Honesty- How hard is it?

Well folks, I know I haven't posted in a while, and for that I am sorry. I was struggling with fitting posting into my schedule, because I wasn't scheduling my time properly and I have been fighting to overcome years of doing absolutely no planning ahead and spending more time watching television then I was doing things that can truly matter and hopefully change lives.  In my few weeks away, I have done some soul searching and re-evaluating what really matters and deciding to set some personal goals for myself and figuring a personal mission statement for me and my family.  I will tell you about my personal goals.  I have set 7 different goals for myself so that my life is in balance and them by setting these goals, I have had to figure out what obstacles are in my way and what changes need to be made in my life to overcome those obstacles.  I based my 7 goals off of the teachings of Zig Zigler, and if you listen to his podcast, he does have an inspiring podcast and advice.  While I don't see eye to eye with everything Zig has to say, I respect his opinion and he does make some wonderful and life changing points.  If you haven't heard of Zig before, he has a podcast called Inspiring Words of Encouragement.  It is something good to listen on the work, to the store, or a walk around the block.  So here are my goals and I will also put which part of my life they pertain

John's Goals
1) Financial- Be debt free by 2014
2) Social- Take Brandi out with a new couple each month
3) Physical- You should know this but get my weight down to 240
4) Intellectual- Read one non fiction book each month
5) Spiritual- Read one chapter of the bible each night and prayer more
6) Family- Spend 3 more hours outside together and reduce TV by 5 hours per week
7) Career- Write my book by next year while being the best GM for CNW

My Personal Mission Statement- With the love of my family, friends, and God, I will inspire hope in others to help change the world for the betterment of all

Hopper Family Mission Statement-  Thru love, understanding, and genuine care for others, we will change the world one person at a time.


Now while this may seem silly or pointless to some people out there, I believe in changing myself for the better and by writing down my goals and the statement that I and my family live by, I can always refer to it when I make a decision about anything that would reflect on myself or my family.  I have found that it is the first step to being honest with yourself, which leads to be honest with others.  Now I understand that telling "white" lies to spare someones feelings can seem like a good thing, it never is at all. I have told my share, actually more than my share of white, black, little and Huge lies in my life trying to spare feelings or to do my best to keep my own butt out of trouble.  The problem with the lie is that you have remember the lie, remember every detail and prayer that no one ever looks into the lie.  If they do, then you have to  lie to cover up that lie.  Your stress level goes up and your health goes down quickly.  Stress will drag your health to the gutter faster than eating fast food will because it causes sleeplessness, binge eating, and just poor decisions overall.  Trust me, it is not worth it.  By being honest and truthful up front, you never have to stress about being discovered, don't have to remember the details, and you won't lose sleep, because the truth is just that freeing. You tell the truth and you can just relax

Honesty is not only telling the truth, but also respecting others for their opinions and having an agree to disagree mentality.  You can't change what others change, they can only change for themselves.  While some people are so far out there with their belief systems and values, we do live in the land of the free where the brave fight and, if called upon, die to protect our freedoms and our lives.  That is the truly beautiful and awe inspiring thing about our country.  We don't believe just one thing.  We accept many different beliefs and use those that we agree with to form our own, truly individual belief system and our own values.  We can also change our values and beliefs as our lives change and we adapt to new situations.  Now tell me, what other country can you live in with this kind of freedom to live your life?

So in being honest with you, my readers, I can tell you that I find inspiration as I am writing this, and I have figured out how to write my blog 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), write 2 pages a night on my book, and exercise.  I can walk and do my cardio workout before typing my blog and then use my weight lifting time to focus on my book.  While it may not be the world's greatest book, I find the writing of it liberating and I hope it will help me start to lift people up.

So tell me honestly, Do you find this blog help to you and what other topics would you like to see me help search the lost truths for you in your life?