Great Lakes Region Youth of Unity

By: Clay Kinson

Date: 9-6-2010

Fun Fact: The very first monorail in the western hemisphere was the one in the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland.

Quote: “There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do”  

Bible Quote: "There is no fear in love, and perfect love casteth out fear."  John 4:18

Affirmation: *Special, fill-in-the-blank affirmation.  Decide, then say out loud*  "Today, I want to feel ____ and therefore I am ____!

Goal for the week: Make a "To Stop" list.  We often spend lots of time creating lists for the things we need to do, but rarely do we reflect on the things that aren’t working. So create a list of all the things that are sucking away your energy and are wasting your time.  Then next time you go to do one of those things, just don't.  Simple as that.

Food for thought: An elephant can lift in excess of a ton of weight with just its trunk. Still an elephant is conditioned to stay in one place with a weak rope and a stake. Only a small rope tied to its front leg holds an elephant. No chains, no cages. It is obvious that the elephant can, at anytime, break away from its bonds but for some reason, it does not. The reason is that, when the elephant is a baby and much smaller, it is tied to a strong chain and strong tree. The baby is weak but the chain and tree are strong. The baby is not used to being tied, so it keeps tugging and pulling the chain, in vain. A day comes when it realizes that all the tugging and pulling will not help and it gives up, thinking that it cannot break away from the bond. It stops and stands still. And when the baby elephant becomes the mighty giant elephant, he is tied with a weak rope and a small stake. The elephant could with one tug, walk away free, but it goes nowhere because it has been conditioned to believe that it cannot break away. It believes that the rope can still hold it, so it never tries to break free. Like the elephants, we also go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before. We are also being held back by old beliefs and avoid trying something new because of a limiting belief about ourselves. Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt.  Choose not to accept false boundaries and limitations created by the past.

Regional Team News: Hey everyone!  Ben and I continue to sculpt and chisel Fall Retreat with our bare hands.  School's has started or is starting for most of us and we're getting nice and excited for the year.  We hope you are all having a great start to yours.

With love, Clay.