READER COMMENTS

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The following are some of the comments I received about this book series.  You may also want to subscribe to my blog. 

• Doyle, of Arkansas, said: “I got the books today. I have a bad habit of reading three or four books at a time so it may take a while.” The next day he said: “I am on page 6 and I have figured out two things: One, I will not be reading any other books for a while; and, two, this is going to be a long journey because I have to stop constantly and make notes. It’s as if you wrote the book to me! And you don’t even know me.  Why is it that you are not a therapist exactly? I have read several self-help books and…I always get something from them, but I am only on page 10 and have gotten more out of it than any other. I think you just have the amazing power to mirror life in general. Once again, thanks so much for writing this book.
• Anna, of TX, said: “I read your book and it helped me with a problem I was having for a long time. The day I took home your book, I put on a pot of coffee and stayed up all night reading. I marked a lot of passages and then read back over them. I cried a lot, but I was able to put things to rest. I was able to close the door on it. Thank you.”
• Carol, of Ohio, said: “God has truly guided you into my life! Do you know you are the only person I’ve found in my entire life who truly ‘understands’ where I’m coming from? I’m reading your book, read more than two-thirds of it. It really is helping me in a lot of areas. You have enough material there to write several books! Do you have training in professional counseling? If not, you’re really good at it.
• Joni, of CA, said: “I read the part about relationships to my friend and it helped him a lot.” He told me that he and his wife are doing better now because of what you said in the book.”
• Terrance, of Utah, said: “I want you to know you served me by what you wrote in the book about seeing parameters and staying in your personal zone.”
• Helen, of TX, said: “It’s a lot of information to take in. That’s good! It’s like the scriptures or conference talks. Sometimes it takes reading it a few times to get all the information.”
• Norma, of TX, said: I’m enjoying reading your book. I especially like the story you told about the snow and living in the mountains.”
• Vern, of TX, said: “There is so much wisdom in this book. I just kept wondering where all this wisdom comes from.”
• Vida, of TX, wrote about the Chapters tilted Protecting Democracy and We Can Do It Together: “I had an experience two days ago that is relevant to these chapters. . . I was serving breakfast to the evacuees [of hurricane Katrina] . . . One of the volunteers was talking when I walked up.  She said, “I have a real problem with this war in Iraq.  All those poor people are doing is trying to defend themselves.”                                                                      I was flabbergasted that anyone could be so naive and could not keep my mouth shut. I responded, ‘I don’t agree. They weren’t defending themselves when the World Trade Center was attacked. They aren’t’ defending themselves when they blow up innocent women and children with suicide bombs.’ Believe it or not. I did not raise my voice or become angry at her [naiveté]. It was great! She said, ‘You’re right.’ I hope that helped her think through what she had been saying — and I am sure I’m not the first person she had told that to.”
• Kathy, of TX, said: “You say some really good things and I like the way you say them. I think your ideas are interesting. The information makes you think.”
• Jerry B., of Texas, said: “I read your book.” I said, ‘That’s good. Did you like it?’ He said: “No, but I needed to hear it.”  Note: Jerry was referring to the bold and plain description in stating the obvious things society has forgotten. I think Jerry saying he needed to hear it is true for most of us because it is easy for us to forget how things were even a year ago, let alone twenty or thirty years ago.
• Jerry is an interesting person and I enjoy him a lot. I enjoy his personality too. I loved how he said, “I read your book” in a monotone voice. And when I asked if he like it, he said in the same monotone voice: “No, but I needed to hear it.” His voice was in my mind for days.

Please understand, there is no question in my mind that this book was first written for me as preparation for personal trials ahead.  Wisdom and inspiration were conveyed to me through my own words. There is no better way for me (and possibly for you as well) to learn wisdom and comprehend important principles than when it comes in this manner!

Do you see the miracle?  The miracle is that I understood the messages IN WHAT I WAS WRITING because I believe it came through inspiration.  I was prepared for the trials when they came because I knew what to do.  Without this knowledge,  I am positive that I would not have made my way through it without first making a myriad of mistakes along the way; and that surely would have made the trial more difficult. This is why I feel compelled to share my experiences with those who read this book. Perhaps something I say will ring true inside some readers who will understand what they need to do as well. 

I AM DOING BETTER

I know I am doing better since I learned to appropriately respond to situations instead of reacting ‘in default’ or out of frustration and emotion. I am an emotional person so most of my responses were emotional.  I hope this statement will be true for you as well.

Ego and emotion cause more damage than anything else when we are “ticked off” about something.  In these situations, we make better choices by responding to negativity in a positive way; doing so changes our perspective, perhaps even our expectations, and help us live a better and more peaceful life.

I know, no matter how hard we try to change our attitude, we still have triggers that set us off; I know sometimes I still do.  And I also know that I need to get a better handle on those triggers so I can say, with all honesty, that I now respond in an appropriate manner more times than not! 

With that being said, my hope is that the lessons described in this book will help you.  What I’ve written reflect what has helped me change my life in a positive way.  I hope what you read helps you as well. 

You Will Learn:

• How to recognize living in a rut and how to change it.
• How to protect peace, joy, and happiness by taking charge of your own life instead of living in default.
• How to overcome adversity that is unavoidable.
• How to handle situations that can damage associations and family relationships.
• How to make choices that resolve problems and are right for the situation.
• How to handle defamation of character when someone puts information about you on the internet.
• How to avoid being pulled into situations by asking the question: "Whose problem is it; yours or mine?"
• How a formula in the book can help prevent situations from turning into chaos and contention within families, friendships, and associations.
• How to appropriately help people without kindness becoming intrusive or debilitating; you want them to be in the "driver seat" of their own life and not yours.

ADHERENCE TO CORRECT PRINCIPLES ARE NECESSARY FOR BEING SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE AND BUSINESS:

• Understand and use correct principles when building a strong foundation for family and business.
• Remain balanced and in alignment with success principles personally and professionally, especially in business ventures.  Most often marriages and businesses fail because people work too hard and for too long. Sometime the focus is set too much on goals and the family’s needs are overlooked.
• Accurate thinking is necessary for being at peace and being happy.
• Use Accurate thinking when setting goals; keeping things in perspective.  Sometimes changing the mindset becomes necessary when staying balanced and in alignment to succeed with correct principles and priorities take priority and being balanced is overlooked.
• Success in life and business come with an understanding of and healthy attitudes about money.
• Living in Abundance comes with attention to finances.  Suzie Orman says: “If we don’t respect money, it will go play with someone who will.”
• Using a budget and following it is a vital key to spending habits being in alignment with income!
• When helping people in our personal life or business, always practice the principle of NOT loaning anything (especially money) that we cannot afford to lose if not given back. Friendships and relationships should not be sacrificed because of something loaned – especially when money was promised to be paid back but was not.
• Escape the rut you’ve been living in if you expect to live a more fulfilling life.  Recognizing the rut and changing it could mean something as simple as taking a different route to work or on the drive home, going someplace different for dinner, or going for a nice drive in the country to take in the sites.
• Living a life with meaning and purpose means slowing down and smelling the roses.
• Protecting Peace, Joy, and Happiness means responding appropriately to situations.
• Taking Charge of Your Life means that YOU are in the driver’s seat of life and not a passenger in someone else’s.
• Overcoming Adversity means recognizing from where the problem is coming. Is the problem coming from the spirit of wanting to do what’s best for the situation or is self-will and ego involved?

I want you to live a happier and more meaningful life by adopting the principles discussed in this book and series that have helped me the past several years.  

I KNOW YOU CAN LIVE  WITH MORE PEACE, JOY, AND HAPPINESS in your life as well when you respond appropriately to situations than by reacting out of emotions and ego (which inevitably cause complications).

This book can help you better understand how to respond to difficult situations without caving in to the emotional aspects of it or by resorting to impulse reaction in default because that is what you have always done.

I know that we may not always respond to situations the way we know we should but eventually, we learn from our mistakes and do better.  Our response will become more natural when we are interested in doing what is best for the situation instead of catering to self-will.

*We react when the response is coming from self-will, retaliation, and “getting even”  for something negatively affecting the ego.  Our response can come from ego when our response is attached to hurt feelings or if commitment is challenged.

*We respond appropriately when the response comes from doing what is best for the situation. The solution comes from an understanding of the problem and “solution-based” actions that agree with a peaceful resolution where hopefully, all parties are satisfied with the outcome.  

Responding in ways that are best for the situation may not always produce the best outcome.  Feelings may be too raw or intense to let the situation settle down,   At that point, walking away from the situation is the best option and approach the subject again when things calm down.

 Judith and her husband married when he came home on a two-week leave from boot-camp. His orders were for a three-year stint in Germany with the United States Air Force. However, the military did not recognize enlisted men’s wives at that time. This meant that, after being married for only a week, he had to leave her behind. She worked two jobs and earned enough money to join him three months later. Their first child was born overseas in a military hospital.

Judith and her husband are married for more than 50 years and have four married children, fifteen grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She enjoys puzzles and coloring with grandchildren,  Her hobbies are oil painting, reading uplifting and self-improvement books, and writing books and blogs. 

Reading good books opened her mind to a completely different world, and she is thankful for the ILD business organization that encouraged her to read from their book list. She feels that has opened up more opportunities for her and where she has obtained wisdom and knowledge.

Judith has taught both adults and children in church for more than forty-five years, and she takes that responsibility very seriously. For the last four years in Washington state, she has taken a break from teaching. Before that, two years in Indiana and three years in Texas, she taught children ages 16 to 18 in Sunday School. As you might guess, she loves the children as if they are her own and is still in contact with some of them.

Being in the military, her husband and she have become world travelers. Together, they have visited Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Nevada, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Washington state, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Wyoming. They have lived in Germany, Idaho, California, Utah, Oregon, Indiana, Texas and now Washington. Her husband also has had orders for a year in Thailand with the military, and subsequent orders for two weeks in the Philippines, Japan, Spain, Guam, and Hawaii. They have retired in Washington state but it will likely be a place that is not too hot or too cold, and live in a house with land and lots of trees.