For the last few years, I have been writing a weekly blog and producing a podcast, which stemmed from my Saturday radio show, “Encouragement for Your Life,” heard every week on 94.5FM. As we come into the holidays, I will be closing out this chapter of life–my weekly newsletter and podcast. That being said, after 250 shows/posts/newsletters, I will end my weekly dose of encouragement with the same encouragement that I started with almost five years ago. Please hear me loud and clear (and I am speaking to myself here as well): your only limit is you. And that is […]
You Are NOT Responsible for How People Treat You
You are not responsible for how people treat you, but you are responsible for how you treat others and yourself. Recently, I was watching a show about re-entry from death row prison to freedom. The man who was telling his story said that, through it all, his mother would tell him that no matter what happened in life or death, he was not responsible for how people treated him, but he was responsible for how he treated others and himself. A tear came to his eye when he recalled the words of the one woman who never stopped loving him, […]
Wouldn’t It be Great if Everyone Was Happy to See You?
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone were happy to see you? I mean, I’m really happy to see you every time you come around. Recently, I saw a photo online of the most adorable little boy who was at an amusement park where he met someone in a costume who looked just like Tinkerbell. She was beautiful and looked very kind and sweet as she kneeled down to hug him and speak to him. The look on his face, captured by his parents’ camera, was one of pure joy, glee, thrill, elation, and excitement. When I posted the photo on […]
Remember People are Looking Up to You – Don’t Let Them Down
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 live […]
You Can’t Fix Yourself by Breaking Someone Else
You can’t fix yourself by breaking someone else… You often hear the phrase that life is precious, and we need to be careful with our words, our actions, and our attitude. I wholeheartedly agree with that statement and believe it to be true. We all need to follow the wisdom of those words, but what I find so disappointing in watching others is the bizarre attitude of some people who believe that by tearing others down, they are building themselves up. Sorry, Charlie, it doesn’t work that way because you can’t fix yourself by breaking someone else. It’s just not […]
Be a Lamp – a Lifeboat – or a Ladder
Be a lamp – a lifeboat – or a ladder. I came across this saying a while back, and it made me stop and think about who in our lives has been there as a lamp, a lifeboat, or a ladder. I’m sure for most of us, it would be easy to choose someone who is a lamp in our life – someone who believed we’d come into our own one day and be the person we were born to be. That one person who, against all odds of human reasoning, liked us, loved us, and believed in us, and […]
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 and waves and sharks and whatever else lurks in the ocean to become the master of the […]
Leaving Greatness in the Graveyard
A while back, I saw a motivational video about pushing through the pain to achieve the goal of greatness. It was a video of famous and not-so-famous athletes who worked hard day after day, night after night, to be the best, understanding that success is a mixture of blood, sweat, and tears. Today, they are recognized sports figures who are greatly rewarded for their abilities. As the video plays, you can hear voices—somewhat reminiscent of preachers in the background delivering a message of determination, power, fight, and success—and there is one section of the video where the words caught my […]
Don’t Complain About Things You Are Not Willing to Change
I have just about reached my limit with people who complain about things they are not willing to change. You hear it all the time from someone in your group. They are the ones who whisper loudly that someone else didn’t do their job, or someone else didn’t tell them some tiny bit of useless information, or someone else said something to someone. And you know the rest of the excuses of the one person who blames their lack of accomplishments on everyone else but themselves. Today, I have a lot to say to those people. What are we supposed […]
