Prayer: A Blessing For Wives

Dear Heavenly Father,

                         Source: http://www.answersfromscriptureonline.com/

I lift up wives all around the world today. May You give them peace, anointing them to endure anything that might be trying to take them down. 

I ask that You would break any chains of bondage that they might be entangled by. Equip them to be strong and confident women who only fear You! Teach us how to be respectful wives, quiet when need to be, yet brave enough to speak up when we need to be. Help us to be dignified women who live according to Your standards, not the world’s. 

Remind us of our worth and beauty. Whisper to our hearts and mend any brokenness that may be affecting us. May we have joyful attitudes that will create a positive atmosphere and encourage others. Please help us to be diligent today and find favor in Your eyes in Jesus’ name we pray AMEN!

Source: https://unveiledwife.com/prayer-of-the-day-a-blessing-for-wives/?utm_campaign=UW+-+Prayer+of+the+Day&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_content=RSS%3AITEM%3ATITLE

Navy SEAL Training - Self Confidence Mission 1: Have a Positive Attitude

Sometimes you just have to get hard-core on YOU!

How a Work Ethic Gives Your Kids an Advantage

Every business leader knows that you can prepare and plan all you want, but success often hinges on how willing you are to hustle when everyone else is taking it easy. Sometimes what you need to succeed — and what your children will need to succeed — seems to be in rare supply: a diligent work ethic.

As a small business owner, I’ve done a lot of hiring over the years. In my experience, more and more young people seem to want a high-paying job right from the start, but they don’t have the work ethic required to achieve it. I hear a lot of talk about raising the minimum-wage level but not the minimum-work level.

As someone who truly values my staff, work ethic is one of the things I notice that makes any employee stand out. I can usually tell within the first few days if he or she has a good work ethic. I try to determine that in the interview process, but sometimes it is challenging based on what people say. It’s what people do, not what they say, that reveals their true work ethic.

I don’t define work ethic as what people do when they are around me. The true test of someone’s work ethic is what he or she does when no one is around. How well do you work when you think no one is watching? That’s what reveals your true work ethic, because it reveals your true character.

How well you work when you think no one is watching reveals your true work ethic.

The Wisdom of Solomon says, “Those who work hard will prosper.” I’ve certainly found that to be true in business. Because we want our children to be ready to succeed in the real world, we’ve tried to be intentional about instilling a diligent work ethic in each of our kids.

Why Work Ethic Matters for Children

Here are a few things we do for our children when we help them develop a diligent work ethic:

• We give them a competitive advantage. When so many of their peers expect to be rewarded simply for showing up at their jobs, our children’s work ethic will immediately separate them from the rest. Want to position your kids for career success? Teach them to work hard.
• We provide them with the drive to succeed. Succeeding in business — and life, for that matter — means always trying to improve. A healthy work ethic teaches them to seek opportunities to grow and change, even if no one else seems to care.
• We encourage them to start something. A healthy work ethic feeds the entrepreneurial spirit. It moves our children to get up off the couch and do something. If we don’t want our children living in our basement for decades, we should teach them the value of getting to work and making something happen.
• We empower them to push past failure. When our children see what can be done if they are willing to work hard, they begin to believe that what most call impossible may, in fact, be pretty doable. Teaching them to work gives them the determination to get back up and press forward when most people choose to quit.
• Source: http://marktimm.com/how-a-work-ethic-gives-your-kids-an-advantage/

Integrity and Dedication - Tom Ziglar

That's my word for this year - what's yours?

Get Relationship Advice From The Longest-Married Couple In America

John and Ann Betar, who have been married for 83 years, might not be too familiar with Tinder, but their advice still rings true for those of us in the modern dating scene.

He’s 104, she’s 100, and they still hold hands.

It all started in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1932. Recounting their heartwarming story to Davis Dunavin at WSHU, Ann said, "We were friends. He’d drive me to school. The other guys went to the dance halls, or they played poker. He would get up on Sunday and get his baseball suit on and get in his little sports car.”

Her father had wanted her to marry someone much older — but she knew John was the one all along. And he knew it, too.

“She’s the girl I had loved,” he said. “Always. And I had wanted to marry her.”

So, at the ages of 17 and 21, Ann and John ran away together, eloping in Harrison, New York. In the 1960s, they moved to a little beach house in Fairfield, Connecticut — where they remain to this day.

The holiday this past weekend may not have lived up to all of your fairytale expectations — as it tends to do — so who better to turn to than the America's longest-married couple for some much-needed relationship advice?

In a Twitter Q&A organized by Handy, they had some sweet little nuggets of sage love wisdom.

Of course, everyone wanted to know what their "secret" to a lasting, loving marriage was. In response to Twitter user @m_portuna81, Ann said, "It’s a lifelong thing. How do you define love? Through actions, understanding, little things…," and John said, "I wish I knew! It’s natural. An understanding."

Their answers show that there is no singular formula for a successful marriage. Everyone falls in love in different ways. John had a much more love-at-first-sight experience with Ann, while Ann cozied up to him slowly over time, as they explained to @HussainAHunaina.

But after 83 years of marriage, @c9clubbb wondered, “What are some things you do to keep things fresh, new, and entertaining?” Ann emphasized the importance of touch: "We hang onto one another! Just a few little hugs and we’re fine."

And you can tell that whatever they're doing is working. Sure, they're still married, but they still have a sense of humor with one another. When@dreamdy asked, "What do you do after you have an argument? Do you make up on the same day?” Ann said, "I say, 'Oh go do what you want.' Nine out of ten times he doesn't!" John responded, "We never hold grudges. Most arguments are about food," and Ann added, "Yeah, like 'You bought the wrong kind of cucumber!'"

Remind me: why is it bad to sound like an old married couple? Judging by that little interaction alone, it seems like the best thing ever. They seem cool as, well, cucumbers.

Source:http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-23863/get-relationship-advice-from-the-longest-married-couple-in-america.html?utm_source=mbg&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=160217-get-relationship-advice-from-the-longest-married-couple-in-america

Encouragement is the Key

Mary Kay Ash says that thousands of people have gone farther than they thought they could because somebody else thought they could. What that someone else did was to offer encouragement, which is the "fuel" of hope.

The question is, how often do you give someone a word of encouragement, a verbal thank-you or a simple little note that says "I genuinely appreciate your efforts - you're doing a beautiful job"? 

This little story told by Herm Albright adds this thought: "After watching a middle-aged waitress going about her business efficiently but with a smile for everyone, I decided to compliment her on her good humor. 'Well,' she said, continuing her work, 'it's like this. If you see the twinkles you won't notice the wrinkles.'" She's right. A simple word of encouragement or a pleasant smile does inspire people to do better. Interestingly enough, however, the person doing the encouraging, whether it's in the form of a simple smile, a little note or a verbal "you're doing good," automatically feels better about life itself and, more importantly, about himself.

The Boy Scouts training teaches doing a good deed every day because they understand the long-term benefit of being other-people oriented. One marvelous resolution all of us need to make is simply to be kind and say or do something nice for someone every day. It could be our mate, parents, children, employees, employer, the people with whom we have any kind of interchange each day. You will find that the more you become other-people conscious, the happier and more effective you will be - so, make it a way of life, do something nice for somebody every day and I really will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s Motivator. He authored 33 books and produced numerous training programs. He will be remembered as a man who lived out his faith daily.

Source:https://www.ziglar.com/motivation/encouragement-key

10 Questions To Ask Your Wife Every Year

The best remedy for marriage conflict is marriage communication. Disagreements, fights, impasses, separations and divorce can be traced back to poor communication more than any other factor. Likewise, listening amounts to some of the best relationship medicine around. Listening works best when we ask good questions. 

Good questions indicate bona fide concern. The man who asks good questions is already well on the way to communication excellence. The best questions also serve as conversation starters. Remember, you are interested in her. But, once you start talking, she’s going to ask stuff too. The more you know each other on a deep level, the easier it is to fall in love all over again. Here are 10 questions to ask your wife every year:

1. What do you think is going right in our relationship?  It’s been a while since you took the marriage vows. But it’s still true that positive affirmation leads to more productive change than negative evaluation. It’s helpful to identify our strengths. Once we know them we can play to them. Building each other up is always a win-win.

2. Where would you like our relationship to be this time next year?  It doesn’t matter where we are, there’s always room to be better. She might say, “I’d like to see more spontaneous affection.” Or, “I want us to be moving forward together in our faith.” She could say, “I want our relationship to involve more fun!

3. Will you please marry me, all over again?  Say it with flowers. Say it like you mean it. Make sure your wife knows how much you cherish her

4. I’d love to hear about your dreams for the future.  A wise Hebrew writer once wrote, “Without a vision, the people perish.” Listen to your wife, imagine great things together, and then step into the possibilities

5. Is there anywhere you’d like to visit this coming year?  Indulge a little whimsy. Listen, laugh together, fantasize about fabulous vacations, and then tuck the information away somewhere, so you can possibly plan a trip. A good husband listens to his wife’s dreams. A great husband weaves them into their plans for the future

6. Do you think we’re doing OK financially?  This needs to be an ongoing conversation. However, like any small business (and a family is like a business in many ways), the directors need to have a comprehensive annual meeting to evaluate the finances and the plan for the coming year

7. How are you doing health-wise?  Encouraging one another involves accountability. Partners should never remain ignorant when it comes to health concerns.  And not just physical health.  It’s also important to take inventory of each other’s emotional well-being

8. If you could change one thing about our priorities as a family, what would it be?  Notice this isn’t an invitation to criticize, but more an opportunity to grow together. Possible answers might include

– I’d like to see less TV time and more family time with one another at home.

– We’re not eating together enough. I’d like to see dinnertime valued a little more. -We say can’t afford a family vacation, but then we eat out 2-3 times a week. Maybe we should shift that one around!

9. Is there anything I devote regular time to that you see as a possible threat to our family or our relationship?  Patterns take time to emerge. When we look back – or from another person’s point of view – sometimes we can see more clearly. Ask your wife if there are any adjustments you can make (Consistently late for dinner? Too much golf? Too many evenings with “the boys”?) that would help her to feel more secure

10. Are you happy?  It’s a good question even if she says she’s happy already. “What can I do to make you more happy?” is a great discussion.  Again, this is where good, active listening is very important.  And your wife’s greatest happiness will always be found in God, so encourage her to grow in her faith

Source: http://leadingwithquestions.com/#sthash.LZtvWET7.dpuf