Tag Archives: #leadership

Spirituality

Battery Life

About one-third of the world has a smartphone. This modern marvel connects people worldwide. Service capacity is being added daily. In the United States hardly anyone owns a landline.

Our phones have a limited battery life. Keeping track of how much power we have left has added another responsibility to our already busy lives. Ugh. One more thing to do! Gotta keep a charger handy so I don’t lose connection.

Our bodies are similar to a phone battery. We can get run down if we don’t take care of ourselves. Every day we should spend some time just being quiet, eating healthy foods, getting some exercise and having meaningful conversations. I’m not a believer in this work/life balance thing, but when I do the things I mentioned I get as close as possible.

Take care of yourself. Keep your battery charged. Then you will be better for yourself and everyone around you…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Count Me In

We count calories, likes, and we count our daily steps. When I was a (little) kid, I was scared of Count Dracula! But do we count where it really matters?

There is a universal homogeneity in all of us. We want our lives to count. We want to matter. In the heart of mankind, we know we are here for something greater than ourselves. Yet, we can get distracted by life and all the twists and turns it brings.

We were created in God’s image. He’s the only one who gives generously but doesn’t need anything from us. Or, does he? We can use our abilities and our resources for the betterment of mankind. We may not be able to help everyone, but we can make a difference in the lives of some. And when you do something for someone who can never repay you, you receive a wonderful feeling too intangible to describe.

Find the areas in need that appeal to your heart. Don’t hide or waste your talents. You were gifted to make a difference, to make your life count…

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Spirituality

Activists

We have a lot of activists in our world, don’t we? You know who I’m talking about. These are the people who protest against something, anything to make them feel needed. Although many times they are misguided, it gives them purpose.

Jesus was the ultimate activist. He was a rebel during his time, a real badass. He called out the religious leaders who were living as hypocrites, drunk on their own power. Jesus said they were clean on the outside, but filthy on the inside. Could he have been describing us, too?

We get dressed up for church, use our spiritual words like blessed and brother, but this doesn’t always last past Sunday. We must strive to be the same person outside the church as we are when we are in church.

The world and its many temptations gets in our way. There are a lot of distractions out there. This is the place where we must let the spirit guide us, not our selfish desires. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.

Get in touch with who you are. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks about us. We are here for an audience of one. And He’s always watching, cheering us on. Let’s do our best. And if we fail, get back up and get going…

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Spirituality

Eliminate This Word

When my children were growing up, they weren’t allowed to say the word “can’t.” I told them to substitute won’t because that’s what they were really saying. It was an invitation for them to try, whether they experienced success or a setback.

Can’t is an excuse, nothing more. Victimhood has become popular in the culture of today, although it’s been around for a long while. Social media gives “victims” a bigger platform.

There are scores of people who need help, no doubt. If someone was born into poverty it is our responsibility to make sure they are fed, housed and clothed. But we can encourage the needy to change their mindset about poverty. It’s only permanent if you accept that it is. Sadly, not everyone will grow out of poverty.

Ben Carson should have been a statistic. He grew up in horrible conditions, raised by an uneducated single mother who dropped out of school in the third grade. One day young Ben’s mother told him and his brother Curtis to turn off the television. They were to read two books per week and write book reports for her. The two boys were not happy, but they respected their mother’s wishes. She would “read” their reports, marking them up with a red pen. The truth was, their mother couldn’t read. To shorten the story, Curtis became an aerospace engineer while Ben became a pediatric neurosurgeon. Their mindset about themselves and their abilities were changed.

Eliminate can’t from your vocabulary and your thoughts. See how far you can go…

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Spirituality

It Was A Mistake

Have you ever made a mistake? Of course you have! It’s a rhetorical question. Here’s another one for you: Do you know people who continue throwing your past mistakes in your face? Move those people out of your life, far away.

Some people have a habit of looking for the worst in others. They revel in it. At their core, they are refusing to look at themselves so they spend their efforts pointing out the flaws and shortcomings of others. Their misgivings about themselves turn into projection.

It’s a beautiful thing when you trust someone to the point where you allow them to see you for who you are. Their acceptance of you can turn into self-improvement on your part. You want to be better.

Mistakes are part of life. They aren’t intentional. Don’t allow mistakes of the past to stop you from taking risks. Mistakes are vital for learning which leads to eventual success. Keep pushing forward…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Working People

Unless you were born into a family with great wealth, you know what it’s like to work. Working people make the economy go. We don’t see who produces our food, or drives the trucks to get it to us, or the people who control our traffic signals. But they are there and they are important well beyond just their work.

People are important. All people, not just the ones we like or admire. We tend to place people into categories: those who can do something for us and those who can’t. If someone can’t help us achieve our wants and needs, it doesn’t diminish their importance to God. He created them, too, and I don’t believe God has categorized us. I’m very grateful he doesn’t!

Take the time to get to know people. Find out where they are from, what makes them tick. See others the way God sees them, not through the limited vision of human eyes.

When we see humanity through God’s eyes, the lens of our vision grows larger, much larger…

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Spirituality

The Blitz

In football, the blitz is used as a defensive move to create confusion for the opposing team. A zone blitz is when a defensive player who normally rushes the quarterback is dropped into coverage, thereby creating chaos for the quarterback. Blitzing is risky, but can produce turnovers and sacks which can change the momentum of the game.

Life can sometimes make us feel like we are getting blitzed. We like to think we can predict what will happen today, but as you know our best plans can go awry. Traffic throws us behind schedule, a child gets sick, or we have one of those days where nothing falls into place. We can bitch and moan, or we can adapt and move forward. Griping accomplishes nothing while adapting to the unexpected keeps us moving in the right direction.

The only thing we can control is our attitude. By maintaining an optimistic outlook while progressing toward our goals, we give ourselves an advantage.

Keep in mind that things always turn out the way they are supposed to. Even the biggest challenges won’t stop you if you refuse to give in to anger and quit. Just keep going…

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Spirituality

Simply Said

Have you ever listened to someone who uses a lot of lesser known words to make themselves sound smarter than they are? Those types will drone on and on and all I can think is, no one speaks this way in everyday conversation.

I have had a good number of teachers who made learning interesting. Chemistry became a class I looked forward to because the professor was an excellent teacher. We were learning advanced chemical combinations but we were really learning them. It made sense.

A phrase I repeat often is, less is more. If something can be adequately explained in 20 seconds or less, then there is no reason to turn it into an hour. Speak clearly and precisely and you will become known as an excellent communicator.

Always remember, less is more. Actions matter. And I will finish with a quote from St. Francis: “Preach the Gospel often. Use words when necessary…”

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Spirituality

Armed and Dangerous

You and I are carrying a weapon of mass destruction. Did you know you are armed and dangerous? Very dangerous, actually.

The weapon I’m talking about is our tongue. The words we say to others, and ourselves, can be used to encourage others or they may be used for harm.

What we say can reverberate for generations. Consider the quotes from history that were offered by JFK, Abraham Lincoln, Churchill and countless others. They have inspired millions for good. Those great men and their legacies are countered by Nikita Khrushchev who vowed that the communists would “bury us, and they wouldn’t have to fire a shot.” They haven’t quit trying.

God gave us free will over our words and actions. He doesn’t want us to use them to hurt others. We should offer constructive criticism in private and leave the ridicule and name calling to the low thinkers. Aim higher.

In prisons, I have met so many people who are carrying pain from the words of others, oftentimes from family members. Sadly, they believe they are worthless and don’t matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone is important. Everyone matters.

My encouragement to you (and me) is to hold our tongues as best we can. Not everything needs a response. Not everyone deserves a response…

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Spirituality

Originality

The meme creators are having a field day! I must admit, there are some seriously funny, creative people out there. But some of the creations are intended for harm.

People share others creations readily on social media without checking the veracity of it. The volume of stuff is too much for a successful person to investigate. Time is precious and time is limited. We have to use it wisely.

Some of the inaccuracies are meant to influence young people. Misleading a child is one of the most heinous things that someone can do. When people hurt children I tend to go al-Qaeda on them.

My encouragement to you is, get on the creative side of your brain. Create original material, stuff that will inspire and encourage others. You are an original creation made for a purpose by the Creator of everything good. Use your talents. Keeping them hidden helps no one…

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