Have you ever heard criticism of your country, or an individual, for helping others abroad while people still suffer “here” (wherever here is). I have, and it reflects a sad sense of humanity to say “let them fix it themselves.”

I recall hearing harsh criticism of Oprah Winfrey for building schools in Africa, and many harsh statements of USA reaching beyond the borders. Isn’t a good deed still good, regardless of the recipient’s location?

Perhaps a closer look at the life you have in comparison is a good way to understand the struggles in Haiti today. The infrastructure has crumbled. They scarcely have a government to help at present. The devastation of the recent earthquake was such that it is largely each person for themselves. Just imagine how nice it will be the next time you walk into a grocery store. They cannot do that. Imagine the next time you turn on your tap and enjoy fresh water. Then imagine what it would be like to walk outside and smell death all around you.

If you wonder how bad it is, you do not have to see blood and gore. Just take a look at some aerial photos of Haiti before and after.

This is why we help. It should also be noted that when we help, the people of Haiti are not the only ones to benefit. It can feel really good to do good.

Please visit RedCross.org or Salvation Army to donate today!

Seasons Greetings from The Murnahan Family

Please take a moment to hear a story of how a Christmas tree can change your outlook and reduce some holiday stress.

This is a story from my family that shows the importance of sharing joy with others and making the decision to enjoy life now, and not only when everything is “perfect”.

We all come to recognize our missions and our hearts through various moments in our lives. It seems that it often comes at the toughest times that we find our greatest caring and purpose. We should all remember those moments and use them every day.

I watched this video of USA for Africa “We Are the World” and was very touched to recall the massive efforts given at the time it was made. It made me question what it takes to bring forth such an effort in reaching the hearts of the world and remind others to uncover their emotions and be more caring.

We can each receive great value by giving and caring. Be reminded that the giver receives great benefit along with the recipient.

Please take a break to enjoy a moment in time of caring and be reminded to be good to others more now than ever.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

Today is Veteran’s Day in USA, where I live. Veteran’s Day comes with a lot of mixed feelings. My country has fought against other nations, and sometimes that has come with scrutiny. I wish to believe that nobody likes war. They just want things their way, and sometimes it causes huge conflict. Sometimes the conflict comes with the huge cost of human lives. For the cost, we should all be sorry.

Before you neglect to honor and be thankful for those people who have served to uphold your standards and battled for your benefit, be reminded that without veterans we would live in a far more frightening world. That world would include slavery of many people worldwide, killing of entire races, unchecked religious persecution, and tolerance of things that only the vilest individuals could imagine.

If we had a perfect world, there would be no need for warriors or fighting. This is a great goal to live for and work toward. In the meantime, we have veterans. So, regardless how you have benefited from the hard work and security granted by those who have put their dedication into action and laid their lives on the line for you, I hope that you will take a moment to give compassion and honor to those many men and women who care enough about you to give everything.

They are working for you right now.

If you would like to honor a veteran, I welcome your comments here. I will share your comments with soldiers working hard today and let them know we appreciate them.

There are times in our lives when it seems like we should just give up and move on. Maybe the things you want for your life are just a little too “unrealistic” and you would be happier without the extra stress of trying so hard.

When this happens, it is time to reflect on the reasons you tried in the first place. Evaluate the joy you expect to find when you succeed. Perhaps most importantly, it is time to learn to enjoy the process and not just the outcome.

Begin again today! Take a moment to refresh your goals by focusing on the small achievements you have made along the way. This will help you to enjoy the storm that is life and not just push through it to get to the sunshine tomorrow.

Setting out to achieve any goal will come with sacrifice. You knew it when you set the first goal, and after some failure, you know the sacrifice better than ever. If you take the care to revel in your small achievements along the way, the sacrifice will get easier all the time.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

How do you see your future? Do you see anything at all? Is it better each day, or is it kind of blurry at times? When I set out to jot a new blog post, this blog post, I thought just as follows:

“I should exclaim that my latest book release has helped millions of people to enjoy a happier life … Well, not millions yet … but it will.”

Well, of course it has not helped millions of people yet. I just released the book! That is the good part. “Yet” means that it will, and without that attitude, it would surely help far fewer people.

Just think for a moment about how a similar attitude of reaching into your future with definitive goals and an outlook of possibility rather than blurred consciousness and pre-defeated hopes could feel good today, and not just once the goals are achieved.

Even the greatest optimist has hesitation and shortcomings. Why do we hesitate to look at the optimistic side of life? This has a lot to do with influences we have taken throughout our life, and throughout our day. Many people around you will caution you “for your own good”, or for their own selfishness. People often find more negative influences in life as they become adults, with fewer positive influences than as a child. Whatever the causes that influence you, there are solutions within you. You must reach for them, and sometimes it takes a map to find the way. I hope you will enjoy this map I offer.

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

Who among us can truthfully say they have never taken hurtful words to heart? Things others say can hurt even the strongest of us. Here is a short clip from my new book, “Living in the Storm”. Consider the ways that others have hurt you with their words, and how a new look at things may be in order.

They are only words, but it comes all too often that they are easy to take to heart. Don’t do it! Do not buy into other’s hate. Remember that they only use mean words because they cannot find a better way to hurt you or steal your hopes. They are the weak ones seeking an upper hand in any way they can find it, and hurting you is proof that they can beat you.

If you find that you are more offended by words like jerk, creep, fag, queer, dummy, shorty, fatass, idiot, moron, nigger, chink, coolie, gook, wap, spic, beaner, hymie, kike, bog, or others, than you are inspired to overcome and conquer these despicable standards of hatred and demoralization, then you may as well accept them. When you accept the values of hatred and anger into your life, then you are diminishing your potential and being a victim. Many of the greatest leaders and admired people of all time heard these words of hatred and many more. Did it hurt them? Sure, it probably did for a while, but then they made a decision to overcome the anger and pain.

Take a minute and think of the worst things people have ever said to you. Get upset, be absolutely furious, and cry if you need to. Then, when you are done feeling whatever it is that you have to get out, make a decision that from this day forward you will not hear these things. Let there be no concern for retaliation, no revenge, no anger, nothing! Let them say what they will. They are now the weaker ones. You have taken away their power, and you are the one who will win!

Living in the Storm is Available for Order!

Living in the Storm is available for order at Amazon.com, Create Space (an Amazon.com company) and also direct from the author using PayPal. The advantage of ordering direct is that shipping is included in the $9.95 price! Living in the Storm will also be available through other retailers soon.

ORDER NOW!

Monday 26 October at 9:00 a.m. Central / 7:00 Pacific

Come and watch a live discussion about “Living in the Storm” during The Jim Cates Show. We will discuss how each of us can make better choices in life and begin to live in the storm instead of just waiting it out.

You may ask questions or comment about the interview in the comments section here on the blog or you may send questions or comments via Twitter to @murnahan. I will be checking for comments and answering questions during the show.

Following the show, I will be at Hastings at 21st & Fairlawn (Fairlawn Plaza) in Topeka Kansas for a meet and greet. Then I will return to Hastings for a book signing 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here for the Webcast!

About “Living in the Storm”

Each of us have a storm raging around our lives that can sometimes seem out of control. It is easy to be blown off course, but challenging to put things back into place. When you choose to live in the storm, rather than just wait for it to blow over, you regain control. Decisions become clearer, joy increases, and you pass inspiration on to others.

Living in the Storm presents ways to help you:
- Take a fresh look at your surroundings.
- Recognize and overcome cynicism.
- Become more thankful and apologetic.
- Become more influential than influenced.
- Break a cycle of negative expectations.
- Create a cheering section of people who want you to win.
- Gain patience and live life long-sighted.

Many moments of joy and inspiration go unnoticed in the storm of life. Rediscovering those moments can create a break in the storm. It may even create the extended break that you have been seeking all along.

Join me for a “Living in the Storm” book signing from 5-7 p.m. Monday 26 October at Hastings in Fairlawn Plaza, 21st & Fairlawn in Topeka, Kansas. This will follow a scheduled interview on The Jim Cates Show from 9-9:30 a.m. which I will Webcast live, right here at livinginthestorm.com.

Immediately after the show, I will visit Hastings and enjoy their coffee shop. I plan to be there by 10 a.m., so if you can make it to Hastings either from 10-11 a.m. or from 5-7 p.m., I would like to meet you.

I will also have copies of my recent release “Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends“, and answer questions about any of my three book releases for 2009.

It troubles me to find so many complacent people around me. I want to make a difference. I want to help people become more cognizant, and to take a closer inventory of their life. Are you tired of watching people waste away with defeat, too? Are you with me?

This is the introduction to “Diary of Betterment” which is the companion book to “Living in the Storm”. Please provide me with your feedback. Your comments mean a lot to me.

Introduction:

I want to keep this simple. Making a better life is not as hard as it looks. When you break it all down, a great life is really not so complicated at all. You can do this!

You can probably think of a dozen things right now that would make your life better and a dozen more ways you can achieve those things. A challenge that exists is in taking inventory and becoming more cognizant of these things on a daily basis. Life is busy, and many things get in the way of a better life. The biggest obstacle is you.

It is common to look at life as one huge picture, and that is often how we have been trained. We learn that if you look at the big picture, the little things do not matter so much. This is a way that people can feel better about temporary challenges in life. Ironically, without those little things, there is no picture at all. The truth is that the little things matter and they matter a lot.

When it starts to look cloudy, it is often important to break life down into smaller manageable pieces in order to sort it out and see things clearer again. Managing small improvements and working toward a long-term outlook not only helps you long-term, but it can help you today, too!

“Diary of Betterment” is your personal documentation of improvements to relationships, how you influence those relationships, and for creating and reaching goals. This book was developed as a companion to “Living in the Storm” and is intended to help you document and score progress as you make your way in the storm we call life.

This book contains action steps based on the book, “Living in the Storm” and outlines many of the principles included therein. It also provides supplemental information for defining, monitoring, and achieving your goal of enjoying life.

You may use this book individually, but if you have not yet read “Living in the Storm”, it is highly recommended in order to receive maximal benefit.

I cannot save you from all of the challenges in your life, but I can offer you a tool to help you work through them and to gain clarity through cognizance. When you pay closer attention to your life, you become much closer to the life that you want, and that you deserve.

If you think you are not up to the challenges of overcoming life’s obstacles and using them for benefit, you are probably right. Most people will never take the needed steps or make the best decisions. Why should you change the wind?

If you think it is time to turn the page and take steps to make improvements in your life and in the life of those around you, you are probably right. Turn the page, and let’s get started!