Category: motivation

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motivation

Why is it Important to Have a Sense of Humor?

Erma Bombeck was born 95 years ago today in 1927. She was a writer that had a great wit and style. One of her quotes goes right to why it is important to have a sense of humor.

“When humor goes, there goes civilization.”
Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/erma_bombeck_131317, accessed February 21, 2022.

A few years ago, the editor at a blog I write and draw cartoons for interviewed me about why I contribute. One quote from that article sums it up:

“The one thing I love about humor, if you’re dealing with a serious topic, humor can ease the blow.”

Kevin Spear
Photo of me drawing on a light table.

Yes, I just quoted myself. No, I don’t think I’m that important. On the contrary, the nice thing about quoting yourself is that it is easy to verify the source!

The Healing Power of Humor

Humor is important because it can break the tension in a situation. It can bring healing when we are able to see there is something in a tragedy that we can laugh about. When we feel stuck by a malady, or by circumstances out of our control, humor has great power to ease the blow and be a healing balm.

I may not know what your situation is or what you have experienced. In fact, I may not have had as challenging of a situation as you have had. But one thing we can all agree on is that we have all experienced tragedy, heartache, and situations that have broken other people.

How do some go one while others break under the pressure? I have observed that those with strong faith and a strong sense of humor can make it while others cannot.

Humor is not some frivolous act. It can get us through a lot. As Erma said, humor is important because civilization needs it to survive. We need it. I am going for the trifecta and adding a third quote for today.

“Humor is a prelude to faith, and laughter is the beginning of prayer.”

― Reinhold Niebuhr

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motivation

Why Move Forward?

When we make our plans, we like to think that the path we have laid out is the only correct one. But when we have trouble plotting that path, it can spin us into an infinite loop of analysis paralysis. We tend to forget that there are many ways to move forward.

www.brainyquote.com/s/a_18d40

Frequently, there is more than one way to make progress. And it is better to move than to sit still. Yet the fear of getting the journey wrong can stop us. It did for me several years ago. I learned that fear is not motivational. It just freezes us in our tracks.

When We Are Lost

There are times when it is better to stand still. When we are lost, it is better to stay put while someone attempts to find us. That is good advice when we are lost in a wilderness and we know someone is looking for us.

If we have no clue of what “forward” is, then perhaps it is best to wait until we have a sense of what our true north is. However, if we are called to do something, and we know the general path, It is best to get moving.

Our plans of how we get there may change. But if we have a destination, detours and unforeseen roadblocks are okay. After all, a GPS or map app usually has two or three ways to get to a destination, does it not? If we know where we are going, an alternate route will get us there too!

It’s the difference between strategy and tactics. Our strategy may be solid while our tactics need to change with new circumstances. Even if we have gone a similar path before, new data and challenges may force us to readjust our path.

There are many ways to move forward. But standing still when we should go isn’t very helpful.

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motivation

Making Excuses

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Benjamin Franklin

It’s so easy when things aren’t going the way we would like to make excuses, isn’t it? Our past experiences start to color our view. We don’t want to believe we are the problem. But if we realize we are at fault, we like to conclude the problem is out of our control.

A lot of creativity goes into excuse-making. Unfortunately, when all our energy goes into rationalizations, there isn’t much left for a solution. Benjamin Franklin alludes to this in the following quote.

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

Benjamin Franklin

Alibis take the responsibility off of us. If we reason our problem is because of our upbringing, society, or company culture, then we don’t have to make things better.

Instead, we can say it is someone else’s problem. Our rationalizations are our attempts to place responsibility on others. But what if they are doing the same thing? The cycle never ends. We end up pointing fingers at each other and asking, “Why can’t they get their act together?”

wood typography photography blur
Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

Stop making excuses! It doesn’t help us. Rather, our alibis just weaken us. They put the power onto someone else who may not realize what our expectations are. Even if they did, we may discover they may have limited control over the situation as well. What if the solution came from both parties taking responsibility?

Instead, let’s do our part. Ask what we can do to make things right, or at least better. Let’s put our creativity into finding a solution instead of an excuse.

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Bible motivation Numbers

It’s Always Too Early to Quit

“It’s always too early to quit.” Norman Vincent Peale

This morning, I was reading in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 14. Twelve spies reported on the Promised Land. Ten of the two gave a discouraging report. The other two knew it’s always too early to quit.

Have you received some discouraging news? Are you having trouble seeing the opportunity in your challenges? Take heart and remember this quote from Norman Vicent Peale:

“It’s always too early to quit.”

Norman Vincent Peale

You may say, “But you don’t understand what is going on in my life!” And you may be right. I have had some mishaps and disappointments in my life. And I certainly haven’t experienced everything you have.

But of course, you don’t know everything about my life either. However, we can agree that life can be as messy as a stinky diaper. There are some things that we can control, and other situations we just have to ride out.

high tech diaper pail
Life can be as messy as a stinky diaper

There have been times I have had to sigh and remind myself that God is in control, and I am not. But that doesn’t give me a reason to just give up. I remind myself it is best if I give to God what I can’t control while taking care of what I can.

I’ll admit it is a very delicate dance. If we are controlling others, that doesn’t help. But if we take care of matters we can control and have peace about the people and situations we can’t, we will eventually see a much better outcome.

Therefore, it is always too early for me to quit. And it is for you as well. Just because babies keep producing messy diapers, doesn’t mean we should just give up changing them. Young parents can take solace that one day, junior will be potty-trained and the mess will be a memory.

In the same way, just because we are facing messy situations today, doesn’t mean we should just give up. Change what we can, have peace about what we can’t, and pray for the wisdom to know the difference.

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motivation

Apologies Accepted

black toy car on world map paper
Photo by Mihis Alex on Pexels.com

Forbes has an article entitled What John Wayne Got Wrong About Apologizing. In it, John Baldoni uses a John Wayne quote to illustrate why it is okay to say, “Apologies accepted.”

“Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness.” 

John Wayne as Captain Nathan Brittles in, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon

Never apologize… Really? Baldoni goes on to show why that philosophy is actually a bad idea. Refusing to apologize doesn’t make someone strong. In fact, it erodes trust, eliminates accountability, and corrodes culture. In other words, apologies aren’t a sign of weakness. They are a sign of someone with a healthy ego.

If we pretend we are never wrong, how can we make progress towards a goal? It is a recipe for disaster. Therefore, we must have the courage to admit when we are going in the wrong direction.

black toy car on world map paper
Photo by Mihis Alex on Pexels.com

A long time ago, when paper maps were still the way to get around, I was lost in the middle of southern Indiana. Wherever we were didn’t appear to be where we wanted to go.

I acted like the stereotypical male and refused to admit I had no clue where we are. The more we drove, the more obvious we were wrong. I knew better. This kind of predicament that cartoons are made of. I was making myself the butt of a joke.

I could fool my kids. But I couldn’t fool my wife. At first, she patiently asked me to get directions. After about a half-hour of this, she had enough. It probably didn’t help that we drove by the same convenience store again. She strongly encouraged me to stop and ask how to get to our destination. After a two-minute conversation, we were off and going where we wanted.

Consequently, we would like to believe no one notices when we are going in the wrong direction. But we aren’t fooling anyone. So when we mess up (and we will), let’s have the courage to utter an apology. Then we may be surprised to hear the reply, “Apologies accepted!”