Month: October 2015

Progress

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

Progress causes us to turn our backs on those who don’t want to move forward. Progress means change and change is uncomfortable and uncertain. The cost of progress is change. The thought of change causes us all to ask questions. If I change does that mean I sold out? Will I get the desired results of that change if I change? Part of the pain of progress is that you by default turn your back on people who don’t want to move forward. Let me further clarify by telling you what I am not saying. I am not talking about thinking that you are better than people. I am not talking about betraying your family and friends. Let me give you a visual of what I am saying. Five guys are standing and facing north. One of them steps forward and continues to walk forward. What do his friends see? His back. So they no longer see him in the same manner? Did he change? Maybe, but did they stay the same? Yes. Progress means that we are consistently moving forward. The velocity is not as important as the direction and consistency. I am writing this so that you keep moving forward. Will you loose bad habits and people who don’t want to change? Yes. Will you become more and do more and contribute more? Yes. In reality most people want more but don’t use what they already have wisely. Most people don’t have the courage to change. Do you? We can’t really change if we don’t know who we truly are. Before progress can happen we must be honest with ourselves about where we really are in life. Progress begins when we take our first step forward. Which means we will leave some things and some people behind. Are you willing to move forward today? If so what does that mean for you? Let me give you a final thought that will help you gain traction in your life. When you know your priorities then and only then can you gain traction, get momentum and really make meaningful progress. Below are 5 simple steps that lead to progress. A better tomorrow starts today. Remember this, your choices are more powerful than your circumstances. 

5 Steps to Progress 

  1. Be honest with yourself. (Be Courageous) Courage starts the process. 
  2. Who are you? (Identity) Identity gives you purpose. 
  3. Where are you? (Location) Your journey begins where you are, not where you want to be.
  4. What are your priorities? (Values) Values give you priorities.
  5. Make the choice to let your priorities give you direction so that you can make progress. (Direction makes progress possible)

Prisoners of Hope

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

In this blog you will find 8 reasons why you can have hope. If you are a believer in Jesus you are a prisoner of hope. In fact you are possessed by promise that is both now and forever. If you are not yet a believer in Jesus just know, he believed you were worth dying for. You are valuable to Jesus. No matter what you have done, no matter what you haven’t done. No matter what has been done to you, no matter what hasn’t been done for you. Jesus is saying to you, “come to me.” Again it doesn’t matter if you are a believer or a gay atheist, or even a terrorist. Jesus is saying to you, “come to me.” Everyone is invited, there is room in his house, there is food at his table. Your repentance (change of mind) is required, all you have to do is acknowledge your need for Jesus and immediately you have access to hope. If you are breathing there is hope. Hope has a name it’s – Jesus. In this life there are ups and downs, good times and bad times. Just know that in the roller coster of real life there is hope. Hope is an anchor to your soul. It gives you emotional stability. Emotional stability makes life worth living. Hope means you can live above your circumstances, it means your challenges don’t have to control you. 

When you have wept until you can’t weep anymore just remember one day God will wipe every tear from your eyes. When you feel like a square peg in around hole and you’re walking through life trying to find your place, just remember that Jesus himself has prepared a place for you in his Fathers house. When you have dieted, exercised and have tried your hardest and done your best and you can’t lose those last 10 extra pounds just remember that one day you will receive a new body, one that is incorruptible. I think that means no pimples or stretch marks, not sure on that one. When you can’t reconcile why planet earth is so dysfunctional remember God will make all things new. I am not saying this so that you don’t try your best in this life. I am not saying this because I believe that you are a victim who can’t have victory. I am just reminding you that we have ultimate hope that trumps the temporary and is eternal. We also have hope in this life which is the anchor for our soul. Below you will find 8 reasons why you can and should look at tomorrow and forever with hope. 

Hope in this life.

  1. Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. (Matthew 28:20)
  2. Jesus will keep you by his power. (1 Peter 1:5)
  3. Jesus will finish the work he began in you. (Philippians 1:6)

Ultimate hope, hope in the life to come.

  1. You will receive a new body. ( 1 Corinthians 15:52-54)
  2. God will wipe away every tear from your eyes. (Revelation 21:4)
  3. There will be no more pain, no more sorrow and no more death. (Revelation 21:4)
  4. Jesus himself has prepared a place for you in Father God’s house. (John 14:2-3)
  5. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. (Isaiah 65:17)

Self Neglect VS Self Denial

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

You have a relationship with yourself. Jesus knew that and so he said, “love your neighbor as yourself.” He also said, “take up your cross deny yourself and follow me.” So which one should we do? Both. In fact doing one empowers us to do the other. Whether we know it or not we have a relationship with ourselves. Whether we speak out loud to ourselves or not we have an ongoing conversation with ourselves so we might as well be nice. Self Neglect is not denying yourself. Denying yourself is putting away sinful thoughts, speech and actions that lead to bad habits and harmful consequences. If you neglect yourself long enough you will not have the strength to deny yourself. Let me give you a practical example. I will use myself so as to not project my issue on you. If I wait too long to eat, I will most likely over eat or eat something that is unhealthy do to the level of hunger that I am feeling at the time. If I don’t neglect myself and I prepare for my day by having a healthy snack with me chances are a lot higher that I will not over eat and that I will probably eat something healthy. So preparing a healthy snack such as cashews or almonds is a practical way that I can love myself. Because I am not neglecting myself, I am positing myself not to eat two slices of pizza while I am out and about. Sometimes loving yourself is just thinking ahead and being prepared to make better choices that you won’t regret later. The more we care for ourselves now, the less regret we will have later. I have never regretted drinking a protein shake, however I  have regretted drinking a huge milkshake.

Many people think they are denying themselves when actually they are neglecting themselves. Jesus is the most amazing example of someone who did not neglect himself, but did denied himself so much that he never even sinned once. Not in thought, word or action. He knew exactly what he needed to do so that he could do what God was requiring him to do. We need to learn from his example. There were times where the disciples were sleeping and Jesus was praying. There were other times when the disciples were up wide awake and afraid in a storm, but Jesus was sleeping. If you love yourself, you will take care of yourself and that will allow you to deny yourself in other areas of life when temptations come. This is not about finger pointing its about soul searching. Being rested and prayerful will make you better able to care for yourself and deny yourself. 

I will leave you with 3 questions that will help you turn this blog post into an action plan that will help you make progress in your own life. 

  1. What is a practical way that you can love yourself today? (This must be productive, not destructive.)
  2. Is there an area in your life that you need to deny yourself?
  3. Is there an area in your life where you have been neglecting yourself?

Remember to care for yourself, invest in yourself and deny yourserlf. You are valuable, you matter! 

5 ways to get Wisdom

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

The wisest and wealthiest man to ever live said, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom begins when we know that in the end we will have to answer to God for our motives, words, actions, relationships and the resources that were entrusted to us. When we make decisions from that place of understanding generally we make wise decisions. Jesus said, “wisdom is justified by her children.” Wisdom leaves us both evidence and an inheritance. What is interesting about wisdom is that it outlives the wise. Think of King Solomon, his wisdom is still speaking today although he is not. There are several types of wisdom. There is wisdom that is revealed. This is supernatural logic, that is only made possible through the faith of Jesus. This is hidden wisdom. God gives us revelation and we get wisdom. That is the wisdom that we can ask God for and he gives it to us based on our ability to receive and steward it. Then there is received wisdom that comes by asking the right questions and making the right observations.

Below are 5 ways to get wisdom.

  1. We get wisdom when we ask God for wisdom in faith understanding that he is generous. (James 1:5)
  2. We get wisdom we learn from our mistakes, our lessons learned become wisdom gained.
  3. We get wisdom when we respond to correction properly.
  4. We get wisdom when we stop long enough to reflect on our priorities, progress and circumstances.
  5. We get wisdom when we ask specific questions to people who care for us and are qualified to answers us.

Effective Communication 

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

There are more ways to communicate now than ever before and it is only going to increase. That doesn’t necessarily mean people are communicating more effectively. Through putting my foot in my mouth several hundred thousand times I hope to save you some pain and some time. I hope that my lessons learned can be your problems avoided. Effective communication starts by listening, but also includes perceiving your audience correctly. Knowing your audience is as crucial as knowing what you want to say and why you want to say it and how you should say it. To effectively communicate sometimes we must say what we are not saying, so people can understand what we are saying. Also sometimes stating why you are saying what you are saying brings further clarity. Doing so can help build trust with your audience if they perceive that you are sincere in your motives and true in your content. Another thing to remember in your communication is to be gentle in tone but clear in your content. If there is any room to be misunderstood the communication was not effective or the audience was not attentive. Be inclusive when you talk and talk to people, not at them. People will be attentive as long as you are interesting. Remember to be clear and concise. After you have said what is necessary you must become observant to see if the listeners heard and understood what you have just stated. Sometimes to restate what you are saying in a different way is also very helpful. Here is an example of an initial statement, “the best way to protect your future is to guard your heart today.” Here is a similar reiteration, “the most strategic thing you can do for your future is guard your heart in the present.” Saying the same thing with different words increases the retention rate of your listeners. If they know and feel that you care they will pay attention and learn. They will learn as much as you care. So keeping caring and sharing so others can learn and grow.

10 Commandments of Social Media

Posted on by Adam LiVecchi

Social Media is not just social. People hire and fire people according to their digital footprint. Remember if you post something online, send an e-mail or a text message a screen shot makes that electronic communication forever. This means we should not post anything online that we don’t want the whole world to see because there is a possibility of the whole world seeing it especially if someone goes awol. I wrote the 10 commandments of social media with your future in mind. I don’t want something you posted on social media to sabotage your success.

10 Commandments of Social Media

  1. Thou shalt not post on the Facebook wall of someone you have no relationship with.
  2. Thou shalt not tag people to a picture they are not in.
  3. Thou shalt not put your dirty laundry on Facebook. This is called social nudity and you could be in danger of being prosecuted for indecent exposure. This often makes people look crazy, unstable, unsafe and untrustworthy.
  4. Thou shalt not use passive aggressive behavior because you are afraid of confrontation.
  5. Thou shalt not make public posts that should be private conversations.
  6. Thou shalt not take provocative pictures of yourself if you expect to be treated with respect. (Bible verses and bikinis have nothing to do with each another.) If you need attention that bad you may need to see a Psychologist.
  7. Thou shalt not simply follow people because you want them to follow you back.
  8. Thou shalt not write in all capitals because people may think you are yelling at them.
  9. Thou shalt not post naked pictures of your children, that’s just weird. (There are too many sicko’s out there.)
  10. Thou shalt not post off topic and irrelevant comments on an original post because people will not take you seriously.

If you enjoyed this blog you will enjoy a short video that I did entitled – Social Nudity : the remix. Click here to watch.