Work From Home: COVID College Back to School Tricks for Fall 2020

So school is starting back and with COVID a good work from home set up is essential. As someone who has been exclusively working from home for about a year and a half, I have a few quick tips and tricks I've learned from grad school for ensuring a successful and productive semester.

1. Set up space and ambiance. Setting the mood will trick your mind into being productive every time. Dedicate a space away from your bed so you don’t bring work into your rest space. I recommend an office space or desk, to keep your work consolidated. I also make my way to the floor often, but in the same workspace, my desk is in. Also, light helps with mood and a positive mindset. So, light a candle, get a nice lamp with a daylight bulb, and tons of windows. If you can't get near windows, make sure you get about 30 minutes of daylight a day to help with serotonin levels. Lastly, if you need your space to stay neat, ensure that you dedicate a space for everything you need. If clutter doesn’t bother you, try to keep a nice space to try something new. 

2. Organize your time. If you don’t tell your time where to go, you’ll have your time telling you where to go. Put together a schedule. I recommend adding your course times and dedicated study times to your google calendar, so you never miss class times. (Hint: add the zoom links to the calendar so you just click and join the course.) With this, also, give yourself dedicated work times. Know when to stop working, so you don’t become a work-a-holic.

3. Try to work un-bothered. Distracted working makes it take much longer to get tasks completed. Work under time blocks that dedicate specific times to different tasks. Turn on background music, preferably without words, and knock out tasks. I don't recommend listening to podcasts or watching anything, as these split your effort for concentration. 

4. Set weekly planning meetings. I use a very minimalistic bullet journal system coupled with the top 3 methods to organize my entire life. Once a week, I put in my weekly objectives, and categorize them into the course of the next days. As things are completed, I mark them off the list, so by Friday, I have a record of my productivity. Whether using a bullet journal or a planner, ensure that you are planning out your week and objectives to make your organized time productive. 

5. Deeply enforce a work-life balance. Go to class. Study. Do all of your assignments early and on time. BUT never forget to have fun. Take advantage of not having to travel. Collaborate where you can virtually. Pick up a side hobby outside. Learn to garden. Whatever it is that you like to do for a release, that’s COVID permitting, do it! 

It’s just that simple. With a formulated workspace, a solid schedule, planning sessions, and boundaries between work and life. You can crush the semester with a breeze. 

For those who are teaching from home/have smaller children, enforce these same principles, but modify them for your child’s needs. Ensure that they have a workspace that’s clear from their favorite distractions. Plan out their weekly objectives. Make them work during dedicated times on a schedule so they can anticipate playtime, and let them play when they’re not working. While it may be different, we all can still succeed while social distancing and taking care of business from the comfort of our own homes. 

Maximizing Your Military Education Benefits

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, it’s no secret that I utilize military educational benefits to get to and through my doctoral degree debt-free. Along the way, through my trials, and those of other military children I know, I’ve picked up some important tips to ensure that not only are you debt-free in using your military benefits but that you are also able to put money in your pocket to live comfortably, at a minimum. 

This is a lengthy post, but please see the Summary of Educational Benefits post for greater details on any awards you may be eligible for. Similarly, each of the important details I discuss is hyperlinked, so feel free to learn more about each topic. 

On a very basic scale, there are choices anyone can make to maximize finances when it comes to college. If you can stay with your parents and keep your living costs low, that is the amplest opportunity to stretch your finances. Also, choose your university wisely. Private schools are expensive and aren’t covered completely by most of the benefits. Also, while there is the Yellow Ribbon program, not all private universities participate. While this goes without saying, you want to go to a university that will give you the best education for your degree. If you’re unsure of what you’d like to study. Ensure that you go to a school with strong liberal arts curricula, that will give you the most opportunity for quality education in almost any major. Also, note that if your school is not accredited or has a history of mismanagement of military funds, you might not be eligible to use your benefits for the duration of your education. So choose another university. For the Post 9/11 GI bill and the Fry Scholarship, the best bang for your buck would be staying at home, going to an in-state public school in a larger city, to take advantage of the higher BAH rates. If you don’t have those options, here are practical tools to maximize your benefits.

1. The first is to take advantage of free/reduced course credits. While in high school take advantage of AP/IB and dual enrollment courses. These are free college courses you don’t have to pay for with your military benefits. Also utilize CLEP/DSST exams, that allow you discounted rates (military offers) to test out and get credit for basic level courses you might not need to take. Lastly, utilize testing options at the university level. Some universities have testing policies by which you pay a nominal fee to take what’s usually the final exam of a course and get credit for the course. All of these options are typically for accelerated students. But with a little more effort, anyone can take advantage of them. Also, for those who don’t have access to in-person AP/IB courses, take advantage of online schooling options, (also here and free here) that you may be able to negotiate prices on through your high school, to offer you these opportunities.

   1. When utilizing these options, though, ensure that you have some foresight and communicate with the university for you plan to transfer these credits. Many universities have transfer credit limits of around 60 credits. Any transfer credits beyond 60 credits will not count towards your degree. When utilizing these options, do so strategically.

   2. If you use the options and go to a community college, they are more likely to take all of your credits. I would recommend putting these toward an associate's degree to ensure that all of your transferred courses count. In general, for the maximum benefit of funds, I’d recommend starting at the community college and then transferring to a four-year university. Ensure that you have a strict plan when doing this, though, because the transfer process can cost you more money if you’re not methodical about what courses you plan to transfer. 

2. The second and possibly most exponential suggestion is to get scholarships, grants, assistantships, paid internships, and or participate in pathway programs. The amazing reward of utilizing military benefits is that any scholarships applied to your account land in your pocket when your tuition and fees are being paid. While the following statement is not true of Chapter 35 DEA benefits, it is for any of the other benefits that cover tuition and fees accordingly.

   1. Follow the math, if the school charges your tuition as $5000 a semester and another $1500 a semester for fees, you’re looking at a $6500 bill, not including room and board. Assume you have a scholarship that covers your $5000 tuition, but not your $1500 fees. Contingent upon your room, board, meal plan, and book costs, the best-case scenario of the money remaining after the military benefit is applied is $5000 refund check (the military benefit will cover fees and tuition in total allowing you to receive your scholarship tuition in cash).

   2. This process works for any amount of financial award applied to your student account. A common list of scholarships I recommend all students applying for is here. You may also want to take advantage of specific military scholarships depending on your field of study such as the SMART scholarship and NDSEG, for which help with job placement post-graduation as well. If you’re looking at going for an advanced degree, do much investigation into fellowships as well. While money is harder to find at that level of education, there is much out there. Take full advantage of every dollar available.

   3. To this point, also fill out your FAFSA. If you receive any federal/state grant funding, the VA will still pay your tuition and fees. While the refunding process is handled on a school by school basis with these benefits, it’s worth looking into. When choosing a university, you can call ahead to discuss their policy on these refunds as well by contacting the financial aid office and/or the military education benefits representative. 

3. The third benefit is to take advantage of work, unpaid internships, and related experiences. Because most of the educational benefits include a monthly stipend, you can afford to take free or reduced pay for internships and work experiences. Work experience is what so many college students don’t have upon graduation, so take advantage of the option. Also, if applicable take on a job or do work-study on campus. I worked and received my educational benefits. It allowed me the ability to keep money in my pocket, but also afford vacations for spring break and study abroad. Working may also afford you options such as paid study time, free meals, and/or network you wouldn’t otherwise have had. Also, many on-campus jobs, such as admissions office staff and certain office assistants, are eligible for tuition waivers and/or discounted courses through the university. This may offer you the opportunity to get more money in your pocket. 

4. The fourth suggestion is to take as many courses as you can. While this applies primarily to the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Fry scholarship, when tuition and fees are completely covered, even for a non-degree seeking course, you have the opportunity to take courses that you might genuinely be interested in. Computer science, math, and business courses are always great secondary courses to add to any resume regardless of your field. Diversity in training is also a plus for many employers as it implies that you are open to learning interdisciplinary skills and are multifaceted. Also note that the 9/11 GI bill will pay for courses at multiple universities assuming the courses are degree-seeking, so if you go to a smaller university without a large range of course offerings, this option may be important for you to utilize. 

5. The fifth suggestion is to pass all of your courses the first time, and if you’re going to fail, pay for the retake out of pocket. DO NOT EVER WITHDRAW FROM A COURSE THE VA IS PAYING FOR. It will mess up all of your money every time. If you have the option to take a failing grade, do so. You don’t want to owe the VA money. Similarly, they will pay for you to retake, but it takes months off of your eligibility, so keep that in mind. 

6. The sixth suggestion is that you get creative in stretching your benefits. Similar to the first point of this post, staying at home is great, but if you can’t stay off-campus, get roommates, opt-out of the meal plan, start some side hustles (selling notes, selling plates of food, detailing cars, ride-sharing, doing hair, marketing social media, photography, etc.), take advantage of military incentives (commissary, discounted gas, PX/Exchange), take advantage of social programs (food banks, jobs that feed you, college/military discount), use every paid resource from your university (tutoring, gym, printing/library, parking, amazon prime student, etc.). Do whatever you’re comfortable with to keep the coins in your pocket. 

7. The last and most important tip is to BUDGET YOUR MONEY! I have tons of budgeting resources here on the blog. If you are using benefits or not, ALWAYS budget your money. Take advantage of every dime you receive by maximizing your income and minimizing your expenses. College is expensive, but college is an experience. Put your money towards what’s important to you and manage your needs accordingly. With the military benefits, you don’t have to be the broke college kid if you don’t want to be. 

You’re being given an incredible opportunity that many people join the military and die for. You are offered a free and/or compensated education with the freedom to experience the college environment. Don’t squander the sacrifice of those who fought and served for you to have this opportunity.

Military Dependents Educational Benefits

For my fellow military dependents, navigating your eligibility and usage of military educational benefits is often a second job in an of itself. To help some, I’ve compiled a list of resources for eligibility, usage, and helpful information with regards to military dependent educational benefits. Each of the benefits listed is specific to military children and spouses. While there are additional programs for military spouses, I’m focusing on the ones for children. Also, I’m focusing on college/university for these benefits. If you are looking for vocational or technical school programs, please see the links for the benefits directly.

The four programs eligible for children include the Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Fry Scholarship, the Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA or Chapter 35), and the individual state benefits. 

Based on the attached spreadsheet, you can get a general idea of eligibility for each of these programs; however, always double-check with the links provided and the GI Bill’s “Ask a Question” section for the full scope of eligibility.  

Every state also has independent military educational benefits for veterans with disability ratings higher than 90% total and permanent and their dependents. For the state of Virginia, there’s a service called VMSDEP, for which tuition and fees are covered for students and up to $950/semester, funding allotted, for a book stipend as well. 

To have the benefits are amazing, but to utilize them to your benefit is the goal. Learn to maximize your military dependent educational benefits here. 

I'm Called, but I'm Scared: Walking into Your Calling NOW!

The Lord rarely places you in your calling at the time you're called. More often than not, in the examples of Joseph, David, and Jesus in the Bible, the Lord will call you and have you wait and mature before giving you the position. These passages are commonly preached from a position of being patient in the waiting and the preparation. But what happens when God says to go?

Recently, I've started two small businesses. In the middle of a pandemic, I thought that I had more waiting to do before these businesses were established. KandidKare, in particular, I've been working in my waiting for 3 years. When the Lord said it was time to launch, I had gotten so comfortable in the waiting I wasn't ready. I had done all of the prep work and all of the formulating, but the feet to faith stirred immense fear. 

The nice thing about God is that He will tell you to go at any time, so we must be ready at all times. Had Joseph been too proud to interpret the other prisoner's dream, he would've never walked into his elevation. If David was not confident enough to choose to slay Goliath, he would have never walked into kingship. If Jesus had been to fearful to take up his cross, none of us could be saved. While Jesus is perfect, His example, as well as the others mentioned, proves the point that we must always be ready. 

While the Bible doesn't talk about the frame of mind of these individuals in these times, we cannot omit that there may have been a level of fear involved. For Jesus, He asked the Lord to take the cup from Him. For Joseph, he was in the lowest position possible: prison. For David, he was the smallest of his brothers. Undoubtedly, if there was no fear, there probably should have been. But when God calls you and enables you, you must move despite.  

As I've discussed over the last few weeks, I have been attacked on every front possible when starting these businesses: the finances don't add up, someone tried to steal my ideas, my family has been attacked, I've lost loved ones, my AC has gone out, imposter syndrome has crept in, and my anxiety has been on 1000%. Even in all of these things, the Lord said NOW!

Even in apparent fear, when called, you go. God doesn't call the qualified, he enables the called. Knowing this, you push through the fear. As Isaiah 6:8 says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Respond to the call, and go. 

I wish I had simple steps to help build the faith to overcome fear, but sometimes, it's just that simple. Step out on faith. You might not be able to see the next step, but take it knowing that God has called you and will instruct you accordingly. 

How I Turned my Career Around: Progress from Making D's to Pursuing a Doctorate Degree

I am a graduate student getting my Ph.D. in chemistry. I’m proud to say that my journey has been anything but spotless. I had a D on my record in high school. I was quite average of a student in college. Even with satisfactory grades, I’m a Ph.D. candidate. Despite common belief, grades are not the end all be all to succeed in life. Similarly, those grades are not an accurate representation of everyone’s work ethic. With this, today, I share a bit of my story and some practical tips that will take any career from drab to fab. Through prayer, persistence, priority, and partnerships, I turned my academic career around from making D’s to studying at the Ph.D. level successfully.

WE MADE IT!

Hey y’all!

After much work and many sleepless nights, WE MADE IT! I told the Lord that I would give Him 90 days on this blog. Today is that day! Thank you all so much for your support, time, and feedback. This journey has been so AMAZING! The Lord has taught me so much! I look forward to sharing even more experiences with you all as we continue this journey. Cheers!

Building Beyond the Basics

According to the Biblical principles, our goal should be maturity, not stagnation or indifference. What happens once you have the basics down? Where do you go and/or how do you mature along your journey as you and your definitions of wellness change?

You have to build beyond the basics. To a certain extent, you have to have a level of intentionality to build beyond your basics to have your basics grow with you. As shared before, wellness starts with a wellness plan for yourself. Whether written or mental, this plan should be a working document. An ever-changing document, but ever-reminding you of who you are as you change. Building beyond the basics starts with recognizing the evolvement of this document.

As the document evolves, your definitions of wellness should evolve and you will begin to need satisfaction in digging deeper into yourself. The chart below describes some simple ways you may build beyond the basics.

Note that your journey is individualized, so these are suggestions. Also, once you’re in the maturing phase you have not arrived. You should always be putting in the work. Take the example of a home. The basics are your foundation. You cannot have a house without a foundation. The building upon the basics is the building of the home. You need stability, support, and siding to protect the home. Maturity is the upkeep of the home. You could have built a home, but if you don’t clean the home and/or keep it up, you will not be able to sustain the home. Your wellness is the same way.

As we move into the second half of 2020. Keep these principles in mind. With this time home and isolated, many of us have focused on re-centering ourselves with the basics, but now to execute our goals for the rest of the year, we must build beyond these basics and begin to mature in our growth.

The Blessing of Starting over

Recently, in my research I hit a place where I had been working on the same project for over a year. I am not quite sure if this is normal (that’s a whole other discussion). Up until this point in my research, I was spending as little as 4 months and as long as 9 months on a project. So working for over a year, with very little to show for it, has not been easy to deal with. However, I can say with a new confidence that today is June 12, 2020, and I’ve finished about 66% of the calculations, but at the cost of starting over.

If you haven’t seen my yearly review from last year, I discuss in greater detail this process, but the Lord has been seeing if I trust Him with my time. Specifically, will I allow Him to dictate my time over my immediate plan (Prov.19:21; Eccl. 3:1; Jeremiah 29:11, Prov. 3:4-5).  As someone who is both goal driven and time oriented, this has been a JOURNEY to say the least. More recently, the Lord has been working on me about the process of starting over and the time it takes to do so.

While somewhat true, for the cases of examples like Jonah, starting over has a negative association. I was always taught that if you didn’t pass a test that God had before you that you would continue to go through that test until you choose to do it God’s way. This is not synonymous with starting over. Take the example of Jonah, after his disobedience, God told him to go back and make it right. This may seem like he was put back where he should have started. If you dissect this scripture, though, you’d realize that he was both behind and ahead of where he started simultaneously. (For my math minded individuals, he was a bit tangent to God’s original course for his life.) With this, there were negative consequences for his initial disobedience, but redemptive contingencies for his ultimate deliverance of the message.

Nonetheless, it seems a bit redundant, in our minds, for the Lord to ask us to start over. In my case, after a year of what I perceived to be hard work, I had hit a stagnation in my research. I had holes in the thought process I never filled. I had future problems I couldn’t solve because I had overlooked the past problems. Ultimately, I was so unorganized and disheveled trying to put the pieces together I couldn’t progress. So the Lord spoke to me and told me to start over. Start from the very first research paper read and the very first calculation done. 

(Side note: this devastated me. I’m not going to act like I didn’t cry, because I did.  I was putting in 10-12 hours a day consistently for about two weeks trying to put the pieces together before this happened and all of that cramming effort felt to be of no use. I had the vision to see the shift that needed to happen, but nominally, it needed to be done.)

All of this to say, once I started over, I can say with confidence that within about a month, I’ve managed to get about 66% of the work done, which is significantly more than I had at the year mark. Beyond my research progression, the Lord was grooming me with three lessons (Each of these points are backed up in scripture. See below):

1. Submission: He was removing my dependence from myself to Him. I know for a fact that I struggle with pride and idol worship of my education. At this level in my educational career, though, I’ve realized that it’s not about the smarts or hard work. My PhD boils down to prayer, fasting, wisdom, and understanding. Meaning that, no matter how hard I study, or how many hours I put in, God has to be in it, because my earthly best will never be enough.

2. Restoration/Renewing of the perspective: He was renewing my mind (restoration). Starting over seems negative because you are doing something you seemingly have done before. The difference the second time is that you have context and insight. These two keys are what makes the walk different. The Word says to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The word for renew in the Greek is anakainōsei. The word literally translates to renewal, renovation, restore, complete change for the better. If you allow God to renew you/restore your view, you allow him to change your perspective. There is a renovation that is taking place. In the same way with an older home, the structure is fine, but the fixtures greater influence the price. This breeds a new expensive and expansive view of the situation. So, as the Lord is restoring you, renewing you, and renovating your old patterns, your new path is privy to the context and insight that you either missed or needed to acquire. From these, you are bound to get much further along any journey (Isaiah 43:18-19). 

3. Refreshment/Revelation of his faithfulness. He was teaching me the power of refreshment. Once I had surrendered my posture, my perspective, and my project to the Lord, I was able to indulge in a time of refill from the Lord. While I’m putting in way more hours on the back end, over the last month, the Lord has given me a new level of devotion and diligence in my research. I’m getting faster, stronger, and smarter in ways I didn’t believe to be possible. Ultimately appropriately refilling my faith in God and my obedience.

While the Lord did these things for me, per the Bible he can do them for you. He shows this example through the life and call of Moses. 

When Moses was called to free the Israelites, he had already started a new life that he had forged, but the Lord was calling him to something greater than himself, which required him to “start over”. He was called to return from where he had come and to face not only his shortcomings, but work through his defining inhibitions (speech impediment) for God’s purpose (to speak on behalf of the children of Israel). The first thing that God asked of Moses, though, was to submit himself to the plan. He had to depend solely on God and not his relationships, his abilities, or his status.

God then had Moses take on His perspective. He had to see God for his omniscience, and position himself accordingly to be a vessel for his purpose. When the Lord was sending the plagues, do you not think that Moses was afraid and questioning the plan? Who would’ve known that it would have taken 10 plagues to get Pharaoh to soften his heart enough to give a reneged freedom decree? Only God. The Word even says that the Lord had to go above and beyond so that Moses and the children of Israel “would know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:2). In this, the Lord was solidifying Moses’ perspective of his role and God's splendor.

Lastly, while in the midst of the deliverance, the Lord was revealing his faithfulness and refilling Moses for him to continue in his purpose. When he split the Red Sea and lead the people through, the Word says, “the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant"(Exodus 14:29-31). Once the Lord had shown Moses a bit of the reward of his obedience, Moses had gained the trust of the people and the favor of the Lord.

I tell you all of this to say simply, there is a particular joy that comes from the Lord starting you over. The start over may be the beginning of a new journey all together. There is an importance to the process of renewal, restoration, and revamping. There is a joy in it. Note that Moses’ greatest season was in the midst of him being turned around. While I don’t feel as though this project is the height of my journey, it is significant for me in the now. There’s no way that Moses would’ve known when the Lord called him at the burning bush that he was going to change the trajectory of an entire people group. In the same way, only God knows what your turning around can lead you to. 

Mid-Year Motivation: What's planned for June?

Hello All!

This month on the blog, I’m planning the content all about the mid-year motivation. In the video, is a brief description of the weekly breakdown.

June 7-13: Self Care

June 14-20: Grow to Grow up! Restarting, revamping, and renewing yourself

June 21-27: How to walk blessed?!

June 28-30: Beyond the basics.

In the attached video, I give a disclaimer for the month to get you both pumped and ready (5:22). I hope this excites you all as much as it does for me.

Until the next post, bye!

Methods to Set up Systems of Wellness

Hello Everyone!

I close out our discussion about systems of wellness, I found the following links particularly helpful. These resources give examples for which you can go from a goal minded form of wellness to a systems minded daily ideal of wellness.

To accompany these videos, I’ve uploaded a podcast style video about my journey with creating systems of wellness and some examples of systems that you may be able to change and adapt for your life.

A Look into My Intentional Wellness Journey

As a bonus this week, I’d like to post my yearly review of 2019. This video will give you a bit of insight into my personal wellness journey: Why I really got serious about wellness? and Different principles of wellness I’ve tried?

Similarly, there’s some great gems about the prep work it took for me to build my systems of wellness. If you’d like to skip through the video, here are some great time links fo you:

2:28 Summary of Q1: Sickness

08:15 Summary of Q2: Recovery

10:14 Practical steps I put in place to start my wellness journey

12:16. Summary of Q3: Enacting systems of wellness

15:00. Summary of Q4: Doing the work

20:38. Relationships?

23:48. Goals and Accomplishments

I know the video is long, but it is a full view into my life and thought process. I hope it brings some hope to you all!

Building a Basic Wellness Plan

Hello Everyone!

Today’s post is a quick video on wellness plans: what are they? and how to start building one? The video is a bit long, but information heavy. I hope it encourages you all on your journey!

Defining Wellness, Identifying When You're Not Well, etc.

Hello Everyone!

This week on the blog we are talking all about basic principles of wellness. On a basic level, per Webster-Mariam dictionary, wellness is the practice, quality, or state of good health as an actively sought goal. Good health from a holistic point of view is good spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relational, and financial health. As described in the most recent IG post, wellness is defined differently from one person to another. While there may be some overlaps between your wellness and someone else’s, a well life is not a monolithic experience. With that being said, when living a well life, you have to do three basic things: 1. Define/Understand Wellness for yourself. 2. Identify when you are not well. 3. Put systems in place to obtain, maintain, and exercise wellness. 

1. Defining and Understanding Wellness for yourself. 

While there are many resources available on wellness, no one can tell you what makes you well. Wellness is an internal conversation. However, to help, I have compiled a list of questions that should help with understanding yourself, and to spark internal dialogue to lead to your understanding of wellness.

Are you aware of your emotions, thoughts, and how your body feels? What does a good day look like for you? What does a bad day look like for you? How does a good day make you feel? How does a bad day make you feel? When you feel good, what kind of thoughts do you have? When you are feeling bad, what kind of thoughts do you have? When you are feeling bad, do you neglect to go to work or handle responsibilities you have? How often do you have good days in relation to bad days? Does physical activity increase your mood? How often do you engage in thirty minutes or more of physical activity/ sunlight exposure? Do you have hope? Where do you garner your hope from? What positive qualities do you like in your relationships? Do your finances cause you anxiety/ sleepless nights? Do conversations about your finances influence your mood?

Now, take all of these answers into account. To define your wellness not as the feelings that you have on a good day, but the feelings, actions, and responses you have on an average day that are lacking on a bad day. How would you define wellness for yourself?

2. Identifying when you are not well. 

Once defining wellness for yourself. It’s equally as important to know when you are not well. Similarly, asking yourself the following questions can help to understand when you are not well:

1. Am I being self aware: Am I being true to myself? Am I living for myself or for other’s validation? 

2. Are my spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relational, and financial wellness aligned?

3. Do my actions reflect my beliefs? 

4. Am I clear in thought? Am I struggling to make decisions?

5. Am I being true to my emotions? Are my emotions on a roller coaster?

6. Am I getting enough sleep? Am I eating too much or not enough? Am I constipated? Am I taking my medication correctly? Have I seen my doctor to review my health? Does my doctor say I’m in good health? Am I practicing good hygiene? 

7. Are my relationships pushing me to make decisions that differ from my wellness? Are my relationships self serving? Am I giving too much to my relationships? Am I strong enough to walk away from my relationships or am I codependent on my relationships?

8. Are my financial decisions justified? Can I afford what I’m buying? Am I impulse buying? 

3. Putting systems in place to obtain, maintain, and exercise wellness. 

If you are not well in one or more areas or want to maintain your wellness, you can put together a wellness plan, which details your definition of wellness, your definitions of not being well, and guided choices to navigate you to staying well.  

Stay tuned on Saturday for a video on how to build your wellness plan.

Reminder about Growth

Hello Everyone! This time of pressure is so rough for all of us. We are stuck at home. We are in a time of clear uncertainty; however, this is a perfect time for us to focus on our growth. This is the moment to take the extra time and recalibrate for what is to come, in the uncertainty. While there are plenty of resources available on how to deal with the anxiety behind the uncertainty (see Resource List -1), once the shock wears off, we are left with idle time, for which we can steward for advancement or complacency (see Matthew 25:14-30). Similarly, in being under a season of pressure, we have an opportunity to be formed like a diamond into something of higher and greater value, but only if we do the work. This is a process I’m going to refer to as leveling up, to be synonymous with exponential growth and maturation (see Reference List for greater context). Nonetheless, taking a look into some of those who grew under pressure, here are a few practical principles I’ve found to level up: 

1. Keep in mind that practically, the only things we can change in this season are ourselves and our perspective. 

   1. Romans 12:2 says for us to not be of the world and to renew our minds to the ways of the Lord. In this, we cannot sit and squander our thoughts and time on wondering why and what we can change. Rather we can use our time for seeking instruction and executing the things of the Lord.

   2. The Lord has given to us the power of free will. While all around us is uncertain politically, financially, physically, we have a basic fundamental power to exercise free will and free thought. The powerful thing about this is we can choose to see this season as a blessing. We can choose to be joyful in this season. While difficult, we can choose to stay grounded in faith and not fear. 

   3. Having a kingdom mindset and understanding that God is ultimately in control, renders us solely dependent to and yielding of his omniscience. With this knowledge, we find peace, (see Resource List-3). 

2. Be faithful in your skills:

   1. When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, the Lord had their promises secured; however, they were not in a place to receive them. He had to refine them. Understanding that, we can’t allow fear, disbelief, or laziness to disqualify us during our growth process. In doing the internal work, we are growing, even if it doesn’t seem like it on the outside. To do this internal work, we must ask ourselves: “Is there anything I need to release to the Lord? More specifically, is there anything I need to trust God with?” 

   2. When Joseph, the son of Jacob, was thrown into the pit by his brothers, then jail, multiple times, he grew through his grateful heart in his talents. Being grateful to God during the journey puts our circumstance into perspective. It keeps the Lord at the head, but also humbles our spirit to have a glimpse into what He is doing. From this, we must ask ourselves: “What is God refining in me? What gifts are he stirring in me?” For Joseph it was his dream interpretation and wisdom.

3. Being obedient: 

   1. God doesn’t call us to a place of opinion when he’s doing something. He calls us to a place of communication and obedience. He wants us to love Him, love ourselves, love others as we love ourselves, fast (seeking direction), and pray(communication) for the purpose of execution (obedience). 

   2. Being obedient is not always easy. Back with Joseph, his obedience cost him some years of his freedom. For us, it may feel like a season of loneliness/isolation, complicated feelings, and/or spiritual heaviness. Understand, Christ has endured all of these and was God.

Knowing all of these things discussed, leveling up takes faith. And faith is work. Work is maturity. And maturity is uncomfortable and very rarely straightforward, when you’re doing it right. 

As we collectively grow together, especially during this time, let’s grow and work diligently, but also realistically, focusing our attention on the only source of peace in this time, Jesus Christ, and building our skills and obedience in Him. 

Resources List: 

1. Elevation Church: “I’m Still Scared”

2. Matthew 25:14-30

3. Transformation Church: “Under Doesn’t Mean Over”

4. https://www.openbible.info/topics/perspective

5. Transformation Church: “Fading Faith”