Everyone thinks they deserve a trophy, and we pour unearned praise, lavish unwarranted attention, and invest undeserving energy on individuals who often have demonstrated little or no evidence of commitment, achievement, or character.
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All of us use double standards…all of the time. Double standards are unfair, unwritten, unspoken, frequently unconscious, and universally held.
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We tenacious cling to the erroneous idea that we can achieve success or distinction in any field of endeavor without a considerable investment of time, effort, and resources. Eddie Cantor was right. It takes twenty years to be an overnight success. There are no shortcuts.
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It is so easy to get frustrated because of the lack of results that we may be experiencing in our current environment—so frustrated that we begin to think that there is something wrong with our seed. This frustration can lead to the decision to stop sowing—to stop planting—to stop sharing our dreams, offering our ideas, using our talents, pursuing our dreams, and expressing our gifts.
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May God give you the wisdom to know when to hold. And when to fold. At some point in your life, both actions will be necessary.
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Please do not wallow in the quicksands of despair. God never closes the door on future growth, transformation and change. When we make a mess, there is no need to run from God, run from church, or run from the problem.
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There is a growing body of research that confirms the wisdom that God codified in the 10 commandments. Rest does not limit your productivity. To the contrary, it enhances it!
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We celebrate sleep deprivation. We brag about staying late at the office, pulling all nighters, and getting our hustle on. There is even an hip hop anthem that celebrates exhaustion. The song is called “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Well the truth is that if you don’t get enough sleep you will be dead sooner than you think.
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Our spoon is a metaphor for our ability to chose, our ability to decide, our ability to think for ourselves, making decisions for ourselves, and create a life based on intention, deliberation and design. To relinquish that incredible gift will cause you to fall to the bottom of the rankings.
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The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said that “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” This encouraging insight is a reminder that one of the best ways to achieve success is to understand that it is a process. Unlike Superman, who can jump over buildings in a single bound, most our goals will not be achieved with a single effort.
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The scripture says that when you refuse to learn you are hurting yourself! And far too many of us have been hurting ourselves far too long. it’s time for us to love ourselves. And if you love yourself you will take care of yourself. And you take care of yourself by learning from people richer, smarter, and more successful than you are.
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I’m sure you have heard the expression “put your best foot forward.” Well, when is the last time you put your best foot forward? When is the last time you tried your best? Worked your best? Looked your best? And who did you put your best foot forward for?
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Pointing out that the second mouse gets the cheese is not celebrating being second. Rather, it is celebrating being smart. Sometimes being first comes with a cost that it may not be wise to pay. Sometimes it’s better to be the second mouse. The first mouse can be so eager to get the cheese that it doesn’t see the trap. The value of being the second mouse is that you can learn from the mistakes of the first mouse.
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There are times when we should extend our time, our resources, and our experience to assist those in need. However, a refusal to establish boundaries is a recipe for manipulation, resentment, and fatigue. We must learn the crucial skill of learning to say no.
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Ignoring the elephants in the room is a recipe for failure. Problems just don’t disappear. They must be intentionally identified, defined, and addressed. This process is usually uncomfortable and embarrassing. It requires courage and honesty. But it a pre-requisite for personal and organizational success.
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Far too many of us aim too low. Our fears, insecurities, frustrations, disappointments, mistakes, and both our real and imagined inadequacies lead us to pursue goals and objectives that are far less than what God may have in mind for us.
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Sadly, far too many of us are under the impression that we have to be someone other than who we are to receive love, gain acceptance, or acquire blessing.
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Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had five hours to chop a tree, he would spend four hours sharpening his axe. Defining my values, understanding my purpose and evaluating my choices sharpens the axe of your ambition, so when you start cutting, you make more progress with less swings. Not speed. But direction and purpose are differentiators and accelerators.
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Wouldn’t it be interesting if Heaven kept a search engine like google that was able to provide us with some data on the top ten prayer requests across the globe? I wonder what the results would be. If would even more interesting if we could sort the results by country, city, class, race, nationality, and gender, and even religious affiliation. I wonder what the results would be. What do you think most of us pray for? Love? Health? Wealth? Prosperity? Peace? Promotions? Vacations?
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