Tag: self worth

Categories
motivation

Entertaining Thoughts

Entertaining Thoughts

We have scores of entertaining thoughts each day. But do we consider which one we should and should not entertain?

We all have random thoughts. Some of them are good and they motivate us to do better. Others can knock the wind out of our sails and make us wonder what is the point? This quote made me consider the implications of our thoughts today.

“What do you hang on the walls of your mind?”

Eve Arnold

Eve Arnold Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/eve_arnold_489359, accessed January 26, 2022.

What thoughts do we keep and allow to affect our day? Most of us don’t consider that not all of our thoughts are useful. One minute, we could be telling ourselves that today will be a great day. The next, a random news story or negative coworker can steer us into dark territory.

Not all our thoughts are good ones. Our self-talk can build us up or tear us down. We have to watch those words and thoughts! I had a few tips in a previous blog. In it, I mentioned a Bible verse that has helped me so many times. Psalm 19:14 reminds me that our words and thoughts matter greatly.

Sketch based on Psalm 19:14-May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable and pleasing unto you.

Refrigerator Doors

What entertaining thoughts do we let hang on the walls of our minds? The quote reminds me of a refrigerator door. On it, we hang artwork our children have created, photos of loved ones, and various notes.

It is a place where we have mementos we like to be reminded about. The sundry scraps of paper give us a smile and remind us of good old days and loved ones that have grown.

Our mind is like a refrigerator door. What entertaining thoughts are we hanging there as a reminder? May it be something that inspires us to lift our heads a little higher, causes us to smile, and put a little extra effort into today.

Categories
motivation

You are a Masterpiece. Handle With Care!

Cartoon of a coach pointing at a chalkboard that says, "you are a masterpiece. The coach says, "Lets go over this one more time!

The Mona Lisa is Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece. But it wasn’t always considered so. It intrigued me when I first learned it was stolen in 1911 from The Louvre. It was missing in action for two years before it was recovered. By then, it had become the most famous painting in the world. 

Before the theft, the verdict wasn’t that clear that it was a masterpiece. It was the hype that caused more and more people to declare it so. It only took 400 years for the painting to really hit its stride.

Cartoon of a coach pointing at a chalkboard that says, "you are a masterpiece. The coach says, "Lets go over this one more time!

You may not realize it, but you are a masterpiece too. You may be a little rough around the edges and have had some bumps and tears. But it’s the imperfections that make a masterpiece shine. You may not have been told how great you really are until now. But that doesn’t change that you were a masterpiece all along. It just took someone speaking truth and life into you.

So let’s go over it one more time: You are a masterpiece! If you haven’t treated yourself as one until now, it’s high time you did.

  • Handle yourself with care
  • Give yourself grace
  • Slow down enough to breath and get some self-care
  • Treat others around you as masterpieces, because they are too
  • Masterpieces look different.
    • They’re different colors,
    • shapes
    • sizes
    • styles (cultures)
    • media (beliefs)

It’s time we treat ourselves and those around us as the masterpieces we all are.

Categories
love Parenting Cartoons

The secret behind great parenting

Spear Cartoon 3976

Cartoon of an annoyed boy next to a sleeping mom. The boy says, “Hey! It’s four in the morning. Why aren’t I the center of your universe?”

Whenever you become a parent, you want to do everything you can to make sure that precious child will have a great life. You start to think about college. You may have a baseball mitt already picked out. You may even start dreaming about what a great boy or girl that child will be.

Of course, nobody can prepare you for the challenges. Maybe the baby has colic for the first few months. Perhaps you had no idea how much time it would take to take care of this little one. But you pull through and continue to think of your child’s future even when they’re driving you crazy. Everyone wants to see their child succeed, right?

There is one secret to parenting that will help your child succeed, even thrive in the world and it isn’t about make him or her the center of your universe!

“Wait a minute!” you may ask. “What about my child’s self esteem?”

I’ve got news for you. Making your child the center of the universe will only cause her to be disappointed when she gets into the real world. Either he will find out he wasn’t as special as he though and begin a downward slide, or he will push back against the world and end up becoming a jerk and a bully.

Now you shouldn’t make your child feel horrible either. Beating anybody with words or deeds doesn’t make them better. It only makes them resentful, bitter and a bully.

The secret is to teach our kids to love others as they love themselves. You can’t do that by making them feel they are better or worse than anyone else.  You do that by showing love and respect to others as well as themselves. You do that by teaching them to respect and obey you, even while they learn to respect themselves and others.

If you teach your kids they are special… but so are the other seven billion people on this planet, then they can have a hope and a future.

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webcomic

How to be honest in a dating relationship

Cartoon of a frog and a princess
Cartoon of frog to princess. The frog says, “Let’s be honest. I’m not a prince. But if you’ll kiss me, I’ll feel good about myself.”

I picture my wife thinking something along this line when we first dated. I’m glad she ended up kissing the frog. She’s still royalty and I’m a better quality frog for it.

Categories
cartoon

Framed Masterpiece

Cartoon of a woman holding a picture frame

Woman holds a picture frame and says, “I must be a masterpiece because I feel framed.”

Sometimes we know the truth, that we’re valuable and unique. But there is a difference between what we know in our mind and what we embrace in your heart. We can spout off the truth and still not feel it.

You are valuable and a masterpiece no matter what you’ve gone through or what you’ve been told. Hold on to the truth, and eventually, the feelings will follow!