Categories
motivation

The Greatest Legacy

“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” Billy Graham

Six years ago today, my family lost a dad and grandfather that left a lasting, good impression on our lives. He was a man that left the greatest legacy to his kids.

In his last months, he was so concerned about leaving his family in good shape financially. Yet, he left more than most kids ever hope to have. Billy Graham’s quote says it perfectly.

“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

Billy Graham

Billy Graham Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/billy_graham_626354, accessed February 2, 2022.
Photo of my wife and grandkids in 2004. He gave the greatest legacy to his family
Photo of my father-in-law with his wife and grandkids in 2004

Character

I have been blessed by two fathers who have shown me what character looks like. They have lived their values both in public and behind closed doors. The more I have lived and heard the stories of others, the more I know how rare that is.

One moment of indiscretion and ruin a person’s legacy. I am so glad my father-in-law was the real deal. I encourage all of us to live what we believe. Otherwise, what good are our beliefs?

Faith

My father-in-law lived his faith. He believed the future would be better even as he suffered near the end. His faith sustained him through many difficult times.

We would have numerous conversations about the future. Many of them were about the possibilities if we lived a life of faith over fear. It caused him to plan and take steps by faith. I am so thankful for his positive outlook.

My one regret is I would love to have a written record of those conversations so that my children’s children would know about his legacy. That is a project I aim to work on one day. Until then, let’s all work to live the greatest legacy to those who come after us.

Categories
motivation

The Steps to Success

The Steps to Success

All of us want to succeed. But very few of us want to take the steps to success if that means we fail at something. I get it. Who says, “Yes! Give me more failure, please!”

William Whewell Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/william_whewell_126253, accessed February 1, 2022.

Honestly, until today I wasn’t aware of who William Whewell was. The guy was a renaissance man long after that era was over. He was an Anglican priest, scientist, polymath, and philosopher. Whewell gave us the words “scientist” and “physicist” among others. In short, he was a genius.

Yet, he also saw the value of trying, failing, learning, and trying again to succeed. We may be risk-averse, but without the possibility of failing, there is no path to success. Failure and achievement go hand in hand.

We each have a choice on whether to make something of significance or to avoid the risk of failure and appearing foolish. Each thought we have towards a goal has to be tested. Let’s face it. not every thought we have is going to succeed in the real world.

In a world full of manufactured goods, we are tempted to believe that since that product looks consistent and perfect now, there was never any failure involved. However, I have seen how much trial and error goes into a product and marketing campaign. No one gets it right on the first try.

An assembly line may create a consistent, perfect product now, but how did that product get to that point? Even the assembly line took some testing, failing, and readjusting before it ran smoothly.

Even then, it may not run perfectly one-hundred percent of the time. Has anybody heard of product recalls? Hopefully, a company learns and improves from each one.

So I encourage you to take some steps to achieve today. Be bold enough to try, make some mistakes, learn, and climb the steps to success.

Categories
motivation

Ambition and Happiness

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date.” Dale Carnegie

My wife and I have a cat that is perpetually seeking the perfect lap. She wants the person whose lap she occupies to have her undivided attention. Her goal is to rest on top of our arms so that we can’t do anything but pay attention to her. She has a disconnect between ambition and happiness.

The cat is rarely satisfied. She leaves our lap not because she is content, but because she has given up on having us submit to her desires.

Cat lying on top of a Bible
Miley, the Cat, on the Word ©2022 Kevin Spear

A lot of us are like that. We want something that is just out of reach. We are convinced we won’t be happy until we achieve a goal. Our ambition drives us to discontentment if we aren’t careful.

I too have ambition and If I am not careful, I can allow it to put off happiness. I can be so focused on the future, I miss out on what good things are happening today. A quote by Dale Carnegie reminds me how foolish this can be.

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”

Dale Carnegie

We can get too busy to have fun. We try to hustle today to make things happen for tomorrow. But what if we are missing out on today’s blessings?

Don’t postpone happiness! We can pursue goals and have ambitions without sacrificing today’s well-being.

  • Count our blessings and write them down
  • Have a conversation with a loved one
  • If today is frustrating, ask “What does today make possible?”
  • Go for a walk and take in some nature

It is good to have ambitions. But don’t forget we have today to enjoy as well.

Categories
wisdom

A Treasure of Knowledge

“Wise people treasure knowledge,
but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.”

Proverbs 10:14 (NLT)
red and black wooden chest on white sand
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

We live in an age that has a ton of information, but so much of it can be false. We can do research only to find that the source isn’t reliable, or isn’t possible to discover where it came from. How can we treasure knowledge when there is so much babbling going on?

  • Search for multiple sources, not just the ones we agree with. It is better to get divergent opinions than to seek comfort in information that we agree with.
  • Be humble. Pride keeps us from learning anything new.
  • Be a lifelong learner. There is too much information and new discoveries to remain at the same level of knowledge when we were in high school and college.
  • Know the difference between facts and opinions. Anyone can babble an opinion. And anyone can interpret facts. But what are the facts?

Knowledge is worth pursuing in any field. It can end up being quite a treasure.

Categories
motivation

Character and Reputation

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.

Thomas Paine was born 285 years ago today on January 29, 1737. He was a revolutionary and author of the pamphlet, Common Sense among others. He knew a few things about character and reputation. As I was reading some of his quotes, this one stood out to me.

“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_paine_117868, accessed January 29, 2022.

Reputation

Our reputations are valuable currency. They are the result of many decisions and actions we have made throughout our lives. We can earn part of it while other parts are the opinions of friends and enemies.

We can have a great reputation with those within our tribe and a notorious reputation with those who oppose our views. Influence comes from our words and actions. If both are in agreement, our reputation can give us authority and good stature. It may even give us fame and prominence.

When making any to hire someone, we value a good reputation. After all, when we search for a babysitter, we want someone who is dependable, good-natured, and great with our children. We value a babysitter’s trustworthiness.

However, our standing can fall due to the gossip and opinion of others. The tribe we associate with may change their views. One generation holds one view while the other has a different value.

We have both an individual reputation and one that others ascribe to our group. And yes, our group can change. While we were once part of the younger generation, we age. Elders once thought we were radical, but the younger generation may think we are fuddy-duddy. It happens fast!

While we can control part of our reputation, other parts are out of our control. In the end, it is simply what others think of us.

Character

Therefore, Thomas Paine’s quote reminds me how important character is. It is who we are behind closed doors. It is the choices we make when no one is watching.

  • Do we do the right thing every time, or only when we have an audience?
  • Are the words we speak in line with what we ourselves are doing?
  • Are we more concerned with our prominence than living who we really are?

Unfortunately, someone can have a great reputation, but lousy character… at least for a time. But I have seen so many people held in high-esteem fall because their true character was revealed. No one can keep up a charade forever. If our reputation is great, but our character is lousy, it will be revealed sooner or later.

My prayer is that all of us may have a good reputation and character. While the first may not always be in our control, the second is definitely up to us.