1.      Be sure to get eight hours sleep every night.

2.      Eat five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit.

3.      Drink three litres of water every day.

4.      Dress for success! Make yourself presentable before starting work.

5.      Make your own lunch every day rather than buying it.

6.      Take a nap in the afternoon to re-energise.

7.      Do at least half an hour of exercise every day.

8.      Don’t skip lunch – get out of the office to eat your sandwich.

9.      Have dinner as a family – it’s important bonding time.

10.   Spend 20 minutes planning tomorrow with a detailed to-do list..

11.   Do one thing every day that scares you.

12.   Make some quality time for your partner.

13.   Make sure you get some ‘me’ time.

14.   Read industry magazines to stay on top of trends.

15.   Slow down – take time out to smell the roses.

Thanks to Flying Solo

….and you know they are. Maybe it’s a gift that you have and you only want it for you.        Maybe it’s the way you’ve always done something.         Maybe it’s following the guidance of your peers when you know there’s a better way. I’ve had my share of Jonahs. The Godly things that aren’t in the right place. The promise that you’re hoping for, the baby that is never conceived, the promotion or business that never arrives. Sometimes you just have to throw it overboard. See if it can swim or if it’ll sink. Or maybe the mysterious third option. Don’t let the dream weigh down your boat but realise that sometimes, throwing in the towel means that others pick up the fight.

“Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors [who didn’t believe in God – my little add in] were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.” – Jonah 1

Alexander Maclaren, author of The God of the Amen, writes on God’s providential care –

“Up to the very edge we are driven before He puts out His hand to help us. It is best for us that we should be bought to desperation, to say, “My foot slips” and then, just as our toes feel the ice, help comes and His mercy holds us up. At the last moment – never before it, never until we have discovered how much we need it, and never too late – comes the Helper.

If we want to get our needs supplied, our weakness strengthened, and wisdom to dispel our perplexity, we must be where all the provision is stored. If a man chooses to sit outside the provision shop, he may starve on its threshold. If a woman will not go into the bank, her pockets will remain empty though there may be bursting vaults to which she has a right. If we will not ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place by simple faith, God’s amplest provision will be nothing to us, and we will be empty in the midst of affluence”.

More details via John Piper’s blog. Subscribe for bouts of insight.