225 relationship questions

https://datingatadistance.com/long-distance-relationship-questions/#interesting-experiences

Looking for long-distance relationship questions to liven up your video call dates?

These 225 long-distance relationship questions are designed to help you spark deeper conversations about your everyday life, childhood memories, dreams for the future, and many more topics.

Learning about each other ties into the primary purpose of dating, so asking meaningful questions is one of the best ways to make the most of your time apart.

How To Use These 225 Long-Distance Relationship Questions

 

Let’s be real: even marathon-callers can’t conquer 225 questions in a single video call. Keep track of which long-distance relationship questions you’ve answered. 

A few topics (Theology & Doctrine, Personal Faith, and Local Church) are specifically designed to foster deep conversations between believers in Christ. However, if you’re not a Christian, you’ll still benefit from at least 180 long-distance relationship questions.

Use the menu below to navigate between different topics.

Topics for Long-Distance Relationship Questions

 

Travel

Childhood Memories

Interesting Experiences

Everyday Life

Family Relationships

Friendships

Personality

College & Career

Philosophy

Community Involvement

Theology & Doctrine

Personal Faith

Local Church

Travel

 

What makes a good travel companion?

Have you been to another country? What did you appreciate about the culture there?

When you travel, do you prefer to do touristy activities or go off the beaten path?

What’s the most interesting animal you’ve seen in the wild?

When have you needed to use survival skills?

Have you ever forgotten to pack something really important?

What natural landscapes do you love most? (Mountains, ocean, forest, etc.)

Do you plan a detailed itinerary before traveling or do you jump in the car and go?

If you could visit anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?

Where’s the highest place you’ve ever stood?

What’s the most beautifully-designed building you’ve ever seen?

Do you speak any other languages? How did you learn them?

If you could learn any language instantly, which language would you choose and why?

Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip? What did you do?

Would you move overseas short-term or permanently? Why or why not?

What’s your favorite mode of transportation and why? (Car, plane, boat, bicycle, etc.)

What national parks and major landmarks have you visited? What did you like about them?

Did your family often take vacations when you were growing up?

What’s the key to an awesome road trip?

What part of God’s creation leads you to worship most frequently?

Which country’s culture would be the most difficult to adapt to?

Are you an urban dweller or a nature lover? Why?

What are the features of an ideal place to live?

How should a person prepare for moving overseas?

How important is learning another language?

 

Childhood Memories

 

Did you break any bones as a kid? What was the story?

What was the worst part about middle school?

Who was your favorite high school teacher, and how did they impact you?

What’s one achievement you worked really hard for?

Did you have birthday parties as a kid? Which one was your favorite and why?

What sports did you play growing up?

Have you had any near-death experiences?

What was your neighborhood like? Did you play with the kids next door?

What was the best game you made up as a kid?

What’s your all-time favorite Christmas present?

What was the coolest Lego creation you ever built?

What toy did you think you would never outgrow?

Did you ever get in trouble in elementary school?

What are your best sleepover memories?

How did you handle the dentist’s office as a kid?

What was your favorite book series as a kid?

What chores did you love and hate?

Who taught you how to drive?

How did your driving test go?

If you could change the meaning of your name, what would it be?

Interesting Experiences

 

Have you ever gotten stuck in an elevator?

What’s the longest you’ve waited in line for something?

What are the worst weather conditions you’ve ever driven in?

What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as a leader, and how did you learn from it?

What’s the worst haircut you’ve ever had?

What’s the most satisfying meal you’ve ever eaten?

Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law?

Would you ever run for an elected government position?

Would you become an astronaut if you had the chance?

When was a time you got really dirty or muddy? What happened?

What’s something you regret purchasing?

If you were to write a book, what genre would it be?

What’s the best surprise you’ve ever received?

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ordered on Amazon?

Would you move back to the place you grew up in?

Did your parents ever leave you behind at a store?

What’s the best board game you’ve ever played?

Everyday Life

 

How skilled are you at keeping plants alive?

Why is your favorite pair of pants your favorite?

What’s the most dominant color in your wardrobe and why?

How do you react if your morning routine gets messed up?

How do your music choices influence your daily emotions and vice versa?

What elements of a store or online shop make you want to return?

What’s the most complicated meal you’ve made and how did you learn to make it?

Do you keep a budget? Is it helpful?

Are you a saver or a spender?

Where is your favorite coffee shop and why do you love it?

How do you usually hear about the latest news? (podcasts, newspaper, Facebook)

What books have greatly impacted your thinking?

What are you currently reading?

Do you care about how many unread emails you have?

What gives someone’s home an inviting atmosphere?

What’s an item you don’t like to share with other people?

How often do you write and receive letters?

What’s the most thought-provoking podcast you’ve heard recently?

Do you have any interesting stories from odd jobs?

What’s the secret to becoming an excellent storyteller?

Family Relationships

 

How would you describe what makes your family special?

What are your siblings like? What makes each one unique?

How close are you with your siblings, and do you wish you were closer?

What do you respect and love about each of your parents?

What lesson are you most thankful your parents taught you?

How similar are you to your parents’ personalities?

What do you wish your parents did differently?

Are your parents content with where they are and what they’re doing?

Who are your favorite relatives?

Were/are you close with your grandparents?

Where is your family originally from, and how much of that culture has your family retained?

Does your family make any special heritage foods? What’s the process?

How does your family celebrate holidays?

What’s your favorite meal to eat at your parents’ house and why?

How can I pray for your family?

 

Friendships

 

Who knows you better than you know yourself?

Who do you go to with computer problems?

Are small or large groups more life-giving to you?

Who is the happiest person you know, and why?

Who always makes you laugh?

Do you keep in touch with your high school friends, and will you continue to?

Do you enjoy making new friends?

Does hosting people make you stressed or excited?

Is it hard for you to maintain long-distance friendships

What friends of yours do you think I should get to know more?

How many people really, truly know you?

Who’s someone you’d like to become friends with?

How have your friends influenced who you are?

What’s the best movie to watch with a group of friends?

Do friends always make good roommates?

Have you ever been betrayed by a friend or family member?

Personality

 

What are you most passionate about in life?

What times of day do you have the most energy?

Do you make decisions based on emotions or logic?

How accurate are personality tests?

How do you feel about singing around other people?

What types of surprises do you enjoy?

What are five simple things that bring you joy?

Who do you feel comfortable crying with?

How do you destress after a long day?

When was the last time you got really angry?

What do you do when you’re sad?

What’s comforting to you when you’re sick?

What are signs you’re tired or stressed?

How many hugs per day do you need to survive?

In your entire life, when have you felt most loved?

Which animal most closely represents your personality?

Do you like to work with your hands?

Do you prefer buying things new or used?

What will you splurge on?

What are your political leanings?

What political topics are you passionate about?

What are my strengths and weaknesses? What are yours?

How are our personalities alike? How are we different?

How do our personalities complement one another?

What characteristics cause us to clash sometimes?

Since we started dating, how has each of us changed for the better?

 

College & Career

 

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

What’s the most interesting college class you’ve taken?

What’s learning style and how do you study most effectively?

What’s your favorite study spot on campus and why?

What helps you survive finals week?

How much does the “college experience” matter?

Looking back, would you choose to attend the same college?

How have you changed during college?

Do you plan to stay involved as an alumni?

How did you decide to pursue your major/career?

What skills and gifts has God given you?

How confident are you that you’ll stay in this field?

What’s a fallback career for you, and why isn’t it your first choice?

What’s your biggest career-related fear?

Would you ever work for a nonprofit?

Would you start your own business?

What do you hope to achieve by age 40?

What part of your job are you most passionate about?

Philosophy

 

Why do we pursue happiness, and what’s the key to having it?

Where do you personally find your sense of purpose?

Why do we feel guilt and shame?

What’s your deepest regret?

Why are humans afraid to die?

What happens when you die?

What sets apart the major world religions?

What is truth, and how do you find it?

Why does evil exist?

What is faith?

What’s your religious background?

Who and what has influenced your thinking about religion most?

How did the universe begin?

Why do humans exist?

What type of health is most important: emotional, spiritual, physical, or mental?

How do you decide who is worthy of trust?

Community Involvement

 

What social injustices make you angry?

What’s your perspective on the best and worst ways to help people in poverty?

If you were to advocate for one social cause, what would you support?

Do you enjoy spending time with kids and the elderly?

What’s your favorite organization you’ve volunteered with?

If you had a million dollars, what charities would you support?

What do you think of the trend for businesses to focus on “social good”?

What responsibility do we have to care for the environment?

If you could start a nonprofit, what would you focus on?

How have community organizations helped you?

What difficult experiences of yours help you relate to others in their time of need?

Theology & Doctrine

 

What’s our purpose as humans?

What is required for a person to be saved?

Why did Jesus come to earth?

Why does God allow suffering?

What happens to people who don’t hear about Christ?

How do you distinguish between primary (essential) and secondary doctrine?

Where do you fall on the Armenian/Calvinist scale?

What do you think about creation and evolution?

How are humans different from animals?

What makes a “good” church?

What do you believe the Bible says about the roles of men and women in the church and in the home?

How should the Bible guide our financial decisions, like debt and building wealth?

What doctrine is most difficult for you to understand?

What resources have helped you grow in knowledge of the Lord?

What theological issues have you changed your position on?

What characteristics of God are most attractive to you?

Which characteristics of God are harder for you to accept?

How would you describe the purpose and goal of missions?

Personal Faith

 

How did you become a follower of Jesus?

Why do you follow Jesus?

How has your life changed since you met Jesus?

How would you share the gospel in your own words?

How have you seen God’s faithfulness during difficult seasons?

What have you been reading in the Bible lately?

How has God increased your joy in Him in recently?

How can I encourage you in your walk with the Lord?

How does our relationship display the gospel and glorify God?

Do you know your spiritual gifts? If so, how do you use them?

What’s your favorite book of the Bible?

What’s one passage of the Bible you don’t understand yet?

Who has influenced your spiritual growth the most?

What are you thankful for this week?

How can I pray for you?

Local Church

 

Why are you a part of your church?

What do you value most in your church?

How has God encouraged or convicted you through your church community?

Who’s an older believer you respect at your church?

Have you ever been mentored or mentored someone?

How do you feel about different styles of worship music?

Where do you enjoy serving at your church?

How would you describe your church to someone who’s never gone before?

7 Habits of Successful and Fit People

Obtained from The Active Times, by Jesse Jackson posted on 10/23/2015

7 Habits of Successful and Fit People

You’ve heard that being fit is all about "the lifestyle," and not the quick fix, so today I’d like to give you a glimpse into the habits that fit people follow on a regular basis.

These seven habits are held by people who are successfully fit. In other words, the people who have learned to maintain their fitness and good health for the long run.

1. They See Each Day with Perspective

Fail to meet your fitness goals today? Move on. Tomorrow is another day to make smarter decisions. When you wake up, rededicate yourself to your fitness goals without beating yourself about whatever mistakes you made in the past. After all, you can’t change what you did yesterday. All you can control is right now, so get to it!

2. They Know Their Bodies

When you finish a workout, you should feel good. If you don’t, then something needs to change. Either your diet or routine is throwing you off. Fit people know how everything they do affects their body and they take steps to avoid the things that don’t allow them to feel and perform their best. Learn how your body responds and care for it accordingly.

3. They Find Ways Around the Reasons

If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t quite get fit, it may be your proclivity for caving to pressure. And that pressure may be self-induced. Fit people do not give into excuses for why they shouldn’t exercise. Quite the contrary — they are continually finding reasons why they should hit the gym and find pockets of time to do it, even if the trip to the gym is shorter than usual.

4. They Eat and Sleep Well

Study after study has shown the benefit of eating whole, unprocessed foods. It provides energy and strength, helps you feel full throughout the day, and makes your time in the gym as fruitful as possible. Getting good sleep is equally as important, as it keeps all your bodily systems in rhythm. Put these two fit activities together and you’re well on your way to optimal fitness.

5. They Track Progress

For some, keeping tabs on health progress is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Once you get into the routine, however, you will become a believer in the power of tracking your progress. Tracking serves to both reward and motivate you, as you see that the countless hours in the gym and smart food choices lead to a healthier weight and greater strength — aka, better overall fitness and health.

6. They Think During Exercise

It can be easy to mindlessly run on a treadmill at the gym if you’re not careful. Just remember that fit people don’t usually do this. They’re very intentional about everything they do at the gym. This means if you want to be fit, you should put some brainpower into what you include in your workout and how you perform each repetition. This allows you to get maximum benefit from your gym time and reduces the risk of injury.

7. They Lean on a Trainer

The final thing fit people do is rely on someone with lots of know-how in the realm of fitness. This is why my clients have such a high success rate in achieving their goals — because I make sure that they stick with it! I have a sincere interest in their overall health and well-being and know how to help them reach goals that can seem so far away when you’re trying to achieve them on your own.

COACHING Being Experienced Doesn’t Automatically Make You a Great Mentor by Andy Molinsky

Coaching and mentoring is more popular than ever — and for good reason. As individuals progress in their jobs and careers, they’re constantly challenged to build their skills and act outside their comfort zones. Timid executives are called upon to learn to deliver motivational speeches; conflict-avoidant managers need to learn to deliver bad news; and mild-mannered job seekers need to pitch and promote themselves at networking events. And mentoring doesn’t just happen in traditional corporate settings. It also abounds in educational, religious, athletic, and nonprofit worlds as well, where deeply experienced individuals become coaches and mentors to help others with less experience get on the fast track to success.

Or at least that’s the hope. The reality, I’m afraid, is much more of a mixed bag, as often coaching does more harm than good. The problem lies in trusting that experience alone can make you a good coach. What I’ve observed watching coaches and mentors — and even coaching young professionals and executives myself — is that there can actually be a liability of experience when it comes to coaching. As we take on the roles of coaches or mentors, we must be aware of how our experience can hold others back, or else it can lead to negative results and frustrating relationships.

The first liability of experience has to do with emotion. As coaches and mentors, we’re typically chosen for our experience — which is a good thing. But that experience can also be a liability when it means we’re far removed from the actual experience of learning challenging new skills. People can really struggle when trying to master new skills. They can feel anxious, self-conscious, embarrassed, and even frustrated and angry. It can take a delicate touch and keen insight to give the right advice, intervene in a timely manner, offer the right words of wisdom and encouragement, and really understand how to nurture a trainee’s sense of confidence. But if you haven’t been there in a while and you can’t empathize with your trainees’ experience, you can miss this emotional side of skill building, which is a critical part of the process.

Moreover, as a deeply experienced mentor, you can also fail on an emotional front by not being able or willing to express your own vulnerabilities around learning challenging new tasks. In a mentor or coaching relationship, individuals want their experienced counterpart to be able to empathize with their experiences. They want to hear that you have struggled — and that you understand what they’re going through. This helps build a connection between you and “normalize” the challenges they’re experiencing. But as a mentor, if you’re too fixated on expressing an image of expertise and not exposing your own vulnerabilities, you can miss a critical opportunity to connect with your clients.

In addition to these emotional barriers, experienced mentors and coaches often have unrealistic expectations about how learning typically occurs. Since they are so far removed from the experience of learning new skills, these individuals generally forget that success isn’t immediate. When learning a challenging new skill, people often have very uneven results. For example, someone I worked with from a different country learning to interview in the United States was very successful in her initial attempts, and as her mentor, I was extremely pleased — for her and, I have to admit, for myself! But as she inevitably struggled in subsequent attempts, I found myself frustrated, noting in my mind these next attempts as “failures” and wondering why she was now having issues when the early attempts had been so positive. I’m certain now that this frustration and disappointed “leaked” into my conversations; this didn’t help the person I was working with and created a tense relationship.

Although they may be fleeting, it’s critical to celebrate these early achievements when they happen. Many mentors (myself included) often focus on “what’s next” without stopping to actually celebrate and appreciate how much someone has accomplished, even if that accomplishment is a small step. This failure to celebrate small wins can cause mentors to miss a valuable opportunities to build their trainee’s self-confidence, which is often just as critical as the more traditional skill building process.

Finally, a last trap that experienced mentors can fall into is that of unfair comparisons. Who among us has not compared one employee to another, one student to another, or even one child to another? Comparisons are a temptation we often can’t avoid, but in the case of coaching, they can be damaging. When we compare one employee to another — or even to ourselves — we can end up missing evidence of actual progress, marking one person as a “failure” and another as a “success,” when the reality might be that the first person has actually made progress in other, more subtle ways. By falling in the trap of comparison, we are potentially missing important details in the experiences of the people we’re actually trying to help.

As mentors, we all want to use our deep experience and expertise to help the people we’re working with. And by paying attention to the potential downside of this experience and managing it appropriately, we can deliver on that promise.

Andy Molinsky is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Brandeis International Business School. He is the author of the book Global Dexterity: How to Adapt Your Behavior across Cultures without Losing Yourself in the Process (HBR Press, 2013). Follow Andy on twitter at@andymolinsky.

Resume building tips with example

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-this-is-an-excellent-resume-2013-11?IR=T&

Will be useful as reference.

Tips from a straight A student for aspiring individuals

In posting this I do hope that I am able to achieve much more in anything I work for. Focus!

http://www.daniel-wong.com/2015/01/14/straight-a-student/

Starting to read on SEA games elearning package...this passage is cool

Fostering Ownership of the Games

We want Singaporeans and regional interest groups to have a stake in the Games, contribute to it and help to make it a success.

It starts with rich content and powerful stories to arouse their interest, followed by invitations to use the Games as their platform, and finally involving them in the Games itself.

Ownership can extend beyond Games time. The positive shared experiences can make these engaged stakeholders long-term sports advocates.

A nice photolog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/novaktonkin/

Socialism in Practice in the classroom setting - Some interesting observations

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/01/107990-story-prof-fails-entire-class-illustrate-obamas-socialism-left-furious/

Main points. When the reward is great, there can be progress when individuals work towards attainment. Distributing the rewards without free will causes general disappointment (increasing dissatisfaction) and lowering performance.

The Fourth Wise Man

Referenced from http://www.ely.anglican.org/education/schools/collective_worship/pdf/TheFourthWiseMan.pdf


The Fourth Wise Man

There are several versions of this popular legend with the wise man coming from places such as Gaul as well as Persia. This is just one variant:

The best known presents given at the first Christmas are Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, given by the three wise men.

However, legend has it that there was a fourth wise man, whose name was Artaban. He travelled from Persia to meet the others, carrying with him his gifts for the new King - three precious jewels - a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl.\

On his way Artaban met an old Jew by the roadside, who was almost dying from fever. He decided to stay with the sick man until he was well and so he missed meeting up with the other three wise men who were on their way southwards. The Jew told Artaban that the prophets said that the King would be born in Bethlehem. Artaban sold his costly sapphire to raise money for the sick man,and only when the man had recovered, did Artaban set out for Bethlehem.

When he arrived in Bethlehem and made enquiries, he was told that the other wise men had left 3 days before. A young mother
told him that the family he was seeking had fled, and that the people of Bethlehem were anxious because it was rumoured that King
Herod was going to punish the town. While Artaban was in the Bethlehem, wondering what to do next, the soldiers arrived with
orders to kill all the baby boys they could find. The young mother he had made friends with was very frightened because she had
a young son, so when the captain of the soldiers ordered the child to be killed, Artaban came to the rescue and gave his ruby to the soldiers to buy the boy’s life.

Artaban now had only one of his gifts left - the pearl, but he decided to keep searching for the king.

Finally, after 30 years searching, he came to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. The city was buzzing with talk about the man named Jesus who claimed to be the son of God and who was to be crucified. Artaban wondered whether he could use his last jewel to save the life of this man, Jesus. But as he hurried through the streets of the city Artaban came across a young girl who was crying. She told Artaban she was crying because she was going to be sold into slavery to pay her father’s debts. Artaban could not pass by and leave the girl crying so he gave her the pearl, the last of his jewels.

At that moment Jesus passed by carrying his cross to the place of execution. He looked at Artaban, and on his face Artaban could see three big drops of blood that looked to him just like a sapphire, a ruby and a pearl. He knew that Jesus was the king he had been looking for all these years, and he also knew that although he was not able to worship his King, his precious gifts had been sold, or given away, to help others, and that was the same as giving them to Jesus.

Hebrews 13:16 ESV

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

1 John 3:17 ESV

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Happier things to become happier

http://www.fastcompany.com/3015486/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/10-simple-science-backed-ways-to-be-happier-today

1 John 4:8 ESV

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Three posts that I find useful for knowledge and stress relief

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/why-we-copy-people-without-realizing

http://www.rd.com/slideshows/game-facts-and-trivia/

http://www.pong.com/top-5-retro-games/

John 12:26

Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me.

How to Build a Reliable Work Ethic

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to just get things done? They don’t need “productivity hacks” or GTD and procrastination is a foreign word to them. These people have a reliable work ethic.

A work ethic is a set of values based on the ideals of hard work and discipline. Building a reliable work ethic means training yourself to follow these values. Training yourself so that work becomes automatic instead of a struggle.

Constructing Habits

A work ethic is based on habits. Persistence, focus, “do it now,” and “do it right” are the key habits in building a dependable work ethic. Here are some steps for building those habits:


Forming the Persistence Habit

The first part of a reliable work ethic is persistence. If you quickly burn out after only a short period of work or you can’t stay focused on a task for long, you lack persistence. Building persistence is like building endurance for a race, slowly training yourself to work harder for longer periods of time.

Persistence should always be balanced with periods of rest. Working twelve hours straight won’t usually be the most effective strategy even if your work ethic is strong. But training yourself to work longer can help you if you need to and it makes working shorter periods of time easier.

Here are some tips:

Measure Yourself - Figure out how long you can work effectively. Measure how long it takes before you slow down or give up. Measurement can be a source for improvement.
Run a Burnout Day – Try working longer for one day, following it with a lighter day afterwards. By stretching your focus for longer periods once in a while you can boost your persistence for normal days.
Do an Extra 20% - When you feel like quitting, go an extra 20%. If you’ve been working intensely for three hours but are feeling the desire to stop, try another forty minutes before taking a break.
Forming the Focus Habit

Even more critical than persistence is focus. A car going 70 mph for one hour will go further than a car going 10 mph for six. Focusing all your energies for even a short period of time can be tiring, but combined with persistence it is a powerful ability to have.

Here are some tips for forming the focus habit:

Timebox - Give yourself 60-90 minutes to work on a particular task. During that time you can’t rest or engage in any distractions.
Accelerate - It can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes to build up a concentrated focus. Give yourself time to accelerate into a focused state.
Cut Distractions - Practice the habit of turning off all outside noise. Phones, e-mail, RSS, Twitter and visitors should be shut out while trying to focus.
Forming the “Do It Now” Habit

Don’t let yourself procrastinate. Having a strong work ethic means having the phrase “do it now” as a constant hum in the background. Time for leisure is fine, but if you are trying to work make sure the only thing you are doing is work. Don’t let yourself procrastinate when you still have an unfinished to-do list.

Do it Now for 30 Days – Kill the procrastination bug for good. For the next thirty days define periods of your day you want to devote to work or personal projects. During those periods of time, remind yourself of the “do it now” phrase and get working whenever you feel the urge to procrastinate.

Forming the “Do it Right” Habit

The final aspect of getting things done is doing them properly. Sloppy work, hastily finishing things or spending too little time working out details leads to poor quality. If you aren’t going to do something properly, it’s probably not a good idea to do it at all.

Perfectionism isn’t necessary for many tasks, but most things require a minimum standard of quality. Writing code without useful variable names or documentation. Graphics with merged layers. Articles filled with spelling and grammatical errors. The “do it right” habit means actively slowing yourself down slightly to fix problems before they occur.

Here are some tips:

Separate Creation and Criticism – Ideas require mess. Solving a programming problem or writing an article often requires that you first let go of your need for perfection. But once you’ve finished the idea, you should separate a specific time for clean-up afterwards.
Measure Twice, Cut Once – For tasks that don’t have an Undo feature, take extra care in doing them properly the first time.
Set Two Deadlines - Avoid analysis paralysis by setting two deadlines. One to complete the task, and another to review and polish the work. With two deadlines you won’t stumble into the trap of perfectionism, but you won’t hastily finish something that isn’t ready.
Sit on It – If you’ve hit a milestone in a task or project, take a few minutes to work on something else. When you come back you can use a fresh perspective to tweak problems.
Using the Habits

What’s the point of building a work ethic in the first place? I can’t comment on your job, but if you don’t feel a natural desire to get more done and work harder, you are probably in the wrong line of work. Doing the absolute minimum and laziness might seem like an ideal solution if your working at a job you hate. But if you are involved in a job or personal project you love, having a work ethic means you get to create, accomplish and provide even more.

Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/management/how-to-build-a-reliable-work-ethic.html

Floundering good and not so good

http://ideas.time.com/2012/04/25/why-floundering-is-good/

An article to consider about. Some of its points are valid, however that is just superficial when I put on other perspectives. How about you?

Galatians 6:1-10

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.

6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

PY3108 Questionaire

For personal reference in the meaning of names for Viet

Vietnamese Name meanings:
An = heaven; sky;
Anh = peace; safe;
Bach Yen = white;
Bian = secret;
Bich = jade;
Ca = the first;
Cadao = folk song;
Cam = nose;
Chau = pearl;
Chi = branch of tree;
Chong Duy = bird;
Cuc = a kind of flower;
Duyen = charm;
Ha = ocean; river;
Hai = two; second;
Hanh = good conduct;
Hao = good;
Hien = gentle, quiet;
Hoa = flower;
Hop = consistence;
Hue = flower Lily; heart; mind;
Huong = pink; rose;
Huyen = Jet black
Kim cuc = golden flower;
Kim-ly = golden lion;
Lan = name of a flower;
Lien = lotus;
Lieu = willow tree;
Linh = spring;
Nhi = little girl;
Nhung = velvet;
Ngoc = precious gem;
Ngoc Bich = precious jade;
Ngon = good communication;
Nguyet = moon;
Nhu = alike;
Nhung = velvet;
Nu = girl;
Phuong = phoenix;
Quy = precious;
Quynh = ruby; gem;
Sang = noble;
Sen = lotus flower;
Thanh = achieved; intelligent;
Thi = poem;
Thu = autumn;
Thuy = friendly; kind;
Thy = poetry;
Tien = angel; fairy; spirit;
Trinh = pure; white;
Truc = bamboo;
Tu = star;
Tuyen = ray; angel;
Tuyet = snow; snow white;
Vui = cheerful; happy;
Xuan = spring;
Yen = peace;

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Isaiah 12:2
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

Admonishment to myself

Do not concern with yourself with dreams past or what-its of the future. Believe in what you do and seek the way to do it is what one can choose to do. Do not blind yourself with personal things or even what you should do, for everything would be accorded in the Mind, and the eventually Act.

God would ask, what does your heart seek? And in whose will do you answer with your actions? One who is not with me is against me, and one who is with me shalt know not suffering, though he will suffer in my Name. And the Act shalt be accorded in the Book of Life.

Have you not seen, have you not heard? Only those without the senses shall appreciate the absence of these, but to those who possess them, if you do not open your own eyes, and truly hear with your own ears, your blood shall be on your own head. For those who heed, follow the One whom I have sent before me, to pave the way for my final day, and whom as a flood has swept the world under, the drought will skin the earth from below.

For when many things are meaningless, shall you blind yourself to your creator? Close your heart to me, and the belief will cease also. Follow the will that you have, and you shall gain followers as yourselves, strong or weak as they are. But whoever follows the Father's will has his promises laid out for him.

What is the Mind, and for what reason does the Act exist? We begin with a thought that develops itself, and Man chooses to show his or her thoughts in action. As God created Man and Woman to be the final creations, so does the importance of the Act has on the Judgement day. So Christ came to die like a seed, so that his Mind and the Act would begin the growth in others who have seen and have heard. What more for those who have much more of their senses?

Celebrate in full light if you can live! Reach out for those in the dark! For darkness cannot exist in light, but yet absence of light is the alternative. Let no time be this time, for the present is said to be a present, so the choice to believe in this thought is likewise.

Like a good seed it grows on a foundation, and nurture it with good soil, or it cannot grow to bear fruit in time to come. There is a sower, a growth, and a reaper. These are understandable things because they are experienced here on Earth, in the Mind. So when there is a malicious seed by a plotter shall it grow as well? Shall your foundation permit it, or may it be marked for decisive removal? Destroy waywardness by the time it is young, for when the time for the harvest comes, all is lost.

We can all pray to be wise, and start believing in God's wisdom, and His Time, and His Will. Be as one in Mind and Act - Heart and Soul - and be in God as he in us. For the anticipation of your Act, let it be wholly pleasing in God's sight. Amen.

I would like to share my reflective song based on Psalms 42.

Reminded that there is a time for everything we are supposed to do...

Spring cleaning for my blog...

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.[b]

16 And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them

Just to share a little something...

http://www.ciee.org/teach/taught/china/videos/

Inner me wants to do this. Teaching Children from other countries, and learning about new languages and cultures - Leading a meaningful life. Anyone who wants to feel challenged should do likewise. Drop, complete current responsibilities, and go!

Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV) The Great Commission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

A short reflection question from watching The End of Poverty(2008)

Supposing that one day you head to the mountains and when you get back your land, everything you own is gone. Then there is an alien that says that for you to work for him, you will get food but will be in debt for 999 years. Everyone in the community has suffered or will suffer the same fate as you. What would be your response?

James 2:1-9 (NIV)
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here’s a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”

Some thoughts on Love in a Godly context

Love is a process of continually edifying yourself as well as others, much of which requires experience. Such is the purpose for God to put us in this world to lear and practise love, for he is love. When you love, you will enjoy everything as it is ordained by God. From personal thoughts, to social interaction, and even emotional-physical moments will be blessed. But in this world there would exist void of love as well, twisting the meaning of the word, as people do not align themselves to God due to the presence and choice of sin. Such unloving actions as defined by God himself, from spreading false teachings, to sexual immorality, and murder. Think of the moral law - the ten commandments. Such are basic things, but still they come from two most important laws as confirmed by Jesus.

God's call is to LOVE in his way. Read His word. Understand, and gain wisdom through acting for and in His Living Name. Amen.

Matthew 22:36-40
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”