Don't mistakenly live your life with the belief that you know everything there is to know. Remember, just because you are a "fully grown" man or woman, does not mean that you don't have lots of growing left to do. I know you are smart, educated, motivated and self-assured; yet, there will always be people who can share valuable information that will be of assistance to you. You must, however, be open-minded enough to receive it. Here is a sad reality- Many individuals will remain failures in their lives because of their pride, arrogance and unwillingness to adhere to the wisdom of others. In order to avoid this detrimental and all-too-common mistake, you must ask yourself, "Do I want to be proud, or do I want to be productive?" If you are not beyond the point of wanting more out of life, then drop your defenses so you can learn!

It Makes No Sense to Starve in a Kitchen Full of Food

Do you know that many people settle for the appearance of success rather than the real thing? We buy cars, houses, clothes and gadgets we cannot afford, in order to convince others that we have it all together. We waste valuable time and money in order to gain the approval of those who can do nothing to secure our future. That's pretty sad right?

If you want to experience true productivity, at some point you are going to have to take off your mask and receive help. One of my favorite instructors says, "It makes no sense to starve in a kitchen full of food; and, it is equally ridiculous to die of thirst when you're right next to a well full of water." If you do not admit that you are hungry, you will not be fed. If you do not confess that you are broken, you cannot be mended. If you refuse to say that you are ignorant, you will never be taught. You must decide what you want out of life, and then become willing to do what it takes to possess it.

Here's 5 Things worth jotting down!

1.) I am not always right.

2.) I still have a lot to learn.

3.) My failures are representations of my need to change.

4.) Some individuals are able to see things in me that I cannot see.

5.) I must remain open to correction and guidance in order to excel.

How to become F.A.T.

You don't get fat overnight, right? It is a gradual progression that usually happens as a result of certain repeated behaviors. Keeping this idea in mind, I want to share the four phases you must go through before you can become flexible, adaptable and teachable (F.A.T.).

Phase I-Admission

Admit (confess) that you are out of control in certain areas of your life and that you have only been pretending to be in control. We all have areas like this in our lives, whether we confess it or not. Before you can be helped, you must admit that you need it! This is often the most difficult step, because it forces you to be painfully honest with yourself. Essentially, you must come out of denial and finally say "I have jacked some stuff up and everything is not okay!" The key to successfully completing this phase is accepting total responsibility for your current predicament. Don't blame anything or anyone else.

Phase II-Permission

Permit (allow) yourself to acknowledge and accept the reality of your situation. It is possible to know that something is true and still refuse to deal with it. If you do not make a decision to confront your issues, you will inevitably slip back into denial. You will do one, or all of three things:

1. Minimize the severity of the problem(s)

2. Justify the existence of the problem(s)

3. Ignore the problem(s) altogether

Phase III-Submission

Submit (surrender) yourself to the process of receiving help. This stage can be quite difficult as well. You must subvert your pride, give up control and humble yourself. Ouch! Submission forces you to revisit the first two phases we discussed: Admission and Permission. You have to admit all over again that you have failed, and then permit someone to help you improve. It is so crucial at this stage to surround yourself with strong, wise, and worthy individuals who will tell you the truth whether you like it or not! Let me warn you. There will be times that you will be angry with those who are attempting to help you. You must not disconnect from them; otherwise, you will remain in the same condition. Even when it gets tough, submit! Submit! Submit! Here are three examples of things that you will say about the individuals who are assisting you:

1. They cannot relate to my situation.

2. They do not understand me.

3. They are attacking me.

You will believe that there is validity to your complaints, but there is not; you are simply resisting the discomfort of change.

Phase IV-Remission

Remit (stop) the negative thinking and behavioral patterns. This is where it gets good. After you decide to submit to an alternate way of assessing and dealing with your issues, it becomes

much easier to abandon these old, destructive, and habitual behaviors that landed you in this predicament to begin with. You can only experience remission if you wholeheartedly commit to successfully completing stages one through three. You know what they say, "no pain, no gain!"

Conclusion

This article is so important because many individuals claim to be flexible, adaptable and teachable, when in fact they are resistant to correction and advice. Very often we mistakenly believe that we are right, even when our course of action is producing negative results in our lives; and results never lie! As you apply the lessons contained in this article, here is something I want you to keep in mind. I am not advocating that you become subservient to abusive, toxic and tyrannical authority. I've experienced my fair share of that and I don't recommend it! There are, however, wise and worthy individuals who are able to help you experience more productivity in your life. Make sure that your mentors are trustworthy and qualified to influence your thinking. ©2006 Hobbs Ministries. All rights reserved.