Earlier in my professional life I had a fear of rejection. 

I think it might have had to do with how I was trained at a large accounting firm that I previously worked for.  At that firm, we were required to report every week how many new people we met, where we met them, and how successful we were in getting them as a new client.  Not that I wasn’t able to talk to people; on the contrary, I am very personable and can talk to anyone in almost any situation.  However, if we didn’t get them as a client, we had to explain why and what we could have done better.  It got to the point where I started to really dislike reporting my activities because you had to explain why you weren’t always 100% successful.

One day, after I started my own firm, a salesman, with whom I had been doing business for quite awhile, came into my office.  Because I always enjoyed learning other people’s strategies for getting new clients, sometimes he and I would sit and talk about sales techniques. 

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When I was younger, I never really understood what it meant to be a “glass is half-empty” versus a “glass is half-full” type of person.  Was one better than the other?  Which one were we supposed to be?  Through my life, things have happened that have helped me learn the difference between the two.

In February of 2008, I was invited to a black tie affair by a good friend of mine for the hospital where he is the Chief of Staff.  I had gone to this event with him many times and always had a good time.  I went out and bought a tux, had it tailored, got my shoes, and was all set to go. That night, just before I started to get ready, I told Sharon that I didn’t really feel like going.   

Sharon and I talked about it and she told me that if I didn’t want to go that it was okay with her – we could just hang out at the house that night and watch a movie.  As I hemmed and hawed about what I should do, I started to have this nagging feeling that I really should go.  Something was telling me that you never know who you can meet at one of these things.  So we got dressed and went.

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In past articles, we have spoken about forgiving others and forgiving yourself or, in other words, your being the party doing the forgiving.  But there are also times when we might need to be forgiven by another person for hurtful actions we have taken.

Many people carry around a significant amount of guilt as a result of actions they have taken that have been hurtful to others.  And many times this guilt can have significant consequences for the person carrying it and may even limit their ability to enjoy their life.

How do you go about releasing yourself and your conscience from the guilt that you might be carrying?  You must learn to ask for forgiveness from the other person.

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I have had some people ask me how does one reconcile the seemingly conflicting views that God has a plan for us while we, as people, have free will and can choose to do whatever it is we want to do with our lives.

When it comes to faith related issues, there are many questions that we could spend a considerable amount of time exploring such as: why do bad things happen to good people, why is there war, why is there sickness…?  However, in the instant case, there does seem to be a considerable conflict between the two ideas in question.

First, how do we really know that God does have a plan for us? 

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When my kids were younger often they would ask me for a toy, money to go out, or something else that there was some cost to.  Sometimes, I would give them a hard time and tell them “God helps those who help themselves.”  They would tell me that they were too young to get a job to earn money so, within reason, I would usually give them what it was they were asking for.

I have often wondered where the statement “God helps those who help themselves” came from.  So one day I decided to try to find out.  I had thought that this statement had come from somewhere in the bible but I was wrong.  I found that it is actually attributed to Benjamin Franklin.

As I looked into the origin of the statement I found many people who were upset with the statement itself.  Some people feel the statement gives one the impression that God ignores the helpless.

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