This might be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Sometimes You Have to Be Your Own Hero I have been looking through the past years’ files of the online version of my writing and reviewing all the themes I have written about. As I scrolled through week after week of posts, one thing that struck me was the fact that I am drawn to a few themes. This is interesting since so much of my writing has been, in a very real sense, random–thoughts that just happened to pop into my mind (after a prayer for guidance), and then five, […]
Leadership
Remember People are Looking Up to You
There is a small church near where I live, and on the outdoor board that displays the church service times, the pastor’s name, and other information, I recently saw that they had added this phrase: “Remember, people, are looking up to you – don’t let them down.” I really like that thought because it is so true. I know I speak about this a lot, but friends, hear me—you never know who is watching you, and you never know who is following your steps as they live their lives. You matter. Your words matter. Your actions matter, and how you […]
Taking Care of Business
I am sure you have a lot going on in your life these days, but allow me a minute to gently remind you to make sure you’re taking care of business–the business of doing what brings you joy, happiness, or simply what gives you a place or sense of rest, relaxation, and good times for today and tomorrow. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle of doing what everyone expects or demands that sometimes we forget why we’re doing what we’re doing, as life becomes routine and rote, and for many, it becomes boring. I don’t […]
To Act
“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk, and to act.” — Maxwell Maltz “To act” is my theme for today because, just like you, I hear the most amazing dreams, plans, and ideas from very capable people who never do anything to make any of them come true. It has gotten so repetitive with a few of my friends that I don’t enjoy going out with them because, just like last time, the whole […]
Are You Living a Shadow Life?
Not a title you normally see but it is worth thinking about – Are You Living a Shadow Life? I just finished reading a book called “Turning Pro” by one of my favorite writers, Steven Pressfield. His other book, “The War of Art,” is a classic, and I can tell you it changed my business life when I read it years ago, so when a friend mentioned that he had read another good Pressfield book, I had to pick it up. And there’s an idea in the book that is so simple, yet so true, that I couldn’t get away […]
Are You Addicted to Doing?
I know you’ve heard the phrase, “Just say no.” And while it was used to take aim at the war on drugs, I am here to encourage you to “just say no” and stop willfully taking another drug of choice that many people take and tend to overdose on, especially during the holidays–the drug of doing. I’ve never understood why so many good people are addicted to the need to do so, especially when they don’t enjoy it and can’t afford it. What I see is that they feel pressured by others because they feel they have no way out. We […]
Harness Your Power
You have the ability to Harness Your Power Recently, I was reading a review about Laird Hamilton’s life, which will be featured in an upcoming documentary called “Take Every Wave.” Laird is a legendary big wave surfing star who, according to the write-up, is as polarizing as he is acclaimed. I know a bit of who he is from magazine articles and his one-time marriage to volleyball star Gabrielle Reece, so in reading the write-up, I was curious about how he pushed himself to set aside his fear of the water, waves, and sharks and whatever else lurks in the […]
Fearless or Fearful
I love this thought for my message today – Ah, friend, are you fearless or fearful? In a recent show, I was speaking with my guest. I mentioned that it’s an interesting thing that when you are young–I find, for the most part, that many younger people are fearless—they’ll try anything from working extra hours to get ahead or speaking up in meetings to let their voice be heard, to spending time to learn a new program or system (which granted does seem to come easier to the youngsters). Still, I see so many people reach an age where they […]
Who Is Modeling You?
You know this is true about who is modeling you. So, I would like to know who you model your life after. Most of us grew up, I assume, with a role model that we sometimes eyed with awe and wonder and sometimes with suspicion and regret; either way, we watched someone live their life, and we either said, “I’m going to be like them,” or “I’m never going to be like them,” choosing to model ourselves in a similar fashion but separate enough to maintain our sense of dignity, pride, and individuality. I have always loved the artwork of […]