The Four Loves

Love—a strong affection for another that enables us to see things from another’s perspective. The Bible commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. According to C. S. Lewis there are four types of love:

·      Storge (empathy bond)—liking someone through the fondness of familiarity, family members or people who relate in familiar ways. An example is the natural love and affection of a parent for their child.

·      Philia—the love between friends who share common values, interests or activities. The friendship between David and Jonathan in the Bible is an example of philia.

·      Eros—sexual love that is not exploitative lustful or rapaciously animal-like.

·      Agape—unconditional “God” love that exists regardless of changing circumstances. This selfless love is a specifically Christian virtue.

What Is Character? The Seven Cardinal Virtues

Character is marked by the following virtues:

1. Wisdom enables us to act rightly using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight.
2. Courage gives us the perseverance and patience to confront fear, agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation to serve God and others. Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, discouragement or personal loss. Physical courage is bravery in confronting death or threat of death.  
3. Temperance marked by self-restraint that enables moderation in all things providing a balanced life-style. Temperance is characterized as the control over excess as expressed through chastity, modesty, humility, self-regulation, forgiveness and mercy that involves limiting an excess of sexual desire, vanity or anger so that we have a balance in our choices Aristotle referred to this balance as the golden mean.
4. Justice, the quality of being impartial or fair, involves a constant and permanent commitment to paying our debts to others and expecting even-handedness in return.
5. Love—a strong affection for another that enables us to see things from another’s perspective. The Bible commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

6. Faith—the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen.
7. Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of a positive outcome. It is a confident expectation for the fulfillment of a cherished desire.

Protecting Time

Many of us who have difficulty refusing others can become President of the Bored Boosters of Buda Boots and Bonnets because we don't have the courage to protect our time. Soon hours upon hours evaporate down our disposal of disappearing dreams.  

Here are a few thoughts on protecting our time:    

• Wasting time volunteering for activities that we don't enjoy engenders resentment, irritability, sloth, and inanity. 
• If we don't control our time, someone else will.
• Sometimes we say "yes" in an attempt to have people like us. 
• At other times needless guilt causes us to say "yes" to time-wasting projects.
• If our values are correct conserving time for our aspirations will help more people than working on a project we don't enjoy.
• It's better to be respected than liked. Saying "no" engenders respect from others. 

Energy Boosters

If the way you move determines the way you feel, and it does, then you might want to try some of these techniques.

1.  Smile--smiling causes all those facial muscles to crinkle upward that cuts off the circulation in the carotid artery a little bit, that stimulates the hypothalamus, that, in turn, impacts the prefrontal cortex that causes endorphins to be released. The neurochemical pathways are a little more complicated than that; nevertheless force those lips into an upward position until those endorphins flood your brain. You'll be invigorated. Guaranteed.

2.  Laugh--out loud.  We all need about 18 belly laughs and day…and if you play golf with me you will have at least 18 (because of my horrible play, not because I’m funny).

3.  Snap your fingers--it boosts your enthusiasm…and causes those dice to roll just right.

4.  Pump your fist…and that putt falls every time

5.  Stand erect…just like you mama said and your droopy mood becomes upbeat.

6.  Square those shoulders soldier and you become bold, brave, unbeatable.

7.  Walk briskly--a cheerful step gives confidence

8.  Talk fast and with inflection--rapid talking increases energy. You can actually energize an entire room when you speak with cadence, tempo, and rhythm.

9.  Wave you arms around to animate your speech.

10.  Look up and you'll feel emboldened.

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