More wants than money...

 When you think about it, as we go through life and we take the opportunity to pause for a while, we would recognize that we have more wants than we have money. Why is that? 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I made the observation that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs stood the test of the environment. For the first time in my personal history, I was actually able to see people, myself included, relate to this pyramid as the lock down took place. We were content to functioning at the level of our basic needs. 

People had cheques that were totally useless since the banks we not accepting them; and that is when they were open. For the most part, as a people, we became creative in our survival. We noticed the laws of living and their consequences/benefits. Maybe, for the first time in the lives of many, we stopped to pay attention to how our lives were impacted, and really gave thought to our circumstances. 

To put in a nutshell what the news said, the challenges faced at the most basic physiological level of needs cause many to have experiences at the safety level that no human wants to experience. 

In an effort to regain a sense of "normal", governments the world over sought to integrate practices that would enable people to regain some of their lost footing in life as it relates to the attending of their psychological needs. 

Was it too fast, where we are seeking to build on an already weak foundation as it related to the fulfillment of the basic needs of people? Only time would tell. There is mixed opinions about that process with even the arguments being put forward to the crisis of the pandemic was for a disease that isn't real. The behaviors of many speak to their coping mechanisms that they have. It provides a more clear insight as to what some people may have had to experience when they were locked off from the rest of the world and having to deal with the train of thought some people had. Their experiences could have been no less than horrible. 

One thing that is being slowly realized; normal has changed, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. 

This post COVID-19 environment is going to really test our ability to be our brother's keeper. It is going to let us see the harsh reality that as a people we are going to have more wants than money.  

Time Management - Really...

Life today is challenging and hectic, with many different activities vying for our attention. So often comments are made by people that there just aren't enough hours in a day, How they'll have to clone themselves to get things done. Claims extend to how busy people are with home and work activities.

The clincher comes though when one observes these said people, or better yet when they get to really take notice of what they're doing. How much of it is really important? Do it take them closer to their goals, dreams, and aspirations?

Take a look at some scenarios that unfold and then decide if they are a good use of time. Some of them may be funny, some may offend you if they apply to you. If you're easily hurt - STOP READING NOW!

• Walking around the office all day, spending time in discussion that have nothing to do with work - television shows, other people's business, your own laments and woes, just idle talk. 
• Shuttling ourselves and children to multiple events on a daily basis and not really knowing what they excel at doing. 
• Are they multitasking opportunities where we can exercise rather than sitting around waiting, for instance?
• Why do we waste time on the mental commute? When we are at work, agonizing over the dreaded Monday morning through to the TGIF happy moments. We should be living in the moment. While at work, work; when at play, play. Get off the roller coaster of thinking of the other one [work] while at play / vice-versa. 

I'm sure you know many other examples, so I'll stop here. 

Schedule time for everything - even appointments with yourselves. Trust me this is quite useful. You'll see your time management improve. Use the smartphones you paid so much money for to send the alerts. When they first came out the brags about their memory capacity were staggering. Use them and free your mind up for more useful things like thinking. You'll be amazed at the progress you can make towards your goals. 

Check our some of our other articles on our blog site. You may find some useful information for FREE!

Where did the time go?

Wow! This has been a fast year. Lots happened and lots didn't happen. It seemed like throughout the entire world everything went topsy-turvy.

Can you relate?

Like everyone, I have heard the doom and gloom about how bad everything is going to be currently and within the unforeseeable future. Then I got to thinking, that all of this news is coming from other people. Many of these people didn't know my skills nor abilities. They didn't know my circumstances. Yet they are looking at whatever was in their line of sight and making broad sweeping comments about my future.

The resulting thoughts from their predictions were uncertainty, fear, over caution, and many other negative thoughts and emotions. We were careening for edge of many precipices of ideologies - fiscal cliffs, moral chasms, and seemingly many other challenges.

What are you saying about your future? What is your God-given entitlement?

Remember, "In the beginning was the word" John 1:1, How easy it is for us to forget about the power of the spoken word.

Daily:

• Speak positive, affirmative, faith grounded words in to all of your situations. 
• Think about possibilities for success rather than reality of failure. 
• Keep your mind searching for solutions rather than dwelling on the problem longer than necessary .
• Feed your mind positive books, tapes, CDs. 
• Keep grounded in your creator, remembering all things are possible if you only believe.
• Plan your outcomes 

Do this for 30 days and tell me what the outcomes are for your situations. Take control of the time you have available to you so that you don't have to be asking "where did the time go". 

Life Happens...

The days are going by so quickly, that getting on here just to do a quick post seems to be a challenge. Sure... more experienced bloggers will say, you have to schedule the time. However I'm telling you, it's just crazy how time is going by. When was the last time you had time to just stop, observe, and realize a couple of things?

I remember my last vacation like it was yesterday. Literally, days are going so quickly, I can remember things that took place 5 years ago like it was yesterday. Thing is every time I think about going on vacation, my workload increases significantly. It's like clients think I'm not going to come back. Some of my colleagues say that in order to bump revenues up, maybe we should constantly think of going on vacation. Though it gives me a chuckle, I sometimes wonder if they may be on to something.

Over the past number of months, I've been seeing people going through all kinds of changes. Is it all financial? No. But many seem to be the spin off of financial circumstances.

There are many people who are in the following situations:

• More month than money
• More ideas than available resources 
• Living pay cheque to pay cheque
• Financial strains due to family situations - death, life, marriage, divorce, growing children, aging parents, challenges that come with the job, challenges that come from being without a job, the list goes on

How are we as a people coping? This atmosphere of busy-ness seems to creating a life / lifestyle that keeps us, as a people, on the treadmill. So can we do about it? 

Every now and again, we need to stop and recreate. 

What is it that we are seeking? What keeps us going at this frantic pace? What is it that keeps so many people up at night? Surely, it can't be anything new as this seems to have been happening for ages. 

Are we doing it for - Honor?

I then did some research from a biblical perspective. It's easy nowadays with the online access to e-bibles and found the following:

• "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you..Exo 20:12
• After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! rev 19:1
• Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.Heb 13:18 

There are many more passage on honor, but these stood out with me. 

Are we honoring honoring of father and mother as commanded that we do in Exo 20:12? Are we functioning under the shadow of the almighty so that we experience not only the salvation, but the glory and honor and power of God? How can we be close and not be affected? if we aren't affected than are we close enough? Are our lives honorable? Put another way, if we looked at ourselves from the outside, would we want to be in the company of ourselves? 

What do I mean? Many of us use these words to describe ourselves and our situations:

• stressed, rinsed out, beat, lick up, under the weather, etc. 

We behave as if we are in total control and are not accountable for the way we live. We we do realize accountability, it seems that we prefer to acknowledge what other people think rather than what God thinks of us.

If you need to recapture some measure of honor in your life, why not look in the bible at the examples that are within the word. Remove the constant panic and apprehensive by reading all of the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth and really getting personal; knowing the contents for yourself.

Once, I had a picture of God asking me "What have you done for me lately?", like you I first thought that was Janet Jackson's song, then I realize who's the composer. I decided to get busy, cause it wasn't about all the activity that I thought it was - going to church, singing in the choir, leading classes. None of that stuff mattered. Was I leading the life that God would be proud of what what counted?

1. Was I cussing and swearing all the time?
2. Was I setting a great example for the children around?
3. Was I being an excellent example for the surrounding adults?
4. How was I ministering to those who observed me but never said a word to me?
5. Am I experiencing the life worthy of Kingdom Living?

I got a "NO!" 

I also got a here's what you need to do - Get to know me personally through my word and you will experience the lifestyle of Kingdom Living. 

Does it mean that we won't have struggles still? I hardly think so, but there hope.  

Richard Blades is a Business Consultant & Trainer who lives Barbados, West Indies. You can find me on Google Plus and Twitter my handle's richieb93