The New Drug...

     There is a new drug that has been spreading like wild fire. This drug is known as pornography. It is introduced to 9 out of 10 kids between the ages of 8 and 16 years old (most cases are accidental). It brings in over $13 billion dollars in revenue in the US alone (Hollywood is $8.8 billion).  25% of search engine requests are pornographic. 2.5 billion daily emails are pornographic. Child pornography images have increased 1500% since 1988 (over 20,000 new images posted weekly).  50% of Christian men admit to a pornography addiction (20% of Christian women). Porn is as addictive as heroine and other hard drugs.
     You may be thinking "how does this happen?" Let's look at it scientifically. Porn goes in through the eyes and into the brain, where it releases "feel good" chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and oxytocin at unnaturally high levels. Because of the sensation that activity creates, people do it again and again and again. Eventually, your body gets used to that high and you "need" more. So how does this effect us?
     Porn causes men and women to look at each other as sexual objects rather than human beings. This causes trouble during dating. Dating is supposed to be learning more about the other person, but when so much time is spent lusting after the body, the personality is never seen or appreciated. St. John Paul the Great said, "The problem with pornography is not that it shows too much of the person, but that it shows far too little." If you want a real relationship, you have to see the other person for who they truly are, a creation of God. Anything less and you're cheating the other person as well as yourself. Even if the person doesn't see themselves as a creation of God; it's your job to reveal it.
     We cannot fight lust and pornography alone; we need a community. If you struggle with porn (or any addiction), talk to someone about it (your priest, youth minister, friend, parent). Form an accountability group where you meet every week and share not only your struggles, but brainstorm ideas on how to overcome them. There are people like Matt Fradd, Jason Evert, Chrystalina Evert, and Audrey Assad who have struggled with lust; but now tour the world helping others overcome the addiction. Give God your struggles and he will use them for his glory by helping you help others. Until next time, keep praying.

Click here to view tips to overcome porn addiction.

Procrastinators Unite...Tomorrow

     Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be accomplished today. If I had to give a dollar every time I said “I’ll do it later,” I’d have to file for bankruptcy. As I put things off, I notice a bigger and bigger pile of things to do. It brings a lot more anxiety and chaos into my life. So why do I do it? Simple, it’s selfishness. When I don’t do the things I’m supposed to do, because I’d rather be doing something else; I’m putting my wants before anyone else’s (including God and my future self’s wants).

Do you suffer with this procrastination issue, too? How can we fix this? For me, I’m a very task oriented person. So at night, I try to make a list of what I need to get done tomorrow. When tomorrow arrives, those are the tasks I need to get done before I can do anything else. When you pray that night, tell God what you did and didn’t do.

     What if these tasks aren’t accomplished? Should there be a consequence? For example, if I get caught up on social media, my consequence should be doing my work at the kitchen table where my family can easily see my screen. If that doesn’t work, I turn off the Wi-Fi. If that doesn’t work, I go to pen and paper. The point is to take away whatever is distracting you. If you can’t take it away, give it to someone to keep until your tasks are completed.

     To help this issue, create long-term goals so that you are always striving for something. Example: I want to be in better shape. Right now I can run a 7:10 mile and rep 140lbs on bench. “Better shape” doesn’t set a specific goal because running a mile in 7:09 and benching 145lbs after six months could mean “better shape.” To make my goal more specific, it is to get down to a 6:15 minute mile and rep 175lbs by June 18th. I have short-term goals like check points to see if I am on target or should ramp up the workouts to accomplish my long-term goal.

     Don’t fall into the trap of saying “I’ll do it later.” Get it done today and you will have an easier tomorrow.

Priorities

I heard someone say that there is no such thing as lazy people, just messed up priorities. Whether you agree or disagree, it gives a new angle to laziness. Someone who watches Netflix before chores values movies over a clean house. Someone who willingly skips Mass or personal prayer puts themselves above God. If someone wants to play their sport in college, but doesn’t practice as much as playing video games, that person will be watching the games from the crowd.
These may sound harsh. I mean, people say ignorance is bliss...but knowledge is power. Five years from now, who’s going to be making more of an impact in the world, the person in bliss watching Netflix, or the one who put their future goals as their priority?
Now I’m not saying Netflix and such are evil, but what do you value most? Does the time you spend match up with your priorities? If I want my health to be a priority, but don’t workout and eat healthy, my health isn’t really a priority. I want to make God my priority. Over the last month I’ve been going to Mass twice a week and praying five minutes a day...compared to the time I’ve been watching TV, it doesn’t come close. So I’m trying to pray whenever I get in my car, wash my hands, etc. Little reminders to keep God at the top of my list.
Be bold, plan for success. Will you fall short from time to time? Yes. But make that effort. Your future is not shaped by what you do tomorrow, it’s shaped by what you do today. So don’t put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today.

Study Tips

With high school midterms beginning next week, I figured I’d pass on a few ideas to be more effective while you study.

Clear a space — When we have clutter around us, our brain typically feels cluttered. Study with nothing else but the necessities on you desk/table.

Find a place that works—A coffee shop, the kitchen table, the basement. Doing work on a bed makes it very easy to doze off.

Eliminate the threat —Put your phone in a different room on silent. The best way to avoid distractions is to eliminate them.

Start small—Rather than trying to learn about the semester learned in history, break it down to time periods of 50 years or so.

Write it out—Write out the title of each chapter or section. Starting with an overview of what you’ll be studying simplifies things because now you know what you’re working with.

Read out loud—Seeing and hearing causes you to draw on two senses rather than just one.
Quiz each other—Ask a friend or family member to quiz you. It’s better to get the question wrong in front of a friend rather than on the test.

Space it out—Don’t try to study for 5 hours. If you’re in the zone, don’t mess with it. But take breaks, go outside, do pushups, get the blood flowing so that when you get back to studying, you’re ready.

Get colorful—Using the same color pens are boring. Writing in different colors can make certain things pop just because it’s a new look. I suggest coordinating the colors (Math—red, Geography—Green, etc).

Pray—Pray before you start, when you get distracted, and when you’re finished. God wants you to succeed. So bringing him into your studying will relax you and allow you to focus better.