Tag: value

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motivation

How to Find New Ways to Add Value

Cartoon of a boy and a space alien

When I was a child, there were many stories about UFOs: Unidentified Flying Objects. As I watched TV shows like Star Trek, Lost in Space, and My Favorite Martian, I also heard stories about a flying saucer allegedly being kept at Area 51 in New Mexico, I often wondered how space aliens would find a decent place to park. If all the stories were real, I could have made a killing setting up a parking garage for weary extraterrestrial travelers.

Admittedly, I would have had some challenges getting funding for such a project. But it was a case for finding a perceived need and filling it. Too bad the need was for a group of “people” that are probably not real, or at the very least are quite elusive.

We add value to others when we find a need and fill it. I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the weekend. Our world has some heavy needs as COVID-19 continues to disrupt lives and economies. There will be lots of needs in the coming months. As we wait for this disease to peak and for immunity to grow, what can we do to add value to others? It may not be something we charge others. In fact, there will be times adding value is just doing the neighborly, altruistic thing.

How can we be kind to others and help others who need it right now? Never mind the space aliens. They’ll be fine even if they are having trouble finding a place to park.

Cartoon of a boy and a space alien. The extraterrestrial says, "How much do you charge to park in your back yard?"
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
Career children's ministry cartoons

Networking Gold

Cartoon of a happy man. He says to a woman, "I struck gold today! I networked with a bounce house rental business owner!"
Copyright © Kevin Spear & Kidzmatter

When it comes to networking, my wife is a pro. She is a children’s pastor. You can bet she has a bounce house vendor on speed dial.

I realized how handy that was when each of our children graduated from high school. She knew parents would bring their children. On each open house, the bounce house rental guy showed up and set up quite the nice bounce house. The kids had a blast and parents could mingle and congratulate our graduate without a worry.

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