To Your Success part 7 "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: “The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” ~ Stephanie Perkins 5.) Keep everything in perspective- One of the most important things I had to remember was in order to succeed at being myself, I had to keep everything in perspective. Also, I had to learn not to focus on imperfections. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) in order for any of us to ever feeling insecure about ourselves, we must learn to keep everything into perspective. This was my biggest challenge for me on this journey because I was never satisfied with how I use to look. “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, Why did make me like this?” ~ Romans 9:20 (NIV) One mistake I use to make and that is allow the enemy to put foolish thoughts into my mind. Once I started to understand what was going on I use to ask myself who decides what a perfect body should look like. I understand now that Christ created all of us. In the book of Ephesians it states “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. ~ Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) Therefore, to please Christ we don’t have to look like a supermodel or bodybuilder. You see we all need to come to a place in our lives where we are satisfied with how we look. I don’t mean to stop exercising or perhaps lose some weight. I’m not also talking about failing to make an effort to be fit and healthy. I’m talking about not making the same mistake I did by allowing yourself to get caught up in all those foolish things, so often we can’t change about ourselves. I was able to overcome insecurity in my life by keeping everything into perspective. Conclusion- By following these steps it helped weight loss journey become successful. As a result, I’ve lost 205 lbs so far in the past 2 and ½ years. I also help people all time with weight loss goals, as well as, have a few people that I’m their accountability partner. I’m also now a big health and wellness advocate. It’s been a true blessing to see how many people I helped with their weight loss problem. I want to close this chapter out by saying this. When you begin your success in life it’s so important to have a positive sense of self-esteem, self-value, and self worth. Also, you need to be securing with who you are in Christ, to truly like yourself. We learn how to do these things by understanding how much Christ loves us. Furthermore, once we become grounded in Christ’s love, we can come to terms of peace with ourselves. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. Stay tuned! I will be starting a series about affirmation. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success part 6 "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde 4.) Determine what you’re worth- Always determine what you’re worth- don’t allow other people to do so. You see we all need affirmation. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” ~ Mark 1:11 (NIV). You see children needs affirmation from his/her parents. It is the parent’s job to teach their children they are loved despite of what the circumstances are. In some cases, some parents don’t know how to give this affirmation. The reason is because when they were growing up they never receive affirmation themselves. I believe we do need certain things from loved ones, but if they can’t do it, Christ does it for us. In the very beginning of this Chapter about I discussed doing this journey on my own without having support from anyone. I did have support from Christ. The Lord built things inside of me that no one else is able to give me. I also had to learn how to take responsibility for my own actions. You see as you begin your journey to success you will make mistakes. Just make sure you don’t blame other people for these mistakes. “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God”. ~ Romans 14:12 (NIV) you see so often people who have these problems never want to take responsibility for these problems. Instead they look for a scapegoat. In other words, they put the blame on someone else. Part of what you worth is based on the blood. “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth”. ~ Revelation 1:5 (NIV) One thing I had to learn and that was I needed to come to a place where I was secure enough in Christ that will not allow my sense of worth be based on the opinions of others. Also, I had to learn don’t try to find out much I’m worth in how I look, in what I do, and how other people treated me. I came to realize that I was worth something because Christ shed his blood for me. We all have many faults; there are many things about us that need to be changed. That’s why I ways tell people Christ isn’t through with me yet. Remember this don’t ever let anyone dump his/her problems on you. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel worthless, just because he/she doesn’t know how to treat you right and love you as deserved to be loved as a blood- bought child of Christ. Most importantly, don’t spend all your time trying to please other people in order to receive acceptance or approval. Remember this that you have already been accepted and approved by Christ. So make sure your affirmation, self-validation, your sense comes from Christ. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present step 5 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 5 "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: "The characteristic of a genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by yourself, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be the common, nor the common the heroic." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 3.) Learn how to deal with being Criticized- Throughout my weight loss journey I was always criticized for something. People would ask me things like why are you doing trying lose this weight, are you doing it so you can have all the women you want, you think you’re going to be successful now , and etc. Unfortunately, there are some insecure people who say things about you that can be discouraging. That’s why so important to be led by the Holy Spirit. “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit-just as it taught you, remain in him”. ~ 1 John 2:27 (NIV) I’m very fortunate to be strong minded and a self –validated kind of person. In other words, I take action by guidance of the Holy Ghost, doing what I believe Christ is telling me to do. However, there are some people who needs outside validation. These are the kind of people who needs someone to tell them what there doing is okay. Also, remember to make your own decisions. One mistake I see people make including myself and that is when Christ sends us a message we tend to look for someone to tell us if were doing the right thing. You see we must not allow ourselves to be influenced by others simply because were afraid to make our own decisions. I had to realize in order for me to become self-validating, I had to learn how to deal with criticism. Also, make sure you’re secure enough to know how to deal with criticism without feeling there is something wrong with you. Most importantly, make sure you have enough confidence in which you are in Christ so you have the ability to listen to others and be open to change without feeling you have to agree with everything they say. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present step 4 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 4- "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: “Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.” ~ Maya Angelou Here are a few steps that will help inspire you getting there. These are steps I personally used to help my weight loss journey become a success. 1). Locate where your Gifts are- In other words, find something you like to do and do it well, then repeat it over and over. The reason is because you will succeed at doing something you are naturally gifted to do. As a result, you will gain confidence about yourself knowing that you won’t be constantly failing. One way to locate your gifts is by reading the book of Romans “if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” ~ Romans 12:7-8 (NIV) once you locate these gifts don’t spend your time trying to do something you can’t do. Instead let Christ show you the way. By doing so, the things you are good at are the things you are going to enjoy the most. So I would like for you to find something you’re good at and go for it. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel about yourself. 2.) Be Courageous- You see one thing that helped me along way was I needed to have the courage to be different. As you already know, each of us is different; however, we still try to be like each other. If you’re going to be successful at being who you really are then you’re going to have to take the risk of not being like everyone else. You see once we stop trying to please other people and focus more on pleasing Christ then we become much stronger as followers. In addition, when you tend to focus on trying please others you no longer do the things you want to do. As a result, you then become what are called “men-pleasers”. Also, don’t let other people manipulate you. As it states in 1 Corinthians 4: 2-3 “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself”. I will admit I don’t like it when people are upset with me. However, I also understand that I cannot allow people to manipulate me with their demands. You see as being followers of Christ, we are led by the Holy Spirit, not controlled by other people. At the same, we shouldn’t try to control other people, but allow them to be led by the Holy Spirit also. Another thing to remember as you begin your journey to success and that is learn how to become an innovator. In other words, don’t be afraid to step out of the mold and be different like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jeremiah, Timothy, Paul, and John the Baptist did. Furthermore, make sure you avoid being ruled and controlled by what everyone thinks you should be. That’s why it’s so important to have the strength and courage to be different. The reason is because not only will it change your life, Christ will exalt you in the process. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. I will present step 3 at a later time. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 3 - "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: "Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness". ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr. One thing I had to learn in the beginning of this weight loss journey and that is not allow insecurity to take control of me. Unfortunately, there are some people who have allowed insecurity to control them. As a result, they try to step out on their own without Christ leading, and fell flat on their face. You see in the beginning I had to do one thing that was very important, and that was I had to become more humble. As Peter states “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” ~ Peter1 5:6. (NIV) You see I believe Christ really does things in our lives when he knows we are truly ready to accept our promotion. I encourage you to set high goals, but make sure your focus be on doing the very best you can where you are right now in your life , knowing that if and when Christ wants to promote you , he certainly will be able to do so. I believe this is so true. Albert Einstein says it best: “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” As I mentioned earlier in the book one of the keys to your success is focusing on your maximum potential. You see we all have gifts and talents that are distributed by the Holy Spirit according to the grace that is on each of us to handle them. As it states in the book of Corinthians “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines”. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:11 (NIV) always remember this: “If you’re going to like yourself, if you’re going to be successful at being who you are, you must focus on your potential, and most importantly what Christ created you to be- not on your limitations.” I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 2 "Inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: "Faith is the confidence that we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation". Hebrews 11:1-2 Throughout, this process the most important thing for me was overcoming insecurity. The reason is because if I allow insecurity to take over my life then I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my potential. You see once I started to understand that my gifts and talents are dispersed from the Holy Spirit it allows to me develop the one gift I do have. In the beginning of my weight loss journey the first thing I had to do was leave it in Christ hands. As it states in the book of Ephesians – “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” ~ Ephesians 6:13. (NIV) In other words, when Christ calls you to do something; do your part and stand firm. Once you have done all you can do, leave whatever the situation is in Christ’s hands and move on. In addition, you must believe in yourself. Most importantly, please make sure that it is Christ will for you and not your own desire. Once I started to implement these things I started to see changes right away. The first thing I noticed was I actually started to like exercising. As a result, I found out that Christ has called me to get my health back. One thing I can tell you and that is when Christ calls you to do something; you will find yourself loving it despite any adversity that comes along. The reason is because when Christ calls you to something, he enables you to make it happen. I have a question for you. Did you know that Christ gives promotions? I didn’t know this myself until I was reading the book of Psalm and across this scripture “No one from east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is Christ who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.” ~ Psalm 75 6-7. (NIV) There is an old saying: “Christ doesn’t make mistakes. You are where you supposed to be right now”. In other words, it’s okay to believe Christ for a better position or responsibility; however, it is also acceptable to remain where we are if that is where Christ wants us to be for right now. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.

To Your Success Part 1 "inspiration"

Inspirational quote for today is: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” ~ John Wooden My question for you is: What inspires you to keep going when others don"t? In his blog about inspiration I'm going to share with you how I lost over 200lbs, and what inspires me to keep going. I remember it like it was yesterday. In the spring of 2010, I got laid off my first job ever. Not only was I disappointed, I was very discouraged and didn’t know what to do. I knew it would be very hard to find work at the time. So I decided to take some time off to try to clear my head and get myself mentally focused. I applied for plenty of jobs and ended up with nothing. As a result, I decided to go into business for myself. The reason why I was having these difficulties was because I had an obesity problem. You see during this time I was 488lbs. You see it took me some time to figure out that this was the problem. In the beginning, I didn’t start to realize this was the problem until I started to have been treated differently because of I how I use to look. I use to have people tell me all the time that I was ugly, I would never succeed in life, I would never be able to make any money, and etc. All of these things occurred because of how I use to look. I remember I use to go places all the time and the facial expressions people use to give me. I tried to ask so called friends and family for help and didn’t receive anything. The reality is people’s perception is when you have this problem they tend to think you don’t care about yourself, and why should they help. This is absolutely false. So I decided to start my success journey by getting my health back first. I believe this was the most important thing for me to do. As a result, I started my own 3 year weight-loss plan. One of my biggest challenges for me was doing this journey all by myself. You see I did this journey without no support from anyone friends, family, trainers, and etc. However, I had the best support system anyone can have that was Christ. Once I knew that Christ was going to help me get through this I started to believe in myself, and the ability that Christ has placed inside of me. You see I got tired of sitting on the sidelines and watch other people be used by Christ and receive blessings. One thing that inspired me was a quote that President Barack Obama said. It states “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” I believe this is so true when were trying to achieve success or anything we want out of life. Also, I had to learn to stop staring at those giants in my life. In other words, I needed to stare more at Christ just as the spies in Numbers 13 needed to do. “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” ~ Numbers13:31. (NIV) One thing I’ve learned so far and that is our spirits wants us to produce tremendous things in our lives. In addition, if you continue to keep that spirit man down by negative thoughts, attitudes, he will never rise up to bring you into the place Christ has in store for you, into the land he wants you to possess. I trust you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that it helps you as you begin to change your life and achieve great success. This is the beginning of a journey that never ends. Talk to you soon, Gary R. Johnson.