Divine Ripples

Dec 31, 2009

How to Overcome Procastination

Fix the root cause:

1. Procrastination due to dislike of an activity

If you procrastinate because you don’t like a task, look for ways to increase task appeal such as:

Make it into a game, and keep score.
Make it into a game, competing with others.
Listen to upbeat music while doing it. Schedule a reward immediately after you complete it.

2. Procrastination due to overwhelm
If you’re avoiding a task because it is lengthy and overwhelming, then “divide and conquer”:

Break the large task into separate, short-term segments.
Then check off each segment as an accomplished short-term task.

3. Procrastination due to inertia
If you procrastinate because you have difficulty initiating a task, create something to react to. Tasks that can be reacted to are easier to begin than those that you must initiate yourself.

Work on the task with others – then you can react to their questions, emails, etc.
Establish a deadline with your supervisor.

4. Procrastination due to lack of organization
Sometimes we procrastinate on beginning a large project because we haven’t organized the task and don’t know where to start. If you can’t seem to get a project organized:

Think through the task.
Talk with your supervisor or collaborators to plan it.
Break the larger task into do-able segments.
Create a list of resources and supplies needed to accomplish the task.
Create a timeline for the task.
Then schedule the first segment of the task.
Create an email or text reminder for this segment.

5. Procrastination on difficult tasks
Not all tasks can be made easy, but if you find a task particularly difficult, you must analyze how it can become easier.

Do you need help?
More training?
More practice?
More assistance from other?
Analyze what is making the task so difficult, and then get the help you need to succeed.

6. Procrastination at certain times of day
More challenging tasks should be done at whatever time of day you seem to feel more focused and energetic. Take note of your daily rhythms, and then try to schedule the most avoided tasks for the time of day when you’ll have more energy to tackle them.

from http://skoach.com/blog/6-ways-to-combat-procrastination.html?utm_source=Constant&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NL30Dec09

It's really Christmas for 12 days and the symbols in that song.

In the Catholic Church, the Christmas season starts on the evening before Christmas Day and lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - celebrated on the Sunday after the Feast of the Ephany (January 6th).

This is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus hence the song "Twelve Days of Christmas". The gifts are symbolic as follows:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree: Jesus Christ
Two Turtle Doves: The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens: The Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity)
Four Calling Birds: The Four Gospels / The Four Evangelists
Five Golden Rings: The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch”
Six Geese a-Laying: The Six Days of Creation
Seven Swans a-Swimming: The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Seven Sacraments
Eight Maids a-Milking: The Eight Beatitudes
Nine Ladies Dancing: The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten Lords a-Leaping: The Ten Commandments
Eleven Pipers Piping: The Eleven Faithful Apostles
Twelve Drummers Drumming: The Twelve Points of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

H/T to A Roman Catholic Cop

Dec 30, 2009

Video: Rick Warren on Obama, Jobs, Healthcare, Abortion, Holocaust

Rick Warren discusses Obama's responsibility and the current challenges in America today.

source http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=1c9822d6706c63a33256
Excerpts:
I am neither left nor right wing; I am for the whole bird - America.
What stewardship of influence is for those without a voice.
Any 16 year old boy who bought a condom knows when life begins.
46 million Americans are not here; that's a holocaust.
I am not pro-life; I am whole life. We need to expand the agenda after the child is born.

(updated) Terrorist peed on the fuse; Bullies and wuss; Getting ready to die in DC

Underwear terrorist peed on the fuse.

I think the underwear terrorist could have done a lot of damage if his bomb worked. He must have peed on the fuse. But now I see posts blaming Bush for that. While Bush was in office, nothing of the sort happened since 9/11; and the man has been away for a year now. So, how can he or his administration be responsible for this? Oh and get this, Janet Napolitano said that "The system worked." I don't think it was the system that caused the wardrobe malfunction. So, I beg to differ.

Bullies Respect Only Power.

Character and personality studies have determined that the aggressive type understand and respect courage and power. A bully will stop pushing someone around only if he knows that he can and will be pushed back. He does not respond to the nice guy approach because he thinks that is acquiescence and cowardice. Would there still be an Israel today if they apologized to their neighbors and bowed to every sovereign king around them?

Exercise for a Happy Death

St. John Bosco had this practice with his students. It consisted of a monthly recollection of the 4 last things: Death, Judgment, Heaven & Hell and the sacrament of confession. Death, than which nothing is more certain; Judgement, than which nothing is more strict; Hell, than which nothing is more horrible; and Heaven, than which nothing is more beautiful!" The idea is to be ready to die anytime. Back in the 19th century, death was more common than today. Living in the outskirts of the nations capital, I somehow feel the need to get ready now more than ever.

Update:

Israeli Airport Security Screens:
It's good, cheap & fast.
Relatively low tech but high touch (not what you think)
Details here: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744426--what-israel-can-teach-us-about-security

Recommendations Given By St. John Bosco To His First Missionaries (Still good & applicable to military & public servants too)

St. John Bosco (front row 2nd left) with his first missionaries

Winning hearts and minds

One in heart and soul

Recommendations Given By St. John Bosco To His First Missionaries

1. Seek souls and not money, honor or dignities.

2. Be charitable and most courteous towards all, but avoid conversations and familiarity with persons of the other sex or with persons whose conduct is open to suspicion.

3. Do not go visiting, except for motives of charity or necessity.

4. Do not accept invitations to dinner, except for very grave reasons. In such cases arrange for a confrere to accompany you.

5. Take special care of the sick, of the young, of the old and of the poor; and you will win the blessing of God and the goodwill of men.

6. Show respect towards all persons in authority whether civil or religious.

7. On meeting a person in authority, take care to salute him with due respect.

8. Do the same towards ecclesiastics and persons belonging to religious institutes.

9. Shun idleness and disputes, and observe great moderation in eating, drinking and sleeping.

10. Love, reverence and respect other religious orders and always speak well of them. In this way you will be esteemed by all, and will promote the good of our congregation.

11. Take care of your health. Work well, but only do as much as your strength will allow.

12. Let the world know that you are poor in clothing, food and abode, and you will be rich in the sight of God, and will win the hearts of men.

13. Love one another, advise one another, correct one another, and do not be carried away be either envy or rancor. Let the good of one become the good of all, and let the troubles and sufferings of one be regarded as the troubles and sufferings of all, and let each one strive to banish or at least to mitigate the sorrows of others.

14. Observe your rules, and never forget the monthly Exercise for a Happy Death.

15. Every morning commend to God the occupations of the day, especially lessons, religious instructions and sermons.

16. Constantly promote devotion to Mary Help of Christians, and to the Blessed Sacrament.

17. Recommend to the boys frequent confessions and communion.

18. In order to cultivate ecclesiastical vocations, constantly inculcate: (a) love of chastity; (b) horror of the opposite vice; (c) avoidance of bad companions; and (d) frequent communion. Always be charitable, gentle and kindly towards the boys.

19. Hear both sides before making up your mind regarding reports and matters in dispute.

20. In time of fatigue and suffering do not forget that we have a great reward prepared for us in heaven. Amen

Dec 29, 2009

Pelosi, Church and Senate Healthcare Bill

In an interview with Eleanor Clift, Nancy Pelosi justifies her position and shows her unwillingness to seek the truth despite her bishop’s attempts to correct her. Here are excerpts from that interview and my own comments.

Pelosi: I talked to one of the cardinals. I said to him that I believe that what we are doing honors the principles we talked about: we want to pass a health-care bill, we want it to be abortion neutral, and we want it to [have] no federal funding [for abortion], which is the law. And we believe that our language does that. They said, "We believe that it does not." I said, let's sit down at the table and our lawyers can compare language. That's what the meeting was about—to make our case. Clearly, the people at that table were not willing to accept what we know to be a fact.

When the cardinals said, “We believe that it does not.” She should respond with, “How so?” instead of my lawyers will beat your lawyers in a debate to prove that I am right.

Pelosi: I have some concerns about the church's position respecting a woman's right to choose. I have some concerns about the church's position on gay rights. I am a practicing Catholic, although they're probably not too happy about that.

In other words, she cannot accept the Church’s teaching and guidance on these subjects. A practicing Catholic is someone who abides by the teachings of the Church. Her proclamation is for the interview to give an erroneous perception that one can be a practicing Catholic and reject the Church’s stances.

Pelosi: But it is my faith.

It may be her faith, but it is not the faith of the followers of Jesus. She must have started her own church that we were unaware of.

Pelosi: I practically mourn this difference of opinion because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess

The differences are between her opinion and the objective truth presented by the official teachers which is not an opinion. She needs to seek the truth instead of mourning her divergence from it. And whatever she was raised to believe is being corrected by the bishop, so why is she reluctant to relinquish those errors?

Pelosi:…what I profess, and that is that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions.

The fact that we are endowed with a free will and responsibility to answer for our actions does not affirm that it is correct, moral and good to abort one’s child. Free will is not a license to kill. It is an opportunity to do the right thing without coercion.

Pelosi: And that women should have that opportunity to exercise their free will.

She means that women should be able to choose abortion legally. Should rapists be able to rape legally as an exercise of their free will?

Pelosi: When I speak to my archbishop in San Francisco and his role is to try to change my mind on the subject, well then he is exercising his pastoral duty to me as one of his flock. When they call me on the phone here to talk about, or come to see me about an issue, that's a different story. Then they are advocates, and I am a public official, and I have a different responsibility.

Is she a Catholic public official or a public official who is also Catholic? Then again, if the bishops advocate the rights of the unborn then there is really no difference because that is not just a Catholic thing. It is about the universal and inalienable rights of everyone - born or unborn.

Interview Reference: http://www.newsweek.com/id/227756

By Eleanor Clift | NEWSWEEK Published Dec 21, 2009