Tag Archives: #relationships

Spirituality, Uncategorized

Reports Don’t Tell You Everything

Have you ever seen a marketing report? They are not only boring, they can be highly inaccurate. Yet corporate America continues to spend millions of dollars on them.

People want relationships which are more than transactional. Relationships are built on trust. Remember those market reports from above? Agencies even query consumers about which brands they trust. Again, costing millions of dollars that could be used to improve products.

There is one true source that cannot let us down. It talks about trust and incudes pieces on how to market effectively. I’m talking about the Bible. The Bible shows us that time and time again we can trust God. He tells us to be fair and equitable in dealing with others. Your reputation spread by word of mouth is the best marketing tool available. Your reputation is built by being trustworthy, treating people fairly.

Spend time with people. Strengthen your relationships. Stay in touch. You can read the marketing reports later…

Standard
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…

Standard
Spirituality, Uncategorized

Rational Lies

We lie to ourselves. Now that is a true statement! We lie to ourselves and then we rationalize the lies. We overeat and swear we will exercise harder next week. We tell a little white lie and believe we are sparing someone some bad news. It’s time for this to stop.

People can handle the truth. In fact, most people can handle criticism if it’s done constructively. You discuss the behavior without criticizing the person. People appreciate honesty, especially when it’s designed to help them.

All of us have blind spots. There are things we need to improve in ourselves, yet we may be unaware of them. This is where we need our friends to tell us the truth. We need to be honest with others about their blind spots. We can take a lesson from the Apostle Paul and deliver the message with “gentleness and self-control.”

What are the lies you tell yourself? Take a moment of accountability. Write them down. Then actively work to improve. It’s a challenge, but you can rise and meet the challenge if you’re willing…

Standard
Spirituality, Uncategorized

In Agreement

When we were little children we were told we should get along with others. The teachers didn’t show us how to resolve conflicts, though. We learned how to do that through after school fights on the playground!

In life, we like to see the adults play nice. We hope our world leaders can resolve differences without going to war. And we really like it when our politicians show civility to each other after brutal, nasty elections.

In case you haven’t noticed, people are at each other’s throats over political differences. Self-righteousness is on display daily on social media. Lifelong friendships have been left in tatters due to unresolvable conflicts. I believe we can do better, if we are willing.

I don’t have to agree with you to like you. If you are a good person, doing good in the world and caring for your fellow man, I’m okay with you. Over the course of my life I have observed that most people are good at heart. And it’s the heart that matters most.

My encouragement to you is to look for the good in the world. It’s there! Sometimes you gotta look hard to find it, but it’s there. And if you aren’t seeing it, change the lens you are seeing through…

Standard
Spirituality

Trappings

Some people work their lives away seeking wealth, power and prestige. If you are reading this and find it relatable, I encourage you to stop the chase. It’s a trap that can leave you feeling hollow. No one wants to feel hollow.

Money is nice, but it’s only a tool. A big house is comfortable and inviting, but eventually you won’t be satisfied until you get a bigger, more modern home. The chase continues until you decide to seek what will fulfill you.

The most important thing in this world isn’t a thing, it’s people. Relationships will provide you a sense of satisfaction and well-being you cannot get from the trappings of this life.

And speaking of life, take a moment to thank God for another day on this side of eternity. We have an opportunity every day to make a difference in the lives of those around us.

Make your difference…

Standard
Uncategorized

Gift Giving

When I was a child, I would return to school after the Christmas break and all the kids in my class had the same question: “what did you get?” We were more curious about the quality and quantity of gifts we received rather than why we celebrated Christmas.

Fast forward to today, my sons tell me I’m difficult to buy for because there isn’t anything I really want or need. That’s true! All I want is to spend time with them. They are busy building their lives and we don’t get to see each other often. So, their time is the best gift I could receive.

When I buy gifts for others, I do my best to put thought into it. What will be important to the recipient and touch them in the heart is what I’m seeking. Thoughtfulness says more than the cost or opulence of a present.

As I have gotten older and perhaps wiser, I have learned that the greatest gift we have to offer is our time. Time is something we can never get back. Spend it well…

Standard
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…

Standard
Spirituality

Constructive Dialogue

There’s a lot of people tearing each other apart nowadays! In case you haven’t noticed, people love to argue about their political opinions. Many are dying on that hill daily.

This has been going on for a very long time. The advent of social media has brought the battle into the public. But one thing I have observed is, no one has been changed because someone is yelling at them. What a waste of time.

Constructive dialogue builds relationships. You can only learn about others by listening to them and observing how they act. We should respect others for what they believe. They have their reasons and it isn’t our place to try to change others. People can make decisions for themselves.

Ask yourself if what you are about to say is helping or hurting. There has been a lot of hurt heaped on other people because they believe differently.

Be different. Be helpful…

Standard
Spirituality

It’s Valentines Day

In the United States today is Valentines Day, the day of love. Or is it?

This day provides the florists, the chocolatiers and Hallmark cash flow to get them through until Mothers Day. Not a bad thing, but people build this day up to be something that can set the stage for disappointment.

If your significant other truly cares about you, he or she will show you all year long. You will know you are loved. Your relationship will be close and intimate, not one that is taken for granted.

The greatest demonstration of love is one we cannot fully understand. God allowed His son to be tortured and beaten beyond recognition so we, lowly humans, could be reconciled to God. There is no love like Divine love, and God loves us all the time, not just on February 14th.

Show people you care through your actions. This includes every other day besides Valentines Day…

Standard
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…

Standard