Monthly Archives: January 2025

Spirituality

Getting Lucky

Elon Musk famously said, “For years I worked 20 hours a day, seven days a week. But there are still people who say I got lucky.”

The truth is, we create our own luck. Our results come from ingenuity and effort, not some magical genie. Sweat equity brings fruit, but there’s a lot of failures, frustrations and setbacks along the way. The people who refuse to quit are sometimes called lucky. The people who say that are afraid to step out in faith and try something new, or perhaps they are just lazy.

Take the brave first step. Then take another. Fear is not an option for you.

Make your move. It’s time…

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Spirituality

Imagine That!

Our creative imagination is a powerful gift from the Creator. Everything starts with an idea.

Consider the two bicycle repairmen who dreamed of flying. You know them as Orville and Wilbur Wright.

What about the man who only had two months of formal education? When he died, he had over 1,000 patents credited to him. No one would call Thomas Edison dumb.

The first biography I read as a child was about an incredible woman who dreamed of freedom. Not only did she take enormous risks to escape to a free life for herself, this gun-toting, barely five feet tall woman went back and brought hundreds of slaves to the north where they could be free. Harriet Tubman was her name.

If you can dream it, you can do it. Get on the creative side of your mind and let your imagination run wild. As Albert Einstein said, “imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Believe it, and believe in yourself…

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Spirituality

A Fresh Start

Every day is an opportunity to begin again. If your resolutions have gone bye-bye, today is the day to welcome them back.

Change is difficult, and permanent change requires effort and commitment. We need time to renew our thinking, creating and strengthening new neural pathways in the process. Change happens when we want it to happen.

Be kind to yourself and be patient with your progress. The world will beat you up enough, so don’t pile on yourself. Give yourself a wide margin.

You can do it. And offer encouragement to others who are trying to change. They need it, too…

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Spirituality

LE CAFE Interview

Recently, I was privileged to be a guest on LE CAFE Podcast where we discussed the charity I serve on the board of, Rachel’s Challenge. We discussed how the organization creates safer, better-connected schools where students are free to learn. Stories connect us, and Rachel’s story has been changing and saving lives for over 25 years. Please click on the link to listen and learn more:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/le-caf%C3%A9/id1734295609?i=1000683769867

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Spirituality

Outta Time

You once had great dreams for your life. Then the harshness of life happened. A failure here, a heap of pain there and, poof, they’re gone in an instant. But here’s a little secret: your dreams still live, they have just gone dormant.

Every experience, every success and every sensation over the course of your life has been stored in your subconscious mind. This includes all of the wonderful, even outrageous dreams you had for yourself. They are available for you to recall any time you want.

Go somewhere quiet that brings you peace. Turn your phone to silent. Be still and listen to your breathing. See yourself as you want to be, succeeding beyond your wildest dreams. Feel it and believe it to be true. It will happen if you believe.

Your mind will work for you when you allow it to. Thoughts are powerful.

Start today. One day you will be outta time…

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Spirituality

Do It Anyway

You are here for a purpose, a great purpose. God advances His Kingdom agenda on earth through us. Each and every one of us has a part to fulfill. If you search your heart you know this to be true.

Things constantly get in our way which can throw us off course. By things, I mean diversions, hurdles, setbacks, distractions, people and just life itself. Fear of the unknown can stop people in their tracks. Yet, consider this: all of life is unknown. So, embrace whatever you may fear and move through it.

Keep the people who encourage you and challenge you close by. Eliminate noise and negativity from your life. Push yourself when you don’t feel like it. Be patient with yourself and remember you are growing.

Always encourage those who are trying. Leave the naysayers behind…

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Spirituality

Seeking God

One of my favorite Scriptures is Jeremiah 29:13: “You will find me when you seek me with all your heart.” But what does it look like to seek God, an unseen Spirit?

One thing I ask God for, is to show me His vision for my life. I want what God wants for me. I’m certain it’s better than anything I can dream up on my own. Way better. God sees things I cannot. If I was allowed to see my life as it will be in ten years, I wouldn’t understand how I got there.

This isn’t about religion. It’s the other “R” word, relationship. God doesn’t want us to picture Him as some distant, unconcerned deity. No. He is a loving father who cheers us on even during those times we aren’t cheering for ourselves. When I’m fulfilling the purpose I’m on earth for, I’m aligned with God and I will see God in the purpose.

Try meditating on Jeremiah 29:13. Ask God to show you His vision for your life. Keep asking and keep seeking until it becomes crystal clear…

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#inspiration

False Information

There’s so much false information on the internet nowadays. No one has the time to separate facts from fiction because of the sheer volume that hits us.

Most of the lies are designed to get us riled up about something. Oftentimes it’s political posting, but there are mainstream lies as well. For example, someone recently posted a meme that Aunt Jemima would be returning in 2025. Not true, yet I wish she was. Stuff like this is such a waste of people’s time.

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Question everything…

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Spirituality

Worriers

Are you a worrier? In 2024, according to the American Psychiatric Association over 70% of adults in the United States were worried about current events. That’s a lot of worrying, most of it being wasted energy.

Worry can paralyze you if it gets out of hand. Over 45 million Americans have been diagnosed with anxiety at some level. This number comes from pharmaceutical prescription data which suggests the real number is higher. Many people haven’t sought treatment and they are just “gutting it out.”

Mental health was shredded due to isolation during the pandemic. If you are one of the many people who have had increased anxiety post-pandemic, here’s some encouraging news: you can lessen or eliminate your worries. Here’s how.

Start an exercise routine, read great works rather than watching television, go to an art museum, get outside for some natural Vitamin D, and have meaningful conversations with your friends. Be patient in your progress. A true change takes time, but it will happen if you stay with it.

As a society, we have grown accustomed to seeking help from drugs rather than natural remedies. We are wired in our DNA to live and thrive, not to be full of anxiety.

And don’t worry, the pharmaceutical companies will be fine…

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#inspiration

Do More

Are you going the extra mile as you live your life, or just doing the bare minimum? Here are a few thoughts on giving more of yourself.

People are expected to work, typically, eight hours per day. This is what they are paid for. From my observation, many people are not working a minute more than the minimum, and they aren’t even working all eight hours. Many people are simply going through the motions, trying to get by. Not only are they cheating their employers, they are cheating themselves.

Doing more than you are expected to do will pay great rewards in the long run. Payback is rarely immediate, but it will happen. Someone will notice and someone will recognize your efforts.

There’s a caveat: you must be doing work that engages you, inspires you, and you would do it for free if you could. If this isn’t your current situation, it’s in your hands to take a leap of faith and do what turns you on. Make the change and experience life more fully.

There will always be ups and downs. Yet, when you are fulfilled it makes the downs sustainable.

Make your move…

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