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Season of Thanksgiving! . The Bible says in Psalm 100 that we should "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." . I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoy this time of food, family and fun. I especially hope you spend some time reflecting on the past and realize how blessed you are. We all have so much to be thankful for today but few seem to spend any time thanking others much less the creator of all things - God. . I urge you to take a few minutes and thank those around you, family, friends, supervisors, parents, teachers, etc. and let them know how much you appreciate them and what they do. And please take the time to thank God for allowing us to be alive today with the freedom we have to worship Him. What things are you thankful for in this season? . *********************************************************************** . Freedom isn't free! Are you thankful to live in a country that has the freedoms we have in America? I get so disappointed and actually angry when I hear people dishonor our great nation and what we stand for. I still believe we have a majority that will fight to the death to keep what we have experienced over the last 200 years. I hope we show our thankfulness to God and to the many men and women who have and who are still fighting to keep our country free. . ************************************************************* How are you designed? Years ago, Lloyds of London, a large European insurance company, conducted a study that resulted in some fascinating results. There have been several studies since this study that documented the same outcome, but I like how the Lloyds study reported their findings. One of the interesting things revealed was when a man gets a kiss from his wife before going to work and after coming home (not a peck on the check but a real lip-lock or as those in Alabama would say, “a wet-one”) earned an average of 25% more money and lived five and one half years longer than the man who did not get a kiss. My question was, “How could this be?” What could it be about a kiss that would cause a man to earn more and live longer? Let me explain what I learned. When a man receives a kiss like that, he feels secure, confident, needed, loved and significant, it makes him feel good! Therefore, when he goes into the workplace he produces more, he is more creative, he gets the promotions, he gets the raises and bonuses, he gets the contracts, etc. When a person feels confident and significant, they live at a different level than those who don’t. Therefore, they make better quality decisions and their life improves. Has this helped you in your battle for success? Let us know by commenting below. . ********************************************************************* Staying Motivated
As I travel and speak to organizations I always have people approach me with the question of how do I stay so motivated all the time? I have even heard them comment that I must have been born motivated. Some people may think that is true but let me tell you it is not true. Motivation doesn’t just happen. I am a prime example that motivation is a learned behavior. I am naturally an introvert. I would rather spend time alone or with one or two individuals than large groups. However, recognizing the need to help others succeed far out-weights my own personal preference. It is easy to become enthusiastic especially if you are in the company of a highly motivated individual, but that enthusiasm will quickly disappear if the right principles are not practiced on a continual basis. This takes discipline until it becomes a habit. It is important to understand how our body functions, especially our brain, and start using what we have been equipped with in order to begin living at a higher standard and enjoying more of this life than ever before. You must accept the fact that you can change and that when you commit to a pattern of principles and live by them continually the change you want will become permanent. When this happens is when your lifestyle will act as a magnet to others and draw them towards you because they have hopes of catching what you have. I remember one individual specifically who eventually became a good friend. Several years ago he began to hang around with me regardless of what I was doing. After spending some time with him I began to see just how de-motivated he really was and how much he needed more self-esteem. I started to initiate more positive conversations and project ideas and actions that would have constructive results. I focused on the positive aspects of everyone we talked about and tried to bring out the best is every thing we attempted. He began to do the same and over the next year he became more motivated than he had ever experienced. To make a long story short, he disciplined himself to live and work using these principles and today he is living life to it’s fullest with most of the things money will buy and all the things money will not buy. *************************************************************** Who helps guide your decisions? .I read a story the other day about a boy named George who dreamed of joining the Navy, but his mother, who was a widow raising her children alone, didn’t like the idea. Nevertheless, she put on a brave face and agreed to let him go. The day he was due to sail he hugged her good-bye. In an uncharacteristic show of emotion she started to cry. After enduring so much heartbreak she refused to endure any more. George must not board that ship; instead he must stay and be strong for the rest of the family. The boy in his midshipman’s uniform wanted a Navy career, but not if it meant adding to his mother’s grief. So reluctantly he returned his uniform and ordered his belongings off the ship. Of all the young men who might have left home in search of adventure and didn’t, he was just one more. Yet his decision had profound influence on the Revolutionary War. A mother’s eleventh-hour anxiety prevented her fifteen-year-old from ascending the ranks of the British Navy and embarking on an adventure very different from the one for which he eventually became famous. That’s because the boy’s name was George Washington, first president of the United States of America. .Sometimes we make plans but they get interrupted due to some situation or circumstance. We tend to forget what the Good Book says, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Henry Blackaby writes: “We can be deceived into believing we are on the right path, yet be heading the opposite direction from God’s will for our lives. Apart from the guidance of God, we’ll do what makes sense based on our own wisdom. So seek God’s direction, He knows the full ramifications of your choices.” .I believe it is our faith and belief in God that we reject far too often when trying to achieve goals. It is our personal responsibility to allow Him to change our path and reach the destiny He has set. Then we can expect contentment and joy in our life. .What experiences have you had in traveling in the wrong direction and then finally realizing the need to change? ************************************************** Factors to becoming
Successful and Significiant Everyone wants to be significant and successful in life. However few people are being taught that there are factors, or as I refer to them, principles that many successful people follow in achieving success in life.
After several months, the director gets the idea that he can make someone successful if he can do two things; instill a positive attitude and an optimistic perspective in the person he hired for that office. He called a company meeting that included every person in the organization. At that meeting, he told them of his plan to re-open that office and he needed their help in making it successful. He went on to explain how they would be involved in helping. He said, “Every time you speak to the person I hire, leave that person with the impression that their office has more potential than any in the organization. Tell him, you don’t know how he got such a great office, you wanted that office. All he needs to do to be successful is just show up for work.” He received full participation because no one wanted to experience his wrath.
*************************************************** . Are
You Teachable?
Everything we know we learned from someone else, including the stuff we claim credit for! It may be new to us, but it’s not new. The Governor of North Carolina once complimented Thomas Edison on his creative genius. “I am not a great inventor,” countered Edison. “But you have over 1,000 patents to your credit,” the Governor stated. “Yes, but about the only invention I can claim is absolutely original, is the phonograph,” Edison replied. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” the Governor remarked. “Well,” explained Edison, “I’m an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas wherever I can and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value. My ideas are mostly the ideas of other people who didn’t develop them themselves.” Edison was a lifelong learner. He stayed open, hungry for knowledge, and teachable. And to succeed, you must too. To know whether you’re teachable, ask yourself: 1. Am I open to other people’s thoughts and ideas? 2. Do I listen more than I talk? 3. Am I willing to change my opinion based on new information? 4. Do I readily admit when I am wrong? 5. Do I think and observe before acting on a situation? 6. Do I ask questions? 7. Am I willing to ask a question that will expose my ignorance? 8. Am I open to doing things in a way I haven’t done them before? 9. Am I willing to ask for directions? 10. Do I act defensively when criticized, or do I listen openly for the truth There is a Proverb that says, “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” Are you always looking for ways to improve? Are you teachable? |
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