Categories
motivation

Making Mistakes

Most of us fear making mistakes. We don’t want to be revealed as one who doesn’t have it all figured out. Isn’t it much better for the world to see our perfect selves doing things perfectly in a shiny package? That’s what social media is all about, right?

However, none of us have it all together. What is it about ourselves that fears we’ll be found out as flawed, yet thinks everyone else is perfect? All of us are afraid of making a mistake, especially in public.

This fear keeps us from doing anything worthwhile. It keeps us in line and ensures we won’t do much of value. We forget that the successful fail.

Should we be intentionally making mistakes? No, instead we can learn to overcome the fear that paralyzes us. For example, Harvard Business Review has a good article on how to manage this fear. One great tip is using “emotional agility skills.” We can acknowledge our fear and state them out loud, acknowledge what is true, then use our values to think of some possible actions to take.

Striving for perfection can paralyze us. All of us make mistakes at one time or another and it is okay. It is better to move forward and make mistakes along the way than to strive for a perfect, unattainable standard.

Categories
motivation

Strategy and Tactics

Strategy and Tactics

The journey many of us take isn’t a smooth one. There will be instances that we cannot control. Anyone who didn’t know this before January 2020 knows it today. The plan we had made likely didn’t account for a worldwide pandemic. But that’s okay. There is a difference between strategy and tactics.

This quote by Jimmy Dean reminds me that plans must be flexible.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean

Jimmy Dean Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jimmy_dean_131287, accessed January 24, 2022.
people riding on white sailboat on body of water
Photo by Quintin Gellar on Pexels.com

Our strategy may be solid. The goals we set out to do may have been worthy and challenging. And depending on how far out we planned, they may still look desirable and attainable. But when the wind changes unexpectedly, how do we adjust and change? There is a difference between strategy and tactics.

Strategy

Strategy is the long-term planning we do to achieve an overall goal. We see a destination and plan how to get there. It could be a business goal, a personal goal, or a life plan. It may be based on values we hold dear. We like what we see and plan how to get there.

Tactics

Tactics are the actions we take to achieve our plans. We may develop an action plan and follow through. But in the middle of it, the winds shift. Perhaps the data we had before is now obsolete. Maybe we are planning for a marathon and we get a blister. Or maybe we plan a move only to discover the job we relied on didn’t pan out.

Tactics are important. But they must be flexible if we are going to achieve our strategy. That can be tough when we were certain our plans would work out.

Adjusting the Sails

Today, our strategy may look good, but the winds of change have shaken us up a bit. I encourage you to consider instead of changing your strategy, consider if the tactics need to be modified. Instead of changing the destination, could it be we just need to adjust the sails a little?

I hope you have smooth sailing. But experience tells me there is always a shift in the wind and weather. Adjust the sails and keep moving forward!

Categories
motivation

Choose Wise Words

Choose Wise Words

Today, I will be teaching kids to choose wise words. The lesson will be based on this proverb:

“The words of thoughtless people cut like swords.
    But the tongue of wise people brings healing.”

Proverbs 12:18 (NIRV)

This sage advice could keep us out of so much trouble. How many times have we said something that we wished we could take back? There have been times when after an argument, I thought of a comeback that I wished I would have thought of at the moment. But a little later, I realized it would have only made things worse. A quick retort can feel good at the moment. But yes, it can cut like a knife.

In a world where we are bombarded with images, we can get caught up in message fatigue. Not only does the quality of our words matter, but the quantity too. Do our words bring destruction, healing, or just add to all the noise? Are we saying too many words, while not really saying anything? Can that flippant comment come back to haunt us years later?

Our words can bring destruction or healing. They can make things better or worse. And today, words can last on social media long after they have been uttered. Let’s all take a pause and think about what we say before we let them leave our lips or keyboards. Let’s all choose wise words.

Categories
motivation

Failure and Achievement

Failure and Achievement

Are you afraid to fail? Who loves it? Who wouldn’t like to achieve something perfectly and with zero failures? But that isn’t the way life works. There is a connection between failure and achievement. In fact, I would say you can’t have one without the other.

Nobody has it all figured out at the beginning. No matter how much we plan, it is impossible to account for every possible failure or outcome. C. S. Lewis says it best with this quote.

“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.”

C. S. Lewis

A few years back, I was on a project that involved the edition of a book. This book had great sales and we were going to update the design and illustrations.

As we were planning for the release, I heard a phrase that made me cringe; “Failure is not an option!” As the comment echoed in the room, I thought, “Well then, we are in serious trouble, because that doesn’t allow for any improvement.”

Failure is Always an Option

If anything is going to change, failure is always an option. Failure and achievement go hand in hand. Sure, we can plan and strive to avoid obvious mistakes.

Failure is success if we learn from it. But even then, we have to be careful. What didn’t work before could work today, and vice versa.

  • Technology may have improved
  • Customer preferences may have changed
  • The timing may have just been off before
  • What we thought was the root cause of a past failure wasn’t really the problem

As we get older, we can be tempted to turn down ideas that didn’t work yesterday but could be wildly successful today. Failure is an option if you want success. We have to face those fears!

cartoon of a girl and a monster. The monster is eating someone. A girl says, "You see Roger? This is why I don't like facing my fears."

Doing Nothing is a Bad Option

Sure, we can choose to do nothing. It is an option if we fear failure. And it is a choice. Staying put is a choice that guarantees no failure, nor success. But it is also is a choice that leads to regret.

It is better to encounter short-term failure because we tried than long-term failure because we were afraid of the possibilities. While doing nothing is an option, I hope you decide to take the risk, learning from failure, and succeeding is far better than wondering if you could have been successful.

Categories
children cartoons children's ministry cartoons Parenting Cartoons

Jacob and Esau

The other day, I was in a Sunday school class when two boys began wrestling. One of the boys was in the school wrestling program and wanted to show the moves he learned on the other. I watched closely since it would be bad for a fight to break out in Sunday school. As I made sure it didn’t get out of hand, it reminded me of the Bible story of Jacob and Esau. VoilĂ ! I had my cartoon idea for January!

Cartoon of two adults watching two boys fighting. The dad says, "It's okay. They're just a little rambunctious. Hey, Jacob! Esau! Come meet your new Sunday school Teacher!
Published in the January 2022 CHOGnews

The Jacob and Esau Bible story usually perks the ears of young boys. Since I am the firstborn son in my family, it certainly got my attention. Of course, I had not heard anything until the story of Moses and Passover made me cringe. Hey! Why were things so hard on the firstborn kids? I thought we got all the goods, not a death sentence!

As a child, part of the story made sense because Esau was prone to make rash, unwise decisions. Still, that Jacob was a deceiver. His name in Hebrew suggests that. Later, it made me uncomfortable to learn Esau’s name meant “hairy.” The poor kids didn’t have a chance. How would you like to be introduced as Hairy and Deceiver?

Their father’s name was Isaac. That means “Laughter.” It makes me wonder if he was laughing while his two sons were squabbling. In fact, for this cartoon, I shall hereby name the dad in this cartoon Isaac. It seems appropriate enough.

One of the many lessons of this story is to be careful what you name your kids. It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy!

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.