Category: motivation

Categories
motivation

No Longer a Slave to Fear

Cartoon of son standing on sleeping dad. The son says, "Wake up, Dad! It's time to fearlessly face the day!"

There was a time I would let fear dictate my actions. If I’m honest, I’d say it was as recently as last night. It’s a constant battle to vanquish all the bad news and doomsayers from my mind. It’s a shame our minds are wired to ignore good news and focus on all the doom and gloom.

But today is a new day. It is full of potential. Nobody really knows what tomorrow will bring. So why not face it with courage? Why not be fearless?

I have to be intentional to do that. If I run by autopilot, If I allow the latest headline to dictate my mood, I can become a slave to fear rather quickly. But that’s not how we would like to live, is it?

Take some time today to find the good. One great resource I recommend is The Good News Network. Read something inspirational, such as The Bible. Be intentional in finding something to be grateful for. We don’t have to be slaves to fear today.

Categories
motivation

Fangs of Fear

Cartoon of a man with vampire fangs

I marvel at people who take pride in instilling fear in others. Some have black pickups trucks with skulls and threatening slogans. Others go out of their way to make it clear they are worthy of fear. They may yell, swear and are more than ready for a fight.

While I have yet to see someone have their teeth surgically altered with vampire fangs, I’ve heard such stories over the years of people altering their appearance in order to look threatening. It can be a power play. They may think, “If you fear me, I gain power and respect.”

If that is their thing, so be it. Halloween will give them plenty of options to do that, if even for one evening this week. Instilling fear in others may work for a while, but it isn’t a good long term solution. Fear wears off. It forces the one instilling fear to raise the stakes (poor choice of words for a vampire!). When people call their bluff, they have to be more scarier to get the same result.

It is much better to attain respect by being encouraging and showing kindness. Fear motivation makes everyone feel worse, including the one dishing it out. Motivation through hope, encouragment and faith goes much further and inspires others to greater heights. 

Cartoon of a man with vampire fangs
Categories
motivation writing

Don’t Let Your Knowledge Die With You!

Beach sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

My father-in-law passed away three years ago. My favorite times with him were our nonstop drives to Florida. On a few occasions, it was just the two of us in the van. Other times, we would keep each other awake while the crew slept away. He would talk about his adventures as a young man, the challenges of farming and his observations on life, faith, and politics.

One early morning near Dothan, Alabama, he was telling me a story about his first car, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. He was lamenting how he wished he still had that car. I said, “You should write all this down. Your grandkids would love to hear this!”

He replied, “Nah! Nobody would want to read what I’ve written. It’s just everyday, common sense.”

I disagreed with him then. And today, I wish more than ever he would have heeded my advice. What he thought was just average, boring life in twentieth-century Ohio could have been a fascinating read to his great-grandchildren one day.

It makes me wonder what my great-grandparents were like. What was it like in nineteenth-century Indiana? What was it like for one of them to flee North Carolina because he was a Quaker and was threatened because he was against slavery? What was it like for another of my ancestors to survive the Civil War, The Battle of Stones River, and the Andersonville Prison Camp? Did some of my other ancestors have experiences that would have fascinated me?

I think about it when I write in my journal or type away at a blog entry. Maybe my life doesn’t seem exciting to me. Perhaps my observations look mundane to me. But I’ll keep writing. I’ll let the next generation determine that. I’m going to keep writing for myself, and maybe the generations following me.

Categories
motivation

Decisions and Things That go Bump in the Night

Car with a huge jack o lantern in the trunk for Trunk n treat
Trunk -n- Treat

The days are getting shorter and night appears to have the upper hand as we get closer to Halloween. Things appear to be more sinister too. Last weekend, I witnessed the first smashed pumpkin for the year. Was it a ghost? A goblin? A slap-happy teenager on Saturday night with too much time on his hands, in the wee hours of the morning?

Darkness brings confusion and lets the imagination get out of control. Was that a screaming banshee or a territorial house cat? Is that a spook scurrying across the yard or a skunk? Either way, I wouldn’t investigate if I were you.

The times of darkness are not the times to make informed decisions. You don’t know if what you see is really what your mind is telling you. You can make some assumptions that are very inaccurate. Decisions based on fear rely too much on your survival instinct. Panic sets in. You feel it’s time to either fight or flee.

Wait until the morning. Be patient for the time of the light. The time of darkness may seem like it’s eternal, but the day always follows the night. You may discover that the fifty-foot tall monster you saw last night was just the leafless oak tree in the back yard.

Categories
motivation

Phone check…or not?

Cartoon of a business man and homeless man

When I drew this cartoon, I did not have a smartphone. Ten years has made quite a difference when it has come to phone tech. But are we better for it?

This article on the morning habit of checking your phone first thing in the morning was written before all the coronavirus hit. I’m sure some of the warnings would be even more true today. It’s not a good idea for me to check my phone in the morning. All the stress and anxiety that comes through the phone does not put you me a good mindset to begin the day.

We face a constant battle each day to either control the content in our lives or let it control us. We are not facing a scarcity of information. On the contrary, we face a flood of information each day. We have to consider whether the information we receive is fact or opinion, accurate or made-up. And even if it is factual and accurate, we need to consider whether this is helping us or not. Does it put us in the right frame of mind? Does it help us start the day on a good, right footing, or just put us in despair?

It is tempting to just grab the phone and let the tsunami of information flood us. But remember, we have the control. We can choose how much and what information we consume. Otherwise, we may need a sign that says, “I have a smartphone. Please help me!”

Cartoon of a business man and homeless man