Liveloveoola

DAY 20: HUMILITY Our prayer for you today is that it would grow more as you do what you were designed by God to do.

Today’s accelerator is something that never goes out of style and brings out the best in you – it’s Humility. A great place to observe humility is in your favorite restaurant. How do you or the people around you treat the people that are serving you? How do you treat others on a daily basis that you are not paid to serve you?

Humility is about putting others ahead of you. It’s about serving others with compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience.

In almost every chapter in Oola for Christians, you see Jesus who is the son of God, serve every person, regardless of their status. He literally shocked even the people closest to him by the degree in which he served all people. He told his disciples, “The Son of man came to serve and not be served.”

On your journey to your OolaLife, have you thought about how you can serve others with the life you have been given? We can see humility at work as thousands of people worldwide share Oola and collect dreams just because they want to make the world a better place. Not everything has to be a grand gesture. It could be simply be saying, “thank you” or “I appreciate you.” to others. Maybe spending time with someone who is struggling or an elderly neighbor who is often alone. What about serving those who offer nothing in return for your kindness? The reality is, serving others is serving Jesus. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

MATTHEW 25:40 We can see humility by the example of Christ as he washed his disciples feet at the Last Supper. Today’s challenge, we want you to wash someone else’s feet ... well in a way. Find someone today that you can humble yourself to serve.

See the Prayer in the comments

DAY 19: PASSION
What is something that you are so passionate about that you would dedicate every waking moment to achieving it?
For us, spreading the message that you are designed by God for greatness and a purpose is something we live and breathe every day. We are passionate about letting the world know that they don’t have to settle for an ordinary life when extraordinary is within them.
As we dive into living our passion, it is crucial to understand that one day you are going to die. We are all given a short time on earth - some longer than others - and this leads to the next question: What will you do with the time you’ve been given?
In writing Oola for Christians, we discovered that Jesus lived with great passion. Not only did He preach and minister for hours upon hours, but His passion for people sustained Him even as He laid down His life for you and I on the cross. Many people attempted to divert His focus but, because He was so passionate, He stayed true to His mission and when we keep our relationship with God as our main passion in life there is no limit to where He can take us.
Today’s challenge will push you outside of your comfort zone on purpose. Once you answer the question we initially asked, we want you to declare it. Post what you are passionate about on Facebook, Instagram, the staff lunch room, the Starbucks community wall or on the fridge for your family and friends to see.
I am passionate about ______________.
By going public, you are pushing away your fear, releasing your passion and declaring what inspires you. Let’s be each other’s biggest fans as we begin to live the life God has created us for.
"We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God."
2 PETER 1:3 PRAYER
God I come to you today and thank you for being so passionate towards me and my life. Your word says you know how many hairs are on our heads and how many tears I have cried. Thank you for caring about all the details that concerns me. I ask that you would ignite and direct my passion towards you. Help me to be about what you are concerned about. Please show me how I can live the reason why I was created. Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains -DAY 18: INTEGRITY
We encourage you to continue to be disciplined as you pursue Oola goals.
For today’s challenge, think back to when you were a kid. Did you ever say, “I pinky promise” or “cross my heart” as you vowed to a friend you would keep your word?
Most people start the year off making resolutions and
promises that a week later are a distant memory.
In fact, only 8% of resolutions we make are kept. Keeping your word to others is important, but so is keeping your word
to yourself. This is integrity. So often this accelerator can be compromised with slight exaggerations, white lies or even wink, wink excuses. When you get down to it, the reality is that integrity isn’t convenient.
When you walk in integrity with God, yourself and with others, then you can accomplish great things.
Today’s challenge is to not break promises to yourself. Start Small. Yes, dream big, but set small goals that become larger as you gain momentum and a belief in yourself. Don’t say, “I’m going to work out three times per day and only eat vegetables and tofu.” It is unsustainable. Set goals that you can keep and then build from there. The goal is progress, not perfection. Once you set a goal and keep that promise to yourself, you build momentum and a belief that anything is possible. So look at your Oola goals and set a tangible mini-goal that you can take a reasonable action step in the next 24 hours that puts you on the path to your big dream.
Today’s challenge is to write that action step down and complete it within 24 hours. In short, keep your word to yourself.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.”
LUKE 16:10PRAYER
God, today I come before you openly and transparently. Search my heart and help me to see where I may not have walked in integrity. Please forgive me for the areas that I have not been truthful or kept my word to myself, others or even you. Help me to let my yes be yes and my no be no. Your word says “Because of my integrity, you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.” God, thank you for loving me through the areas I have fallen short and seeing beyond my faults to who you really created me to be.Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains DAY 17: DISCIPLINE

Today, we will dive deep into the OolaAccelerator that is the glue that will hold your OolaLife together. This is one of the OolaGuru’s favorite accelerators and he often talks about it from stage or on social media.

“What the Lazy want is what the disciplined get.”
Yep, that’s right. Today’s focus is on Discipline. As we look
at our goals, we have to realize that an OolaLife isn’t part
of the Amazon Prime membership and after two days of
working towards it there is guaranteed delivery.

Oola
happens after many conscience choices, serous hustle and
daily action. And, if you want to achieve an OolaLife, you have to truly dig in, do the work and find the discipline to push through.

Today’s challenge, we want you to take action in all 7 F’s of Oola. Take a moment and write down mini-goals/actions steps that you can take today in each of the 7 key areas of life. Prove to yourself that you have the discipline to accomplish all 7 mini- goals.

Think mini-goals like: sell something and apply towards debt or savings, go for a walk, give your spouse a hug, book a trip or invite a friend over for some OolaTea.
The main objective is to complete something in all 7 F’s.

“Whoever loves Discipline love Knowledge.”
PROVERBS 12:1

Prayer
God, I come to you today with all of my excuses and my busyness. I turn my steps over to you and ask that you would help me to stay focused and steadfast on what you would have me do. Help me to dream and complete the dreams you have given me. Renew my spirit so I may run the race you have called me to and finish strong. Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains DAY 16: LOVE
We hope yesterday you discovered the power of gratitude.

Today we are tackling a word that can be used very loosely, yet is the bedrock of how Christ lived his life and how we should live ours. The accelerator is: Love.

So many people focus on what love is not, but what does the Bible say what love is?

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.”
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8

See the comment below as to how love can accelerate your life in the direction of your dreams and purpose.

Today’s challenge is share love by what we call “Random acts of Oola”.

We challenge you to do something kind for another person whom you do not know, without any expectation in return. Whether it is buy someone a tea at Starbucks, picking up the check for a stranger, giving someone flowers, or leaving a kind note, go out and let someone in the world know they are loved.

Love is not a word we say, but love is something we do.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
JOHN 3:16
Prayer
God, you showed me ultimately what true love is when you sent your son Jesus and he laid down his life for me. Please fill the empty places in me so I can share your love with others. When I didn’t deserve it you loved me anyway, help me to be more like you.
Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains DAY 15: GRATITUDE
Congrats! You have completed the process of breaking through the OolaBlockers. Now it’s time to learn how to embrace the OolaAccelerators.

What are OolaAccelerators? This is God’s antidote to fear, guilt, anger, self-sabotage, laziness, envy, and lack of/misdirected focus. This is actually where the real fun begins.

The Lord has already placed these positive emotions and mindsets on your heart, but embracing them will fast track your journey toward the ultimate OolaLife.

Our first Accelerator is the one that most people think of when they think of Oola. Can you guess it?

Yes, it is GRATITUDE.
Let’s break it down. When everything is going well, it is easy to be grateful. But what about the hard times?

In the book Oola for Christians, you will read stories about how Heather Thomas and Dr. Dave who went through some very hard times, but it wasn’t until they changed their perspective and found gratitude for ALL things that they were able to change their lives.

Living in gratitude is not always smooth sailing but when we position ourselves to have gratitude, we start to pray more positively, think more positively and act more positively.

Look at the examples in the comments below.

For today’s challenge, before you go to bed tonight, think of the best thing that happened today and be grateful for it.

Then think of the worst thing that happened today, find the lesson in it, and be grateful for it.

The single best thing that you can do for your OolaLife is to repeat this every day for a year.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 THESSALONIANS 5:16

Prayer: God, today I am grateful for the breath in my lungs. I know that no matter how my day looks I can trust that you are working. So today I put my life in your hands and I am grateful for all things. I know that you make all things good and you are for me and not against me. Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains Day 14 - Before we conqueror our last blocker, I want us to work on something together.

In the beginning of the Guilt chapter in Oola for Christians, we challenge you to take a 3x5 card and draw a line down the middle. On the left-hand side of the notecard (or paper), write the everyday tasks you need to do for tomorrow (i.e laundry, pay bills, make dinner, pick up kids, etc). On the right hand side, write down 3 or
more action steps that are directly linked to your big Oola goals (ie. walk for 20 mins, food prep for the week, , date night, sell things to earn extra cash, etc).

So often we can get distracted by the little daily tasks in life and catch ourselves off-course on the actions that move us toward the biggest dreams in our heart. If you drift from the important tasks, you’re not alone. It is part of the final OolaBlocker: Lack of (or misdirected) focus.

Have you ever heard of the saying, “How do you eat an Elephant?” The answer is, “One bite at a time.” The reality is, how we achieve our goals isn’t doing a million things but doing the right things.

So often we have a goal, but we get distracted or drift from our mission. It is easy to go completely off course. That is what happens to our goals and dreams. It is important that we safeguard our plans and truly prepare to keep our focus because, no matter what, distractions will come.

Day 14 - Take a few minutes and pray about what your most important Oola goal should be, and then write it down.

Post this goal around so it can be seen as a friendly reminder to focus on what is truly important to you. Please find a way to get focused on what you have been made to do.

“I am not trying to please people, I want to please God,”
GALATIANS 1:10

Prayer
God, today just as Peter stepped out into big waters with Jesus, I want to have the courage to step out into the big dreams you have for me. Help me not to waiver to the left and to the right. Help keep my eyes fixed on you - the author and the finisher of my faith.
Amen

Welcome to Day 13 of the challenge!
So often you can miss the joys of life because you are looking at other people’s lives and thinking your life doesn’t measure up. This happens to the best of us. Just like we mentioned that frustration is the cousin of anger, jealousy is the cousin of our next blocker, “envy”.

Envy isn’t just wishing we had something someone else has, but also wishing that they didn’t have it.

Envy doesn’t look
good on anybody. In fact, even Jesus faced envy from the Pharisees and the envy they felt towards him ultimately lead him to the cross.

The Oola for Christians book states: “Comparing your life to others – through T.V, Facebook, and staged Instagram photos robs you of the appreciation for what you have achieved in your own life. It takes the focus away from your goals and too often, it leaves you feeling insignificant.”

Let someone else’s win be an inspiration. Today’s challenge is to find someone you can look up to, write their name on the top of a piece of paper and then write down 3 reasons why they inspire you.

At the bottom write this phrase, “I AM Designed by God for Greatness and a Purpose.”

In the middle of the page, bridge the gap. Write down three little action steps that you can achieve before this challenge ends, by using their inspiration to help push you through and bring you closer to your God-given greatness.
Can you see it? Let the accomplishments of others inspire you, but don’t let comparison take away from the truth of who God created us all to be.

“Ask the Lord to tell us where He wants us to go and what He wants to do.”
JERIEMIAH 42:3

Prayer
God, today I thank you for the life that I have been given. Thank you for creating me for greatness. Help me not to wear the garment of envy but help me to wear gratitude for the life you have created me to live. Help me to see others with a pure heart. Guide my steps as I fulfill my purpose.
Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains Day 12 Challenge. Your best life is just steps away. Every step you take brings you further from where you were and closer to where you want to be.

If you haven’t felt that Oo-la-la moment yet don’t give up and try this again at another time that is more convenient or when you are less busy. There is no time like the present to get your OolaLife. Don’t let excuses stall you. How you do anything is how you do everything.

That leads us to the OolaBlocker for today: Laziness.

Oftentimes when we think of laziness, we picture a person sitting on the couch eating potato chips playing video games. The reality is more than that. It can be skipping or delegating our commitments. It can be making excuses for complacency. Or it can sneak into your life in the form of procrastination.

Laziness can show up in various areas of our life but today, for the Oola for Christians Challenge, we are going to focus specifically on our faith walk.
• Delegating your children’s spiritual upbringing to others (school, church, etc.) and not teaching or leading by example
• Skipping church for the big game
• Eating in front of the television and skipping meal-time prayer
• Making a New Year’s Resolution to tithe, read the Bible, join a small group, participate in community services, or attend church weekly – then throwing in the towel by February.

Day 12 - Today’s challenge is to take 20 minutes out of your day to journal your prayers. Instead of just reciting a memorized (or someone else’s) prayer, take time to write your own. When you become purposeful, intentional and consistent in your faith, you will see how everything else will fall together.

“No matter how much a lazy person may want something, he will never get it. A hard worker will get everything he wants.”
PROVERBS 13:4

Prayer
God, thank you for sending Jesus to be a great example for me of someone who always worked hard to do what He was put on this earth to do. Help me to stay committed and focused on my purpose.
Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains Day 11 - It’s time to silence the negative voice inside your head. We all have the voices from our past that creep back into our present and tell us that we aren’t good enough, we aren’t smart enough or we aren’t good-looking enough to be successful and worthy of our OolaLife.

You were born with a clean slate, but over time your brain processed and remembered the negative things you heard - like a parent saying you are bad, that teacher saying you will never amount to anything or that group of high school friends saying you aren’t cool enough.
Enough is enough!

As we prepare to attack self-sabotage, say out loud: “I AM designed by God for greatness
and a purpose.” and hear what is really true about yourself.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
PSALM 139:14

The blocker that we will set in its place today is Self-Sabotage.

Today’s challenge... Grab yourself 7 sticky notes and on each one write: I AM designed by God for greatness and a purpose.

We want you to put these notes in a place that represents the 7 F’s. For example, your refrigerator, your office, your computer, your kids room, your bible and anywhere else you can dream of that goes with a the 7 F’s of Oola (Fitness, Finance, Family, Field, Faith, Friends, and Fun). We want you to leave it there for the rest of the challenge.

Prayer
God, we come to you today with a grateful heart celebrating who you are. Today I give you all of my negative thoughts and words. Help me to know more of who you are so I can know more of who I am. Help me to see myself in the same way you see me. Help me to see others the way you see them. Guide my steps as I become all that you have designed for me to be.
Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains Day 10 - We want you to get outside your comfort zone. So take out a timer and set the clock for 60 seconds. Play your favorite song and then dance or sing for one whole minute. Go on and do it. GO!

Now doesn’t that feel good? Whether you can actually dance or sing doesn’t matter, but you probably smiled or laughed quite a bit for a minute. You are probably asking the question, “Why did we do this challenge?”

Well, if you have a personality like Dr. Troy, the OolaGuru, you like consistency and stability and you are super annoyed that day 10 didn’t flow like all the other days. You see, when we’re just living our day-to-day life, we get into a routine.

Daily, we make a plan and we work our plan. The reality is that life happens and it can alter what we were expecting and planning and sometimes this can lead to frustration and anger.

In today’s challenge, we want to help you to break through the OolaBlocker: ANGER.

Where does anger come from? Anger starts with a distant cousin called “frustration” - a perfectly normal response to life’s crazier moments.

But when uncontrolled frustration continues or escalates into heated arguments, obscene language, violent outbursts, accusations, manipulations, or worse, that’s when your anger negatively affects you and everyone around you.

If you struggle with frustration and anger towards your children, your spouse, your co- workers or the random person that cut you off in traffic, simply do this: step away and pray.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7

Prayer
God, I realize that there are no surprises for you. In fact, in chaos and turmoil your son Jesus showed us how to walk in peace. God, today I give you any anger that I have in my heart. I turn over the people or situation today that has been frustrating me. I give up my right to understand and I trade for the peace that has been promised to me.
Amen

OolaChallengeForChristains - Day 9 - Guilt - When you look in the mirror, do you see yourself as a person that walks in guilt or in grace?

Jesus didn’t walk around bringing judgement to people trying to make them feel guilty. The people he encountered already felt it. Jesus forgave them, freeing them of the weight they were carrying so they could live freely and fully, the way God intended.

As Jesus was dying on the cross, his response was, “Father forgive them, for they no not what they do.”

Day 9 - Today’s challenge is to release the blocker of guilt by writing a letter to someone who has hurt you.

I know that sounds scary, but if someone has hurt you, it’s not necessary to carry the weight of the situation any more.

Approach the person and offer forgiveness. If that’s impossible you can use a technique we like called The Total Truth Letter—an exercise we got from success coach Jack Canfield. (See comment below for directions)

When we’re hurt and upset, we usually fail to communicate all our true feelings to the person we’re upset with. It also becomes difficult to resume a normal relationship with them, if that’s what we choose to do.

“Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.”
MICAH 7:18

Prayer- God, I am so grateful for your forgiveness and grace. Today I confess that I have made mistakes and done things I shouldn’t. I’ve been hurt, and I’ve hurt others. I turn over my guilt, my shame and my pain. Please help me to walk in freedom knowing that you died for my sins. Please help me to forgive as you have forgiven.
Amen