Tag: attitude

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cartoon Sermon Notes Sketch notes

Tame Your Brain Sermon Sketch Notes: Breaking Strongholds

Sermon Sketch notes from February 17, 2019. Notes based on a sermon by Steve Southards on taming your brain.

Sketch notes Copyright © 2019 by Kevin Spear. Sermon Copyright © 2019 Steve Southards

There are lies we believe all the time.

  • We think we’re not good enough
  • We think we’ll be happy once we get something or once someone accepts us
  • We think we are victims of our thoughts and circumstances and nothing will ever change
  • We think we are too young or too old and that it’s useless to try

For me, yesterday’s sermon from my pastor was a good reminder we can get stuck in a lie and deceive ourselves into believing it. You may disagree with me or the faith I claim. And that’s okay. For me, scripture is the cornerstone of my belief.

  • It has allowed me to see the good in others and myself
  • It has shown me my selfishness and where I need to change to love others

The renewal of my mind allows me to

  • Replace anxious thoughts with peace-filled thoughts
  • Replace earthly concerns with eternal concerns
  • Acknowledge reality while seeing the glass half-full versus half empty

May you have a blessed day today!

I recorded these notes at Salem Church of God, Clayton, Ohio.

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cartoon

Dignity is overrated

When we are young, we don’t care what people think of us. We are willing to try new things because we are learning so much about the world.

Somewhere between fourth and fifth grade, our dignity gene kicks in. We start worrying what others think of us. We look over our shoulder and assess whether the next activity is cool or if it will make us look like fools.

The problem with this is that we have to be willing to feel foolish to try new things. Dignity is overrated if it causes you to do the same old thing. It is better to try, fail, learn and try again than to stay in the same old rut doing the same old things.

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Attitude Purpose

Stubbornly Determined 

Cartoon of a jogging coupleI’ve learned that anything that requires determination takes a little stubbornness. When facing a daunting task, you’ll be told:

  • it’s not worth it.
  • There are not enough resources.
  • You’re not enough.
  • Aren’t you afraid?
  • Nobody has ever done this before. What makes you think you can?
  • If you feel scared, maybe that’s a sign you should stop 

Stubbornness is good when used correctly.

  • Be stubborn in your goal, but flexible in how to get there.
  • Be stubborn in standing up for what’s right, but flexible in how you communicate your vision to different people. 
  • Be stubborn in plugging away at your goal, but flexible in giving yourself a break. Nobody can be on 24/7/365.

I used to think being stubborn was a bad quality. Now I know it’s required for any goal with bumps and obstacles along the way.

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creativity

Michael Hyatt | 7 Ways Successful Creatives Think Differently than Unsuccessful Ones

Today, I got a great reminder from Michael Hyatt on the keys to being a successful creative.

7 WAYS SUCCESSFUL CREATIVES THINK DIFFERENTLY THAN UNSUCCESSFUL ONES It Takes More Than Talent

It’s definitely worth reading. Too often, creative people rely on talent. It also takes the right attitude, the ability to work with teams and do the hard work. It’s a great reminder that talented people don’t get a free pass to be difficult geniuses.

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Attitude

Is the world really as scary as it seems?

If you listen to the news media for very long, you get the feeling everything is falling apart and everyone is ready to strangle each other. It can leave you with a feeling of fear and despair. You get the impression apocalypse has already come and the only thing left to do is write off the world and call it a day.

But if you unplug, take a drive across the country, and get out into nature, you get an entirely different feeling. The forests are unaffected by news hype. Mountains and valleys care little about the elections and the latest violence to hit the streets. True, what mankind does to nature affects it. But the story mankind tells itself is much scarier than the reality of a quiet trail, or a babbling brook. Just don’t take in some media before you leave. You’ll probably see a story about a man-eating cougar, a rabid bear or a bigfoot sighting.

The news media itself is suffering from downsizing and cutthroat competition. Perhaps the media loves to scare us because the typical news reporter is scared he or she will lose their job next week. Perhaps when you focus on the worse of humanity, you begin to believe your own hype. 

It is so much easier to focus on the worst of humanity. It is so much more difficult, but rewarding to balance it with the good of nature as well as the best of humanity. It is out there. You just have to be intentional and escape the 24 hour news cycle once in a while.