Look around you! Do you see where you are? It's amazing isn't it!?
We're all in the exact same place... now, look directly across from where you are. Do you see that? Right over there? You know, if you move over there, you'll be able to see even farther!
Where you're at right now is the starting place to the world! What you start right now will determine where you are in a moment, which will determine where you are tomorrow, and next year. Do you realize you have choices? This could be your moment... we've already determined it's your starting point.
What did you dream about as a child? What did you want to become? I remember wanting to be an astronaut (my wife would say my head's still somewhere in space!). More than anything, I wanted to play Major League Baseball. Of course, I'm too old and out of shape now, but the taste to be great is still on my toungue.
Don't we all want to be great at something? Just because we're older, no one ever said we had to stop dreaming. I've never seen it written that we have to settle for anything. We don't have to settle for average. We don't have to be normal. Don't we all want to live abnormal lives? Instead of just getting by, don't we want to be able to provide not just the necessities for our family but the great experiences too?
We all have talents. God gave them to us! He wants us to be great, so he gives us a head start with our natural talents. Plain and simple, it is our God given ability. But, we have to develop our skills. Skills are what we learned yesterday, and what we are building today. We are urged to tap into our talents, take advantage of our head start, and build upon it by developing and nurturing our learned skills.
And then, there's commitment. Commitment is what we do tomorrow. Without commitment, our skills weaken, and our God given talent is put to waste. Are you willing to commit to fulfill the greatness that your heart desires?
God allowed me to be a talented baseball player. I developed my skills for many years. Unfortunately, I was not commited. I let one day go by, and it turned into two. After two, it was easy to say, I'll start training again tomorrow. My skills began to weaken and I never made it to the Major Leagues. However, I recognize that God gave me another talent, and I plan to build my skills and commit daily to being great.
So, what's my dream now... to be a great husband, a great father, a great friend. Ultimately, my dream is to build a great life and give abundantly of my time and resources. First to my family and then to others.
Look around you! Where you're at right now is the starting place to the world. It's time to dream again. Move forward towards those dreams and you'll realize you can see farther than you imagined.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I Challenge You
How do you react when faced with a challenge? Do you put off the task and hope it goes away? Do you jump in feet first, tackling every obstacle, knowing that you will overcome?
I recently came across a passage in a book I am currently reading that I believed was full of truth and reward concerning challenges. It says, in part:
"The challenges you are willing to face will rise in proportion to the character you are willing to develop. It is in this process of transformation (of building character) that we find the fuel to engage with confidence the opportunities placed before us." -Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight
I've often heard, "the greater the challenge, the greater the reward." How do we face these great challenges, and how do we achieve these great rewards? We must be willing to engage in personal growth in order to build character, credibility, and integrity. As we grow as a person, the challenges we faced yesterday will be routine in the future. In comparison, the challenges that await for us tomorrow will lead to greater reward.
How do we experience personal growth? How do we strengthen our character to face the great challenges that reap the rewards we dream of? For many of us, we have to reprogram the way we think. We have to feed on the wisdom of the experience of others. More specifically, we have to be mentored by those that have had the success that we want to mimic.
We live in a time that we can be mentored by some of the greates leaders of all time as well as the most successful people of our time. We have to read! Don't like to read, download an audiobook or get the CD and listen to it in your car. There's a lot of wisdom available to us. You don't have to agree with everything you read, but I challenge you to continuously learn and better yourself.
A great place to start reading is the Bible! Who better to be mentored by than our Creator and Savior!? I have added a list to this blog of books I am currently reading, and books I have recently read and recommend. Please share with me your recomendations as well.
I encourage you to rise up to the challenges of everyday, to make todays challenge routine for tomorrow. I hope that you will find great reward in overcoming those challenges, but most of all, I hope that you find great confidence, wisdom, and character as you take on the opportunities that lie ahead.
I recently came across a passage in a book I am currently reading that I believed was full of truth and reward concerning challenges. It says, in part:
"The challenges you are willing to face will rise in proportion to the character you are willing to develop. It is in this process of transformation (of building character) that we find the fuel to engage with confidence the opportunities placed before us." -Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight
I've often heard, "the greater the challenge, the greater the reward." How do we face these great challenges, and how do we achieve these great rewards? We must be willing to engage in personal growth in order to build character, credibility, and integrity. As we grow as a person, the challenges we faced yesterday will be routine in the future. In comparison, the challenges that await for us tomorrow will lead to greater reward.
How do we experience personal growth? How do we strengthen our character to face the great challenges that reap the rewards we dream of? For many of us, we have to reprogram the way we think. We have to feed on the wisdom of the experience of others. More specifically, we have to be mentored by those that have had the success that we want to mimic.
We live in a time that we can be mentored by some of the greates leaders of all time as well as the most successful people of our time. We have to read! Don't like to read, download an audiobook or get the CD and listen to it in your car. There's a lot of wisdom available to us. You don't have to agree with everything you read, but I challenge you to continuously learn and better yourself.
A great place to start reading is the Bible! Who better to be mentored by than our Creator and Savior!? I have added a list to this blog of books I am currently reading, and books I have recently read and recommend. Please share with me your recomendations as well.
I encourage you to rise up to the challenges of everyday, to make todays challenge routine for tomorrow. I hope that you will find great reward in overcoming those challenges, but most of all, I hope that you find great confidence, wisdom, and character as you take on the opportunities that lie ahead.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Circumstances and Excuses
Don't allow circumstances to limit the impact of your life!
Circumstances are a part of life. They are the conditions that affect how someone reacts to a particular situation. That's, in part, what the Encarta Dictonary defines them as. Let's call them what they truly are... excuses!
We so often complain about where we are in life. We want more. More time with the family, more money, a bigger house, a nicer car, ___________ (insert your "more" here!). However, there's always a but, a circumstance, an excuse. I'm not smart enough, I'm not pretty enough, I come from a poor background, I don't live in the right neighborhood, I don't know any better, I can't... you're right!
I've learned something lately that I believe is very true. If you think you can't, you're right! If you think you can, you're right!
You, and only you, have the ability and power to change your circumstances. It all comes down to whether you want to make that change. Most people don't. They find comfort in complaining. And, why not? People give complainers the attention they desire. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone is looking for the attention. Many are scared to death of failure.
Most view failure as an ugly word, but those who succeed at reaching their dreams understand the power of failure. Did you know that Walt Disney failed at securing a loan for Disney World more than 300 times? Or, that Donald Trump was unable to repay $9.2 billion in debt as he struggled in business during the early 1990s?
I recently read, "that a low point came when he (Trump) passed a beggar on the street and realized the beggar was worth $9.2 billion more than he was." Talk about circumstances! But, Donald Trump, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and so many more understood that learning and wisdom come from failure. They didn't just say, "I'm not smart enough, I'm not pretty enough, I can't."
Here's the bottom line. Our Creator would not allow us to dream as big as we do if we didn't have the ability to achieve those dreams! I don't think that point can be argued, do you?
It's okay to accept where you're at, but if you want to change, if you want better, YOU have to move and make the effort. Learn from your failures and keep moving forward. No one ever achieved their dreams by quitting.
Circumstances are a part of life. They are the conditions that affect how someone reacts to a particular situation. That's, in part, what the Encarta Dictonary defines them as. Let's call them what they truly are... excuses!
We so often complain about where we are in life. We want more. More time with the family, more money, a bigger house, a nicer car, ___________ (insert your "more" here!). However, there's always a but, a circumstance, an excuse. I'm not smart enough, I'm not pretty enough, I come from a poor background, I don't live in the right neighborhood, I don't know any better, I can't... you're right!
I've learned something lately that I believe is very true. If you think you can't, you're right! If you think you can, you're right!
You, and only you, have the ability and power to change your circumstances. It all comes down to whether you want to make that change. Most people don't. They find comfort in complaining. And, why not? People give complainers the attention they desire. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone is looking for the attention. Many are scared to death of failure.
Most view failure as an ugly word, but those who succeed at reaching their dreams understand the power of failure. Did you know that Walt Disney failed at securing a loan for Disney World more than 300 times? Or, that Donald Trump was unable to repay $9.2 billion in debt as he struggled in business during the early 1990s?
I recently read, "that a low point came when he (Trump) passed a beggar on the street and realized the beggar was worth $9.2 billion more than he was." Talk about circumstances! But, Donald Trump, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and so many more understood that learning and wisdom come from failure. They didn't just say, "I'm not smart enough, I'm not pretty enough, I can't."
Here's the bottom line. Our Creator would not allow us to dream as big as we do if we didn't have the ability to achieve those dreams! I don't think that point can be argued, do you?
It's okay to accept where you're at, but if you want to change, if you want better, YOU have to move and make the effort. Learn from your failures and keep moving forward. No one ever achieved their dreams by quitting.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Legacy
My son, the oldest of my two children, will celebrate his second birthday tomorrow. Being a father is the most amazing and yet scariest experience of my life to date. It takes much more than just being present, just being visible, to be a Dad. It takes interaction. More importantly, it takes genuine effort.
I believe anyone can be in the same room with a child and call it parenting... I call that babysitting. I further believe that most parents are just too lazy to play, to teach, to raise a child that will be better than they are.
When put beside my wife, I have no doubt I am the image of what I have just described. She's incredible! The hardest working wife/mother I have ever seen. Odd enough, she tells me that she sometimes feels guilty that she's not doing enough for our children. That couldn't be further from reality. For instance, today, she has loaded up our son and our six week old daughter to take them to play at a "sprayground." Did I mention she's by herself... talk about SuperMom!
I witnessed an incredible moment the other day. She was sitting in the floor with our son helping him put together an alphabet puzzle. Help may not be the right word... she was teaching, encouraging, engaging! I was first impressed with how smart my son was, but then I was more impressed that my wife was still making the effort this late in the day. She had been with the two kids all day, had prepared dinner, done laundry... you get the point. A lesser person would have checked out at this point. I know she was exhausted, that's the life of a stay-at-home mom with a toddler and an infant, but she recognizes that her time with our children is precious, and you can't get back those moments that have passed.
Our children are our legacy. They are the image of us when we are no longer around. They pass our values and beliefs on to their children and their children and so on. Personally, I don't want to create a legacy of laziness. I don't want a legacy that lacks values, morals, hard work, fun, laughter, etc. I want my children, when they are parents, to be better than I am... only there's a catch. My children will have to work at being a parent. They will have to work at loving more, laughing more, being more silly, teaching more, sharing more... the list goes on. With the example of their mother, they'll be alright!
I am silly with my children. They give me an excuse to be a kid again... I don't want to be their best friend though, I want to be their father! I believe they will come to me as a father before they will go to their "best friend." This is my desire, and I know it will take a lot of work. And, the work will payoff in the legacy that I am building. All this legacy talk may sound selfish, but I'm proud to be a father, and I understand not only the privilege, but the responsibility that my Heavenly Father has given me as a parent. I'm pretty sure He desires to leave a lasting legacy as well.
I am not perfect. I just want to be the best I can for my family. And so, my journey continues. I will continue to learn from my wife, learn from my children, and grow as a father and husband. I believe we all should look for opportunities to grow as a person. My family has given me that endless opportunity.
Take hold of these opportunities yourself, and leave a legacy that you can be proud of.
I believe anyone can be in the same room with a child and call it parenting... I call that babysitting. I further believe that most parents are just too lazy to play, to teach, to raise a child that will be better than they are.
When put beside my wife, I have no doubt I am the image of what I have just described. She's incredible! The hardest working wife/mother I have ever seen. Odd enough, she tells me that she sometimes feels guilty that she's not doing enough for our children. That couldn't be further from reality. For instance, today, she has loaded up our son and our six week old daughter to take them to play at a "sprayground." Did I mention she's by herself... talk about SuperMom!
I witnessed an incredible moment the other day. She was sitting in the floor with our son helping him put together an alphabet puzzle. Help may not be the right word... she was teaching, encouraging, engaging! I was first impressed with how smart my son was, but then I was more impressed that my wife was still making the effort this late in the day. She had been with the two kids all day, had prepared dinner, done laundry... you get the point. A lesser person would have checked out at this point. I know she was exhausted, that's the life of a stay-at-home mom with a toddler and an infant, but she recognizes that her time with our children is precious, and you can't get back those moments that have passed.
Our children are our legacy. They are the image of us when we are no longer around. They pass our values and beliefs on to their children and their children and so on. Personally, I don't want to create a legacy of laziness. I don't want a legacy that lacks values, morals, hard work, fun, laughter, etc. I want my children, when they are parents, to be better than I am... only there's a catch. My children will have to work at being a parent. They will have to work at loving more, laughing more, being more silly, teaching more, sharing more... the list goes on. With the example of their mother, they'll be alright!
I am silly with my children. They give me an excuse to be a kid again... I don't want to be their best friend though, I want to be their father! I believe they will come to me as a father before they will go to their "best friend." This is my desire, and I know it will take a lot of work. And, the work will payoff in the legacy that I am building. All this legacy talk may sound selfish, but I'm proud to be a father, and I understand not only the privilege, but the responsibility that my Heavenly Father has given me as a parent. I'm pretty sure He desires to leave a lasting legacy as well.
I am not perfect. I just want to be the best I can for my family. And so, my journey continues. I will continue to learn from my wife, learn from my children, and grow as a father and husband. I believe we all should look for opportunities to grow as a person. My family has given me that endless opportunity.
Take hold of these opportunities yourself, and leave a legacy that you can be proud of.
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