Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spirituality, Uncategorized

What Are You Waiting For?

Patience is something I work on. It seems like I’m not alone because much of the world appears to be impatient.

There are passions in your life that you might be waiting to fulfill. You have a purpose and you know there’s more to life than what you are experiencing. What is stopping you? Your thoughts are preventing you from taking action.

There is always a reason to wait until tomorrow. Yet, we don’t know how many tomorrows we have left. They aren’t unlimited.

Change your thinking. Visualize. Just begin. God will direct your steps. You don’t have to have everything figured out ahead of time. This is the nexus where faith replaces fear.

Get started! What are you waiting for?

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Uncategorized

The Scapegoat

As we all have, I have known a couple of people during my life who wanted to blame me for their lack of a successful outcome. They needed a scapegoat and didn’t place value on our relationship. Needless to say, these people are no longer in my life.

Our actions have consequences. We are responsible for the decisions we make, and we must be willing to accept the outcomes of our decisions. Holding ourselves accountable doesn’t make us heroes. It does keep us steady and reliable.

Do not allow yourself to be anyone’s scapegoat. And don’t blame anyone but yourself for poor decision making. Give yourself a break if your decision was well thought out, but things went awry. You can’t control everything.

Do your best. Always. And if someone wants to blame you for their actions, you will see how they define your importance to them.

Find the healthy people. Keep looking until they show themselves…

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Uncategorized

Complaint Department

Have you ever known someone who begins most sentences with, “the problem with that is…?” I have met a couple people like that. Focusing on problems instead of solutions never accomplished anything.

Being a problem-conscious person rather than a solution-conscious person affects the brain, too. Scientific research has shown that constant complaining shrinks the hippocampus over time. The hippocampus is responsible for memory and problem-solving. You cannot miss the irony.

Our world has plenty of challenges, no doubt. Keeping our focus on solving them, collaboratively, will progress us towards new ways to approach them.

Instead of complaining, find a way to work through it. Your hippocampus will thank you…

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Uncategorized

Truth in Advertising

Madison Avenue is the epicenter of advertising in America. There are some very creative people working there. Yet, sometimes even the best twist the truth.

A few years ago, Cosmopolitan Magazine featured an array of obese women on the cover with the caption, “This is Healthy.” I’m certain the magazine sold a lot of copies. I’m also certain the potato chip companies, the sugary soda companies and the fast food chains benefited.

Obesity is not healthy. It will shorten your life, and it causes your organs to work overtime. To believe otherwise because Cosmo said so is rationalizing behavior at best.

Not everyone is going to look like a model. Most of us will not grace the cover of a magazine. That’s okay. We have other talents to put on display.

Don’t be fooled. Take care of your health…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Remorse

Have you ever felt remorse? Of course you have, and so have I. By definition, remorse is a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs.

You can stop feeling remorse. If you have wronged someone, apologize immediately. Commit to not speaking rudely or judgmental towards someone else again. Then keep your commitment. Treat others well going forward. Accept them as they are, where they are in life.

Let go of guilt if you are truly sorry for your actions. You cannot change the past, but you can resolve to do better going forward. If you find yourself constantly beating yourself up for sins of the past, you can stop that now.

If you are working on improving yourself, keep working! And remember to be kind to yourself along the way. Growth takes time…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Be Calm

The new week is here. Chaos has started. There are kids to get to school, work deadlines, traffic commutes, plus whatever else hits the fan that you didn’t see coming. Life can feel like a storm with you caught in the middle of it.

Be at peace. Be calm. God is in control and we are not. Focus your attention on that, not the noise coming from the backseat or the negativity the news brings. Not everything is a crisis although your children might see it differently! Stay in the moment and don’t think too far ahead.

Staying calm during the craziness of life is possible. Start your day with a short prayer, asking God to see you through whatever the day brings. Then believe He will fulfill what you asked. Talk to God during the day. He listens.

He will deliver every time. Guaranteed…

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Uncategorized

Interview with Ashley Spence

Every 68 seconds, someone in America is sexually assaulted. Yet, less than 3% of the perpetrators will ever spend time behind bars.

Ashley Spence is doing something about it. At 19, Ashley was the victim of a home invasion rape that nearly took her life. She turned her pain into purpose and is leading the fight to use DNA to catch the criminals before they can harm another person, get justice for victims, and exonerate the innocent. Her first book, “Silent Witness” was recently published. We discuss that and more in the latest episode of The Determined People Podcast.

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Home

What does home mean to you? In my mind, home should be somewhere you can be yourself. Your home should be a place of comfort, not stressful.

When I was a child, my home was full of stress and, sometimes violence. I grew up in a constant state of “fight or flight,” always fearful of both my parents. I could be severely punished for having an accident such as spilling water. Fortunately I got out alive, even though my dad put me in the hospital twice by the time I was two years old.

We can create the home life we want. It can be peaceful and comfortable. It took a lot of work for me to get there, but I did. In my speaking engagements I have found that a lot of people grew up like me. My story gives them hope. Never waste your pain.

Our real home lies in eternity. That will be our final destination. And it will be perfect. In fact, Heaven is so perfect that we can’t imagine what it will be like.

No matter what you have gone through or what you are dealing with now, this is only preparation for something better.

Stay hopeful…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Dare To Be Different

I need to tell you something. You might want to sit down if you aren’t already.

You are different. There is no one like you now, and there never has been. There will never be another you. Since the beginning of time as we measure it, over 100 billion people have lived. That’s a staggering number. Yet, not another you.

I encourage you to acknowledge and embrace your uniqueness. God created us for a purpose. There was nothing random in creating you. Your life story might not be idyllic, but you can choose to be whatever you want to be. You are only limited by the barriers you create in your mind.

Trying to “fit in” will only leave you frustrated and unfulfilled. Dare to show yourself to the world. Be who you are, not who others want you to be. It’s your life, not theirs. Do not concern yourself with the critics. They are everywhere, but they are just projecting. Their opinions don’t matter.

Pursue your purpose. It’s time to live and thrive in authenticity…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

But It’s My Idea!

Have you ever worked on something that turned out great, but someone else took credit for it? Some people are so determined to make a name for themselves that they cut corners or take shortcuts.

Accomplishments are one of the reasons we work at things. You will get results only through placing time and concentrated effort into something. Do you want your children to grow up to have solid character and a strong work ethic? You must put in the effort with your children and it’s not easy. But you will get results if you stay with it.

People have been taking credit for other people’s work forever. It doesn’t matter. You will always know, but so will God. And the collective good is the outcome.

Harry Truman once said, “it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” It was true when he said it, and it is true today…

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