17 Rules For A Better Way To Live

These a some rule for a better way to live if you want this year to expans...

Rule One... for a Better Way to Live:

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you... with grace, strength, courage, and confidence.

Rule Two... for a Better Way to Live:

Today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do. The victory of success will be half won when you learn the secret of putting out more than is expected in all that you do. Make yourself so valuable in your work that eventually you will become indispensable. Exercise your privilege to go the extra mile, and enjoy all the rewards you receive. You deserve them!

Rule Three... for a Better Way to Live:

Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure? Never quit. Your turn will come.

Rule Four... for a Better Way to Live:

Always reward your long hours of labor and toil in the very best way, surrounded by your family. Nurture their love carefully, remembering that your children need models, not critics, and your own progress will hasten when you constantly strive to present your best side to your children. And even if you have failed at all else in the eyes of the world, if you have a loving family, you are a success.

Rule Five... for a Better Way to Live:

Build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts. Never fret at any imperfections that you fear may impede your progress. Remind yourself, as often as necessary, that you are a creature of God and have the power to achieve any dream by lifting up your thoughts. You can fly when you decide that you can. Never consider yourself defeat again. Let the vision in your heart be in your life's blueprint. Smile!

Rule Six... for a Better Way to Live:

Let your actions always speak for you, but be forever on guard against the terrible traps of false pride and conceit that can halt your progress. The next time you are tempted to boast, just place your fist in a full pail of water, and when you remove it, the hole remaining will give you a correct measure of your importance.

Rule Seven... for a Better Way to Live:

Each day is a special gift from God, and while life may not always be fair, you must never allow the pains, hurdles, and handicaps of the moment to poison your attitude and plans for yourself and your future. You can never win when you wear the ugly cloak of self-pity, and the sour sound of whining will certainly frighten away any opportunity for success. Never again. There is a better way.

Rule Eight... for a Better Way to Live:

Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Rule Nine... for a Better Way to Live:

Live this day as if it will be your last. Remember that you will only find "tomorrow" on the calendars of fools. Forget yesterday's defeats and ignore the problems of tomorrow. This is it. Doomsday. All you have. Make it the best day of your year. The saddest words you can ever utter are, "If I had my life to live over again..."Take the baton, now. Run with it! This is your day!

Rule Ten... for a Better Way to Live:

Beginning today, treat everyone you meet, friend or foe, loved one or stranger, as if they were going to be dead at midnight. Extend to each person, no matter how trivial the contact, all the care and kindness and understanding and love that you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

Rule Eleven... for a Better Way to Live:

Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self- pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously.

Rule Twelve... for a Better Way to Live:

Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.

Rule Thirteen... for a Better Way to Live:

Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self- starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.

Rule Fourteen... for a Better Way to Live:

You will achieve grand dream, a day at a time, so set goals for each day -- not long and difficult projects, but chores that will take you, step by step, toward your rainbow. Write them down, if you must, but limit your list so that you won't have to drag today's undone matters into tomorrow. Remember that you cannot build your pyramid in twenty-four hours. Be patient. Never allow your day to become so cluttered that you neglect your most important goal -- to do the best you can, enjoy this day, and rest satisfied with what you have accomplished.

Rule Fifteen... for a Better Way to Live:

Never allow anyone to rain on your parade and thus cast a pall of gloom and defeat on the entire day. Remember that no talent, no self-denial, no brains, no character, are required to set up in the fault-finding business. Nothing external can have any power over you unless you permit it. Your time is too precious to be sacrificed in wasted days combating the menial forces of hate, jealously, and envy. Guard your fragile life carefully. Only God can shape a flower, but any foolish child can pull it to pieces.

Rule Sixteen... for a Better Way to Live:

Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well through all the darkest valley you must traverse. Stars may be seen from the bottom of a deep well, when they cannot be discerned from the mountaintop. So will you learn things in adversity that you would never have discovered without trouble. There is always a seed of good. Find it and prosper.

Rule Seventeen... for a Better Way to Live:

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.

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Hidup Biasa yang Luar Biasa

Apakah pernah merasa kehidupan yang biasa-biasa saja? Seperti orang kebanyakan, tidak ada sesuatu yang wah dalam hidup. Tapi jangan kecil hati karena hal itu. Jika Anda pernah bertanya "Apakah Tuhan mengasihi orang yang ‘biasa' seperti saya?" Dia akan menjawab, "Aku sangat mengasihimu."

Jika Anda menggambarkan diri Anda sebagai orang ‘biasa', tahukah Anda sewaktu Yesus di bumi ini, dia juga orang ‘biasa.' Selama tigapuluh tahun kehidupannya, Yesus hidup sebagai orang biasa. Dia tinggal bersama orangtuanya di kota kecil Nazaret. Selama tigapuluh tahun itu tidak ada catatan tentang kehidupan Yesus kecuali sewaktu kelahirannya dan ketika Dia berumur 12 tahun di bait suci.

God and friendsProfesi Yesus adalah seorang tukang kayu, pada masa itu Yesus pasti melakukan pekerjaan tukang kayu pada umumnya. Dia mungkin membuat jendela, pintu bagi rumah-rumah tetangganya. Dia mungkin juga memperbaiki atap yang rusak dan membuat meja serta kursi. Pada masa itu, Yesus melakukan pekerjaan biasa itu dengan sebaik mungkin.

Yesus, orang biasa itu kemudian mengajar dengan perumpamaan-perumpamaan yang dimengerti oleh orang-orang biasa. Si tukang kayu yang membuat kuk itu menjelaskan, "Kuk yang Kupasang itu enak..". Orang yang biasa menggergaji kayu ini berkata, "Mengapa engkau melihat selumbar di mata saudaramu, sedangkan balok di dalam matamu tidak engkau ketahui?". Ketika dia berjalan-jalan melihat tetangganya yang bekerja di kebun, menginspirasinya untuk mengajarkan hal ini, "Adalah seorang penabur keluar untuk menaburkan benihnya." dan "Hal Kerajaan Sorga itu seumpama biji sesawi, yang diambil dan ditaburkan orang di ladangnya.".

Yesus masih ingat waktu langit yang berwarna merah di pagi hari, tidak hanya itu, Dia juga memperhatikan waktu kilat menggelegar.

Menurut Anda, apakah Yesus menganggap hari-harinya yang ‘biasa' sebagai sesuatu yang biasa saja. Sepertinya tidak, Dia menikmatinya, Dia mempelajarinya, Dia mengingat setiap hal dalam hidupnya sebagai sesuatu yang istimewa.

Lain kali jika Anda merasa hidup Anda biasa-biasa saja, belajarlah dari Yesus. Perhatikanlah pekerjaan dan dunia Anda. Ketaatan Yesus dimulai saat Dia bekerja di workshop tukang kayu milik ayahnya, Yusuf. Cara pendekatanNya yang tidak biasa terhadap kehidupan yang biasa membuatnya layak untuk panggilanNya yang tidak biasa, Yesus Kristus.

Pekerjaan utamanya dimulai saat Dia melalui kehidupan biasanya dengan baik, "Ketika Yesus memulai pekerjaan-Nya, Ia berumur kira-kira tiga puluh tahun dan menurut anggapan orang, Ia adalah anak Yusuf,". Agar Yesus bisa mengubah dunia ini, Ia harus mengucapkan selamat tinggal kepada duniaNya.

Ia mungkin memberi sebuah ciuman kepada Maria ibunya. Makan malam bersama untuk terakhir kalinya di dapur rumahNya. Dia berjalan-jalan terakhir sambil melihat-lihat kota tempat Ia dibesarkan. Ia tahu jalan yang akan dijalaniNya, setiap jengkal penderitaan-Nya telah dicatat. Tetapi dengan sukarela Yesus mau memikul salibNya.

Hidup Anda bukanlah kehidupan yang ‘biasa' saja. Hidup Anda adalah sebuah kehidupan yang sangat istimewa, karena demi Anda, seorang Raja yang mulia, bahkan Raja segala Raja, Tuhan pemilik langit dan bumi rela menderita dan mati di kayu salib. Hari ini, lihatlah kehidupan Anda dari sudut pandang Yesus. Dia pernah menjalani kehidupan yang biasa dengan cara yang tidak biasa, dan percayalah, Anda juga bisa melakukannya. Hiduplah sebagai orang biasa dengan cara yang tidak biasa.

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learn to Live for Others

I’m very convince that the key to being miserable is selfishness. Have you ever thought about that? When you are always putting yourself in every circumstance and making everything about you, you are a miserable person and you’re usually making everyone around you miserable too!


I’ve been a Christian now for about thirty years, and believe me, I’ve learned through a lot of painful experiences about what makes me happy and what makes me miserable. In the beginning, I was a very self-centered person, and even now I have to fight that tendency every single day.

Learning to live for others isn’t something that just comes naturally to anybody. You have to train yourself to do it. It’s just like running a marathon: Even though some might be more athletic and handle training more easily than others, anyone who wishes to run that far has to go through it.

Living for others is the same way. It requires training and practice. It takes patience and discipline to do the things that aren’t second nature for you and me. I like to say you have to do it “on purpose.” You have to get up in the morning and purposely help or give or share with someone else.

Think about it… Have you ever noticed that you don’t have to teach little kids to be greedy or selfish? Those negative tendencies just come naturally. But you do have to teach children to share and be kind to one another. Little ones have to learn that they aren’t the center of the universe and there are more important things than making them happy all the time. Sadly, some children grow into adulthood never learning these valuable lessons.

It’s time to stop being selfish, attending only to your own needs. It’s time to begin focusing your attention outwardly. You need to train yourself to think of others and their needs and desires. If selfishness is the key to being miserable, then selflessness must be the key to being happy!

The Bible says in James 4:3, [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures (The Amplified Bible).

This verse clearly states that selfish motives will actually hinder your prayers. That’s how dangerous a selfish attitude can be. I am a strong believer in the power of prayer, and knowing that a self-centered attitude can actually undermine the power of prayer is enough motivation for me to change my attitude and learn to live for others. I, for one, need God to answer my prayers. I used to have a bracelet that I was very fond of. It was beautiful, and I thought it looked very good on my wrist. I had been praying that God would train me to live for others, and I felt that He was leading me to give that bracelet to a woman I knew. It was tough, but I gave it away. The most difficult part, however, was seeing the bracelet on her wrist every time I saw her. I had to continue to battle that selfish attitude anytime I was around her. I was feeling the pain of learning to die to myself and live for others. Denying yourself is tough, no question about it. But disciplined training is always hard. It’s supposed to be.

What about you? How are you handling this battle with self? God wants to help you shift your inward focus on yourself to an outward focus on others. He wants you to overcome the bondage of living selfishly and find the freedom that comes from living for others.

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Do U Know : Jesus' Sacrifice For Us?

Long before Jesus ever died on a cross, He made a tremendous sacrifice for you. Most have heard how Jesus died on a cross and how His death pays the penalty for our sins, but did you know that long before He breathed the last breath before His death, He gave up who He was for you and me?

GOD tells us that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. The Word who was with God and who was God is the One we know as Jesus the Christ. He is the One who made all things and nothing was made without Him. He is the One who created all things “that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible”. He is the One who is before all things and who makes all things consist.

The life of Jesus started well before He was known as the man Jesus on the earth. He was the One who spoke to Moses in the burning bush and said, “I AM that I AM”. He declared Himself as this same I AM when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM”. The Spiritual Rock that followed the Israelites in the desert when they wandered was the same Christ.

Long before Jesus died He made a great sacrifice for us; He gave up who He was as God with all His power and might.

Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery [or something to be held onto] to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus loves you so much that He was willing to give up all His power and reputation as God to come in the form of a servant and to be clothed with flesh as a man, just like you and me. He made himself like a part of His own creation. He humbled himself to become like us for the purpose of giving us eternal life. He gave up His eternal life so that we could have it. He gave up being with God so that we could live with God forever.

Imagine that the Word, now God in the flesh, Emanuel, Jesus, was for the first time in his life separated from the Father by flesh. He was no longer in the Spirit dwelling with God the Father, but He was on earth where He had to eat and sleep, where He felt pain and got tired, where he could be injured and die. Jesus made a tremendous sacrifice to simply become a man.

It was in this part of His great sacrifice that Jesus was made perfect or complete, being identified with the sufferings of mankind . He is now able to minister on our behalf in Heaven with understanding and compassion because He lived in the flesh as a man and was tempted by sins as a man is. Jesus made Himself like us so that He could better serve us.

Having the power of God and having made this creation, including all of us, Jesus made Himself a servant of His own creation. Think of the sacrifice of that alone. You make something. It doesn’t do what you tell it to do. It hurts itself and suffers as a result. You made it to share life and love and happiness with it, but it wants no part of it. It turns its back on you and doesn’t love you even though you gave it life and give it all kinds of gifts to support its life. But instead of destroying it, you decide to become a part of it. Then you don’t make yourself like Superman; you make yourself an ordinary human being. You’re not the best looking or the strongest, just a regular guy. As a man you teach the truth about life and why mankind is alive and what we should do to please our Creator and to make a world that lives at peace. You get mocked and threatened and then finally whipped, beaten and killed for what you said. And you did it all knowing that this was what your own creation would do to you. They wouldn’t love you; they would kill you. Would you do it?

Jesus loves you so much that He did this. How can you keep yourself from loving Him for what He has done for you? No one has given more to you than Jesus and God the Father. No one cares for you more, no one wants to give you more, no one wants you to succeed more than they do. How blessed are you that God loves you so much? God humbled Himself to become a man like you and to die for you so that you could know the joy of living an abundant eternal life not in the flesh, but in the spirit, not in the midst of sin but in the kingdom where every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more pain or sorrow or death (Revelation 21).

Jesus became the perfect sacrifice to pay for your sins. He accomplished many purposes in His coming and the first was to learn what it was like to be human. He was human without sinning. He became a living sacrifice for mankind. Then he became an offering for all sin when He had the sins of mankind laid on Him through a terrible beating. And finally, He was put to death on the cross, paying the death penalty for sin.

The offer of Christ’s sacrifice to you is this: Jesus says, let Me take your sins for you and I will give you my righteousness. That is a deal you can’t pass up. Make Jesus the Savior of your life. Allow him to take all your sins and impute to you His own righteousness. Make Him the Lord of your life. Follow His teachings and live by His ways so that your life can be a blessing both to God and to others. Only when all who live turn and live God’s way will there be peace and righteousness, goodness and mercy, prosperity and blessing for every member of society. God wants you to be a part of His family. Jesus gave it all up for you. Accept His offer. You’re won’t find a better one your whole life.

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Have a Positive Day Every Day

Most of us have more than enough bad habits, but what about good habits? Just as you “pick up” a bad habit, you can learn good habits that will have a positive impact on your life. Follow our step-by-step guide and start making positive changes today.

One positive day at a time
We can all benefit from change, but many of us don’t know how to make lasting changes. Start with the following five tips. Each day, add one step to your daily routine and soon each will become a positive habit. Be persistent—it takes 21 to 45 days of implementing a new habit to make it stick. Be sure to follow your SPTS Daily Checklist—with each positive habit you adopt you take a step closer to the ultimate you.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” - Annie Dillard.

Follow these steps to have a positive day!

1. A wake-up call: When you awaken in the morning spend 15 to 30 minutes listening to motivational audio. Place a portable CD player or a stereo at your bedside so you can lean over and press play as you wake up. Listening to uplifting messages is a great way to start the day and it sure beats lying there thinking about all the lousy things you have to do in the day. For a selection of motivational and inspirational audio please refer to our top 10 list. If you don’t have a way to listen to motivational audio, try reading motivational and inspirational books.

2. Exercise: Physical activity is not only a sure way to improve your health, it’s also a great way to jump start your day and provides a perfect time to fill your mind with highly concentrated affirmations. While you exercise, repeat positive affirmations. A good way to reinforce positive self-talk is to write positive affirmations on 3” x 5” cards. Choose a different card each day and repeat that affirmation while you exercise. The strength and motivation you derive from repeating uplifting affirmations during exercise is life changing.

3. Breakfast: Whether you’re sipping a scrumptious smoothie or enjoying a tasty omelet, eating a healthy, well balanced meal in the morning is essential to beginning a healthy day. Breakfast is also a great time to fill your mind with more positive thoughts. Reading an inspirational book is a great way to enhance your positive day—the newspaper can wait. GIGO is a computer term meaning garbage in, garbage out; use breakfast for positive input and your day’s output will be positive.

4. The commute: According to the United States Census 2000, 70% of commuters spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day traveling to and from work. Turn your car into a university on wheels. Each morning, listen to inspirational, educational or motivational audio during your ride in to work. Thirty minutes a day of motivational or educational material quickly adds up. You will step out of your car pumped and ready to conquer your day at full force. Do not listen to relaxation tapes while driving.

5. Lights out: Play visualization or positive affirmation programs while you fall asleep. While you sleep the positive thoughts will continue to fill your mind. Thinkrightnow has great programs to lull you into a positive sleep. For an affordable alternative, record yourself repeating positive affirmations and play it back while you drift off.

How do you make your days positive? Do you write post-it-notes to your loved ones? Are your walls covered with inspirational quotes? Email me at Alison@truestarhealth.com with the techniques you use to keep your day positive. Your technique may be just what someone else needs to stay positive.

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