Day 15: Excuses or "Wilderness Mentalities"

There are ten wilderness mentalities as Joyce points out.  These are mentalities that don't help us but instead create excuses for us to not do our best. These mentalities hold us back from living a life of love and bliss. 5 will be talked about today and the rest tomorrow.

1. My future is determined by my past and my present.  Not true!  Be positive and look at the possibilities of the future.  Your future is determined by your actions.

2. Someone do it for me; I don't want to take the responsibility. - When we do things then we are responsible which can be scary.  If I make plans with someone for dinner then I am responsible for meeting them.  That can be scary when it's hard to predict how you will feel in the future.  Therefore, some people won't make plans because they don't want to have this burden of responsibility.  Joyce says "to be responsible is to respond to the opportunities that God has placed in front of us."  Every responsibility  we encounter leads us to new growth and possibilities.

3. Please make everything easy; I can't take it if things are too hard! - Joyce says, "we spend so much time thinking and talking about "how hard it is" that the project ends up being much more difficult than it would have been had we been positive instead of negative." I've heard a lot of people complain about their jobs and never do anything about it. When things got rough for me I started thinking about all the things I did like about my job. It made each day that much more enjoyable.

4. I can't help it; I'm just addicted to grumbling, faultfinding, and complaining. - This is just a pattern or habit that you have set up but have the power to change (as my mom wisely taught me the other day).  It only brings negativity which then puts you in a bad mood and every one else. Watch your negative thoughts and change them to be positive. You will reap the benefits.

5. Don't make me wait for anything; I deserve everything immediately. - "Impatience is the fruit of pride...and patience is the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting." says Joyce. We are all prideful over different things. When I'm prideful I get in a bad mood because I feel like I should be treated differently. Why? Because, I'm Charissa. Hahaha! We are all equal but we have different strengths and weaknesses. Let's treat each other as if we are. As Joyce says, "we need to learn to enjoy where we are while we are on our way to where we are going!" Joyce goes on to say that nothing in this life will be perfect. Instead of being idealistic be realistic. Things won't always go the way you want. Be ok with that. We cannot be harmed if we remain in love.

Charissa