The Five-Second Rule on Thoughts, Part 1 (TMF:2445)

Friday, September 20, 2024

Peace to Live By: The Five-Second Rule on Thoughts, Part 1 (TMF:2445) - Daniel Litton
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You don’t need me to tell you that everyone has certain thoughts that come to mind on occasion that we don’t want. These thoughts come to us more than I think we realize, and we just haven’t recognized that fact. But, we all have these thoughts. A lot of times they come to us when we are getting upset about something. They just seem to come to mind to try to make things worse. Then sometimes they come to our minds when we are feeling good, or trying to have a good experience. It is almost as if there is an intelligence behind them which is trying to spoil our enjoyment. Sometimes the thoughts are successful at messing up what we are trying to focus on, and then there are times we are able to move past them. Personally, my belief on these type of rogue thoughts is that they come from our constant attempt to suppress them. What I mean is that all of our minds have collected a lot of bad things. These are negative past experiences, or negative things we have seen or heard about that now reside in the recesses of our minds. So, it’s like our minds are like a geyser that spews out water.

Associating a Positive with a Negative, Part 2 (TMF:2444)

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Peace to Live By: Associating a Positive with a Negative, Part 2 (TMF:2444) - Daniel Litton
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Well, if we are good at looking for the positive, we can then, after sympathizing with them, perhaps present something on the bright side of things. We can work to be kind, comforting, and even encouraging, again, all things that the New Testament tells us to be mindful of. We can even use our imaginations in order to associate the positive with the negative. Maybe we do this with a negative bad experience. Like, let’s say there is something in our past that tends to come to our minds from time to time. It is something that we still haven’t surrendered all the negative energy out of it. Well, what we can do is try to immediately bring to mind what became beneficial to us from going through that negative experience. That is, how did God work it out for the good? What did we learn? How is our life better now? By focusing on these positives, then the negative doesn’t seem all that negative anymore. This is something I have found to be particularly beneficial, and something that definitely increases my happiness.

Associating a Positive with a Negative, Part 1 (TMF:2443)

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Peace to Live By: Associating a Positive with a Negative, Part 1 (TMF:2443) - Daniel Litton
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I have personally found this technique to be beneficial to me over time. That is, generally when it is something during my days that is reoccurring which is negative. Like, I think a good example of this would be a negative news story. If I can find a way to link something positive with the negative, then I am in a better place. Or, sometimes I look at the negative and try to see what is positive in it. Either way, by looking for the positive the negative doesn’t become as impactful, as impactful to me personally at all. Remember, the New Testament tells us to that we are to be thinking about the good. That’s what we are supposed to be dwelling on, and I think this is a good practice because we cannot always control what we are presented with. In light of that, that we cannot control what we are presented with, that means negativity is going to come to us that we wish would rather not. This can even come in the form of someone in the office sharing something bad that happened to them, and they may be even looking for comforting words from us about it. Well, if we are good at looking for the positive, we can then, after sympathizing with them, perhaps present something on the bright side of things.

Choosing Your Fans? Part 2 (TMF:2442)

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Peace to Live By: Choosing Your Fans? Part 2 (TMF:2442) - Daniel Litton
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They were from all over the place—different towns, different counties. In the city and out in the country. I even had a guy in India who somehow came upon my show and became a fan. Almost all of my fans were people a didn’t know, save a handful of people. And, most of those who I thought would actually be my fans, were not. I think this truth definitely translates itself onto social media. I mean, whatever platform one is on, they create a post, and I think that often times the people that like or react to that post aren’t always those that people expected. I have noticed this. Sure, there are a few that do react the you expected, but then it seems there are many more of whom you are surprised are giving your post attention. Again, we don’t get to choose our fans. But, if we view this differently in that we don’t place expectations on anybody, then we really won’t be disappointed with the results. It is something we have to surrender. People have their own lives with their own stuff going on, and they aren’t always thinking about us first and foremost.

Choosing Your Fans? Part 1 (TMF:2441)

Monday, September 16, 2024

Peace to Live By: Choosing Your Fans? Part 1 (TMF:2441) - Daniel Litton
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I remember when I first went to start Peace to Live By, and I went about telling people I knew about my new radio show. I thought to myself, “This is great. This person will listen to me, and this person, and that person. I’m going to have so many good listeners who know me.” Well, it didn’t take me long before I realized that wasn’t how it was working. Actually, not at all. What I found was in a given sample of about ten people (that is, ten people that I knew who I told about my show), maybe two of them would actually listen. And of those two, perhaps only one, if that, actually became a fan. I was quite surprised by this revelation as it was happening. It wasn’t that I wasn’t good enough, or that what I was saying wasn’t good. It was just that, in reality, we don’t get to choose our fans when we are doing something in the spotlight. In fact, I found that the vast majority of the people who became my fans I didn’t even know. They were from all over the place—different towns, different counties. In the city and out in the country.