Tag Archives: #mindset

Spirituality

Cheating

Recently, a group of people were charged with sports betting. Betting is legal in some states, but these were crimes because the people charged were players and coaches in the NBA.

Cheating is a shortcut. The Bible has a lot to say about this. In The Book of Proverbs it says: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” There are many other passages, but this one says it all.

Let’s face it, cheating can feel fun. The excitement of doing something you know you aren’t supposed to can give you a rush of adrenaline. But it’s only a temporary high. It doesn’t compare to doing the work to get you where you want to be. That brings a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And it sustains.

When people cheat, they are damaging themselves. The brain creates neural networks that start looking for other ways to cheat. In the long run, cheaters will be found out and their reputations will be ruined. Reputations can be rebuilt, but it’s better to not put yourself in the position of having to do so.

When you feel like taking a shortcut, stop and consult the Word of God. His principles and guidance never fail us. God didn’t promise us it would be easy on this side of eternity. But He did give us a guide to living a fulfilling life.

Trust Him…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Holiday Legacy

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are fastly approaching. Are you ready? My office has a luncheon planned for tomorrow. I’m bringing salad which means I’m going to the store to buy three bags of salad. Oh joy!

The holidays bring on a sense of dread for me. By admitting this I know I sound like Ebenezer Scrooge or someone like him, and my personality is far from him. The holidays were always a disappointment for me when I was a child. So as much as I love the season, I’m glad when they are over. This is the holiday legacy my family left me with.

But…things can change. I have tried to flip the script for my children so they have a better experience. But I gotta admit those Hallmark movies are not the goal I’m trying to reach. I want to leave a legacy of warmth and love, not perfection. Togetherness over stress.

If you feel the same way about the holidays, know that you aren’t alone. Changing perspective is possible. It begins with our attitude…

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Spirituality

Too Old

Have you ever suggested an activity to someone, only for them to say, “I’m too old for that?” Are they aware that former President Bush jumped out of an airplane well into his 80’s? Remarkable.

Age is only a state of mind. It only exists in your head and your heart. It’s true that as we age we might not be as limber and flexible as we once were. That only means you have to take a little longer to warm up. You aren’t out unless you decide you are.

Our only limitations are the ones we place on ourselves. The mind is powerful, and mind over matter is a real thing. Don’t place artificial limits on yourself. You can go as far as you are willing to go in life.

I have no plans to jump out of a perfectly good airplane anytime soon. It could happen, but it’s highly improbable.

And like the song says, you’re only as pretty as you feel. Feel empowered to live and thrive…

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Spirituality

Get Educated

We place a premium on education. The more degrees someone has, then the brighter they must be, right? Well, maybe.

Over the course of my life I have met a lot of people. The mix of people I know includes Republicans, Democrats, atheists, Jews, Christians, Muslims and a few Hindus. I know people with multiple degrees and I know people who dropped out of school. Every single one of them had something to teach me. I learned by listening, not by talking.

Learning to actively listen has been invaluable for me. When we open our minds to different perspectives we can learn. There are eight billion people on the planet with eight billion different lives. Each of them brings unique experiences to the table. All should be considered even though no one is right all the time.

It costs nothing to listen. But the lessons we can learn are worth more than a degree. Learn to listen…

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Spirituality

The “In Crowd”

When we were growing up, there were different groups of kids who hung around together. Popular kids, athletes, nerds, thugs and the rest existed within the same school. Sometimes the lines blurred between them.

In school, I got along with each group quite well. I marched to my own drumbeat and that rhythm didn’t necessarily fit into any one group. My friends are still spread across a diverse mosaic. Each person brings their unique song into the mix.

When my son was getting into trouble years ago, people would say “he’s just hanging around with the wrong crowd.” To me, that was just an excuse. You see, he chose the crowd. My son had solid character, and he eventually straightened his life out. But we get to choose who we associate with.

We are a product of our environment. Sometimes people are just transitory in your life. They aren’t meant to stay. Hang on to the ones who challenge you, who bring out the best in you. And you should do the same for them.

Those people are a treasure…

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Spirituality

The Home Stretch

September has arrived! We are in the final one-third of the calendar year. How did the year fly by so quickly? Someone told me they even saw a Christmas ad on television recently.

Did you set any goals for 2025? Sometimes we call them resolutions. Studies show that over 90% of the population set them, and a majority abandon them before the end of January. If you are in the majority, don’t beat yourself up. Take action.

Here’s a proposal: set one goal for the last four months of the year. Maybe you begin an exercise program three days per week. Broken down into smaller increments, you are committing to exercise a total of 54 times between now and December 31st. Now the goal doesn’t seem so high, right? By the time 2026 arrives you will be well on your way!

Flip the script on life. Adopt the attitude that no matter what life throws your way, you will get your weekly goal accomplished. It’s not too late to regain your health and wellness unless you believe it is.

Take care of yourself. Be accountable, but don’t knock yourself around when mistakes happen. There are plenty of low thinkers around to do that. Pay no attention to them.

Believe in yourself and get to work…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Competition

Football season is back! I love the game, everything about it. The team I am a fan of is the Dallas Cowboys. They break my heart every year. Yet, I remain a loyal, hopeful supporter.

Team sports are wonderful teaching tools. Young people learn accountability, responsibility and the athletes take better care of their bodies. They keep their grades up so they can play when game time comes.

Winning is a wonderful feeling, but it’s not everything. In sports you have to overcome adversity. You encourage your teammates to rise above the challenges together. These are lessons that will serve you well later in life.

Competition is a good thing. It makes us better at our jobs when a deal is on the line. And if we lose, we learned from sports that we will live to fight another day. All is not lost.

Team sports are not the only place kids can compete. There’s band, debate, engineering, literally everything in school.

Compete fairly with yourself, too. Mistakes happen in life. They will only hold us back if we allow them to…

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Spirituality

Learn to Listen

In The Book of James the author tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” In other words, we should keep quiet and keep our cool. But what about that listening part?

How many times have we been in conversations where we hear the other person, but we aren’t truly listening to them? I would venture to say it happens quite a lot. We can get so amped up to be heard ourselves that we end up having two monologues rather than a dialogue.

Listening requires way more effort than just hearing someone. But it is required for good communication. And after a day of listening to your counter parties, you become mentally exhausted. But it is worth it. When we listen, others feel like they have been seen, heard and understood.

Take the time to listen when engaged with others. Take the extra time to listen with your heart…

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Spirituality

Inner Courage

Sometimes I see people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Occasionally they say this is making them fearless. But they are wrong. Courage comes from within, not from the external. Let’s examine this a little more.

Fear is a learned behavior. You weren’t born with it. Children learn to walk even though they fail many times while trying to master the skill. They refuse to give up, yet they know they might fall down on their next attempt. Their desire to succeed is greater than their fear of failure.

The world is hard. There’s no doubt about that. It’s expensive to live, people are yelling at each other, and there’s no end in sight to stop our division. And it takes courage to face our own fears while navigating our way through the mess. Yet, it’s possible to live fearlessly. How, you ask?

Remember that God is in control of everything. Evil cannot harm you unless God allows it. But He sees the good that only He can bring from it. Keep in the forefront of your mind that God is watching you all the time, and will see you through your troubles if you trust Him.

Write down whatever you are worried about. Talk it through with someone you trust. Then let God do his thing…

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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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