Motivation.

So another long break from the blog. Not my intention just been in one of those situations where Ive be struggling to find the motivation to blog. which strangly got me asking the question ''What motivates us?"

I recently heard a story of a sailer that set out from spain heading for America. The guy in question called himself a moderately experienced sailer and had a good knowledge of the sea and good navigation skills. He had taken the time to prepare his course and gain supplys for his journey, and also prepared for all events.

afer 3 days at sea and making good progress his boat was suddenly hit by something. unsure of the damage he rush to the lower deck and saw his boat was rapidly taking on water. this was an abandon ship situation.

He released the life raft and got his emergancy racions together along with a bag of emergancy equipment. Having got himself and all his equipment into the raft he sat and watched as his yocht slowly sunk. 

He had well thought out rations and equipment which included a book on survival at sea, a harpoon gun, 18 litres of water, small amount of food and distress flares. 

He talks about how he tried to catch a fish to eat and it took him days of trying before he caught one. This was of course a boost but had now been alone in the raft for over a week. 

Water was running short too and luckily for him he had pack a divice that turns sea water into drinking water, however this hardly helped as was a very slow process. 

At one point he caught a larger fish and as he tried to get it out of the water it struggled and the harpoon gun pierced the raft. He was now in a worse situation and had to repair the raft as it was taking on water. 

This guy was reportedly on that raft for 120 day before being picked up by a commercial ship. When asked what kept him going he said that little things like catching a fish kept him going to some extent, but the knowledge that his family was at home waiting was the one thing that made every day worth fighting for. 

What motivates us. Well as a church member I have to say I take great motivation hearing testomonies from others and learning from others. To be a Christian also means it's important to spend time with other Christians shareing experiences and learning from each other 

Motivation comes in many forms, but the greatest comes fom people around us encouraging and being encouraged! 

Jose Mourinho

    

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea Football Club Manager) was once asked about the pressure of his job in top flight football. He answered "what pressure?, pressure is millions of people around the world, parents with no money to buy food to feed their children. Not football"

What Jose said was applauded by some, but others where not so happy about what he said. But what he said was probably a statement that has stayed in my mind for a lone time. 

If makeing money and winning trophies is as important than life then we have maybe got something twisted about face. The fact the question was asked after Chelsea lost a second game in a row made it even more of a strange question.

How do we act to pressure? And what makes us feel pressure?

I guess in today's world, money is gonna be hi on the list. Followed maybe by jobs or keeping up with what is expected from us. 

The famous old saying is that god won't put anything in out way that we can't handle. Bit of a clichè right? I'm still making my mind up about that, as maybe it should say God won't put anything in our way that we can't handle with him. Now doesn't that sound more realistic?

This week has been one of the lowest weeks in a long time. Infact I've not felt so alone and down like I have this week. But I picked up my bible and flicked it open and saw something I'd stuck in there a long time ago. 

Never had my bible ment so much and dispite all the tablets I take and then people people I see it was Gods word "the bible" that lifted me from what could have been a dangerous bout of depression. 

No matter who we are and where we are at in life's "rat race" we can always look to god knowing he can't always stop that bad stuff happening but he will to encourage and take some of the pressures away. 

Should I be Angry?

As a business owner I know I live I a corporate world where people can sometimes seem to think of nothing more than to make money. Don't get me wrong as a business owner I understand the importance of making profit and making money but I also believe there are certain values that should feature just as importantly as money making.

I try my best to treat every customer the same no matter how big or small the sale is. Also I feel its important to give customers a fair price and to be Honest to myself without judging others.

This morning I took a call from The East Anglian Dailey Times telling me of a new Magazine coming out. I was told it was to be selective and 5000 copies where to be delivered to selected residential areas where they have money to spend.

when I questioned this I was told that it is based on people income, number of cars, number of holiday abroad and other states that, to be honest should never really be used to judge people and choose who you want your customers to be.

I hope that people know I don't choose customers, and that I would never treat any customer different to another based on criteria that to be honest is none of my business or the business of The East Anglian Dailey Times.

I made it clear that as a Christian I felt that this approach to business was wrong and that I wish to offer my services to everyone ad not a selected few.

Should I be angry and annoyed?

A Kick In The Head.

About 6 years ago I decided that I needed to diet and get fitter as I was mid 30's and could feel my rugby playing days coming to an end. I dieted and did a little bit of running in an attempt to keep up with the younger lads.

Ill always remember the day Thurston Rugby Club came to Felixstowe to play us in the league and I was selected in the first 15 and was the oldest player in our squad. The first half went well and most of the second half seemed to be OK too. in fact I was feeling quite good as the new slimmer, faster me was keeping up with play.

About 10 minuets from the end of the game a loss ball popped out of a maul. I remember seeing it slowly rolling to a stop about 15 yards away from me. I was going to claim that ball and start a counter attack. As I ran to the loose ball I could see the opposition Fly Half also running towards it. As a front row player there was no way any fly half was gonna beat me to the ball Id already claimed in my head.

I ran towards it and slid on like a pro to secure the ball. Sadly the opposition player pulled out and instead of sliding against me took one almighty kick at the ball. Id already beaten him to the loose ball and well sadly his right footed smash sadly connected with my face rather than the ball.

The next thing I knew was my team mate Luke Coster Reeve knelt down beside me telling me how hard I was to survive such a boot (cheers Luke) I was swiftly removed from the field and standing in the club house being check over by my proud chairman and club president who seemed be be wilded at the fact I was still talking to them despite my very indented cheek bone. 

So what happened to that thing some call Karma? Id trained hard and dieted to get to that loose ball only to receive a boot in the face. Please note that night I had a Large Donner kebab (with chips) and made the decision to end my Olympic running bid. After all the hard work and hungry evenings to be rewarded with a dented check bone was not to me a very fair deal.

How many times when things haven't gone our way do we blame God. How many times do we hear people saying that If there was a god bad thing wouldn't happen? We seem to try so hard to do what we feel is ''Gods will'' yet life seem to continue to throw stuff at us we just don't need.

The fact is God never promised an easy life and never said he who believes will be saved from harm or sadness. God isn't a puppeteer who controls our thought and actions but is a God that will be there what ever life throws at us.

See The guy that Kicked me instead of the Ball (oh and I think it hert him more than me) made a choice to back out of the challenge. And maybe it was my training and diet that helped with my Quick recovery.

      

This Picture was taken on the same day as my kick in the face. Id like to mention that John Terry got a foot in the face but if you see the footage you'll see this was just a tap in the face rather than a full on kick. John Terry spend time out and returned playing with a protective mask on. I played 7 days later proving that Rugby is the true mans sport. (this statement was for my fellow rugby playing buddies across the world)

Seeking Simple Solutions.

So once again I've heard people talking about their belives saying "I believe in something, just not sure what". It's a common statement.

The fact is when speaking with athiests or hearing comments from them saying there is no way god can be real, I can't help but think how narrow minded they are. 

So how does a person that isn't sure what they believe in find answers. Well as a Christian who believes that Jesus was saviour of the world and died and then came back to life I would have to say what we are told in the Bible would be the best place to start. 

It tells is that if we knock on the door the door shall be open for us, if we seek we will find. So when we seek whole heartedly we will find the truth. 

Sure this just sounds like more Mumbo Jumbo that makes it sound like a magical equation, but there's nothing magical about it, in fact the bible is as current today as it was 2000 years ago. And as simple as seeking and finding when we seek openly.