Tag: negative attitude

Categories
motivation

What is the Strangest Secret?

man wearing black blazer
Photo by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.com

In 1955, Earl Nightingale recorded a spoken word album that became a bestseller called The Strangest Secret. He asked and answered the question, “What is the strangest secret in the world?”

I heard parts of the recording many years ago. In August 2022, Dan Miller on the 48 Days podcast issued a challenge to listen to the recording for thirty days. I decided to take the challenge. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me!

Here is a link to the original recording:

“The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightingale

This last month has turned out to be one of change for my wife and me. She has been offered an amazing opportunity. As a result, we will be moving soon and starting a new chapter in our lives.

The challenge also involved writing how the recording affected me. The following is my response to The Strangest Secret Challenge. I took the challenge. My answers are below.

Continue reading “What is the Strangest Secret?”
Categories
motivation

Burning Down the House

Burning Down the House

“If you burn your neighbor’s house down, it doesn’t make your house look any better.”
Lou Holtz

Lou Holtz Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/lou_holtz_153611, accessed January 7, 2022.

Whether you call it backstabbing, mud-slinging, disparagement, gossip, or some other term, it doesn’t do us any good to burn down another person’s house. Negative comments don’t do us any good.

We can tear our friends and neighbor’s down if we like, but we still end up in the middle of a mess. We look weaker for it. We know if someone is negative about another person, they are most likely negative about us as well. So we are cautious about that person. What house will they burn down next?

Politicians have been caught in this trap for decades. When they go against each other, it’s the last person standing that may win, but they don’t look any stronger. The negative ads and comments only make the victor look weak.

It is far better to love our neighbor than to burn down their house. Let’s keep our neighborhood pristine and keep the conversation positive.

Categories
Christmas holiday

Entitled Christmas

Entitled Christmas

What if Mary and Joseph gave us the first example of an entitled Christmas? After all, I’ve lived around farmers most of my life. Many of my family are farmers and not one of them decided it was a good idea to have their baby in a stable.

What if Mary and Joseph spent the journey to Bethlehem complaining about the Roman government and the stupid census? Of all the times for the government to count people so they could be taxed more! Why couldn’t God make things more convenient for them?

And look at all that traffic! Everyone was passing them because an “obviously pregnant woman” would not be able to kick it into high gear. What if Joseph was steaming because they weren’t making good time?

Silent Night?

Joseph could have been very indignant that the innkeeper had no room. Even if the baby wasn’t the Messiah, shouldn’t a baby have the right to be born in a clean, peaceful environment? What if Mary gave Joseph a hard time for being unable to hustle and find a decent place for them? Couldn’t the guy book a reservation?

Then what if Mary and Joseph spent the night brooding about their situation when the shepherds arrived? Isn’t it bad enough they have to face the indignity of a stable birth? Sure, if you are stuck in a stable, I guess shepherds would be the logical next step. After all, the innkeeper is busy with all the paying guests in the warm, comfortable inn. Why not have smelly shepherds join the party with their newborn?

Entitlement Ruins Christmas

Whether it’s a gift we expected but didn’t get or a feeling that we deserve better than this or that, Christmas holiday entitlement can ruin the season. There are plenty of examples of people that make the holidays less than bright. When the season of giving becomes a time of entitlement, there is little peace on earth, or within.

Instead of encouraging a selfish mentality, we can nurture a giving spirit in our children and ourselves. Here are some tips I wrote to do just that!

We have plenty of reasons to have gratitude this time of year. And we can be giving instead of thinking about how things “should be.” May your Christmas holiday be merry and bright.