Three Types of People: Which are You?
There are three types of people in this world. It doesn’t take much to identify which you are; and of course which you want to be.
Let’s examine:
1- Those who make things happen: These are the early risers who recognize life is short and needs to be lived. These are those who don’t procrastinate, don’t hold back; and don’t let opportunity slide by. They are opportunistic, creative, assertive and visionaries. Think John Maxwell Albert Einstein, or even Phil Robertson.
2- Those who watch things happen: These are the people who tend to be more methodical although to a fault. Life is to be lived; and with this group more time spent watching things happen and less time making things happen. Some symptoms of this are analysis paralysis, indecisiveness, fear of failure or success, self-esteem issues and more. Sure there are those who may argue the point but most likely if they were trying to they would be in the category of making things happen so it’s a moot point.
3- Those who wonder what happened. It happens so quick to those who aren’t paying attention. Life goes by, the kids graduate college; and here this group of people are scratching their heads wondering what happened. It’s a shame because there is so much the world is missing from them and if only they would get it; the world could and would be a better place. Their symptoms include lack of direction, vision and purpose, fear of achieving, approval seeking, self-doubt, procrastination and others.
Which are you? Do you see yourself in more than one category or not one you want to be in? Regardless of where you are; your life is waiting for you? Go live it. Start today and make it happen in the way that only you can!
All images belong to their various owners.
It’s sport season all around. Whether you are into the NFL, MLB, or college football there is something out there for everyone who loves a game. The talk about statistics, the play Marlin’s Adeiny Hechavarria made last night against the Phillies and just winning makes for great conversation. Through it all there are people in life winning?
When we look around society as a whole who is winning? And winning what? Furthermore; is winning everything? Charlie Sheen may have his answer but is it really the real answer?
When you think of winning what does it mean to you? Is it beating your competitors every time? Or is something bigger? Perhaps you have not ever thought about it before. Two people that know much about winning in sports are Tony Dungee and John Wooden. What is great about Tony Dungee is just his presence and how he treated his players. Never did he yell and still produced results.
John Wooden is a known winner in that he coached UCLA basketball team to 10 NCAA championships in his 12 years of coaching; with seven of them in a row. He also posted records for undefeated seasons and record straight wins of 88 games in a row. That is unheard of in sports! What’s the secret? What is it that brings some to the winning while others not so much?
The answer simply would be self development and improvement. You see; with the right focus in the right place the right results will be attained. If the right focus in the wrong place is evident the right results can’t be attained. If the wrong focus is in the wrong place then be default nothing of what is wanted will be attained.
Where do you fall in? Are you focusing on winning at all cost? Are you focusing on the Jones’s and what they have instead of what you already have that they don’t? Are you focusing on being better than everyone else instead of focusing on refining and improving you?
I learned a long time ago that the more time I spend focusing on the things outside of me the less time I am spending improving myself. Through that not only have I lost time and gotten distracted; but I most certainly am not winning!
It’s been said if you ask a man what he’s thinking and he says ‘nothing’; he isn’t lying. It must be nice to be a man and have that much space to be in position to think about nothing. Most women have not yet mastered the idea of thinking nothing or that they actually can do it.
The question then is: ‘what are you thinking about?’ Do you even know? Perhaps you are not getting to the life that you truly want because the thoughts in your head are creating too much clutter.
A few ways to combat the thoughts and get over the stinking thinking are:
1- Know what you are thinking about. Most people don’t even realize what it is they think about and when they get it; it’s a shock! It would be no different than listening to and singing raps songs only to realize they are all about things that you say you don’t stand for!
2- Forgive. By forgiving someone who hurt you; the thoughts about what that person did will be gone. Gone too will be the resentment, bitterness, anger; and even revenge thoughts. Your mind, body and soul will be at peace to allow you to think on much better and positive things to move you in the direction you want to go. The emotional baggage will only hold you back and weigh you down in the end!
3- Prioritize your activities. If you try to do all things at one time you won’t be as successful as you would be doing one thing at a time. While years ago mastering multi-tasking was a good thing; studies continue to reveal that those who do aren’t nearly as focused or productive. This makes sense as how can one be productive with only 30% of focus going to one thing at a time? It takes longer to get one thing done and by prioritizing items there is more focus toward that one thing which clears out all the rest of the mind clutter. There are less geniuses in the world today because of lack of prioritizing and ability to concentrate. Create a system that works for you so that you can accomplish more and not get bogged down with extra thoughts. It doesn’t have to be complicated; just what works for you.
4- Breathe and Relax. By including breathing and relaxing into your day you will increase the balance in you life. There is nothing wrong with taking a 10 minute walk to clear your mind. Deep breathing exercises are known to help many while others simply go and pray and return refreshed. It’s ok to not be superman or woman!
5- Create Positive Daily Thinking Habits. It takes work to not be defeated by the thoughts in your mind. It takes work to not be overwhelmed by rude people, those who can’t drive; and everything else that comes with the world we live in. It is a choice to think about what you think about and it’s just as easy to create a good habit of thought patterns as it is a bad one. What you think you are you are.
These are just some simple tips to get you started. When you really see what thoughts you have allowed in you may see the need for change. There is a big world of living to do and there is no reason to be defeated by your mind. Get out of the rut of stinking thinking and be forever changed by new thoughts and patterns! There is no reason to be defeated and living in clutter when it’s just as easy to be productive and free.
With more than 40 million people dating online one may appear as the best place to go. Find love in the comfort of your home and in your jammies; what could be better. While it may serve the purpose for many who venture to Match. com, Plenty of Fish, Checkhimout, E-Harmony or any of the others it’s a great thing. On the other side for others it’s a dipping pond of disappoint. The lies, the fake profile pictures, the cancellations; and the list goes on. Could it be that in order to get to the status of being marriable one has to be datable first?
In order to be datable here are a few things to consider and ask yourself before taking moments from the life of someone else.
1- Am I too busy? If you do not have the time to date then why put a profile online in the first place? Why try to meet someone if you are not able to commit to the time that it would take to do so?
2- Can I keep a scheduled date? If you are cannot commit to keeping a date then perhaps you should not venture toward trying to get one in the first place. If your children or other activities require you to not be able to commit then you should be mindful of the message it sends to someone.
3- Can I afford it? Many people have the misconception that it costs men and not women money to date yet they are mistaken. Sure it does cost men money to day; however, women too have to pay although in a different way. Studies continue to reveal that single women have to pay more annually for maintenance than married women and when single; there is a lot of competition out there. If women don’t play the game of ‘keep- up’ they will never land the man. Knowing that men are visual women have to spend the extra time and money to have the proper appearance in order to attract someone in the first place. Yes men typically do pay for a date although times have changed and now both are paying. Regardless; if you are not in position to afford it then don’t get yourself in the situation in the first place.
4- Are my priorities in order? If you have an interest of taking a woman out ‘only’ when the game isn’t on then how long will it last? There will always be a game on and trying to juggle all the games and women will only land you alone in the end. If your only love affair is with a television portraying men running on a field, quart, or ice arena perhaps recognizing this is the first step and then determining what your priorities are. It’s ok if you wish to have more time with your buddies watching games at the bar all weekend; just don’t expect a date with a real woman who wants your time. People are how they are when you meet them!
5- Am I in proper position to date? Is my car registered, can I drive to pick a woman up, do I have air conditioning. It’s amazing how many times I have heard that men in Dallas do not have air conditioning. In Denver or Seattle; ok it’s different. In Dallas in the heat of the summer to not have air conditioning is quite another story!
6- Am I emotionally stable? If you are not over your ex, exes; or parents divorce 25 years ago then perhaps getting into a dating relationship isn’t going to help. Two dysfunctional people together do not create function. Brittany Spears and Keven Federline proved this. Taking care of personal issues means less baggage to a relationship that would only cause it to end sooner than it should.
7- Are my finances in order? Now it’s not to say you have to have a perfect credit score; however, if you are not financially fit then spending your money taking care of financial issues would be the more prudent decision. Knowing that many dating situations lead to marriage; it would be wise to take care of all the areas of your household so when it’s time to date you are in the best position financially so it won’t be an issue in the long term.
8- Am I respectful of boundaries? When you respect yourself then it’s much easier to set boundaries. If you expect and give sex on the first date then there is a clear sign of no boundaries, prudence; or self control. It sends the wrong message and if you do not set boundaries then you are allowing the person to treat you any way you wish and you not respecting the boundaries of others will also send a wrong message. Be respectful of yourself and if the person you date isn’t for you; then that only means you still have your self respect in tact.
By taking the time to think about whether or not you are actually ready to date you will not only show yourself some self respect but those around you too. It’s not fair to those you wish to date to not be in position to at least drive somewhere because you haven’t yet taken care of the standard operations of being an adult. If dating leads to marriage then starting with self would be the first place to begin. It’s always better to date a healthy person before marrying one wouldn’t you think?
I’ve blogged about this now 3 times and well; apparently we are still experiencing it and sometimes we can all use a reminder.
It’s hard to imagine thinking about winter when it’s 100 degrees out; but the past couple of days in most parts of the US have proven that winter is still here. It’s hard to think about anything other than relaxing by the pool with a nice umbrella drink in hand.
It was reported back in August that winter 2013 will be the worst on record. Hmm…… worse than what? I guess worse than what we have known in this lifetime. Sure many times the weather reports are simply wrong; but let’s in this case they are right and it happens to hit a city near you; what would you do? We are seeing this play out without a doubt?
It got me thinking to say the least. How prepared am I? In Colorado where I grew up things were different in that winter came and everyone was prepared. It was just life. People had gardens and the crops were canned for winter. It was life. The blizzards of 1982 was one such example. It came on Christmas Eve. It’s not one people soon forget. The other ones that people still talk about are 1997 where in Coal Creek Canyon 56″ of snow was reported in less than 12 hours. In 2003 people were snowed in for at minimum 5 days. Because some cities outlawed driving people skied to the nearest grocery store; before everything was shut down. How ingenious right? Or stupid that the grocery workers were still there but I digress.
At least in Denver people have 4-wheel drive vehicles. In most cities across America; people aren’t equipped for such weather as snow and ice; or even cold. The city workers aren’t either so a weather related storm can definitely wreck havoc without a doubt. I need to make sure I am prepared for whatever comes this winter. How about you?
In reflection of a few things that would be necessary for survival is one that has thinking I need to step up my game. The grocery stores only have supplies for three days. Three days! What if the weather is so bad that the power is out longer than that? What if the weather is so bad that the trucks can’t even get to your city to deliver the products you need? What then would you do? It occurs to me that there are some things I need to take care of. It’s not like I will be able to just use my cell phone and order pizza.
A few things to think about to be prepared are:
1- Water. Of course everyone needs water so this goes without say. If you start now stocking up on water then you are set for drinking but what about the rest of your life? What about showering, cooking, or anything else. Don’t you need to be able to flush the toilet so you may need more water? If you have the drinking water do you really want to pour that down the toilet? The large blue containers you can fill up with a few gallons of tap water and then store them in the garage so you have something. You wouldn’t want to store your drinking water in the heat in the garage as it will only take more like plastic than it already does.
2- Food. Of course you have to eat and because you may not have electricity or know when it will be restored you definitely have to plan. What is your daily food consumption now? How long will the food in the refrigerator and freezer last? How would you prepare it? I was told years ago to take old water bottles and fill them with water but not all the way full and then store them in the freezer for occasions just like this. Perhaps a few MRE’s and other items should be accounted for before it’s too late. Foods high in protein and require no cooking are the most obvious. Plan for additional foods for the children and infants in your family. Not only this; how often do people eat out of boredom? Planning now will help you know what you have so your level of irritability won’t be so high.
3- Paper items. Toilet paper, napkins and other items are good to have on hand. Because water supply is limited doing dishes won’t be easy using paper products can serve the purpose. If count for how much toilet paper you use per month then perhaps an extra month supply would be good. Obviously if you are single you use less than a family of five; and that is the last thing you want to run out of. One opened item of anything is never enough!
4- Protection. It’s wise to be able to defend yourself in all seasons. Keeping current with firearms training and having ammunition is just prudent. My CHL is current and being proficient in using it doesn’t take much time out of my life. It’s just one of those things that is no different than taking care of the laundry.
5- Toiletries. As I said before an opened anything is never enough. Are you at the bottom of the shampoo bottle? Last roll of the toothpaste? What then if you run out before the weather clears and your store is restocked. How terrible would it be to not be able to brush your teeth for a few days or weeks?
6- Lighting. Candles of course can work just great; but how many would you need to use for light and warmth? When I look around my town home I see 20ft ceilings which means all the warmth going everyone else except to me. I would need to get creative with where I would spend my time because I obviously don’t want to waste my candles. My personal idea is pretty simple. My bathroom is a decent size and is closed in so it would make the most sense to set up shop in there. I would set up an air mattress in the bathtub and that room would be the warmest with less heat escaping. Sitting on the air mattress also gets me off the floor. Because my dining room, kitchen, living room; and bedroom all have windows using candles simply would be more work. GE sells the LED lanterns that take D batteries so for 20 bucks I have light and with my candles have warmth. Don’t forget the matches or lighters. I have a fireplace that was one thought although the bathroom would still provide better options for longer warmth.
7- Pet food and supplies. You can’t let your pet go hungry now can you? Of course mot! The Olive needs her food too. How much does your pet consume daily? What about flea, tick or heart worm medicine? Having these items on hand will only help you better protect your animal. Perhaps a few extra treats or raw hide bones would serve as a distraction from the situation. You may also think about a dog sweater or sweatshirt. While most with the purse dogs spend more on these items; your lab or Great Dane deserves one too!
8-Prescriptions. While it’s easy to call the pharmacist to place the prescription order on most days; you most likely wouldn’t have phone service to make the call or be able to get to that location to purchase it. Having enough supply on hand is wise as you would have to have your mother or child suffer those consequences!
9- Extra glasses or contacts. If it’s dark and you lose a pair of glasses now you are stuck. Stuck using your light to go search in the cold of the night to find them when if you had an extra pair in an easy to find location you would be just fine. This is one thing on my list without a doubt! I’ve never lost a pair but that doesn’t mean an extra pair wouldn’t be beneficial. I’m also learning that too many things that can be done tomorrow can wreck havoc on it too!
10- Blankets. If you happen to be like many bachelors you may just have your sheet and comforter that you sometimes use; or even perhaps you have the old quilt from someone years ago. Having enough blankets to keep you warm is a definite! If you hold up in one room you can always use one at the base of the door to keep any heat from escaping. My favorite is my down comforter; although I have two other bed sets and numerous other blankets that I have picked up along the way. This one item that can definitely serve it’s purpose. Of course if you have the sleeping bag that you use for those hunting excursions those will work just fine.
11- Generator. Sure you may not want to spare the expense of a few hundred bucks and no one blames you. For those who like to really be prepared it may be the best way to go. While others may be suffering; those with the generators wouldn’t lose any power so perhaps it is something to consider.
While there are many other items to include like salt for the driveway or front steps, sturdy ice scraper; and a prepare mentality this is a good start. More people die in the cold of winter than in the heat summer so why not cool yourself off from that heat of the day today? When that day comes you will be glad you did!
It’s a simple question really. Are you a people pleaser? Would you even know it if you were? Do you by chance know the symptoms or results of being one? Probably not as most don’t. It’s one of those things that is pretty tricky because being a people pleaser always results in someone not being pleased.
People pleasers mean well. The goal typically isn’t like that of the narccisist as that person’s only goal is to elevate their own self for their own gratification all the while living on Deceit Lane. The people pleaser is different in that it isn’t about self-elevation at all; more often it’s about the root fear of rejection. In the end it simply leads to self-destruction.
‘Destruction in what’ way you ask? Destruction in numerous ways. Let’s identify just some:
1- Lower self esteem. Seeking to always please others can’t lead to a healthy self esteem or positive image because the very act of people pleasing only steals the person’s soul. You see; when you allow people to treat you in a way that they want and not how you deserve it will always be a conflict. When the idea or goal is to please others and it doesn’t work most people are left wondering what is so wrong with them that all their effort didn’t come to the fruition that they expected. Never mind the fact that trying to please people who don’t know what they want never works; but most don’t see this because they are too busy trying to be pleasing. In the end; when it doesn’t work the feelings of rejection can only creep in.
2- Unhappiness or discontent-Are people genuinely happy? Perhaps although what’s ironic is that those who have more money don’t prove to be any happier or content than those without. Who knew? If you are on who went to law school because daddy did; are you reeping the rewards of it? Are you truly happy and content with your life? Or would you be happy and content opening a seafood business on the coast of Maine? Trying to please people never leaves the pleaser with the internal feelings of content because pleasing people is a never ending process. One only need to look at any Hollywood star in crisis and see this. Sure some of it may be a marketing stunt; however, it was Miley Cyrus who shared that being a people pleaser won’t make her any happier because there are too many people to please. Of course most can thank the Lord they don’t have that many people to please right?!
3- Broken dreams or dreams never achieved or sought after. Those who are people pleasers put themselves last. The focus is never on the people pleaser; but rather the pleasing. That in an of itself is a pure distraction to living life. Every person was created with a purpose and and getting caught up in the ideas of pleasing others who are going about living their lives and dreams is only pure heartache for the person people trying to be pleasing. If you have dreams and you never wake up or chase after them because you are living an ordinary life people pleasing; then who’s fault it is that you never made it to being extraordinary? It takes guts to go after dreams and live your life! What others think you should do is not worth your time because you are the one faced with the consequences of your decision. It’s not to say that the opinions of others who are close to you have no value; but you have to discern their motives for you; otherwise you may find that their misery loves your company too much. Who have you been trying to please over chasing your dreams?
4- Resentment- Resentment is a funny thing. Typically when there is resentment; bitterness is there too. Perhaps at times anger and frustration; and all the other cousins. When there is more focus on someone else; who is focusing on you? It would be similar to a wife being focused on her needs and the husband too. Where is the focus on the husband? The opposite of course is true and in the end; there is someone not getting the results he or she is seeking. Please also understand that not only does resentment build toward the person; but also internal resentment toward self as well. Wouldn’t this make sense as how many people would be living their dreams of owning a food truck instead of sitting in an office answering the telephone all day because it’s the family expectation?
5- It’s a trap!-People pleasing is a trap. There is no way around it. It keeps the person’s focus in the wrong place with the wrong outcomes; and the wrong perception of self with the wrong internal feelings. It never ends. It doesn’t give life; it steals it. It brings nothing of identity to the person who thinks that he or she is pleasing; and it never fills. It is like a cancer that starts slow and then spreads until its victim no longer has a life; no longer has a purpose; now longer has an identity. It’s a vacuous soul waking up to die one day sooner. What a waste. One day it is too late as too much time has past and all those broken dreams are gone. Vanished. Just like that.
In this world everyone has expectations. Society of course helps the cause and the advancements in technology push things along as well. You have to do this to be cool, you need to wear this otherwise you are uncool, you need to dine at this restaurant because it’s where are all yuppies and guppies go. You need to wear your hair like this because the ‘Rachel’ is back again. This new hybrid is the latest you need; but never mind the fact that you can’t actually get up a mountain in it. Your parents are doctors so why would you be the unfortunate child to go into law instead?
You couldn’t possibly take time out for yourself now could you? Of course not! Why on earth stop and take a moment to reflect on whether or not you are living your life for you; or for those that don’t care? Who has time for that? Ain’t nobody got that time for that! And that- is the biggest problem. A life lived for others who are busy pursuing their own is the biggest strategy to face today. Maybe the time is today to stop, reflect; and dig deep. Are you too busy pleasing others to recognize that in the process you forgot to look in the mirror and see your own reflection?
If you take the time to look around you; what do you think you think you will see? What will you hear? Perhaps it’s people on their cell phones talking about how the Bachelorette Des is with Chris and not Brooks? Will you see people sitting at Starbucks with their ears filled with buds and their ipods enjoying their ‘i-life’? Even better yet is it the oh so chic ladies walking by with the coveted Christian Louboutin’s just in time for fall? Or last for you guys out there is it the latest on A-Rod?
Regardless of what you do and don’t see that can make all the difference? Sure people like sporting their latest fashions to be perceived as hip or cool. Sure some need to have you believe they are more successful because they drive this car or that; even though they may live in an empty apartment and live on Top Ramen. Sure; you too may be a sucker for it all. A sucker who falls into the trap of paying money to a company for something only to then be branded by it. Let’s face it folks: does anyone really care that your purse is Prada? Does anyone care that you drive you drive a 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500 or McLaren F1? Of course not! (Regardless of how utterly awesome they are!)
This leads me to ask: what is branding you? And furthermore why?
Lately the trend in and out of business is the push for branding, branding; and yes more branding. ‘You need to brand yourself’ the business experts say. ‘You need to have more products’ others will say because of course if you are not out there just pushing this product or that face then you are just forgotten. It’s tiring isn’t it? Of course it is because you can’t not keep up and be relevant. Will it end or is this just what society is? If you check out the Bible it’s pretty clear where we are. ‘1But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,…’ (2TIm 3:2)
Now don’t get me wrong; business is great! I’m a capitalist and love America! This isn’t as much about doing business as is it where the focus is. Are you one that is only interesting in the branding of yourself in terms of ‘you’ or are you more interested in the brand of your character? You see there is quite a difference and understanding that may change your perception of a few things. The brand of your character will outlast and outshine anything else and if you are not aware or paying attention to your ‘brand’ in that way you may miss the mark. No one will remember that you wore last year’s Prada’s or the car you drove 5 years ago. They will remember; however, your character.
Take for example A-Rod. I remember when he played for Seattle and just how awesome he was! I remember when he came to the Texas Rangers and the incredible salary he was paid. Congrats right! While you may not like what he was paid that is irrelevant. The perception was that he was worth it. His brand was amazing! I love stories of haters where they just don’t agree with someone being paid yet if it that person were offered that salary I’m sure it would be quite a different story. Just saying.
Today; however, A-Rod’s has quite another story. What is his brand? How would you describe it? Tainted? Corrupt? Faulty? All of the above? It isn’t about judgment of him as we do still live in a society where innocent until proven guilty.
The point here is that he has branded himself. He was branded as one of the best and most certainly was and is. He was the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs and surpassed Sami Sosa records too. He is gifted without a doubt. The question though what now has branded him? What is it about his brand that you are going to remember?
It’s no different than any of us. It’s so easy to get caught up in all the rage of technology and think it’s needed in order to be current. It’s easy to fall into the fashion traps and waste money on things of no value only to be branded by a label.
What isn’t so easy though is to reflect on it the brand of your character. Your brand of integrity, reputation; and poise. Perhaps if more people thought about what they truly are pushing instead of themselves for personal gain we wouldn’t be the billboards that we are allowing ourselves to be and sold for the lowest cost.
In America; more people are single either through divorce or never married. Either way; people are single. The numbers may surprise you. According to the US Census Bureau (2012):
‘There are 112 million unmarried people over age 18 in the U.S., representing nearly 47% of the adult population.
44.9% of the unmarried population aged 18 and older are female. For every 100 unmarried women there are 88 unmarried men.
23.0% of the unmarried population aged 18 and older are people of color and 77.0% are white.
39.2% of the unmarried population aged 18 and older were formerly married and 60.8% have always been single.
68% of divorced or widowed Americans plan to remain unmarried.
These statistics reveal much about who we are as people don’t they? What I am finding most curious about is if men and women are single for the same reasons. Lately I have found more people who are single because they are pursuing ‘their goals’. Now of course there is nothing wrong with pursuing goals of any kind; but it begs the question: how many goals and how many lost opportunities for love will you have passed by? In other words- will you wake up 10 or 15 years later with more wrinkles, grey hair, and wonder what the heck happened?
While many may say that men can only do and focus on one thing at a time; how long does it take to focus and move on? Women on the other hand; are getting their hands equally as dirty with their own goals and dreams and pursuits- because in order to compete in a man’s world you have to become a man right?
I wonder when people will recognize that there will always be a business to start, a degree to complete, a software to write, another client waiting; and another networking even to attend before it all starts another groundhog year. At the end of the day when you meet all your goals and pursuits but have no one to share them with will you realize that all of it kept you single? And for what? Something that no one but you cares about? What then? Will it be too late? I sure hope not!
In a conversation with a client of mine I could hear something different in his tone. While I couldn’t see him since we were not face to face I knew there was something different about him. I was right. I asked him how he was and he replied, ‘I am very good’. I asked him what was making him ‘very good’ on that day and he said, ‘I’m very good because I am giving.’
It got me thinking about a few things. Is there an area of my life where I could give more? I wondered if he knew he would feel as good as he did before he gave or if he just felt that good because he gave. Knowing the type of person he is I don’t think he purpose of giving was just so he could feel good as there are plenty of other things to feel good than to give. Not only this; giving just to feel good isn’t really giving at all.
Regardless; it is enjoyable to be around someone who has a heart of giving and feels good about it. I could hear that he felt good about what it was that he gave. While I don’t know what it was that he gave it doesn’t even matter. It’s his heart that matters and that is one of giving. I don’t even think that he would recognize that as that is just who he is. Do you have people in your life that are like that? If not then why not become that person for other? What a way to give right?
This leads me to be challenged to give and to do it more often while also challenging you to do the same. So- what can you give today? What can you give to be the world change that the world needs?
I recently listened to a pastor talk about happiness and he said something that was contrary to what I had been led to believe for most of my saved life. He said that he too had been taught that ‘happiness is just what’s happening now’ and that we should ‘seek joy’ instead. Once the thing that makes us happy is gone then it’s gone. He bought that teaching like many. This was until he started diving in to what the word actually means.
His research revealed that the word ‘blessed’ actually means ‘hugely happy’ and that the word ‘blessed’ occurs 48 times in the NT. People who are hugely happy typically are blessed while those who are blessed are hugely happy right? It would seem apparent that they walk hand in hand.
So the question is: what makes you happy? What makes you ‘hugely’ happy? How are you blessed? If you look around my guess is that you can always find something to be happy about; regardless of your situation. If you don’t believe me; drive down to your local inner city and count how many homeless people there are and then look inside the car you drove to get there. If you have old McDonald’s bags tossed in the back; be happy that you had enough money to even get the food in the first place!
If you are single are there things to be happy about? Married; what about your spouse brings happiness to your life? If you sit in traffic what can you see and do on your way to where ever you are going besides complain?
I have to be honest and catch myself today because I could easily fall into the trap of unhappiness. I can look at all the things I don’t have like the husband that I don’t have; the children I haven’t given life to; the father I have yet to find and meet- and I could go on and on. I’m sure you could too. Instead; my choice today is to be happy that I am alive, that I am healthy, that I have hair and that every time I walk into my living room I am surrounded by my favorite Joe Malone candle that I can actually smell. How about you?