Here is my version below

God guide me for I am easily lost

Help me stay focused on what is in front of me

For my mind often wonders to other peoples

There actions, successes and failure

But I now I can only control what I can control

So please help stay focused on the present moment because you give me this life one moment at a time

God guide me to fulfil the purpose for which you have put me on this earth

Guide me and help me to do all the good I can today

God I am unsure on my purpose but I know it is to do your will

Let your will be done through me

Help me to see the light which will guide me

Thank you for ALL the things in my life

Thank you for my shelter that keeps me safe

Thank you for the clothes that keep me warm

Thank you for the water that quenches my thirst

Thank you for my family

My wife who is my rock and who I will love with everything

My Son who has changed my life and has allowed me to understand the unconditional love which you give us

Thank you for my parents who raised me and are still here for me

Thank you for my brothers who are healthy and are there for me

Thank you for my friends who give me so much joy in this life

Thank you for my enemies who help me get better every day

Thank you for my successes which give me the confidence to go for more success

Thank you for my failures which teach me and make me stronger

Thank you for everything

When it rains its better to stay dry then to get wet

You don’t want to get wet

Wet leads to cold

Which can lead to illness

A shelter will keep you dry and healthy

So how to build a shelter?

There a several steps

The first are relationships

The relationships with the people you love and that love you will keep you safe

Whether its your family or certain friends its vital to have people in your life that will be there for you

When we are young there are many such relationships

Parents

Grandparents

Uncles/Aunties

As you get older these diminsh

Maybe a brother or sister or a few good freinds

These relationships are vital

Strong relationships themselves are a shelter against a rainy day

These relationships will put a hand over you, keep you dry and safe

Do not underestimate the importance of relationships

The second is mental fortitude

Know what you are

And what you are not

Know that your worth is not derived from peoples opinions of you

The universe loves you regardless

You are alive and you can do good things in this world

No matter what people think or say

Remember this

Internalise it

Do not take things personally

Do your best with love

And know you are something

This mental shelter will protect you from the evils of people

Opionions

Gossip

Know internally

That it doesn’t matter

Know that

God made you you

And

God makes no mistakes

The third and final is financial security

Financial security may be the most obvious when people think of a shelter against a rainy day

But financial security protects you differently from the first two

Financial security means you may never be in situation to do things you don’t want to because you can afford to choose not to do those things

It important to know that if you lose your source of income today that those who you are responsible for will be okay

You will be able to provide

And come back stronger

Wiser and better

Time

Financial buys you time

Time to bounce back

Relationships

Mental fortitude

And financial security

These things will keep you safe against a rainy day

These are the three bricks out which to build a shelter for a rainy day

I use to listen to this radio program by Earl Nightgale and he said something that really stuck with me

Its foolish to look at an empty fireplace and think why isn’t it giving me heat

Why?

Because it needs fuel, wood and matches

This foolish behavior is how most people approach relationships

They look at the fireplace and say

Give me heat

Heat?

What heat?

Wheres the wood buddy?

The matches?

?

?

?

Give it some wood

Give it some starter

And you will have all the heat you need

“Be more concerned with: Loving than being loved, Giving than receiving, Being a friend rather than having a friend.”

This needs to be the approach when it comes to friends

Do you want people to call or message?

Call and message people

Do you want to go out with friends and have a good time?

Well organise it champ

Let me tell you another way

With another metaphor

I am in a metaphoric kind of mood

Your relationships is a glass of water

You always need to make sure that there is water in the glass

Once the glass is empty

It is gone

How do you put water in the glass?

Respect

Esteem

Devotion

Love

Love is a common theme

Show love

Love the verb

Listen

Care

Smile

Put love into your friendships and the love will come back

Make the effort

Reach out and call

Check in on people you have lost touch with

Send them a message

Say hello

I have missed you

How have you been?

Put wood in that fire place

When they talk

Listen

When they cry

Hug

When they tell a joke

Laugh

All these things take time and effort but they will pay you back 10 fold

Make friendship a fine art

Every morning when we wake up

We have an opportunity to make the most of each day

We build our life one brick at a time and these bricks are days

So if you want to live a good life it makes sense that we have to live our days out to the best of our ability

Make the most out of each day

And when you look back, each brick that you laid would have built a beautiful house

Each day builds a beautiful life

So focus on what you are doing right now

Stop multitasking

One

Brick

At

Time

Understand

Yesterday is history and that you can’t affect it

Tomorrow is a mystery

So attack today

That’s the only way you are going to change your tomorrow

Today

This moment

That’s all you have

And it’s all you will ever have

The present

Today

So do your absolute best at whatever it is you need to do

Do your best with every day

Before you know it, it will be gone

You cannot make up for tomorrow by working twice as hard

If that was the case why not work twice as hard today

Embrace

Embrace the day

Get on the front foot

Remember your life is one moment at a time

So do your best to live in that moment and make the most of it

Because before you know

It will be gone

Read that title again

Drink deeply

That means not just read

But listen

Listen to what your reading

Absorb

Ponder

Think on it

Every few years I stop buying new books and go back to the books that have affected me the most

I use the Olympic cycle

Every 4 years review

Down the line it will go down to 2 years

Olympics and The World Cup

And I re-read

Re-absorb

Re-learn

Take notes

What are the key learning from this book?

Share them with friends

Teach them

Bust most importantly live those leanings

Every time you go back to the book you will learn something new

They are always there waiting for you

Good books

There for you to reach out to

They always have time for you as long as you have time for them

But you must take advantage

You must be able to name the key takeaways from the books you read

What did you understand, what are you taking with you?

To drink deep from good books is to have mentors with some of the greatest minds to have walked the earth

To learn from the best and be with the best

And the truth is the best is few and far between

So when you find the best, visit them often

Converse

And

Drink Deeply

Help others

Help them in big and small ways

Help them understand

Help them perceive

Help them feel good

Smile when you see them

Be a friendly face

Our time on this earth is short

We should often ask ourselves

“What is the most good I can do today?”

How can I help those closest to me, those who matter to me the most

You can call them

You can text them

A nice massage or back rub

Reach out to a freind you haven’t heard from in a while and ask

“How are you?”

How about at work?

Thank some one who has helped you or has been nice to work with

Send them a message

Express your gratitude

Or tell someone who is struggling that they are going to be okay

Smile when your on the call and wish people a nice day

Go to a small business and buy something

Help others

But if you ask me honestly

The best way we can help others is if we help ourselves

Be nice to yourself

Take care of our bodies

Do things you like

Smile every time you look in the mirror

Cook yourself a nice meal

Build a strong routine

Set small targets and get momentum

Work on things on your list and keep improving

Meditate

Pray

But most of Love

Love is what we mean when we say help one another

Love Thy Neighbour

Help Thy Neighbour

All acts of Love are help

Helping you

Helping the world

So love

Love in every action and in every moment

And you will find yourself helping

Love

And you find yourself growing

Help

Love

γνῶθι σεαυτόν

to thyself be true

It has been said by many

In many different ways

But do I understand it?

Do you?

Its hard to articulate

Its one you feel more then understand

Do what is right by you

Do your best

Do what is true by your nature

It means all these things and so much more

At its essence

Be True To Yourself

Means be what you really are and the only way you can get to that is by being as authentic as you can

Do not fake

Do not pretend

If you like something

Do it

If you do not like it

Do not do it

It means being brave enough to do the things that you want

To say what you believe in and act in a way that you think is right

Be True To Yourself

You always know if your lying

Faking

Not giving your best

It means not acting according to your nature and what you are

We are all something

So just be that

In every way

Or said differently

Be authentic

Do your best

Be True To Yourself

Let me ask you a question

What is easier?

Full or part compliance?

Let me explain

Say you have a rule

No TV after 7pm

Is it easier to stick to that rule 6 days a week or 7 days a week.

Okay

Change the rule

Wake up at 7am every day

Whats easier? Five days a week or every single day?

Remember the question

What is easier?

.

.

.

This question was first posed to me in a book by Clayton M. Christensen, “How will you measure your life”

The outcome

“It’s easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time”

When i first heard this….

I was skeptical

Then I thought about it….

And he was right

Anything that I stuck to in my life I have been fanatical…

An extremist

.

.

.

The issue with 98% compliance is the slippery slope

One more website

“Let me check my insta for one sec”

Let me have this chocolate

It leads to ruin

Ruin by a thousand small cuts

Ruin

Self inflicted

Self harm

Self pain

sSelf hate

Self loathing

Self

Self

Self

Self despise

.

.

Be the fanatic

The extremist

100% compliance

.

.

Anyway, I ask you again, what is easier

Full compliance or part compliance?

It’s deeper then rap
Let me tell you in facts

I fantasize about battles
About proving people wrong
Or catching them out

Is this some perverse way of proving that I am smart?

When I was young, I use to imagine myself debating people to the ground in front of girls I like

Imagine that, winning affection via putting people down?
Is that love first?

Creating enemies
Conflict

Anger is my drug.
Is it anger though?
Something else.
Battle rush?
Pump up the juice
I don’t know

But this premise I have around proving people wrong
Getting one up
Catching them out
It needs to stop

Jesus said
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone
I am casting stones

Stone thrower

Why?

Am I casting stones at myself?

Does anger make me feel superior

I really sad and disappointed in myself
Because I know I cast stones at myself and those people I love
Stone
After
Stone
After
Stone

Will I cast stones at my son?
Ahhhh, I hope not
God I hope not

Stones weigh me down
Cloud my thoughts
Ruin my judgement

Did you ever think about your masturbation fantasies?
Deep bro
Always trying to impress
Show superiority
What am I trying to prove?

Let it go
Let it go
You did your best
You made mistakes
You were a coward at times
But that’s okay
Just be brave now
Fail and don’t hate yourself
Fall down and laugh
No more crying
It’s okay
No one cares
Only you do
So love, act with love to yourself and to the world
Love to your mistakes and there’s
Love and patience
Love and patience will conquer the world
Love and patience to yourself

God makes no mistakes

My son likes to smile

I don’t know why but he does

He will look at strangers and smile

At dogs and cats and smile

At his toys and smile

And at his reflection and smile

Its amazing the impact it has on the world

People treat him better

It gets such a reaction

Its like he is making their days better

His teachers at child care look forward to seeing him

People wave at him

And they want to play with him

Its been so humbling to see what a child smiling at the world can accomplish

And its a skill that I and most of us leave at the door

We don’t have the inherent innocence and charm of a 6 month old but either do we let our smiles do some of the work

I aways tell him

Even though he doesn’t understand

“Keep smiling” and “Do not stop smiling”

So I tell you

Smile at everyone

At the happy

At the kind

At the sad

At the disenfranchised

At the angry and the rude

Just keep smiling because its already done so much for my son

Imagine what it can do for you and the people you will meet

How a smile open doors

How it unlocks hearts and minds

And how it puts people at ease

Thank you son for teaching me to smile more

I promise you I will, so if you ever forget you will see me smile at the world and hopefully carry it with you for the rest of you life

Keep smiling