Fr. Mike knows the tricks we can play on ourselves when it comes to picking something for Lent. So he gives a straightforward guideline: Don’t pick something that’s arbitrary. Pick something that is necessary.
In other words, don’t say you’re giving up watermelon when you know you will hardly eat watermelon anyway; and don’t give up hot showers if you know cold showers actually won’t help you grow in holiness.
We can easily fool ourselves into thinking strictness equates to holiness. Likewise, we can fall into the trap of thinking that the easiest thing will be the most helpful.
What do I really need to do or give up for Lent? If I take an honest look inside myself, it may be something difficult, but I will know.
What are alms? Why must we give them? Am I supposed to go broke for Jesus?
Fr. Mike Schmitz encourages us to be charitable this Lent, emphasizing how almsgiving is a foundational part of living the Faith. In being joyful givers, we imitate Christ, who became poor for our sake, and we show our gratitude for God’s grace. These are just a few of the reasons Fr. Mike offers in this video as to why we should exercise almsgiving according to our means.
A daily rosary might not be difficult… until that family vacation. Cold showers aren’t so bad… until that cold snap. Charitable giving feels great… until finances are tight.
Today, Fr. Mike invites us to let Lent interrupt us. Lent is inconvenient because Love is inconvenient. If we give more this Lent, we’ll get more than we ever have before.
“Simplicity is good for the soul. We complain about how complicated life has become, but we continue to complicate our lives. The two main ways we complicate our lives is with things and commitments. So much of our anxiety comes from these things and yet we cling to them and multiply them as is they were prizes to be cherished.
Here are seven examples of how less is more:
1. Less television means more time to read. 2. Less comparison means more contentment. 3. Less stuff means more space. 4. Less talking means more listening. 5. Fewer commitments means more time just to be. 6. Less complaining means more gratitude. 7. Less clutter means more clarity.
Less is more means different things to different people. Find out what it means to you, try it, and take note of how it changes your life.”
“What’s draining your energy? We all have habits that drain our energy. Some of them we are aware of and some of them we participate in unconsciously.
Here are 21 things that could be draining your energy. Pick three to work on. And remember, you can see the whole list at MatthewKelly.com. We publish the transcripts to all my YouTube videos on my blog.
1. Negativity. 2. Bad posture. 3. Not drinking enough water. 4. Lack of direction and priorities. 5. Forgetting to breathe deeply. 6. Sugar, Caffeine, and Alcohol. 7. Not taking a break. 8. Checking email first thing in the morning. 9. Taking things personally that are not personal. 10. Social media. 11. The news. 12. Worrying about things you cannot influence. 13. Sleeping too much. 14. Poor diet choices. 15. Complaining. 16. Noise. 17. Light. 18. Fear or anxiety. 19. Lack of exercise or too much exercise. 20. Perfectionism. 21. Making a big deal out of little things. 22. Skipping breakfast. 23. Never taking a real vacation. 24. Alcohol before bed. 25. Checking email before bed. 26. Your attitude. 27. Clutter and disorganization. 28. Too much food or not enough food. 29. Stress. 30. Lack of self-esteem. 31. Saying yes to things you know you should say no to. 32. Half finishing tasks. 33. Gossiping. 34. Toxic people and unhealthy relationships 35. Trying to please others constantly. 36. Ruminating on the past. 37. Not moving enough. 38. Resentment. 39. Worrying about what people think about you. 40. Watching TV that drains you emotionally and beats you up psychologically. 41. Planning too far into the future.
Okay, that was 41, not 21, I got carried away. But here’s the thing. Everyday there are an unlimited number of people and activities out to steal your energy if you let them. Don’t let them.
Have a great day… and remember, don’t just be yourself, be the-best-version-of-yourself!”
Really. Think about it for a moment. Don’t just float over the question like any other words on a page. Are you happy?
Since I have started asking the question in my seminars, people have started asking me the question. At first, I would always say yes, either because that was what they wanted to hear or because I felt I had to be. But I noticed that sometimes it felt inauthentic. Sometimes I wasn’t happy. So, I started to pause when people asked me and really take my temperature, so to speak, and answer meaningfully.
For most people the answer is “Yes and no” or “Yes, but I could be happier.” There are very few people, perhaps none, who have no happiness in their lives. But there are also very few people, perhaps none, who have no unhappiness in their lives.
Some people are unhappy because they don’t like their job or their spouse. Others are unhappy because they don’t know how to relax or appreciate who they are and all they have. Some people are desperately unhappy because of a chemical imbalance in their brains. I have seen it. It is real and tragic. But most of us experience unhappiness when we wander away from ourselves.
Unhappiness is the fruit of doing and saying things that contradict who we are and what we are here for. Unhappiness is not something that happens to us as if we are poor little victims. Unhappiness is something we do to ourselves. You can choose to be happy.
People have chosen to be happy in worse circumstances than you or I will ever likely find ourselves in. No one has demonstrated that more than Viktor Frankl did in Man’s Search for Meaning as he recalled his experiences in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Over and over, he encountered people who even though they were starving would share their inadequate rations with others. Frankl explains that while some were killing themselves or wallowing in self-pity, others were filled with an inexplicable happiness, a real joy that was independent of substance or circumstances. Their happiness did not depend on favorable external circumstances but had its source within.
What causes your unhappiness?
“Nothing on earth can satisfy your desire for happiness. The reason is very simple: You have a God-size hole. You cannot fill it with things, money, status, power, sex, drugs, alcohol, other people, experiences, or accomplishments. Only God can fill the hole.” —Resisting Happiness
