Categories
motivation

Gratitude List

In the USA, Thanksgiving will be tomorrow. Every day is a good day to make a gratitude list. Here are a few things I am grateful for:

  • I have the freedom and the technology to express myself to anyone who wants to read this
  • I grew up in a loving family and am so blessed to carry that tradition to the next generation
    • Great parents that are still living
    • Awesome siblings and their families
    • Great in-laws
    • A wonderful wife
    • Two great kids
  • I have the mind and skill to be able to express my thoughts
  • I live in a time where the comforts of heat and air conditioning are common
  • I can go where I want and travel to see loved ones this week
  • I’ve been blessed with health and the ability to exercise
  • Coffee
  • Chocolate & peanut butter: two of the most wonderful food combos ever!

I’m sure you have a few of your own. Before you head out into the crazy Thanksgiving traffic, make a list of the things you are grateful for today!

Categories
motivation

Stay in the Game!

Cartoon of a jogging couple

I’ve been reading Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt.

In the book, he tells the story of the runner, Heather Kampf. In 2008, she won a race after falling to the ground in a 600-meter dash. She could have given up. Instead, she picked herself back up and ended up winning the race.

She had a setback. Setbacks happen. If they don’t happen to you, you are probably playing it safe and not living up to your potential.

When I was active in magazine cartooning, I knew the odds were good that it would take about 120 cartoons submitted to different magazines before I sold one. There was a .8% chance a cartoon would sell. But I knew I needed to create and submit the other 119 cartoons in order to sell the one.

I knew rejection would come. But I also knew if I held out, a sale would come too. Whatever your goal, stay in the game. Know there will be setbacks and rejections. Those who stay in the game get to reap the rewards.

Categories
motivation

Of Dogs and Fools

I’ve had a few dogs over the years. The one thing they had in common is that they did things that just weren’t good for them.

And yes, I’ve seen dogs do what the following proverb says:

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Proverbs 26:11

You would think dogs know better. You would also think we humans would know better. We frequently do things that aren’t good for us.

  • Eat or drink to excess
  • Get involved in bad relationships
  • Zone out on television or other media
  • Repeat bad habits in work or personal life
  • Speak something we know we shouldn’t say

This proverb reminds me of how repulsive a bad habit can be. Before we return to that foolishness once again, let us consider how foolish it is to do the same mistake again and expect a different, better result.

Categories
motivation

Bloom Where You are Planted But Don’t be a Vegetable

Yellow Wildflowers along a running trail

The other day, I met an old friend. He is a steady, dependable guy if there ever was one. He epitomizes the phrase, Bloom where you are planted. He’s done so and has been quite successful at his work and life.

He was shocked when my wife and I moved from Indiana. And I suppose he is still shocked because he said, “It appears you’re no longer concerned with becoming rooted.” Of course, he forgets we have roots in Ohio as well as Indiana.

My wife and I felt led to move five years ago. I am glad we did. Yet I still agree you are to bloom where you are planted. While goals are important, those goals can be where you are or in a new place. The important thing is you keep growing no matter if you never intend to move, or if you have a case of wanderlust.

We are not vegetables. Yes, we are to make a difference where we are right now. At the same time, You can grow where you were born, or you can grow if you are transplanted in a new place. Just keep growing!

Categories
motivation

Learning Leads to Change

I get it. Some people don’t like change… most people don’t like change! It’s uncomfortable. We’ve worked hard to get where we are and we want to keep it. We love our kids and we don’t want them to ever move away, or grow into adults, for that matter. Change can be tough.

But if we resist change, does that mean we resist learning? Does it mean our growth is stunted? If we’re the same people we were twenty years ago, is that healthy? Is it really possible to remain in the twentieth century?

Change is the result of all true learning

Leo Buscaglia

Yesterday is gone. It’s a memory tainted with today’s biases. What worked then may not work now. At the very least, it may need to be modified. We will either learn and embrace change, or we will resist change and fade away. Let’s learn today and make the changes that keep us relevant.