I remember an experience with a new roommate in college. We went to the local shopping center for lunch, and as we were walking through the long corridors, my roommate suddenly began having a panic attack. She fearfully repeated, “Leslie, Leslie – why are all these people staring at me? What’s wrong with me??” At first I didn’t understand what she was saying, and frankly, I didn’t even notice! Then it dawned on me, they weren’t staring at her. I told her to walk several steps behind me and see what happened. She was so relieved to see nothing was wrong with her, and that they were actually staring at me!

I have spent my life being the tallest person in a classroom, on a basketball team, in a restaurant, at my office, or just about anywhere. Recently, I remember stopping for the day in Mumbai. As we enjoyed the sights, people began following me, wanting to take pictures with me. Small groups of young people, women with children and entire families kept gathering around me for pictures! I didn’t know what to think…I’m tall? I’m unique? Do they think they recognize me? I finally realized I wasn’t going to see any sights, so I just decided to enjoy the people!

Have you ever felt self-conscious? Have you ever wondered if the whole world is staring at you? I have. According to Psychology Today, self-consciousness keeps us fighting the battle to control our self-image. But obsessing over our shortcomings inevitably traps us in embarrassment and shame.

How do we rise above self-consciousness and triumph in life? First, contrast self-consciousness with self-worth. Self-consciousness is an awareness of differences and shortcomings compared to others. Self-worth is built upon an internal perspective of ourselves. It is discovery of our intrinsic value, lived out through our dreams of the future. The dictionary states self-worth is the sense of one’s own value as a person. It is self-esteem or self-respect.

Self-worth can find its basis in biblical truth by knowing that we are created in God’s image; by understanding that we are wonderfully made; by realizing that our lives were written in God’s book before we were born!  This Creator has chosen to live in the hearts of people! You can identify with Him today! How? By simply calling upon His name! God in heaven, Who revealed Himself to us through His Son Jesus is waiting right now for you to call upon Him! Why wait? Call on Him now!

Today we complete your toolbox with the final tool to help you on your journey to realizing your goals and aspirations with confidence!

Tool #3: Track Your Progress!

Journal writing is one of the best tools for organizing mental clutter, by capturing thoughts and emotions in writing. After my mentor’s wife of 53 years passed away, he began documenting their life together and the “WHY?” behind her early demise. “When I finished writing this book,” he said, “I knew I was ready to move forward. I was healed.”

You can create different journals for different parts of your journey. One may be for personal healing and insight, while another may be an “idea journal” reserved for capturing inspiration.

How do you use an idea journal? Keep a small notebook in your purse or pocket and jot down your ideas throughout the day. Often during quiet moments of reflection, you’ll find your written ideas weave an interesting tapestry.

Early morning is another vital time for journaling your thoughts! Keep a notepad by your bed—I like to call mine my morning ‘think-pad.’ Glean these early thoughts before a child or a morning hello interrupts your clarity. Never minimize the importance of capturing these early thoughts! Your heart and mind are working while you sleep, planning life’s journey! Start each day with your idea journal, capturing your morning revelation.

If you need to simplify, an electronic journal, cellphone or voice recorder can help you record your fresh ideas and the answers to your soul-searching questions!

Today we continue equipping your toolbox with tools that will help free you from mental clutter and keep you motivated toward achieving your aspirations!

Tool #2: Try a New Activity! 

I am constantly learning! Why? Despite all the information we have at our fingertips, one of life’s greatest obstacles is the fear of the unknown.

Information is power to change, and education is one of the greatest sources of personal growth! The electronic age allows access for skilled and unskilled, alike. I learn through internet articles, professional journals, on-line courses and personal coaches.

What have you wanted to do but were afraid to attempt? Overcome that fear by trying ONE new activity! Why not go back to school? Or take an on-line course? Having trouble getting started? Find a coach or trainer who can motivate you in your new activity. Many free on-line training and coaching tools are available!

Are you low on funds? Become a volunteer! You can often learn a new skill while volunteering at places needing help. Volunteering has been one of my greatest learning methods! It’s totally free, it only costs your time.  Get busy—you CAN do something now!

Have you ever lost an inspirational idea? Or, have you ever felt trapped in your own mental clutter? During the next three days I want to share some tips that will keep you motivated toward achieving your aspirations! Let’s get started equipping our toolbox!

Tool #1: Take a Personality Test

Personality tests can identify how we function in stressful environments, how we approach practical problem solving, whether we are competitive in nature, how well we work in teams, as well as pinpointing our best career choices. For my English speaking friends, I recommend the Kendall Life Languages test at www.lifelanguages.com. This test identifies communication style and recommends related career paths.

The internet offers many resources such as Queendom.com, providing a full range of psychological assessments that empower you to reach your potential. These include emotional intelligence tests for improving how you lead and interact with people. Recently, I found the Oxford Happiness Test on theguardian.com. From curiosity, I took one of their brief personality tests which, not surprisingly, indicated I should be a public speaker!

Are you ready for greater mental clarity? Let’s look at 4 powerful exercises to increase self-awareness and eliminate mental chatter!

STEP #1: Order Your World! In her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo offers insight into releasing ourselves from the clutter that produces chaos. Her how-to book has gained traction globally by helping people reform their own spaces—physically and mentally.  In other words, decluttering your space helps declutter your mind. Today: find time to organize. You WILL be less stressed and more focused!

STEP #2: Think Like A Child. It is proven that a child’s brain is flexible and adaptable. Children can quickly change their viewpoint. “When people begin thinking like a child, they see a fresh perspective,” says Jack Uldrich, bestselling business author. “They learn to step back and view problems, people and things from a completely different point of view.”  Ponder these questions:  As a child, what did you dream you would become? What toys or childhood activities did you most enjoy?  Often seeds of greatness start in childlike attitudes.

STEP #3: Learn To Meditate. Biblical meditation provides a clear voice in your life that helps delete the mental chatter, focus your thoughts and identify your pathway. It is pondering and reflecting on what God’s word says about you!  The Holy Scripture says, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” The Psalmist said, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul.  Begin Now: Ponder these 2 scriptures—they will produce peace for today and confidence for your future!

STEP #4: Identify Your Internal Conversation. According to psychologists, each of us conducts a conversation with ourselves known as “self-talk.”  Positive internal dialogue can generate favorable expectation, while negative internal dialogue raises stress. The Reality: Negative thinking produces mental clutter. The Remedy: Take a mental inventory! It brings order to your mental world. Learn to capture and order your thoughts on paper!  Begin today: Write down 5 optimistic thoughts about your life and surroundings!

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 23

One of the real challenges that stands as a mountain before a person is the delay of their dreams. It is difficult for people to deal with time, they expect solutions instantly. They want it now, not five minutes from now!

This time expectation is most acute and unique to American society. They are inventors of fast food because it is believed that fast is always better! Now, let me help you understand time. God has no time frame that controls Him. The whole spectrum of time is always laid before Him, so He does not experience time as a limiter.

Faith is what He has given us to enter into the reality that He lives in.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Faith is the quality of a human being that allows us to see and be happy about our answer now. We are not waiting for the physical manifestation to be happy or fulfilled or confident. We enjoy what we believe as if we had the things we believe for already in our possession. What does this do for us?

It puts ETERNITY INTO OUR HEART!

What we have received as our inheritance from God is now ours. Get happy about it and you will see it!

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1

Perhaps today, you are experiencing grief or a sense of loss; I want you to know that God is right there with you! My father and I were very close, and throughout my life he was a voice of wisdom and clarity. I remember him telling me after many years of suffering from debilitating illness, that he was tired and ready to go on to the next life. He had called every family member, making sure that each knew Jesus as their personal Savior. He felt my mother would be ok and could take care of herself.  I remember thinking how odd it was that he was telling me all of this. My father passed away just a few days later.

I don’t know what you are walking through right now, but I do know there is one who will walk with you and give you the hope you need. The scriptures say, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I also recall many weeks later, God opened heaven and I had an awareness of my father smiling and a knowledge that he was in a much better place.  As I spoke to the audience that day, I remember crying great tears of God’s love for the people who were listening…for them to know that they could face anything in life, and even death, if they had a hope in the future!

Have you ever felt discouraged? Have you ever felt unsure of what to do? Are there times you just feel like giving up? Like you’re being thrown into the fire with nowhere to run and no escape?

One of the great stories of scripture talks about three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into a fire for refusing to worship the King’s idols. These three men had been honored and promoted as wise sages throughout Babylonia. Learning of their refusal to bow to his idols, the king offered them a second chance. Again they refused, this time saying, “even if we are thrown into your blazing furnace, oh King, the God we serve will deliver us from your Majesty’s hand.”

Infuriated by their response, the king had the execution fire built 7 times hotter – so hot that as the soldiers approached the furnace to throw in the three bound men, they themselves were burned to death. As the King stared into the furnace, he suddenly shouted – there are four men in the fire, not three – and the fourth looks like an angel of God. At that moment, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked from the fire unharmed and without even the smell of smoke on their clothing!

I believe HOPE is a supernatural God-given empowerment. Hope is not just a good feeling; it is a force that produces strength for the journey. You are possibly facing your own fiery challenge or affliction. Hope allows you to turn your trials into smiles.

For nearly a year, Magda Herzberger struggled to survive the daily terrors and psychological torture in three of Adolph Hitler’s concentration camps. According to the Grand Canyon University interview, though forced to “gather corpses,” she resisted the draw of suicide, and relied on God for the hope to outlive the Nazi death machine.

Growing up in the home of a respected international businessman, Magda was exposed to music, sports and languages, learning German, French, and Latin. She was cultivating her dream to go to medical school when the Nazis swept across Romania.

She vividly recalls the day the Hungarian Secret Police knocked at the door and began collecting families at gunpoint. As her family was being trucked away, her father arrived home and willingly joined them. She remembers her father’s warm tears falling on her head, as they were being transported to Aushwitz-Birkenau. She can still hear the dreadful cries and hopeless whispers of strangers packed into train cars without food or even a toilet for the terrifying journey.

Magda said, “Regardless of what I experienced in those camps, and all those terrible things, I’m still a loving and forgiving person.” I would ask, how can it be possible to remain a loving and forgiving person after being kidnapped, tormented, imprisoned and forced to watch mass murder?  As she prayed in her silent moments in the camp, Magda knew in her heart that God could help her make it out alive. She said, “I think my great trust in God was my source of survival.”

What is hope? Hope is the picture of the future or the thing desired. The dictionary says, “it is a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.” Robert H. Schuller, said, “Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.”

For Magda, her hope in God, her confidence that He would help her stay strong through the storm, gave her strength for her journey! I want to encourage someone today, DO NOT allow anyone or anything to steal your hope. Magda Herzberger went on to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, and today at age 88 she is still sharing her story of hope in the midst of tragedy. You can experience that same hope today!

In 2006 we were conducting meetings in Puerto Rico. One particular medical doctor noticed that his patients were being healed and took great interest in the miracles. Even though he was initially skeptical, he realized our emphasis on people connecting with Jesus would bring freedom from stress, and often people didn’t even recognize they were healed!  God’s peace had entered their spirit, soul and bodies, and with His presence came healing.

This doctor told us that of the female patients he treats, many convince themselves that they are sick. Interestingly, often when running the required tests to identify a problem, he finds nothing. Yet in a matter of a few weeks or months, the same patients will return with evidence of the illnesses they were convinced already existed.

Research shows that DNA actually changes shape according to our thoughts. As you think negative thoughts, toxic thinking re-wires your brain in a negative direction, forcing your mind and body into stress.  On the contrary, every positive thought releases life-giving chemicals.  Imagine what the brain does when you smell a rose or look at a beautiful picture, or when you read the word of God! Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace,” and when an individual receives His life into their spirit His presence fills them—often driving out sicknesses and disease.