CHAPTER 1
Introduction To Pip
You might be asking "What is PIP?"
This chapter will give an introduction to Pip!
So go ahead and read away!
But whatever you do, enjoy this day!
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As you already know, our culture, in fact, our world is filled with acronyms. Some are so common that we all almost think of them as words. Here are just a few examples. We just say or write the IRS. I'm so use to that acronym that I had to stop and think just now what IRS stands for. It, as we know, is an acronym for Internal Revenue Service.
I think we just use the letters FBI. That, of course, means Federal Bureau of investigation. Permit me one more. CEO means Chief Executive Officer. The CEO of a company is the head or the leader of the company. You've got me going with these acronyms. I'd kind of enjoy seeing how many of them I could state, but for your sake, my reader, I will stop here. I challenge you to go ahead and think of five more. I'm going to do the same right now.
I have for fun titled this book PIP. PIP is an acronym standing for:
Personal Improvement Program.
The major idea or theme in this book is that we are all on a journey through life. My suggestions in the chapters that follow are that we all keep PIPPING. In other words, I am recommending that we keep Personally Improving. That is, from birth until death we might want to keep learning, improving, and growing, if I can use the word growing meaningfully!
Now, then, permit me to be very clear. This book, in no way, is meant to tell you what to do or how to live. In fact, it is meant to encourage you to follow your own path through life. In other words to keep PIPPING from birth until death. Thus, have your own Personal Improvement Program. So that's my friendly recommendation to myself and to others. That is, keep Pipping throughout life.
The chapters that follow are just my thoughts and suggestions. Please do your own thinking, and follow your own life's path. I will be doing the same thing.
Often as we travel through our lives others tell us what to do. Sometimes we find their suggestions to be helpful and meaningful. If so we should be comfortable following their advice.
Then there will be times that what others wish you to do you do not agree with them. In those cases you should follow your own direction. That direction being yours internally.
Now there certainly could be circumstances where advice from the outside would be better to follow, so you should follow it. But note: you have made the internal decision to follow whatever it is that you think is a good idea. So you are using internal guidance even in cases like I just mentioned.
Let me reiterate, (hey! there's a word I seldom use,) practice doing your own thinking. Then, follow that thinking of yours. Be free to learn from your thinking and from your actions. Thus, based on your thinking and learning go right ahead and keep improving.
I must be very clear before terminating this exciting chapter. What is coming in this book will be thirteen more chapters.
Those chapters are simply suggestions and ideas for you to think over. I am not, once again, I am not telling you what to think or what to do. You should decide that based on your own life.
Chapter Summary
This book is titled PIP. That means Personal Improvement Program. The word Personal is mighty important. It means you should be in charge of your life, your thinking, and behaving. The outside world should not control you. So trust yourself, do your own thinking, have confidence in your thinking. We've gotten off to a good start, so I will proceed to chapter two, namely Enjoy Every Moment.
As I said at the opening of this chapter called PIP, I hope to start each chapter with a poem that sums up what the main theme of the chapter will be. That's something I enjoy about poetry. You can say so much in so few words. Now the danger in saying so much in a few words is that one could get misinterpreted. First, I hope my poems do not get misinterpreted, and second I hope that the chapter following the poem will clarify everything and add to the chapter.
So we'll start each chapter with a poem. Because one absolutely wonderful gift God has given us, is the ability to laugh, each chapter shall end with a riddle or with a joke. They are to encourage laughing, and laughter tends to help us all function more positively and effectively. One additional guideline when it comes to being humorous! Every joke in this book will be uplifting and positive. There are jokes out there that I strongly am against. Those are jokes that downgrade people. For instance, there are jokes about blonde ladies that indicate they lack intelligence. First, that is hogwash, blonde ladies are intelligent. Second there are jokes about different cultures, polish people for instance. They indicate that Polish people aren't too smart. First, Polish people are smart; second, our humor should definitely elevate people and let them know they are intelligent. We'll get to more of that in a later chapter.
Chapter Humor
Chapter Homework!
Each evening before you go to bed I would like you to eat a spoonful of shoe polish and a bite of yeast.
You may be wondering why I would make such an assignment!!!
Well, here's the answer. If you have a spoon of shoe polish and a bite of yeast before going to bed, in the morning you will "rise and Shine". I dare you to try it!
CHAPTER 2
Enjoy Each Moment
ENJOY THE MOMENT
Enjoy the moment if you will,
Happiness your heart each moment should fill.
Keep God with you all the way,
Keep Him with you night and day!
In a sense each moment is a gift,
So use each moment your life to lift,
Fill each moment with joy and zest,
That will help you to do your best!
So off I go to follow my advice,
To myself and to others I'll try to be nice!
So here is what I am now confessing,
I'll try my best to make each moment a blessing!
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The main idea that I hope to discuss in this chapter is that we might make a commitment to enjoy each moment of our life. As I think about the above statement, I am aware that life does have its ups and downs. There are times filled with joy and other times that might be sad or disheartening. However, I guess what I am trying to say in terms of Enjoying Life is that we should focus our minds and feelings on enjoying the moment. That's something that I shall practice doing. Again, that is, to enjoy whatever and whereever we are at during any given time. Thus, while eating dinner, talking with a friend, waiting for a bus on a cold winter day, it is still possible to focus on the joy of the moment.
Five years and eight months ago my wonderful wife Laura left for Heaven. Shortly after that my daughter Amy read me a book called something like:
The Present Is Your Present.
The thought in the book was that we have been given a present, that present is the present. The notion in the book is that we should take that present, again the present, and make the most of it. Thus, enjoy your present, think of it as a present. What a powerful concept!
I will call Amy today and find out the name and author of the book.
There is my suggestion for this chapter. Maybe you'll find it of some value. I shall focus my being on enjoying the moment.
What is being suggested in this chapter is the idea that we might make life Fun. If we are concentrating on enjoying the moment, then life here on this planet for us cannot help but be fun. So if we are out taking a walk, watching television, doing the washing, if we think about it we can have fun. If I were young again and in say fifth grade, I would put forth an effort to have a good time in every class. What exciting fun it could have been to learn the multiplication tables, to find out about the countries in this great world, or learn about nouns and verbs.
Do You Remember Me
Perhaps this is a strange way to tell you one of the most wonderful Enjoy The Moment stories of my life, but I shall tell it to you. I personally find stories that are touching, personal, or perhaps romantic fascinating and thrilling. So here I go!
On Memorial Day in 1954 I was a junior at Michigan State University. A student group from People's Church spent the weekend canoeing down the Au Sabo River up north in Michigan. I and my girlfriend went together for the adventure. It turned out to be an adventure! It ended our relationship. At the time I was so sad and hurting.
Upon getting back to East Lansing, I went in the living room in the College House which was connected to the church. At the table was an 18 year old freshman girl. We had a pleasant and friendly talk for probably fifteen or twenty minutes. Her name was Laura, by the way.
Now jumping forward six years with this story to June of 1960. I was attending summer school pursuing my teaching certificate. I was quietly sitting in the Union cafeteria by myself eating lunch. All of a sudden sort of out of nowhere there was a young lady standing to my immediate right.
She pleasantly said, "Do you remember me?" I said something like, "I'd better, since you remember me!" After a little discussion I did remember her.
Those four words "do you remember me?" started a whole new adventure for us both. That adventure lasted 47 years and 11 months.
Permit me to return to the purpose of this wonderful story. What seemed back on Memorial Day in 1954 to be a really sad occurrence in my life led to the greatest friendship, love, and marriage I could have had. I personally believe that God had Laura waiting their for me.
The bottom line of this story and the main idea of this chapter is the notion that WHATEVER OCCURS IN One's LIFE interpret as being something for the good. Construe it with such an outlook that you view it as opening the door to real good things. Let me reiterate, there's a word I seldom use, so reiterating regardless of what is occurring in one's life be sure to enjoy it internally. Make the best of it and keep joy in your heart.
Summary
My suggestion in this chapter is simple, but so, so important at least to me. It is:
Enjoy each and every moment. Think of the present as a present from God!
Chapter Humor:
Question: Why did the turkey cross the road twice?
Answer: To show that he wasn't a chicken!
CHAPTER 3
Be Self-Confident
Be Confident
In order to function as I should,
To myself I must be good.
I must be confident with my every thought,
This is wisdom that I should have been taught!
Confidence is a great attribute,
To a wholesome life it's truly the route.
I must be confident with my every feeling.
When it comes to confidence, there's no wheeling, no dealing!
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This chapter will have two main topics. First, we will consider what I mean by self-confidence. Then, we will explore some ways or techniques for developing self-confidence. I think that this chapter and the last chapter on enjoying the moment, for me, are the two most important chapters in this book. If we can make it a habit to ENJOY EVERY MOMENT, and to be CONFIDENT one's life will move forward in a happy way. Please note that the words ENJOY and CONFIDENT are in capital letters. Moreover, enjoying the moment and being confident will permit us and allow us to function at our best. That is, to live with joy and to use our God given abilities to their fullest extent.
I just read the above and I am aware that I originally mistitled the Chapter. At first I titled it Be Confident. I just went to the top of this chapter and renamed it. The new title is BE SELF-CONFIDENT. Thus I have added the word Self. What I am inferring in the chapter title is that we should develop our own confidence. That is, our confidence should be internally developed and not dependent upon external development.
I must be careful to be clear, we certainly can learn from outside sources, but we should personally decide what is right or what is best for us individually. Again, we should think for ourselves and not allow others to think for us, or control us. Our thinking and controlling should be internal not external.
This chapter has been written now of quite some time, but I have decided to add this, what I think, is an important paragraph. Throughout my life I have been trying to find the path to happiness, fulfillment, and confidence. At Michigan State I took classes in philosophy, effective living, psychology, and so forth. I was seeking the answers to being happy, joyful, and confident. I guess my as sumption being that the answers come from the outside. If I were to teach such a class, my aim and my goal would to be to help and to encourage each student to:
First, be happy, confident, and comfortable where they are, at any given time.
Second, keep growing and learning and finding fulfillment and joy in your life as it is at THIS MOMENT.
Third: Keep life enjoyable, exciting, peaceful, and adventurous.
Fourth: Do your own thinking and trust yourself, be confident.
Now, what do I mean by self-confidence. I could go to the dictionary and look it up, or I could check what other authors have to say. I may do that also, but for now I want to tell you what I am trying to convey when I say we all should develop self-confidence. Please wish me well.
Here's what I am expressing when I talk about Self-confidence.
1. We should be our own guide. We should think for ourselves and believe and trust our own thinking. What an exciting way to live!
2. Thus, the outside world should not be in charge or control of our thinking about ourselves.
3. Right from the beginning we should be taught and we should learn to follow our own unique path in life.
So! do your own thinking and feeling. Trust and believe in yourself. Be your own guide. In other words, be internally directed. Do your own thinking. Believe in yourself.
Now it is on to the second part of this chapter. That is, ideas and techniques for developing and building confidence in yourself. What follows will be suggestions that may be helpful. You may have additional ideas and thoughts for building self-confidence. Use all and any techniques that you find helpful and of value. Remember, keep having fun and enjoying each moment.
Ideas And Techniques For Being Self-confident
My first suggestion and it is basic or fundamental. Any other ideas that I may mention will be built on this single suggestion. So! get ready, here it comes!
Watch with great care what you say to yourself. Say and think to yourself words that are positive and confidence building. Build confident, joyful, and happy words into your internal thinking. Think words that are confidence building. Eliminate any negative words that you say to yourself or to others about yourself. Perhaps you will allow me to write some positive statement that hopefully will lead to our being confident and peaceful. Please just think about what follows, and then perhaps use them in your thinking, or use similar thoughts that work better for you.
1. I am a confident person.
2. I am capable.
3. I can do what I decide to do.
4. I am proud of what I do all through the day.
5. I focus my mind on enjoying each moment.
6. I enjoy myself.
7. I enjoy being with others.
8. I keep God with me constantly.
Now, let me talk with you about the last statement. In terms of God being with me constantly, that has been a journey for me. I'd like to explain all that to you, my reader, but the emphasis in this chapter is on building confidence. Maybe I'll conclude this book with a chapter about God's importance in my life and the complex trail I followed in the development of opening my heart to God. Let me just say at this point, God has guided me throughout my life and I am so grateful. As I've digressed to talk about God and my friendship with him-her I have decided to end this book with a chapter telling you about how important God has been in my life even when I was not aware of God's presence and guidance.
Permit me to digress for a moment. (There's a word I like to use, but seldom get a chance, the word digress!)
Second, focus your thinking and your feeling on the right now. Live in the present. Enjoy the present. This does not mean that you won't look backward or forward, it emphasizes being in the now. Let the past have a positive influence on your present and your future. In terms of the past evaluate things that took place and enjoy the positive experiences. As for the negative or the experiences that put limits on you, override them and change your outlook so they help you do better right now and in the future.
Back six years ago my wonderful wife Laura passed away. My daughters and I went through a great deal of difficulty as we missed her ever so much. My daughter Amy read me a book called something like the present is a present. That book said so much. I will talk with Amy and get the exact name of the book. It might be of interest to some of you.
Personally, I do look at my past. If I could go back and do things differently I would, but most importantly, the past is a life trail that I am on. I try to make that trail better and more exciting and meaningful as I go.
Thirdly, load your mind with words and pictures that are positive and loaded with happiness and fun. So monitor continually your thoughts and your feelings. Find the good in every experience, and build your immediate and distant future on good thinking and picturing in the present.
Before concluding this chapter I have an urge to share a personal story with all of you. It is a life story about Iggy Conrad and Fendley Collins. Please do not loose sight of the notion that they were both highly important in my life, and I thank God for both of them.
