Today Counts - it can change tomorrow

You may go through today and not have much to show for it. You may have finished yesterday with a similar endpoint. However, you may have an opportunity today that will change the course of your life, or someone else's life. To you, the decision makes no significant impact, but to someone else it changes their life, significantly.

Today counts, whether we like it or not. It may be tearing up the dirt to be ready for planting, it may be packing it down, establishing a firm foundation, or it could be simply making a decision to do something better in the future. Remember, today counts and this week's quote speaks to that such concept...

What you do today can change the course of your life far into into the future. Today is critical. Today really counts. ~ Ralph S. Marston, Jr.

Today may be the day you decide to quit an unhealthy habit. Today, may be the day you decide to read a book. Today, may be the day you decide you are going to marry the person you've been dating. Today, may be the day you decide you will start something you've been putting off. Today, may be the day that you turn your life over to God. Today, may be the day that you make ____ decision to do something different with your life.

Though there may be many days which, at the end of the day, there is not much to show for it, make today count. Make it a goal to have something to show for everyday that is "today." It could be something as simple as saying "Hello" to someone. Additionally, it may improve your health, as you help to imporove others' health.

It may also mean that you will make today count by doing a long-overdue project. To reap the benefits of that project will greatly impact your future and it will change the course of your life.

So make today count...it can change tomorrow!

Now it's your turn...what will you decide to do today? Or, what have you made a decision about in the past which has changed the course of your life?

Stand Up to Your Obstacles - it's about perspective

My life has been filled with procrastination. Some of you can probably relate. If you didn't procrastinate in school, maybe you did with your household chores as a child. Most of the time that we tend to procrastinate or avoid an area in our life is because we view the task/situation much larger than the actual size.

It is similar to the light on a small object will project something quite large a few feet away. Also, depending on the closeness of the light the object will appear much larger. Sometimes life can be much the same way, which brings us to this week's quote...

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

When situations are closer to us, or more present, they appear much bigger. It can be both the positive and the negative things. If success is near then it may give the false appearance that success will always be that big. When, in fact, it is the same size always and we may need to take a step back to see the reality of it.

Maybe it is a certain problem in life, it appears quite large because we are upon it, but if we take a step back or move past it, we see it wasn't as big as we made it out to be.
When I went to see Mt. Rushmore, I was "initially" disappointed. Not in the craftsmanship but in the size. When you see it at ground level, it doesn't appear that Washington has a 12-foot nose. If I were to be right up on the nose, it would appear huge. It is all about the view.

Let us take situations and obstacles for what they are, not necessarily what they appear to be. Maybe you need to take a step back (or a few) to see what is going on and not just what you see.

Obstacles are not gernally as challenging if you see them for what they are and start to do something about them. However, if you don't then you can get a false view of your obstacles and they will appear bigger (and possibly scarier) than they are in reality.

Now it's your turn...what do you need to take a different look at?

What Will You Do With Your Small Opportunity?

Most of us have some sort of dream or desire to do something in life. We travel through life reading others' quotes, seeing posters, watching them on TV, or seeing them in movies and we may want to be like them in some way. I would guess that your list is longer than 10 if you started compiling one. As you think of different parameters to determine your desires, your list will grow.

Maybe it is fame - you'd have a certain list. Maybe it is money - another list. Maybe it is a specific talent - another list. Maybe it is appearance - another list. Adding them all together would likely create a decent sized list.

There are only so many people in this world that will be known for something "great" they did. However, there are billions of people who will not be known for the small things they did to make someone's life that much better. That brings us to this week's quote...

Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day. ~ Sally Koch

When I started my job at the hospital I went through orientation. One of the things I remember our CEO emphasizing was helping others out, with an unwritten emphasis on "no matter the cost." In other words, we could be late to a meeting to make sure customers were helped out.

Last week I was at the hospital and a lady was noticably lost. She was at the elevator and trying to get back to a classroom she was having a training at. When asked, she said she was looking for the classroom. She had taken a "wrong turn" and was opposite where she should have been. I told her that I would take her to the classroom (another suggestion by our CEO - don't just tell directions, show them). We had a brief but pleasant conversation and connected on several levels. I explained that I was relatively new, so I understood her being lost, as I am still learning the layout.

I like the philosophy of our CEO by showing them where to go, rather than just telling them directions. I like the fact that I doubt I will ever run into that lady again (as she was also from out of town), but I would like to think that if she were asked her impression of that portion of our hospital would be favorable.

Was that a "great" opportunity. By my definition, no it wasn't. To the woman who was lost, it may have been. So it definitely was a small opportunity. I think all people's lives are going to be filled with small opportunities. However, small opportunities can make great differences in the lives of people.

As you go through life, look for the opportunities to make the small differences in people's lives...as it may make a great difference to the people you meet.

Now it's your turn...what small opportunities have you taken advantage of to make a difference in someone's life?

Waste of Energy - a message about feeling sorry for yourself

One of the things I wish we were not born with would be the ability to be selfish. I consider myself about as bad in this area as the average person. Too often I am thinking of myself in a situation - and the situations vary. Regardless of the variances, it still funnels down to I'm thinking of me. There are likely times when you would have to admit you tend to be like this, also to various degrees.

For some it could be "I want" and they may not receive. For others, it may be a sense of idealism in expecting people to react a certain way. No matter how you spin it the end result comes down to variances of selfishness.

An outcome of selfishness can be "feeling sorry for yourself." When this happens it can entrap us into a sentence we should not have to serve. This brings us to this week's quote...

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have. ~ Dale Carnegie

During the times I have served the sentence of "feeling sorry for myself," looking back I would easily say that I was wasting my time. Like a millstone tied to someone and dropped into the ocean, to feel sorry for yourself simply drowns your life from being able to accomplish much.

Think back to the moments that you have wasted in feeling sorry for yourself. Someone once said that time is something you cannot get back. That statement is very true. Once we've spent time we cannot make it up, it is spent. Let us spend our time more wisely and not waste it on times like feeling sorry for yourself.

Now it's your turn...what have you learned from wasting time and energy in feeling sorry for yourself?

The First Spring Day

Growing up in the midwest has caused me to be used to wind, aridness, and the four seasons. The four seasons are never able to be completely defined by any kind of a time or event. The summer can be unseasonably cool. The winter unseasonably warm. Then there are the sudden snows or tornadoes that come about in spring or fall when they shouldn't be showing up then.

I've grew up knowing that things are not the same from one day to the next in the midwest. Someone once said this about the weather in the midwest, "Stick around, it'll change." That is defintely true! I have seen days recently where it was so hot we turned our air conditioner on in the car and the next day we were turning on our heater. It is just crazy how the weather is so unpredictable where I've grown up. That brings us to this week's quote...

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. ~ Henry Van Dyke

Spring is probably my favorite season. One thing is for sure, there is greatness in every season. However, as I have found truth in this quote, I look forward to the spring day(s)!

I love to be able to spend time outside long into the evening with my children, running with them, laughing with them, getting in the dirt with them, flying kites with them, helping them ride their bike, and the list continues.

March 20th is the first day of spring, but that may not always be the first spring day. That can happen before or after that time. Regardless, whenever that first day comes...enjoy it! When the second spring day comes..do the same. Along with the third, fourth, fifth, etc.

Now it's your turn..what is your favorite season and why?

Leap of Faith...It Might Be All You Have

During my early high school years I often had to get a ride home after practices from coaches. They drove right by my house and I was at their mercy regarding when they left and how often they stayed before I was able to go home. My only mode of transportation, due to the circumstances was their vehicle.

For most of my married life we have been a "one car" family. We managed to have one vehicle for several years. In that time there were occasions in which I had to ask people for rides to various places. Because this was not a regular occurence it was not a big deal, but I'm glad it was not an issue we encountered too often. That brings us to this week's quote...

Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith

Sometimes in life one must simply "go for it" to get anywhere. Standing around in life does not enable one to get very far in life. If we all simply sat where we were at, we'd never arrive at where we were going.

We used to have a small black Pomeranian puppy that I can recall being scared to go around a bag of trash because it mostly blocked her way from point A to point B. She would be fidgety about wanting to go past the bag, but she wouldn't just go, initially. She "danced around" gearing herself all up to finally go. When she went, she bolted past the linoleum as fast as she could go.

For our dog, it took that leap of faith to get where she needed to go. Without it, she'd stay where she was at. We are much the same. We need to take a "leap of faith" from time to time. Without it, we's be paralyzed to stay where we were. With a leap of faith, we would see doors open and mountains crossed. What is your "closed door" or "mountain" that you need opened or crossed? Take that "leap" and see what awaits you!

Now it's your turn...what are you going to "leap" over or into?

Be Honest...With Your Friend

One of the things I remember quite clearly when we did our marriage counseling was to be honest when a person asked a question. If you don't expect an honest answer you should ask the question was the message given to the "question asker."

Too often when we are in a situation of advice, we often tend to sugar coat the answer. I see this frequently when a person confides in a cohort about personal problems that involve another party. For example, when someone is the victim of a relationship issue (be it friends, occupational, or marriage/dating, the person who is hearing the information generally takes the side of their friend. In return, they are not only hearing the negative of the other person/party, but they will likely defend their friend.

Keeping these concepts in mind, here is this week's quote...

In giving advice, seek to help, not to please, your friend. ~ Solon

Keep in mind that not every situation is the same. Sometimes a person needs the shoulder to cry on, but there are still other times when the person needs to hear the truth. They need to know that though they were wronged, the other party may have been wronged as well. Whether it was today, yesterday, or sometime in the recent past.

When we are trying to listen to a friend, make sure you are able to see both sides of a situation. Telling your friend they were completely right is not going to help them out in the end. They are going to feel more "right" and fight for that right to be right.

This may also span into communicating to your children. They are not likely the best singers, dancers, artists, or athletes. There are ways to communicate and applaud their efforts without going overboard and making them feel like they should be the next "star" in the field they are aspiring to be involved in. I have found ways to practice this with my kids. This way they do not have a false hope when it comes to their aspirations.

Now it's your turn...how have you handled the idea of honesty when it came to giving advice to a friend/spouse/child, etc.?