The Enemy of Character: Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly
Life is Messy – Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?
“We can all be our own worst enemies from time to time. We all find unique ways to sabotage our own happiness and success. Let’s take a look at six ways you may be sabotaging yourself and what you an do about them.
#1. You Have Stopped Dreaming. Your dreams are yours for a reason. When we stop dreaming, we become disengaged from every aspect of life, we lose our enthusiasm, and we start dying a little bit each day.
#2. Negative Self-Talk. How you talk to yourself has more impact on your life than how anyone else talks to you. But you may have picked up negative self-talk from the way your parents, siblings, or friends talked to you when you were young. So you might have been carrying around a bunch of HeadTrash or many years. It’s time to take out the trash and learn how to speak to yourself in a healthy way.
#3. The Victim Mentality. Blaming others and our circumstances are excuses we all call on from time to time. Learning how to make the most of a negative situation is critical life-skill.
#4. Lack of a Plan. Napoleon observed, “Those who fail to plan can plan to fail.” Without a plan we cannot reasonably expect our lives to improve.
#5. Impulse Control. Our addiction to instant gratification has eroded our impulse control and this is essential to succeed in any area of life: relationships, career, personal finances, health and wellness, spirituality, parenting…
#6. Focusing on the Past. You are more than what has happened to you. You are more than the worst thing you have ever done. Do not let your past determine your future. It is time to chart a new path.
These are six ways we all sabotage ourselves from time to time. The number one reason we don’t get beyond self-sabotage is because we don’t have the encouragement and accountability that are critical.
Today I want to invite you to invest in yourself by collaborating with one of our amazing life coaches.
Your coach will help you to put together a plan for your bigger, better future. Your coach will help you defeat these self-sabotaging behaviors. And your coach will help you to start achieving your dreams again!
Your dreams are your dreams for a reason… click here to learn more about our life-changing coaching experiences. And remember, don’t just be yourself, be the-best-version-of-yourself!”
Verse of the Day – The Last Enemy to be Destroyed is Death
“For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the first fruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”1 Corinthians 15:21-26
//Catholic Company//
Meditation of the Day – You Cannot Win a Battle by Mere Flight
“Many try to fly away from temptations only to fall more deeply into them; for you cannot win a battle by mere flight. It is only by patience and humility that you will be strengthened against the enemy. Those who shun them outwardly and do not pull them out by the roots will make no progress; for temptations will soon return to harass them and they will be in a worse state. It is only gradually—with patience and endurance and with God’s grace—that you will overcome temptations sooner than by your own efforts and anxieties . . . Gold is tried by fire and the upright person by temptation. Often we do not know what we can do until temptation shows us what we are . . . This is how temptation is: first we have a thought, followed by strong imaginings, then the pleasure and evil emotions, and finally consent. This is how the enemy gains full admittance, because he was not resisted at the outset. The slower we are to resist, the weaker we daily become and the stronger the enemy is against us.”— Thomas à Kempis, p. 32-33
//The Catholic Company//
More2Life: The Inner-Critic
