Spirit & Faith

Relieving Anxiety, Stress and Worry

September 18, 2015 By kwmccarthy

(From the keen mind and gentle spirit of my friend and colleague Mel Kaufmann, who gives me permission to share his thinking with you so you can be even more on-purpose.)

Relieving Anxiety, Stress and Worry

I do not know how you can relieve stress, anxiety and worry. I can only explain how I have relieved them. Each morning I get up thirty minutes before anyone gets out of bed and say my prayers. My prayer is a radical departure from my teaching as a child. I was taught to ask God to do stuff for me. I flip the coin. I clear my mind so God can tell me what He wants me to do. The most difficult part of this type of prayer is to still the mind. Without a stilled mind when God calls He gets a busy signal. I have lifted a sentence from Eva Bell Werber’s book, Quiet Talks With the Master; be still, put aside all thoughts of your own and let the leaven of My Spirit work through you. Quieting the mind is not a quick fix. I have been practicing this form of prayer since 1977. I still have difficulty ridding my mind of external affairs. Each year I am better and better at quieting my mind. At this moment in time, I no longer have anxiety, stress or worry. When I do quiet my mind I discover that God replaces my thoughts with rich gifts of the Spirit. So many beautiful people say to me, “I don’t have the time.” What they are really saying to me, “I don’t take the time.” For those who do not take the time, someday they will realize that tomorrow will the same as yesterday.

Mel Kaufmann

melvinkaufmann@gmail.com

How to Make A Historic Contribution!

May 11, 2015 By kwmccarthy

Please allow me to step out of an 8-year tradition of providing On-Purpose Minutes with minimal direct asking for anything in return but your attention. I need your help in two ways:

Please share this message on your social media. We need to get the word out about this historic event. Here is the url: https://kevinwmccarthy.com/making-difference/
Donate $8.50 to provide 1 Bible to the Babwisi people.

Bibles for Babwisi is a crowd source effort I’m spearheading with the Central Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce and Wycliffe Bible Translators.

The Babwisi are a defined people group living in western Uganda. Their heart language is Lubwisi. In all their history, they’ve never had the Bible in Lubwisi, so they’ve never read the Bible in their own language. In conjunction with Wycliffe Bible Translators, we’re campaigning to provide 5,000 Lubwisi Bibles this fall. Your donation prints and delivers the Lubwisi New Testament edition that includes select Old Testament chapters.

Please consider a donation now. Click here to donate directly on the Wycliffe site.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to insert this personal appeal. We’ll be back on Thursday with an On-Purpose Business Minute.

Be On-Purpose!
Kevin

Are You Happily Distracted?

February 5, 2015 By kwmccarthy

Warning: This On-Purpose Minute blog post has a sting. Proceed with caution.

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We live in the entertainment economy. We’re so immersed in it that we’re like fish who don’t realize they’re swimming in water.

For example, the February 1 NFL Super Bowl XLIX drew an estimated 114.4 million viewers. Admittedly, I was one of them taking in the game, commercials, and halftime. Pro football is my sports distraction of choice along with suspense thrilling movies and TV shows.

I know these next two paragraphs will be controversial, but here goes anyway. When halftime performer Katy Perry rode out on a giant golden lion, Moses came to my mind. Remember Moses (Exodus 32) coming down the mountain with the 10 Commandments and seeing the people with a golden calf. Despite being delivered from Egypt, led through the Red Sea, and fed with manna from heaven, the people were easily distracted with images of gold.

Now compare tens of thousands in a packed stadium cheering and the millions of us at homes and parties who were glued to the TV in utter fascination as this tiny singer decked in flames entered the arena strapped atop the golden king of the jungle. And we wonder why the Jihadists call us the Great Satan. Seen through their eyes and without context, we look like worshipers of false gods “deserving” of punishment. The difference of course was that God didn’t smite the Israelites, but thanks to Moses’ intervention they received mercy and grace, not murder and mayhem.

I share my disturbing vision to shock you out of the depth of the “entertainment immersion” to invite you to breathe the fresh air of a life lived more thoughtfully and fully alive. Think of this message as CPR for the soul.

Be sure to invest yourself in the matters of life that matter the most. Go more deeply into the discovery of knowing who you are, how you were designed, and the difference your life can make in the world of the “happily distracted” who are filled but unfulfilled.

Distractions abound in an ADHD-paced schedule and life. Distractions prevent us from getting to clarity and building lives of maturity, depth, and greater contribution. When distractions become our way of life, the way of our life is passing us by.

How many times have you said, “I just want to be happy”? Perhaps you’ve said it about your children, too. To be happy is certainly a worthy emotional state.

Image via Wikipedia

Dare I ask …

Is happiness the true gold standard for the ideal emotional state?

Can we always be happy?

Are we entitled to happiness?

Yes, I believe in the book title from the Minirth Meier New Life Clinic, Happiness is a Choice. I’m happy to be happy!

Perhaps my age is showing with my questions (and answer). Hopefully, I’m not a cynic, but a keen observer of the human condition. The “pursuit of happiness” as we understand and apply it in the 21st Century may actually not be in our long-term best interest. Too often the pursuit of happiness is the unhealthy avoidance of reality. Denial and distraction are a dangerous one-two combination that take us down an unhealthy path of avoidance.

Happiness, for all its good as it is in use today, is a fleeting, temporary, or surface emotion. Happiness is circumstantial and has the effect of drug tolerance. What it takes to makes us happy tends to get ramped up over time. We need more and bigger to satisfy our happiness quotient.

The more enduring emotions are love, joy, and peace because they are attitudes of choice, not circumstances. The matter becomes, not what can I do to be happy but can I be at peace regardless of my circumstances.

Viktor Frankl in his book Man’s Search For Meaning profoundly observed that those who survived in Nazi prison camps had a compelling reason and will to live. In essence, they made peace with their circumstances and captors. They lived until another day because they had a purpose, a reason for being.

Pursuing your purpose (instead of happiness) opens the back door to the prosperous and joyful life of being more at peace. Get off the “happy drug” of distractions. Stop paying the high price of avoiding being the true you.

Frankly, we need you to be more of you. You’re the only one who can be you.

What Are Your Answers To Life’s Great Questions?

September 3, 2013 By kwmccarthy

Dare You Risk Leading Your Life Better?

The On-Purpose Leader Experience Early Bird Savings End Sept. 4

Click the links at the bottom of this post and the discounts will already be applied.

Here they are: The 7 Great Questions about life that haunt us until we answer them, deny them, or simply overwhelm them in a soulless chase for gain and/or pleasure.

Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?
How will I get there?
What is important?
Is life meaningful?
Does God exist?

You may think, With all I have to get done, I realistically don't have time to mess with these questions. Here's a tip for life: until you begin answering these questions, they will mess with your life. The sooner you start, the better off you'll be.

Don't put your life on hold until you have definitive answers. Simply, explore your possibilities. Make it a joyous adventure of daily discovery as the layers of your life unfold before you with a sense of wonder and excitement.

Think it's impractical with all you've got going on? Hardly! There's a hard dollar cost to being off-purpose that is costing you in very real terms. Stop wasting your life in trivial pursuits.

Answers to these questions fill in the soul gaps—those places within us that we know are there, but aren't quite sure we want to or know how to get there. It can be a scary place to visit, like a closet of dashed hopes, painful memories, unrealized dreams, disappointments, and pain. On the other hand, it is also a journey of hope and healing to the heart of who you authentically are. Here's the only place on the planet where you can discover your true identity and begin the process of re-orienting your life on the strength, function, and contribution you have to give. Transformation begins in the spirit. Knowing and bringing expression to your purpose will raise the spiritual and practical trajectory of your life forever.

The On-Purpose Leader Experience starts with you. Come as you are. None of us have it together. We're all dysfunctional to some degree. Let the one who doesn't have a measure of chaos, confusion, hurt, distress, worry, or pain cast the first stone.

Join this six-week conversation (Sept. 24 – Oct. 29) that includes peer-to-peer interactions, phone and online on-purpose coaching from me, and more. Once a week we have a 30-40-minute live webcast that is recorded for replay later. You'll walk the steps of the man in The On-Purpose Person. You will:

Connect with on-purpose persons in creation in our private social network: The On-Purpose Planet
Write your two-word purpose statement
Clarify your core wants
Identify your TOP Want
Participate in live webcasts with me
Have access to webcast replays 24/7
Develop a meaningful time management approach
Get answers to the 7 Questions above

Here's a fun, easy-to-do, and efficient way to sound deeply into the spirit of who you are. What's more, you'll be creating systems and strategies that will save you time, help you to make better decisions, and eliminate costly detours. The upside is amazing. You'll discover:

Refreshing clarity and rare focus in your life
Authentic alignment from your heart outward
Clearer thinking to make wiser decisions
Renewed strength and energy
The abundance of being who you are and meant to be
An internal gyroscope to guide you
Improved confidence and growing personal leadership
The POWER of your Two-Word Purpose Statement

The On-Purpose Leader Experience Enrollment information:

Click here for: Single Enrollment: $197 — early bird: $147

Click here for: Dual (2 persons) Enrollment: $297 — early bird: $227

Guarantee: A 100% refund is available until the start of the third webcast.

Are You A Leader?

August 13, 2013 By kwmccarthy

I mentor a number of people. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this work is to see people's leadership blinders. There are many ways of "acquiring" these blinders that needlessly bury and blind their leadership potential.

I've been gifted with eyes to see into the hearts of people and to have an inherent sense of their leadership potential. Frankly, this gift has a heartbreaking downside as I see people who cower from knowing who they really are and settle for less in this one lifetime.

I understand that it takes courage to find one's voice in the world. May I help you?

What Happened To Us? Was it a mentor or parent who failed to recognize your potential and polish the genius of your spirit? Perhaps it was abuse at the hands of a tyrant who pushed you down in order to build up himself or herself? Or is it simply the fear of being known and choosing to play life too safely? The reasons are many, yet the results are the same—being off-purpose and suffering the costs of being less than who we were intended to be and become.

Are you ready to reject mediocrity and begin majoring in your life? May I be your mentor for six weeks through The On-Purpose Leader Experience? Join other on-purpose persons as we go deep into the heart of being a leader to the spirit of who you are. This breakthrough Experience is hard to grasp on the front end, yet, I promise, you will not regret participating in it.

Each week of six, we delve into the On-Purpose Process in a fun, yet meaningful and respectful manner to help you get to the essence of who you are and how you can become a more confident, strong, and faithful leader of your life.

Click here for more information about The On-Purpose Leader Experience.

May I Share Four Gifts With You?

December 25, 2012 By kwmccarthy

What is Peace?

Please read the text below this On-Purpose Minute and Christmas Greeting.

Here are your 4 Gifts:

Gift 1: The Gift of Finding True Peace

Gift 2: The On-Purpose Person Kindle Edition* for free (link below)

Gift 3: The On-Purpose Business Person Kindle Edition* for free (link below)

Gift 4: The Gift of Sharing These Gifts—Pass along this message!

*BONUS: Link to download free Kindle Reader App for most any computer, tablet, or phone

Gift 1: The Gift of Finding True Peace

What is peace? And, who doesn't long for peace? But do we really understand what we're searching for? Peace is not an absence of conflict, work, distress, or stress. Peace is a state of being in spite of conflict, work, distress, and stress.

In Hebrew the word Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) means peace or oneness, wholeness, or completeness. This oneness isn't to be found just within us. In fact, core peace is only found in a oneness with God. When we're apart from God, we're divided, alone, discontented, and unsettled. Peace apart from God is impossible.

Your 2-word purpose statement is your unique, loving connection to God. When you know your 2-word purpose statement you have the essential connector to God that is distinct to you. This added identity gives a depth and strength so we're more apt to be at peace even as all Hell is breaking loose around us.

Being On-Purpose is that state of being one with God—truly the peace that passes all understanding. Inner peace begins with being right with God.

My Christmas wish to you is that you embrace the Prince of Peace—the person of Jesus. Keeping God as a concept is easy. Jesus, however, is difficult because He is about a personal relationship. He brings us to a place of decision to accept or reject and that causes conflict, work, distress, and stress. So how can one who causes so much turmoil to the soul be the way to peace? The seeming irrationality of it all is confounding on its face. Think for a minute, however, and you'll see that it is the only logical way for us to come freely to a place and person of peace. Of course Jesus was hated and loved. His presence calls for a response.

My Gifts Toward Peace For You:

May I help you get on the journey to peace? From December 25—27 only, use the links below to download free Kindle editions of The On-Purpose Person (Gift 2) and The On-Purpose Business Person (Gift 3).

Gift 4 is the gift of sharing this offer of peace with family, friends, and associates. Please copy and pass along this link: https://kevinwmccarthy.com/my_weblog/2012/12/what-is-peace/

BONUS GIFT: Don't have a Kindle device? No problem! There are Kindle Reader Apps for PCs, Macs, iPhones, Androids, iPads, and more. Use this link: Kindle Reader Apps For Most Any Device

What is the Upside to a Down Economy?

August 2, 2012 By kwmccarthy

Financial challenges rip at a misplaced sense of security. These can be very challenging and humbling times. My business has been hurting this year because I allowed myself to be in a position where a client could stiff me for a large sum of money. The ripple effects touch every aspect of my life and business.

Because we're working as a team and as a family, good is coming out of the hardship. How about you? Please share your comments or story of the upside of a down economy. Your thoughts may inspire, comfort, or encourage someone in a similar situation to see things in a more positive and productive light. Hope need never be lost.

Subscribe to The On-Purpose® Minute.

Soul searching begins with sole searching.

April 18, 2012 By kwmccarthy

“Who am I?” is one of the most profound questions you will ever seek to answer. Much of our identity is erroneously formed by others’ opinions of us and shaped by experiences that reinforce and refine our sense of self.

Yet, the true answer to the question is found from above and within. It takes quiet time and solitude. Oddly, being contemplative is harder than it looks—I’m so programmed to equate action with productivity that rest feels like I’m playing hooky from life.

Being alone is not the same as solitude. When I’m alone I can fill the emptiness with television, email, web surfing, reading, or any number of business related activities ill-intended to avoid confronting the real me.

Soul searching is a time of resting in God’s presence, listening for His voice, and seeking His will. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is within and we are to seek it first. Yet, most of us pursue fame and fortune “out there in the real world.” Eventually, even precious Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz discovered, “There’s no place like home.”

And when my sole searching leads me to my soul, indeed I have found the kingdom of God. I’m home where God intends me instead of where the world might like me to be.

Spirit & Faith

Relieving Anxiety, Stress and Worry

What is Peace?

Here are your 4 Gifts:

Gift 1: The Gift of Finding True Peace

My Gifts Toward Peace For You:

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