Hello, my friend!
I hope your spring has sprung with blessings of peace, health, growth, gratitude, and glimpses of great things ahead!
This week, I’m excited to share six bits of knowledge, encouragement, humor and hope that I pray will enrich your day, and serve you well in the future, too!
I’m going to jump in with a video I saw this week of former Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, discussing how to reduce your risk of being attacked by a criminal based on a psychological study done in which criminals rated videos of pedestrians on a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being “easy to victimize” and 10 being “I would avoid attacking this person.” Below I’ll share the key takeaways!
I. Safety Tips from Jocko Willink
- Pedestrians the criminals said they would avoid possessed something the criminals called “organized quality.” The person looks, in Jocko’s words, “squared away.”
- Conversely, the pedestrians the criminals said they would likely attack had inconsistency in the way they walked. So how should we walk?
- Stride Length: forceful, dynamic steps; medium length; walk effortlessly
- Arms: slightly bent; natural swing
- Speed: walk the same speed, or a bit faster, than those around you
- Posture: stand up straight, shoulders back
- Another tip I’ve heard multiple times is to STAY OFF OUR PHONES when walking. Be vigilant. Criminals are opportunistic and will take advantage of those who appear distracted and thus are not aware of their surroundings.
- From Jocko: “Be looking around … Have your head on a swivel … Be looking at people …”
II. On Making Better Decisions
“Most of us have weak decision-making muscles. We do not realize what it means to make a real decision. We fail to recognize the force of change that a truly congruent, committed decision makes.
“The word ‘decision’ comes from Latin roots, with de meaning ‘down’ or ‘away from,’ and caedere meaning ‘to cut.’ Therefore, a decision means cutting from any other possibility.
“A true decision means you are committed to achieving a result and cutting yourself off from any other possibility.
“Committed decisions show up in two places: your calendar and your bank account. No matter what you say you value, or even think your priorities are, you have only to look at last year’s calendar and bank account to see the decisions you have made about what you truly value.
“See how you have reserved your time. Look at your expenditures. Those are the trails to the decisions you have made.” – Carole Hildebrand
III. The Blessing of Broken Things
“Christ is building His kingdom with earth’s broken things. Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth’s broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth’s saddest failure up to heaven’s glory.” – J.R. Miller
IV. Focus Fact
“Focus starts with elimination, improves with concentration, and compounds with continuation.” – James Clear
V. I Cured My Hiccups With This Hack
One of the most annoying things to all humans, I should think, are hiccups! There are a few tricks for getting rid of them that have worked for me in the past (swallowing water with my head tipped back, for example), but none have worked consistently. Well, Dr. Andrew Huberman shared a suggestion recently that I have now applied twice and found immediate success with.
How to Reliably Stop Hiccups:
Hiccups = phrenic nerve-to-diaphragm spasm. To de-spasm that circuit, inhale maximally (via your nose) 3 times with no exhales in between. Then hold your breath for 15-30 seconds and then slowly exhale (via your mouth). DONE!
Give it a try next time you get hiccups, and let me know how it works for you!
VI. My Latest Proverbs Thirty What Posts
A “Dang” Dilemma: talking about cursing the “Christian way”
Plastics and Proverbials: the popular kids of Christianity who are actually really likable
Thank you, as always, for your support of my writing! Feel free to reach out at any time. I love hearing from you!
Fiction:
NEW!: Medusa’s Wish
Moonbow: Prequel to The Petros Chronicles
Age of the Ashers
War of the Ashers
Fate of the Ashers
The Petros Chronicles Boxset
Armor for Orchids (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unshaken (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unbound (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
NEW!: Orchid Unfading (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Non-Fiction:
Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness
Perfect Fit Couples Edition: Workouts and Reflections for a Rock-Solid Relationship
Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness
Perfect Fit No Excuses: 15-Minute Workouts for Life’s Busiest Days
Immeasurable Fitness Challenge: 18 Days of Total Health for Spirit, Soul, and Body
Immeasurable: Diving in the Depths of God’s Love (a memoir)
Pour Me Out: 30 Days to a More Selfless Life