Category: Attitude

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Attitude Proverbs wisdom

The Stiff-necked

brown highland cattle on field of grass
Photo by Gabriela Palai on Pexels.com

In a story, there is always an obstacle. Either the hero has a conflict internally or externally. Something is stiff-necked.

Proverbs 29:1 reminds me why being stubborn and part of the stiff-necked is far from admirable.

"Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy." Proverbs 29:1

The hero learns something when they face and overcome the obstacle. They change and become a better version of themselves. Sure, they may be stubbornly determined, but they can’t be so stubborn that they are too proud to learn.

What if the hero is stiff-necked? What if they never learn and remain the same? It’s not much of a story—it’s just a long, slow-motion destruction scene.

Do you have a good story? Have you learned something that changed your life for the better? Congratulations! You have a story to tell that can transform the life of someone else who doesn’t suffer from a stubborn, stiff neck.

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Attitude children cartoons

Are you an optimist or pessimist?

When it gets right down to it, which one are you? Are you an optimist or pessimist? Do you say the glass is half empty, half full, or has life dumped the contents all over you?

Are you and optimist or pessimist? Cartoon of an angry girl and a drenched boy. The boy says, “You may think the glass is half-empty, but I say it is half-full. At least it was before you dumped it on me.”

Have you ever experienced the ire of someone who just wants to stay in a bad mood? Boy, I have! I’ve tried to tell a few jokes, act silly, and even encourage them to join along. Usually, it goes horribly wrong. In fact, I’ve learned the best way to make a pessimist feel better is to allow them to get you down. They aren’t happy until they make you miserable. Misery loves company, right?

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Attitude cartoon motivation

Why change is so hard

There are very few of us that embrace change. We know that it makes people nervous and frustrated. Article after article affirms that. Yet if we’re honest, we will admit it is inevitable. Just why is change so hard?

Spear 3974

When I sketched this idea, I observed people about twenty years older than me resisting texting. Nine years later, many of that generation has accepted texting as just another form of communication. Time marches on!

Change is a deceptively difficult thing. We have no problem finding reasons that it is so. Even when everyone agrees changes need to be made, reform is hard. People may disagree on why and how the alterations need to be made. They may even disagree how much and how sweeping a change needs to be. It just isn’t an easy thing!

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Attitude motivation

Why It Is Better Not to Give Up

close up photography of four baseballs on green lawn grasses
Photo by Steshka Willems on Pexels.com

Today is a Monday. While I am writing, it is raining outside. It’s not perfect circumstances. Then again, are there ever any perfect circumstances? We may see a gloomy situation on the horizon. But there are good reasons why it is better not to give up.

“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”

Babe Ruth

Whenever we are convinced we can succeed, we can move forward when it looks hopeless. We can meet obstacles with confidence. Temporary setback do not deter us. Rather, we can keep going and know that sooner or later, we will succeed.

It never makes sense to give up! This link is about a game I was sure the other team won. My team looked like it wasn’t their day. However, after I turned off the TV, my team overcame a fourteen point deficit and went on to win by thirteen points. The only reason that happened is that the team never lost hope. They kept going when it looked hopeless and won.

How to Keep Going and Win

  • Expect Obstacles
  • Learn from our mistakes
  • Adjust our game plan
  • Think long-term as well as short-term
  • Look forward to the win

If we expect to be students for the rest of our lives, we can learn and adjust to any situation. Beware of the naysayers that say it is hopeless before we really have a chance to succeed. We can make a difference and win when we believe it. When we learn to change obstacles into opportunities, the win will come.

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Attitude Bible Proverbs

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath

Background of a creek. Text is Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

It can be frustrating when things aren’t going your way. Someone isn’t meeting a deadline. That stupid supply chain is ruining your sales! Why can’t that kid do what I ask when I asked him? There are plenty of situations to get frustrated about.

Each time the frustration builds, we have an opportunity to make things better or worse. You can raise your voice and invoke fear to get things done, and it may work in the short-term. But what does that do in the long-term? Fear-based leadership is no leadership at all.

And what happens if it doesn’t make things happen, but the angry words just accelerate between you and the other party? Fear-based leadership become less effective when the other party is no longer afraid—even angrier than you. Then you end up with bigger problems.

There are plenty of reasons to get frustrated and lash out. But Proverbs 15:1 reminds me how we reply makes all the difference.

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)

The last two years have been frustrating for everyone. There is no shortage of stories on people behaving badly because of frustrations. We don’t know what a person could be going through or what they’ve lost recently.

When tensions are high, we have an opportunity to make things better or worse by our reply. A soft answer could make all the difference in your day and mine!