Present Living Thought - An inspirational e-zine, with John Kuypers

June, 2009
with John Kuypers

Dear Friend,

To be You. That is the main benefit of living in the present. At peace with yourself. Confidence that comes from having been humbled a few times in life.

It's not an easy place to maintain on a daily basis. Other people want You to meet their needs. This often conflicts with You meeting your own needs. It's a balancing act we all need to master.

Two years ago, I decided my wife and I needed to run our finances separately. It was a tough decision. With a blended family and pressures from ex-spouses, running joint finances was causing us a lot of conflict. It worked. That conflict has now gone away, thankfully. We needed better boundaries around money. Indeed, the essence of being capable of staying present is good boundaries in all aspects of your life.

I once attended a Bill Cosby event about twenty years ago in Toronto. He did a masterful and hilarious job of describing the evolution of his marriage in five year chunks. The first five years were filled with conflicts, all with the same not-so-subtle message: "If you really loved me, you would do things my way!" By twenty-five years of marriage, he said, "My wife says she going shopping while I flop on the couch watching football all day. I just wave at her and say, 'Have fun, honey!'"

The Serenity Prayer captures the entire spirit of this principle of good boundaries that work for You, even when others pressure You to be someone else. Read this prayer on our website by clicking here.

On a final note, I encourage you to 'follow' Present Living on Twitter. As one colleague of mine quipped, "Twitter sounds stupid until you try it!" There are now over 100 small inspirations that you can review. And you get a new one most days. It takes about ten to fifteen seconds and helps you stay present!

You don't need to post anything yourself. Just sign up and keep a tab open on your browser for Twitter. You can even forward them to your cellphone if you prefer. Till next time, I pray for you and I wish you serenity and courage to walk in faith with the Lord.

How GOOD LEADERS Get GREAT RESULTS by Shifting Power and Authority. This new leadership guidebook helps you work effectively with your boss, your peers and your staff. Consider it for your workplace via workshops, webinars or one-to-one executive coaching. Learn more at http://www.performanceshift.com/7performancedrivers.htm Contact us by email.

Read the last Issue: April 2009 issue, "Face your fears" http://www.presentliving.com/pastissues/facefearbaseballApril09.htm

Please forward this Present Living Thought to friends and colleagues. Present living is too good to keep it a secret!
To subscribe: Hit your reply key and type SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
To unsubscribe: Hit your reply key and type 'REMOVE' in the subject line.