of us. Getting honest feedback from a trusted friend, colleague or coach–who we know has our best interest at heart–can help us see a different perspective or uncover a blind spot. This opens our mind up to more clearly see our options.

Revisit your core values.

When stuck, go back to your core values. These are the foundation of who you are and act as an anchor, keeping you grounded when life gets crazy, scary or uncertain. If you’re not making decisions from your core values, this could be what’s keeping you stuck. If not, recenter on your core values and move forward from there.

Do the very next easy thing.

Sometimes we get stuck or overwhelmed because we are looking at our goal without defining the steps it takes to get there. If you’re focusing on the financial side of a project because you know it’s important, but you’re feeling stuck because you don’t know how to reach your goal, stop! Simply ask, “What is the one next easy step? Delegating tasks? Collecting quotes? Going for a walk?” Look at the next stop, not the end goal.

Being stuck or overwhelmed is human, we all do it or feel it at times. The secret is to not stay in that place. Feel the discomfort, process the “data,” rest, refuel, refocus, and do the very next thing to move yourself forward. Don’t overthink this–it could be as simple as a smile. (Quote source here.)

So, what do to when you don’t know what to do? Beware of hackers (well, at least in my case) and exercise, smile, and unplug…. And remember that…

God . . .

Is still . . .

In control . . . .

YouTube Video: “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood:

Photo #1 credit here
Photo #2 credit here