When I was a kid I tried to stay out of trouble. But like most kids, trouble typically found me. I don't know what I was thinking on that hot summer day back in 1967. I was just a ten year old kid, out having fun. On that particular day, most of my friends were not around. I don't know what happened to them, but after realizing they weren't out and about, I figured I had to find ways to have fun by myself. And that, is where my troubles began.
Z
ig Ziglar once said that "we stand in utter awe and amazement at God's creations. But we pass ourselves by even though we are God's greatest creation." Most of us live our lives looking outwardly at the things we want and fail to look inwardly to improve that one thing that can get us everything we ever wanted - our self!
My mother was an early riser. Typically, by 5:00 in the morning she was up and about, having her first cup of coffee. I use to think that my mother was a coffee addict. Each morning, without fail, she would sit at the kitchen table and sip her coffee alone, staring pensively into space. I never thought much about it while growing up. I was a kid and finding meaning in such actions really were not at the top of my agenda. Of course, had I been in tune, I would have learned a lot from her early morning vigil.
A few days ago I was in Albany, New York, getting ready to fly out of the Albany, Airport. When I was checking in, I noticed that the line for security was getting quite long, so I hurried to get in line so as to allow myself enough time to make my flight. Once in, I noticed that it was moving a little slow, but still, I had nearly two hours before my plane left, so I settled in and slowly maneuvered my way towards the checkpoint. After about 20 minutes or so in line, I had made progress, but I was still about 20 minutes from making it through, at which point a lady approached the person in front of me and asked if she could get ahead of him. It seems she only had 20 minutes to make her flight. The person in front of me had no problems with her getting in front of him, and out of courtesy, she asked if it was alright with me. I quickly obliged. I didn't want her to miss her flight, and besides, I had plenty of time to make it. But, as she was positioning herself in front of us both, a male voice behind me, boomed, rather angrily, "I have a problem with it." (Please click on "read-more" link below to continue)
I just returned home from a road trip. Over the past week, I have driven more than 2,000 miles, with family in tow, visiting other family members in the South. It was a wonderful trip - a chance to catch up with family, celebrate, and relax. But unfortunately, as I travelled, I took note of all those folk along the way, that have written the book on how to be rude and obnoxious. In case you are out of practice, I just wanted to take few minutes to share my observations with you, to hone your skills - should you feel you are lacking in this irritating art form.
Today I had lunch with a good friend and as we were talking I recommended a book to her. When I told her the name of the book, she asked, "You are always reading. How do you find the time?"
"I make the time." I told her. I've committed myself to lifelong learning. An intregal part of that learning is reading. When I recommend a book to someone and they tell me they don't have time to read, I am concerned. Learning is important to your personal growth and development. How can you get better in your career or relationships if you are not committed to improvement? Full commitment to improvement involves learning new ideas, concepts, theories and ways of doing things. We get most of this learning through some form of reading material.
If you are not a reader, force yourself to become one. Go out today and buy a book or magazine with subject matter that is of interest to you. Do it today, and never stop learning!
The Roman Poet, Ovid, once wrote, "To be loved, be lovable." It seems that any more folk wait around for something good to happen to them, yet remain the same person that they have always been. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, did not help because some people felt that if they only thought positive thoughts, then good things, without any work, would be attracted to them. It just doesn't work that way!
I know, it doesn't seem to make sense at first glance. Telling someone that they need to learn how to be a coward doesn't seem to be sound advice. But believe me, there are times that many of us need to learn how to be a coward. Sometimes doing so can save our marriages, our careers and even our lives.
I can't claim ownership to this topic but I sure can relate to and elaborate on it. One Sunday, while in church, our pastor said, "Instead of trying to give our kids more of what we didn't get, we need to give them more of what we got." How true are these words.
I've often said that if there are negative people in your life - the ones that find continual fault with what you do, are discouraging to all of your ideas, and never, ever, manage to see the positive in any situation - remove them! But the question arises, what if the negative person is a sister or brother? Do you remove them from your life and go on about living?
Sometimes we really can't remove some people from our lives and. Siblings are good examples of this because if there is a family unit that still exists - mother, father, grandparents, or other sisters and brothers - those occasions are going to arise that will force contact with that negative family member. And those times are OK. We should never want to totally remove a family member from our life totally. But remember, you are under no obligation to have a day-to-day relationship with a sister or brother, or allow them to interact in your personal and private affairs, if they are destructive and negative.
It is difficult to remove family members from your life. But sometimes, instead of forcing that day-to-day relationship with them, you have to limit your contact to family events and the occasional telephone call. There are some sisters and brothers that have such destructive tendencies, that they are always bent on bringing others down with them. Remember, hurting people, hurt other people. If you have a sister and/or brother like that, continue to pray for them, treat them with respect, and give them occasional encouragement when you see them or speak with them on the phone or at a family gathering. But don't give them the opportunity to destroy what you have built. Remain positive, upbeat, and determined to succeed. Negative people only bring negatives to your life.