Monthly Archives: June 2024

#inspiration, #spirituality

Measures

How do you measure success? Many among us use wealth, position or their zip code as representative of how successful they are. It is true that moving into a more desirable zip code might give your children access to better schools, but that doesn’t guarantee they will take advantage of it.

Chasing wealth is fleeting. Someone has more, so the rat race continues. Fame rarely lasts. Look no further than the child stars who have become train wrecks of adults.

Success can be defined by the amount of fulfillment we have in our lives. Anyone with a pulse would consider Mother Teresa to have been successful. She had no money, and she didn’t seek the fame she received. Yet, she found fulfillment in her life.

We can learn a lot from historical figures. Read the autobiography of Booker T. Washington. You will be inspired by his drive, determination and work ethic.

Success comes from making a difference. Start making yours…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Personal Responsibility

I love extracurricular activities in schools. Whether it’s theater, band or sports, they are great teaching tools for our young people. And kids are in school to learn more than how to conjugate verbs or solve quadratic equations.

Being part of something bigger than yourself requires responsibility, accountability and dedication. How well you compete is dependent upon how well you prepare. Every experience we have in life prepares us for something else. Even our bad experiences are useful.

Taking ownership when you do or say something wrong is vital for a functioning society. Getting out of something might cause someone to avoid some short-term pain, but it damages the offender in ways we can’t see, not to mention the carnage they leave in their wake. Face it and go through it. Adversity builds resilience and strength.

Be the one who leads well. Be the one…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Experience

Have you ever had someone describe their favorite beach to you but you don’t feel the same way they do? Empathy means shared experience. The only way you can empathize is through experience.

This is the principle behind Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics willingly share their experience, strength and hope with others in the room. They are all affected by the same disease, so they understand each other. A non-alcoholic might be entertained by some of the incredible stories they will hear in an AA meeting, but it won’t impact them like it does the alcoholic.

I encourage you to share your experiences with others, especially the painful ones. Most people have felt deep heartache in their lives, and you will be letting them know they aren’t alone.

Let your guard down. Don’t waste your pain…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Insults

Have you ever been made fun of? I believe we all have been, and much of it is harmless teasing. I certainly give people a lot to work with!

I have observed people making fun of how people look or calling people dumb, even deplorable. Most of these insults occur from behind a computer keyboard, but occasionally I have experienced people making fun of others to their face. Either way it’s wrong. When an insult is hurled at someone, the offender is ridiculing one of God’s creations. God doesn’t make mistakes, nor does He second guess himself. There is a purpose behind every creation.

Let’s think before we speak. If what we are about to say is harmful, let’s quieten ourselves. Remember, God knows what He’s doing. We don’t always…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Courage

Life is not a popularity contest. Going with the flow or not rocking the boat just doesn’t cut it sometimes. We must take a stand for what is true and right.

Most of us enjoy the peaceful times in our lives. We are always experiencing some conflict or challenge, yet we can feel calm among the chaos. Being courageous and going against the crowd can bring some tension into the mix. But if we are standing up for something, and our motives are pure and noble, we will win in the end. Good crushes evil. Light reigns over darkness.

If you are concerned about being part of the crowd, make sure it’s the right crowd. And when the moment arrives when you feel the need to speak up, that is a leadership moment in your life.

Embrace it, even if you are standing alone. It might take some courage, but you have it in you. Find it…

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#inspiration

New Roads Await

Today we will revisit doing inner work and why it is vital.

Many people shy away from doing the self work required to grow and mature. The work challenges you to look at yourself and the decisions you’ve made, and why you went down that road. But on the other side of darkness lies peace, wisdom and new, healthy neural pathways.
Fourteen years of self-work and counting for me.

But it has been so worthwhile…

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#inspiration

Dividing Lines

It’s an election year and you know what that means. People are drawing lines in the sand over their candidate. There are many factors that influence voters selection: history of voting for a party, a desire for change, they like the way a candidate sounds, or they just plain hate one of the choices.

Arguing over politics is as old as America herself is. You almost can’t avoid it. In today’s internet connected world the debate sometimes turns nasty. People hurl insults at others from behind their computer keyboard, with no consequences for the ugly things said. We get to peer into the heart of others through their words and actions. It’s not always pretty.

Take a moment to examine your own heart when you feel yourself getting amped up over politics. People throw insults at me regularly because of what I believe. They don’t bother me. I have a sound basis for what I believe, and I won’t lie or exaggerate. Facts matter. Opinions are…just opinions.

I encourage you to reach out to those with whom you disagree with. Listen and learn from each other. You will be better for doing it, and so will our country…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Teach Children Well

There are many dedicated, devoted teachers in our schools. I know several. They didn’t become teachers to achieve fame and fortune. Hardly! There are lots of careers available with less headaches along with better pay.

All of us had our favorite teachers growing up. Why were they our favorites? It wasn’t because they broke down difficult mathematical equations with ease, or they made English interesting. They captured our hearts. They truly cared about us. We remember them fondly because they reached us at a deeper level than most.

Teaching is a high calling. Even Jesus spoke about it. He said if anyone misleads a child it would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the sea. That’s not a casual statement.

Most teachers are off for the summer. But that doesn’t stop us from remembering the best among them…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Rights

A few years ago, DFW Airport was shut down and all of the planes were grounded because of weather. I happened to be a passenger on one of those airplanes. An ornery passenger started hitting the call button repeatedly until our nice Flight Attendant appeared. He immediately started chastising the young lady, almost bringing her to tears because “he had rights” and needed to be in Austin for an important meeting. I had had enough. I tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around, I told him to “shut the fuck up. It wasn’t her fault the airport was shut down. It’s safer to be on the ground than to try to fly.” The entire cabin clapped, he shut up, the Flight Attendant opened the bar and served everyone but him!

Our rights have become used and abused to get our way. Had the airline accommodated the emotionally disturbed man I mentioned before, the exercise of his “rights” would have endangered everyone else.

Freedom of speech is one of our greatest rights in The United States. With that freedom comes responsibility to be honest and to speak with integrity. Politicians and the media tell outright lies and are not held accountable. This is a perversion of our first right cited in The Bill of Rights. we expect politicians to stretch the truth, but lying is a whole different level.

It’s best to exercise your first amendment rights by telling the truth. Free speech does not mean the freedom to lie…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Loneliness

Loneliness is at epidemic levels in the United States. Even in a crowd or at a party, people can experience loneliness. But there’s good news!

Before we get to the good stuff, let’s examine loneliness a little closer. It’s been prevalent for decades. The feeling of being alone was exacerbated by the forced isolation during the pandemic. Mental health was fragile already, and why our medical “experts” thought staying away from people was a good idea is baffling to me. The CDC itself states on their website that human connection is vital for good mental health and vitality. Oh well, let’s move on.

The good news is that you can cure loneliness. It’s a temporary state of mind. Get started by calling a friend and asking them to lunch. Find the right psychotherapist to walk through your bout of loneliness with you. Try a church group out. You don’t have to join the church, and if that’s a requirement to participate with the group, find another church. You should feel welcome without conditions.

Finally, do something for someone who can never repay you. Yes, they will benefit, but you will gain so much more.

Get started! The cure for your lonely condition is right around the corner…

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