GOOD THOUGHTS
Better People – Better Business – Better World
Character
When we think of Daniel in the Bible, the story of the lions’ den usually comes to mind (see Daniel 6). It certainly was a heroic moment in the life of this great man of God.
And when we think of Daniel’s friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—our minds go to the story of the fiery furnace (see Daniel 3).
Perspective
When you’re asked to make a decision or facing a crisis, and things seem impossible, start by refusing to panic and getting all the facts. Then, it would help if you asked for more time to gain perspective. Why? Because your biggest temptation in the middle of making a decision is to be impulsive. You’re typically not thinking rationally. You’re thinking emotionally. You may be tempted to make a quick decision.
Posture
The key to posture is patience. Regarding posture, I am not referring to sitting up straight or walking tall. I am talking about how to position yourself so that any personal relationship or business deal can be a win-win situation. Patience is the key to good posture in any situation.
Swimming
I don’t know much about swimming, but I am learning. Why? One of my granddaughters is a young competitive swimmer, and I want to encourage and support her as she pursues the opportunity to do her best. Here is one thing I have learned about swimming in a short time: A race is won or lost in at least one of three specific places: Off the blocks, in the turn, and at the finish. All three areas require excellence in execution, and failure to do so limits the chances of doing your best.
Decisions
I’ve always loved the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. The poet paints a clear picture of what it’s like to stand at the divergence of two roads and wonder which one he should choose. I feel deeply connected with the place he describes each time I read it. Especially the line that says, “And be one traveler, long I stood; And looked down one as far as I could…”
Do Overs
Think back to your childhood. Remember playing games that were all about having do-overs? Maybe the game wasn’t going as you had hoped, so you shouted, “Do-Overs.” Calling do-overs meant you got to start all over from the beginning. It didn’t make the game any less...
Rapport
When we think of people being in “rapport,” a picture comes to mind of a type of “emotional harmony” — sort of an “agreement between one another’s spirits.” The two people “get” one another. They enjoy each other. Rapport can actually be built very quickly when there...
Debt
While writing this blog, I looked at the US National Debt Clock. Ouch! The United States of America has $35,168,760,900,784 in debt. That number only lasted two seconds and then went up. That is approximately $104,424 for every person in America. Those numbers are dynamic and have the potential to be devastating.
Seasons
I’ve often thought about the familiar verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1, which says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Here is some insight into the meaning behind the verse, including this important truth, “Our situations will not last forever. If you are in a certain season of life, you can be confident the season will end at some point.”
Faith
Sometimes, we make faith a little bit too mystical when it is, in fact, something we apply wherever we go. For instance, when you enter a restaurant, you apply faith that the restaurant employees follow health standards and prepare your food correctly. When you board a plane, you apply faith that the plane will take off, fly to its destination, and land.