Category: motivation

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K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine motivation

Creativity in Bending the Rules

Cartoon of a teacher observing a boy. He says, “While it’s true you’re not standing on the chair, I don’t want you to do that either.”
Published in “K! KidzMatter Magazine “

I am a firstborn, like my wife. We both grew up believing the world had a set of rules that were meant to be followed. Our poor siblings and kids probably got quite tired at hearing the “rules lecture.” It makes it that much more amazing we’ve both been in creativity careers and children’s ministry.

When I drew this cartoon, I thought of all the creative ways kids demonstrate how to bend the rules. They have taught me you can obey the letter of the law, but not the spirit. Is it any wonder one rule can become a dozen variants in no time!

There are certain rules that need to be obeyed for safety, fairness and justice. Then there are unwritten rules we need to reconsider each day. Are there unwritten rules about our culture that are keeping us from thinking creatively? Is there an unwritten rule in our business that no one really knows why we do it that way, we just do?

At any rate, please be kind to the chairs. They get enough abuse as it is.

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motivation Motivation Cartoons

Winning, Accomplishment, and Gratitude

Cartoon of three kids at an Olympic podium. One says, "Do we have to do this every time you win something?"

When it comes to competition, I haven’t been one to want to get on the podium for everyone to see. Oh, I love to win! I just haven’t been the guy who feels the need to rub it in the other person’s face.

There are things I want to accomplish, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had in the past as well as today. Gratitude is a way for me to see how much I really am winning. It can be the same for you.

Whenever you can take a moment to be thankful for your family and friends, you are winning. Whenever you see you have reasons to be thankful for food and shelter, it’s a form of victory. Celebrate that you are able to read and think. Be thankful for another day of life. These are all the reasons why you are winning today. Can you just hear Santana singing, I’m Winning just now? Maybe that’s just me.

We may not be the star athlete like the kid in my cartoon. We may find frustrations at school or work that make us wonder when was the last time you could take a victory lap. But every day we can get up and get out there in the world is a reason to celebrate. Just don’t lord it over everybody!

Cartoon of three kids at an Olympic podium. One says, "Do we have to do this every time you win something?"
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Attitude motivation

How Do You Stay Optimistic in a Pessimist’s World?

Cartoon of an angry girl and a drenched boy

Have you ever noticed that when someone is in a bad mood, they’re rarely interested in a dose of optimism?

My family was getting ready for a spring break trip. For whatever reason, my wife was having a bad day. It’s entirely possible I wasn’t doing my share of the preparation. It could be that the kids were tired and grumpy. For whatever reason, she seemed to be down and I decided it was my duty to cheer her up.

  • I tried silly jokes
  • I tried making humorous observations about the crazy drivers
  • I tried countering every negative comment with some wisecrack
  • I tried counting our blessings
  • I even tried making a silly face and getting right up to hers

The last one was a big mistake. Even though we were married, I voided her personal space. There’s only so much my poor wife could take. I went from being a purveyor of good, clean fun to just being obnoxious and annoying. She snapped. I realized my mistake and began to pout.

Minutes later, I noticed something. She was in a much better mood and I was the one in the dumps. My efforts worked, just not in the way I expected. She poured the glass of optimism all over me and she felt much better.

So how do you stay optimistic in a world that isn’t having any of it? I learned three lessons that day.

  • It is unwise to base your feelings on the emotions of someone else, even those closest to you
  • Being annoyingly optimistic and obnoxious about it can only irritate others
  • When someone closest to you is down, it’s sometimes best to give them the space to feel their emotions

We ended up having a great trip. I learned a valuable lesson about relationships. And yes, we both have learned a lot about optimism over the years.

Cartoon of an angry girl and a drenched boy
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Attitude children cartoons motivation

When Did You Find Out You Were the Problem?

Cartoon of girl and teddy bear. Girl says “I don’t like your taste in television.”

Frequently, we blame others for the problems we are facing. We think life would be perfect if only that person got their act together. We believe we are helpless to change circumstances and if only that person did their job correctly, things would be perfect!

It never occurs to us, we may have the solution. We are like the girl in my cartoon. She believes her teddy bear is keeping her from her favorite TV show. When she realizes she can change the channel, she may be in a much better mood.

If you are going through a challenge today, consider if you have more control than you realize. At the very least, we have control of our own attitude. If you are allowing someone to get under your skin, reconsider why you are giving that person that kind of control over your emotions. You have more choices than you realize.

Have you ever had a challenging time that became better once you realized you had more control than you thought? Share it in the comments.

Cartoon of girl and teddy bear. Girl says “I don’t like your taste in television.”
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motivation

Growing Up and Learning to Laugh

Cartoon of two biblical characters complaining

You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself.

Ethel Barrymore

The story of Moses and the Israelites have always intrigued me. Here is a story about a group of people that found their freedom through a series of miracles, yet they had the tendency to moan and groan. Their complaining turned a two-week trip into a forty-year camping ordeal. It was such an interesting story to me that I made a coloring and activity book out of it.

Things would have turned out much better if they had faith and realized how silly they were acting. Of course, that also means things will turn out better for me when I remember to do the same.

This cartoon stands out to me because when I wrote this, I had lived in the same place for years. My address was not more than fifty miles from my birthplace. I had never lived anywhere but Central Indiana until five years ago. Now I see myself in this cartoon and laugh at our adventures and misadventures over the last five years.

It’s not much fun to be around someone who either has forgotten to laugh at themselves or never learned to. I am thankful I have learned to laugh over the years.

Have you learned to laugh at yourself? Let us know in the comments below.

Cartoon of two biblical characters complaining