Monthly Archives: January 2025

Spirituality

Do It For You

In this column, I often write about self-work and how worthwhile it is. But why do we do it?

We do the work for ourselves. Personal growth is about growing yourself. Personally. Most people want to be better than they were, say, ten years ago. When I look back at who I was a decade ago, I can see how much I have progressed. Then I get excited thinking about where I will be ten years hence!

Growth is a slow process. I encourage you to be patient with yourself. Hold yourself accountable about sticking with your plans, but give yourself some margin if you fall back. Your life will hit plateaus and the occasional valley. Whatever you do, stay with it. Remain focused on where you’re going.

And remember, the better you are mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, the better you are for other people. And you will attract more healthy people into your life.

Guaranteed…

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Spirituality

Winter

It’s winter in Texas. This means we will have about ten days of cold weather and then we will be back in short sleeves. You gotta love it.

Personally, I like winter. I believe it’s because we don’t have a winter here like much of the rest of the world. Winter can be a difficult period for some. People don’t get out as much and socialize. Mental health can take a further hit.

Isolating ourselves from others puts us inside our own heads more than we should be. Podcasts are great to listen to and learn from, but we need interaction with other people.

If you have a friend who hasn’t been seen or heard from in a while, I encourage you to reach out to them. It will be good for both of you…

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Spirituality

Rare Like No Other

Do you take the time to consider how rare you are? Since the beginning of mankind walking the Earth, you are the only you who has ever been, or will be. We are talking about over 100 billion people, yet only one you has ever existed or ever will exist.

God loves variety, no doubt. If you need evidence, just look around. People come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Then take a moment to look in the mirror. I hope you like who you see, because there was nothing random in creating your life. You were planned before the planet and the stars existed.

Think about this every day. Let it seep deep into your subconscious mind where it will change how you feel about yourself.

God didn’t create you and then forget about you. No! He wants you to grow and thrive. The only limitations you have are those you place on yourself.

Go show the world who you are. And remember, you are working for an audience of one…

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Spirituality

No Lookbacks

I meet so many people who believe their best days are behind them. This is so untrue that I’m not sure where to begin, but I’ll try.

The past is good for learning, but it needs to remain in the past. Our memories can be clouded, thinking that things were better than they really were. The mind, just like the heart, can and will deceive us. Focusing too much energy on how things were rather than how they can be is a waste. Don’t waste!

Time is precious. Get up and get after it. God has us here for a reason. And the truth is, we want our lives to have meant something. This drive and desire was put in us by the Creator when we were born.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you find your purpose. Just begin. God will lead you where you are supposed to go.

Trust Him…

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Spirituality

Learning Curves

A lot of early life is trial and error. When we were babies and learning how to walk, there were a handful of stumbles and falls before we got it right! And yet we survived.

As adults, we haven’t figured out everything even though some act like they have. Life is a continuous learning process where we find ways that work while still learning what doesn’t. And as long as we are trying to learn and grow, this is how it will be. You really haven’t failed unless you believe you have. You have simply found a way that doesn’t work!

Abraham Lincoln ran for public office nine times before ever winning a race. He didn’t quit when most would have. No one would call Lincoln a failure.

I encourage you to be a lifelong learner. Read instead of watching television. Connect with other people in person, not through text messages. Drink from the wisdom of the great philosophers. And remember to talk to God during your day. He’s the one who gave us everything we have.

When life throws you curves, remember that you can hit those, too…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Consistency is Key

How are you doing with your resolutions? This week is our first full week since New Year’s, so the grind begins.

I encourage you to stay consistent in your pursuit. Change isn’t like flipping a light switch, and real change is challenging. Don’t fool yourself. The temptation to give up is going to present itself regularly. Stay true to your new, better course.

In your mind, see yourself as having already won the battle. Believe it. When you can bring emotion into the equation, you have become unstoppable. Whatever you believe about yourself will manifest. Guaranteed!

If you slip back into old habits along the way, pick yourself up and begin again. Nothing can stop a person who refuses to quit…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Undeserved

Have you ever taken the time to consider the love of God?

We know God is love, and His Spirit is all around us all the time. But God gives good things to believers and nonbelievers alike, and He gives to the people who curse and blame Him. He doesn’t discriminate.

As humans, it’s hard to get our heads around this kind of goodness. When others mistreat us or cuss us out, our natural inclination is to strike back. And sometimes we do. One thing I learned about the character of God is, He can take a punch. In years past I hit Him pretty hard or ignored Him altogether. God never sought revenge.

How do we show that we love God? We can’t see Him. He doesn’t need anything from us. I believe Jesus told us how when he said, “what you do for the least among you, you do for me.”

Please take a moment every day to acknowledge God’s love for all of us. Do it even if you’re mad at Him…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Gotta Lotta Flushing To Do!

Recently I posted about cleanses for our internal organs, and what a farce most are. This doesn’t imply we don’t have things that need cleansing. In fact, let’s call it a flushing.

It’s time to flush every negative thought you have about yourself. You are a miracle. Think about it. You have between 640 and 850 muscles operating in harmony with your bone structure consisting of over 200 bones. Your cardiovascular system, lymphatic system, digestive system and others are working within your body without any effort from you. And let’s not forget the gifts of sight, hearing and thinking. Don’t take these for granted. They are gifts from the Creator.

And every now and then give yourself a break. We must hold ourselves accountable, but when you fail or make a mistake, forgive yourself. Let go of it and learn.

Flush the past and start living. It’s time…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Political Fallout

Did you lose any friends over politics? I did. Two people decided their political beliefs were more important than our friendship. This didn’t anger me. It made me sad for them because I’m a lot of fun to hang out with!

From my observation, people have become more isolated than ever before due to political divide. Living in an echo chamber is dangerous. You can begin to believe you are always right. Our problems in our country are “the fault of the other side,” they say. Sometimes they yell. Everyone bears some responsibility.

Who shows up in life when the shit hits the fan? Your representative in Congress? No. Your friends and family, the ones who truly care about you arrive. Sadly, I have many friends who have lost children. The government can’t bring a child back, but those who care about you can share some of your pain by just being there.

Not much changes in government, but I remain optimistic. Optimism is how I’m hardwired. I really don’t know any other way to be.

I encourage you to remember this: it’s people that are important, no matter which side of the aisle they identify with…

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