Category: motivation

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When things change, find a new melody

As I get older, it’s fun to see friends and peers reinventing themselves. Pivoting has been essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and many people have done just that. I wrote this article about two musicians that found their place during the pandemic.

Jay and Amy Rouse Find a New Melody

I especially like one piece of advice Jay gave to musicians. It is something we can all benefit from.

Jay encourages [musicians] to plan, but be flexible. “It’s everybody’s motto these days. And it’s never been truer: live with open hands.”

Article: Jay and Amy Rouse Finds a New Melody

Our best-laid plans were upended in 2020. Everyone has had to find a way to live and work in an alternative way. Some of us have struggled while others have been able to make it work. Resilience and the willingness to change have made a big difference when it has felt like the world was falling apart.

Life rarely goes the way we hoped it would. There are happy surprises as well as unpleasant ones. The future is rarely as predictable as we would like to think it is. Even as there are signs of improvement in COVID vaccines and the economy, we will face some setbacks along the way.

Live with open hands. Find a new melody. Be flexible. It is great advice now and will be great advice in the near and distant future.

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Christianity motivation

Two churches from two cultures make a huge impact

Salvador Hernandez, pastor of Centro Cristiano, preaches at Shartel Church of God

I had the pleasure of interviewing two pastors that are making a big impact in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Two Cultures, Two Churches—One in Christ

What impressed me about these two churches is how they work together. Cooperation is a big skill that pays big dividends. But it seems like our world attempts to keep us all from cooperating. Therefore, you don’t have to look far to find news about someone who refuses to work with others. Stalemates and quagmires seem to be preferable to getting anything done. It can feel like the world is in a hostile takeover.

However, progress and solutions require negotiations and compromise. It’s how teams are formed and do anything effective. As a result, it requires some trade-offs. The temptation, and the shortcut, is to surround ourselves with people who look like us, think like us and act like us. There is comfort in being around like-minded individuals. But the problem with that comfort is we tend to gravitate towards group think. Diversity is essential to get anything done.

Likewise, diversity and compromise essential in marriages. I am glad I didn’t marry someone who was just like me. I have learned much from my wife over the years. And I think she’s learned a thing or two from me.

Yes, two churches from different cultures can make a big impact. We can learn a thing or two from their example.

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motivation

When is it time to quit?

"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit." Napoleon Hill

Is it time to quit when things just seem too hard? Is it time to quit when everyone around us has given up? What about when all the reports and social media say it’s time to quit?

  • We love a good story where the hero doesn’t give up even when all seems lost.
  • We revel in the feel-good tale of a pet that is found when most thought the critter was no more.
  • Who doesn’t like to see someone who has overcome the odds?

There is always a chance that an effort is futile. We may not always get what we want. But those who refuse to quit will reap rewards even if the odds are against them and the battle is a foregone conclusion.

We can find a good cause and change the world for the better when we refuse to quit. But when we do it…

Resolve only reaps rewards when we treat others the way we want to be treated. That includes any perceived enemies.

"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to give up. "Napoleon Hill
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Encouragement motivation

Can anything good come of 2020?

Cartoon of a guy with a calendar. He says to a woman, "This year looked so promising, until I realized I was looking at last year's calendar."

No matter how you slice it, 2020 was a rough year. We had two promising months in the beginning before we realized we were facing a global crisis. Can anything good come of such a trying year? Yes, it can!

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

This verse reminds me that all is not lost. When it seems there is nothing but wilderness and desert, we can know that things will get better. Good things are coming.

If you are reading this, congratulations! You made it through 2020! A new year means there is potential for a new beginning. It’s fun for me to look back through my posts talking about a new year. Each one sounded hopeful. And yes, we have reasons to be hopeful. We’ve learned some important lessons about perseverance, patience, and about pivoting during trying circumstances. These lessons can be very good for us in the future.

Like you, I am glad to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. But let’s also look forward. We will see a way in the wilderness. We will see rivers form in the desert. This year was not wasted. It can set up for success in 2021.

Cartoon of a guy with a calendar. He says to a woman, "This year looked so promising, until I realized I was looking at last year's calendar."
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Business Encouragement motivation pet cartoons

Why do compliments make me uncomfortable?

person wearing pink cap
Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

This article from Inc. Magazine had me thinking about compliments.

We all like to think we’re doing a good job, so why do we downplay them? Like this previous post I wrote suggests, we like to think giving compliments is a sign of generosity and can even boost our likeability and popularity a bit… that is if they’re seen as genuine. Besides, who wouldn’t want a can of tuna?

Cartoon of a girl with a can of tuna. She is surrounded by cats. The girl says, "Popularity is easy. All you need is a can of tuna."

Compliments can make us uncomfortable for the following reasons:

  • It makes us feel we didn’t earn something when someone claims you have.
  • They may not sound genuine. As the Inc. Magazine article states, sincere compliments are key.
  • We may have been taught to be humble.
  • A complement may challenge us to an even greater standard.

If a compliment sounds genuine, and it resonates with me, I say accept it. Don’t try to belittle it by playing it down. Let’s all be generous with giving sincere compliments and receiving them.