Archive for Personal Development
What’s Influencing You?
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever wanted to take control of your destiny? Perhaps you want to turn your life in a different direction but you don’t know how or where to start.
Well a great place to start is by evaluating who you surround yourself with. Start by examining the things that you allow to enter into your spirit.
You see, a good rule of thumb is to remember that like minds attract. So I encourage you to surround yourself with positive and like-minded individuals. Look for people who are going to encourage you and not bring you down.
If your goal is to get a doctorate degree and you surround yourself with high-school dropouts, who aren’t thriving for success, then chances are they may implant a negative seed of discouragement in you. However, if you’re a high-school drop out and you surround yourself with a bunch of people who are in pursuit of a doctorate, chances are they will encourage you upwards to set higher standards for your future.
Even if you’re facing difficult challenges in life, find out what the Read More→
Remember To Live and Love
Posted by: | CommentsTime has the ability to pass by when you’re busy. Do you often catch yourself missing out on important things like the kid’s baseball game? Do you dismiss precious family time with the intention of catching the “next go ’round”?
In the hustle in bustle of life, we must remember to take out time for those things that are easily taken for granted. We see it in the movies all the time, the father misses his daughter’s recital or his son’s football game due to those few extra hour’s at the office.
Well this doesn’t just happen in the movies, we all fall victim to what I call the “catch it next time around” mentality. The “catch it next time” mentality is the result to the excuses we make when we continue to put those precious moments off for the next time. But are we so sure there will be a next time?
The scripture says that “No man knows the day nor the hour when the son of man shall appear.” But we should all be ready when he comes.
You never know when your last chance will be to spend with a Read More→
Your Gift Will Make Room For You!
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone has a gift that has been placed on the inside of them. Whether you have the gift of service, the gift of arts, or an exceptional gift of communication, know that it’s a gift from God above.
I encourage you to take that which you love and use it to your benefit today. Know that God wants to see you excel in the talents and treasures that He’s given you.
I challenge you today, to seek ways to make your gift work for you. If you have the gift of communication, seek out opportunities to further your ability. You may find joy in teaching a class or doing a speaking engagement on a topic of your passion.
If your passion is sports, you may want to seek out local venues that will allow you to be seen in your best light.
Whatever your gift is I encourage you to further it. Don’t allow it to Read More→
What Kind of Mark Are You Leaving?
Posted by: | CommentsA wise man once said, “When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice!”
Are you living in a way that others look to you as a source of joy and inspiration? I believe that we should all aspire to be a light in the world.
So often, were going around upset and disgusted. We’re allowing the world to be a negative effect on us. And sadly for some people, they’re being a negative influence on the world.
But I dare you to change your outlook today. Aspire to be a positive influence on the world. You never know what kind of change you can make in the lives of others by being a positive example.
I always say that for someone, you might be the only Jesus they’ll ever see. Just like the quote says, make a decision to live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries. Leave a legacy that will change the world for years and years even when you’re gone.
You don’t have to be a natural born leader and be able to get in front of a crowd of thousands on a regular basis just to leave a good mark. You don’t have to be the world’s biggest celebrity with Emmy after Emmy just to Read More→
Keep Pushing The Envelope
Posted by: | CommentsEvery once in a while someone will come around patting you on the back. You’ll find people who give you praise when you’re doing good.
While you should marvel in successes in life, don’t let your efforts stop there. Keep pushing the envelope. Remember, when you meet goals or make great accomplishments in life, celebration is there to encourage you. Celebration should communicate to you that you are on the right track.
But don’t stop at the celebration. When people pat you on the back and tell you that you’re doing great, allow that to push and propel you to continue on the right track in life.
You see, every major goal should have small goals within. You can’t accomplish the big goal without accomplishing the smaller goals.
When you get word that you did great on that presentation at work, by all means celebrate – but use that praise as fuel to raise the standard. Seek out to explore new horizons. Strive to do even better on that next presentation. Keep pushing the envelope.
I believe that God doesn’t want you to just get by in life. He doesn’t want you to just make the standards. He wants you Read More→
Who Are You Really?
Posted by: | CommentsA wise man once said, “When you know who you are, you know who you aren’t.” I couldn’t agree any more.
Too often we walk around wearing a mask and conforming who we are to those around us. We lower our standards to fit in. We try too hard to be like someone else. And we end up forgetting what the bible says we are.
The bible says that you are more than a conqueror. It says that you’re a victor and not a victim. It says that you can do all things through Christ.
If you focus on doing what’s right and try to be all that God says you can be, then I believe you’ll rise higher in life. Don’t conform your standards to be like the next man – no be who God says you are.
If the world chooses to go left and God says that you should go Read More→
Break the Tradition Today!
Posted by: | CommentsI heard about this young couple that had recently gotten married. And the man noticed that every time his wife cooked the ham she cut the ends off of the ham. He thought that was kind of strange and wondered why she would waste the ham like that.
And one day while his wife was making the ham, he got his nerve up and said, “honey why do you cut the ends off of the ham?” She got kind of defensive and said, “Well, my mother made the best ham in the world and she always cut the ends off the ham.”
He said, “Well that’s fine… but do you know why she did it?” She said, “I have no idea.” He said “well can we call your mother?” She said, “sure!”
So they called her mother and he explained, “my wife’s cutting the ends of the ham off and she says she does it because you always did it. Can you tell me why you cut the ends of the ham off?”
And her mother got kind of defensive. She said, “well my mother made the best hams in all the world and she always cut the ends of her ham off.” He said, “Well that’s fine… but do you know why she did it?” She said, “I have no idea.” He said, “well can we call grandmother?” She said, “sure!”
So they called the grandmother and he explained that, “my wife cuts the ends of the ham off. She said she does it because your daughter did it – and your daughter said she does it because you do it - Grand-momma can you tell us why you cut the ends of your ham off?” She said, “Yeah, that’s easy – because my pan is too small.”
Are you stuck in a rut? Falling prey to tradition? Doing things because that’s the way it’s always been done?
Today, I dare you to think out of the box. Just because something has Read More→
Laughter Is The Best Medicine
Posted by: | CommentsI don’t believe that it’s God’s intent for us to go around all sad and gloom. In fact, I believe God has one of the greatest sense of humors of all time.
Life has it’s ups and downs but If you’re not careful, you’ll miss the underlying comedy in everything. Sometimes you just have to break down and laugh.
Find the comedy in your day to day interactions. When you’re tempted to get stressed, take a second and dwell on that which amuses you.
Yes, It’s okay to laugh at yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. Most of the things that we face in life or the mistakes that we make, we will end up looking back and laughing.
We may chuckle and say things like, “boy what was I thinking? I’m sure glad I’ve overcome that. What a learning experience that was.” In fact I hear it all the time – the greatest example is in the change of fashion. It could be something from a fashion trend or hair style that we love. Years from now you may look back at the pictures and say, “What was I thinking of wearing that?” You might follow it with a laugh.
What am I saying? Learn not to take yourself too seriously. The laughter may be at your expense but the trade off is much better.
I love how they say that laughter is the best medicine. The good thing is Read More→
Be Just Who You Are
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes in life we have a tendency to tailor our personality to be the person that we think others would like us to be. Like a chameleon out in the wild, we’re able to adapt to our surroundings. I believe that this all stems from our need to fit in.
This can be a great trait to have to an extent. In fact salesman, have the awesome ability to conform to his prospects.
But what about that golden personality? What about the tailor-made personality that God has given you? Well you may say, “I’m shy, who would want to be shy?” No, I believe that if you’re shy, God made you shy for a reason. It may have been His ultimate plan that you make peace among people.
Maybe you have a tendency to be over the top with laughter, jokes, and fun. That’s okay. No need to change who you are. It’s healthy to laugh. I love how they say laughter is the best medicine. Someone may be having a down day and in need someone to make them laugh and cheer them up. If this role fits you then try going out of your way to make someone laugh today.
You see, it’s important to remember that people want to see the real you. When you first meet someone, you’re weeding out those who are drawn to you naturally and those who aren’t drawn to you naturally.
Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. You’re only going to Read More→
Put Your Best Foot Forward!
Posted by: | CommentsYou know, everything you do says a lot about you. Every job you perform speaks volumes about your work ethic, integrity, and how much you care about the work you put forth.
A wise man once said, “Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work in excellence.”
Whether you’re doing that personal do-it-yourself project around the house or braving that big presentation for the office, you should always give it your best shot. Put your best foot forward.
Speaking of the work place, most people have a tendency to put their best foot forward on the first day of work. They do their best to arrive on time or even ten minutes early. They dress their best. They do all they can to finish the assigned tasks with their best effort applied. They want to do their best to make the best impression.
But something happens over time. After a while, the ten minute early arrival time turns into just barely making it on time, or dragging their feet in the door. They lose the pep in their step. They don’t feel as much of an urge to make a great impression.
What happened? They’re showing their true colors. They’re showing others what type of work ethic they truly have. Does this sound like you?
If so, know that it’s never too late to get straight. Fix the root problem. Make a choice today to put your best foot forward. Don’t endeavor to just make that best Read More→
