TEMPORARY

Years ago I had a crown put on one of my teeth.  Shortly after, a piece of it chipped off.  For years I have lived with it.  It never bothered me and it wasn't noticeable to others.

But my dentist knew...and it bothered him.  He wasn't pleased with the materials that were used when he originally did it and he kept telling me to come get it replaced at no charge, since it was a faulty material when it was applied.

Today was my day to start the process of getting it fixed.  

They took an impression of my tooth first, and then proceeded to remove it.  After it was all done, at least for today, I walked out with a TEMPORARY crown.

tem·po·rar·y

ˈtempəˌrerē/

1. 1.

   lasting for only a limited period of time; not permanent.

NOT PERMANENT!

How many times do we go through things where it looks bad, but really it's just temporary?

I'm not minimizing things that are truly lasting and permanent, but even in tough situations, how we react and respond doesn't have to be permanent.

I read the other day about a server at a restaurant who was supposed to be finishing up her 2nd semester of her freshman year in college.  She didn't have enough money to make it past the 1st semester, so she came back home to work and save.  TEMPORARY - NOT PERMANENT.

The story goes deeper into her past where her parents were in an accident and her mom had severe head trauma and, as the article pointed out, dad wasn't fit to raise the kids.
She and her four siblings were split up and bounced around from one foster home to another.  At each stop there were more issues, disappointments, struggles.  TEMPORARY - NOT PERMANENT.

Through ALL of this, she kept her spirits up.  One day a couple of guys came into the restaurant and as she served them, they asked questions about her and her life.  She told them about her parents, the foster home, the family who finally took all of her siblings in and cared for them as their own, about college and wanting to continue when she had the money.  They asked her if she was angry or mad and she said that she had nothing to be angry about and was very blessed.

Turns out, one of the guys graduated from the same college she had attended.  He got out his check book and wrote a sizable check to the college for her tuition.  And then, wrote her another check, directly, for a lot of spending money AND THEN left her a $100 tip! TEMPORARY - NOT PERMANENT!

Here are a couple of action items to implement in your life to help in your TEMPORARY:

• Don't play the victim.  Don't live in self doubt and pity.  You can get out
• Ask yourself, "What do I want to improve, develop or change about my situation?"
• Put together a plan to get out of the TEMPORARY.  
• Maybe you have to do the extra hours or the 2nd job and SAVE the money
• Maybe it's separating yourself from negative influence
• Look to start just ONE thing on your plan that will help you
• Once you do one thing...add another...then another

"What if I do all this Tim, and nothing changes?"  What if you DO them and everything changes?

How bad do you want it?  What are you willing and prepared to do?

YOU.GOT.THIS!

Wherever you are today....whatever situation you find yourself in...remember, it's TEMPORARY - NOT PERMANENT!