Putting the Treat in Retreat

Putting the Treat in Retreat 

Photo by: John (flickr: Puzzler4879)

Sometimes you just have to get away.   

Whether it's leaving the office for a walk around the block, going on a family vacation, or taking a long drive just following your nose, everyone needs the refreshing release of time away.

Then there's the special spirit achieved through a retreat.

Retreats take on a different flavor than simply offering a way to get some distance between you and the daily grind.  While it's true that a well-crafted retreat does mean reducing the boil of a hectic, overburdened and stressful life to a more easily handled simmer, it goes a little further.  While a retreat does lower the volume and settle the brainwaves, bringing a greater sense of calm and peace, it doesn't stop there.

A valuable retreat - as it performs the expected duty of bringing relaxation - at the same time engages your mind, taking advantage of this time of calm and clearer thinking, to open you up to the possibility of new ideas and new behaviors.

The best retreats expand your life, even as they expunge the things that have been holding you back.  It's a remarkable blending of thoughts, experiences, and outcomes.  And it all starts with your mind, applying a willingness to explore, understanding your story and thinking of ways to shift it toward a healthier attitude - one based on a foundation of love, not fear.

The philosopher Bertrand Russell once famously said, "Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so."  Unfortunately, he was right.  What a waste.  What a shame.  But what an opportunity to instead do it right.

How you think determines how you live.  Give your mind a well-deserved rest and a well-earned jump-start.  Think about taking a Center for Victory retreat.  The rest of your life will thank you. 

Be Well,

Eric

SAVE THE DATE!  CFV 2014 Spring Retreat    Are you ready to take that time you need to retreat and recharge?     We invite you to join us this spring to experience the life-changing and empowering Center For Victory Retreat.  It's a time of rest, renewal and refreshing that you won't want to miss!     Tentative Dates:  Thursday, May 8 - Saturday May 10, 2014   Location: Pittsburgh, PA   *To learn more about CFV Retreats: Click Here for Retreat Website Page Click Here for Retreat Sample Brochure    *If you are interested in attending this retreat or hosting one please contact us at:  customerservice@centerforvictory.com

Leave that "D" Behind

 Leave that "D" Behind 

  

Photo By: Jiva

Up here in the Northeast, winter can be a cruel old codger.

Most seasons, we don't get a walloping huge snow dump all at once.  That would be tough enough to cope with.

No, instead we get an inch one day, then two inches the next day, then another inch the day after that.  It's those day-after-day increments that start to wear on you after a while.  The snow never seems to go away.  It's the relentlessness of it that bothers people.

The same thing happens in our relationships, the decisions we make and the actions we take.

Studies have shown that anger can remain in our minds and our emotional makeup for up to five days.  In other words, once you get angry, it can take five days for that boil to come back down to a simmer.

Think about that.  You may tell yourself, "Well, I usually only get mad once or twice a week."  But even at that pace, the anger never truly subsides.  It's like that day-after-day snowfall.  The anger never goes away, it never leaves you, either at the psychological or physiological level.  Simply put, even if you only get angry once or twice a week, that still means you are always angry.

Who would choose to live like that?

The message here is not that it's always bad to express anger.  Sometimes that's the most appropriate response.  But realizing the overlapping effect of repeated bursts of anger - even when they seemingly occur far apart - should cause us to consider the effects, and whether alternative options should be pursued.

The trick is to look inward.  Try to minimize the impact of external sources of stress.  The only person you can truly control and influence consistently is you.  The decisions you make about how to react to external impulses affect you most directly. 

It only takes one letter to go from "anger" to "danger."  Leave that "D" behind.

Be Well,

Eric 

Goodbye If Only's, Hello 2014!

 If Only 

  

It's the oldest trick in the book. 

Photo By: Jeff Van Campen

"If only I had (fill in the blank), then I could be happy."

More money.  Better friends.  A bigger house.  A nicer car.  A boss who wasn't such a jerk.  Kinder neighbors.  The list is endless - and for a very good reason.

None of those external things can ever fix the real problem.  The one in the mirror.

By looking outward, by constantly and exclusively blaming other people or things or circumstances for your troubles, you're only delaying the chance for any real, meaningful, lasting improvement and growth.

Your biggest issue - and, at the same time, your biggest chance to get lifted up to a better life - is you.  People typically don't like to hear this sort of truth-telling.  It's so much easier to point fingers, cast blame, and complain about the unfairness of it all.

Well, here's some more tough love - life's not fair.  But when you take personal responsibility for your actions, your attitude, your confidence, your willingness to sacrifice for other people's benefit, and your decision to take control of your own story, life doesn't need to be "fair" anymore. 

Instead, it can become a place where you can at last be comfortable in your own skin.  Where the issue of "fairness" becomes a non-issue, because fairness by its very definition requires that you constantly compare yourself with others.  There's no need for that.  There's no benefit to that.  There's no time for that.

Take stock of your strengths, and build on them.  Appreciate the sources of love and hope and joy in your life, and cherish and protect them.  See what - or who - is dragging you down, and get away from them.  Life's too short to be anything but happy.

The person in the mirror would agree.  Have an honest talk with him or her.  You'll see.  Then adopt the changes to make and keep that happiness front and center in this new year.

  

Be Well,

~Eric

Thank You!

Thank You! 

2013 KENYA TRIP

"Promoting Healing: Transforming 

the Inside to Champion the Outside"

 

Just wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for all the thoughts, prayers, donations, and well wishes from our recent trip to Kenya.  It was a huge success once again this year.  We were able to add an additional person to the team, offer more days of training, and impact almost 6,000 kids.  We've included some pictures and testimonials from some of the participants to give you a glimpse of some of the things we had the privilege of experiencing.  Thank you again for all your support. It is greatly appreciated. We have tentatively set another trip for Kenya next November.  So, if you are interested in being part of the next group, please give us a call or email.  

 Here are some testimonies from some of the participants' experiences of the training: 

- "Since I started this session, my life has changed so much because right now I am revived.  I truly understand what these children go through in their lives.  I am in a better position to handle them in a better way now.  I have lived in hatred but now I feel so much love within me."

- "I now understand the importance of children needing to feel loved and appreciated.  I will always let them come closer and closer to me, when they are good or bad.  I will also let them be encouraged to feel free to express their feelings, share their experiences and their wants, needs, and desires. Never again will I forget to embrace them and tell them of their importance."

 

- "It has been a great thing to have this training at this moment that we direly need to help the vulnerable children we work with.  It has been a healing process and an eye opener to me and this will be passed on to the entire community that I deal with."

- "What doesn't kill you will definitely make you stronger. This turned out to be the best thing that has ever happened in my life.  I am now stronger than ever and ready to better serve the children.  I have received unconditional love and I wish life would be like this always.  Thank you Eric and team."

 

Once again, thank you and may you experience a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!

 

Be Well,

~Eric