An Influential Failure.

Oh great! So now I'm going to tell myself and everyone else about the importance of "taking it on the chin", reminding everyone that there is a "silver lining under every dark cloud"? As true as those things may me, they don't really help me. A long time ago, someone that I really looked up to said, "I wish I could just read the Bible...and then do it". We've all heard lots of things that sounded great, but hearing those things is one thing, incorporating it into your everyday life is quite another. I want to to tell you about my "Inside Out" theory, but for now I'd like to leave you with this excerpt from, "Holy Sweat" by Tim Hansel:

1831 He failed in business.
1832 He was defeated in legislature.
1833 He again failed in business.
1834 He was elected to the legislature.
1835 His wife-to-be died.
1836 He had a nervous breakdown.
1838 He was defeated for Speaker of the House.
1840 He was defeated for Elector.
1850 A son died.
1855 He was defeated for the Senate.
1856 He was defeated for Vice-President.
1858 He was defeated for the Senate.
1860 This man, Abraham Lincoln, was elected President.

An influential failure? You tell me. How did he do it? How have countless "failures" succeeded in life? Why didn't they give up?

I'll share with you my thoughts and what I've learned about this very thing...later.

Have a great day!

Brace For Impact!

Okay, fine. I said earlier that I would share with you something in my life that had an impact on someone ... which, by the way, was very unexpected. Wow. Okay, here goes.
Folks, sometimes it isn't what we do - it's what we don't do! Here I am, going along in my life thinking that nobody really gives a rip about me, nobody cares, nobody notices. Thoughts sound vaguely familiar? I thought so. With that in mind, I didn't acknowledge certain people in my profile that I really do care about. I actually have some friends and family that have been wonderful in my life. But, for example, when writing in my profiles "about me" section, I didn't include everybody... it hurt some peoples feelings. I felt terrible, so I included them. Then I realized I didn't include my own daughters! When I tried to "rectify" the situation and put more information in - the blog informed me I had too many 'characters'. Aarrgghh!!! We try to do something right, but no, we 'blow' it again. Sometimes it is a good idea to "Brace For Impact". You never know what's going to hit you!

Should we give up on trying to be a good influence? Should we tell ourselves that we've "been there, done that...and it didn't work?" No.

Why not?

I'll tell you tommorow.

It Goes Both Ways!

Yes, it's nice to think of all the good ways people have affected us and we can affect others... but to be honest, it goes both ways. We can also have an adverse affect on others, and vice versa. Instead of focusing, however, on the "bad" things that have happened to us...let's look at how we hurt other people. Okay, now, I realize you probably don't want to do that any more than I do. I mean, what about what people have done to me? That's another issue worth talking about. But right now, let's look at ourselves. What have I done to encourage someone? Have I done anything to hurt someone? What type of impact am I having on other peoples lives? Truly, it's worth reflection. Stop and think about it. I'll tell you what I came up with in the next post... Right now, it's time for you to think about how you are affecting others. You are an amazingly important person. People are watching. What are they seeing? What do they feel after being around you? Whether you like it or not, you are truly significant!

Domino Effect

I read in a book somewhere about someone saving two billion peoples lives. Pretty amazing, huh? Wouldn't you like to say that you did something significant like that?

The truth is, we all do so much more than we realize. What we do, how we act, little bits of encouragement... and more, all combine to create a domino effect of incredible proportion.

For example,in a book I read, a "no-name" person saved two billion people. Then, according to this same book, you find out that the person who affected "no-name" was actually the one who saved those people. Oh but wait. Someone else touched that person's heart so that they were able to affect the first person... and on it goes.

If you only knew the impact you have had and will continue to have on people that you were never even aware of... your jaw would quickly hit the ground.

And it all goes back to... the One who created us.

Did You Take a Breath?

Well, someone said that when you take a breath, it is actually proof of hope. Hmmm... how's that? The idea rests on the assumption that people don't leave this earth until they have fulfilled their purpose...so if you can take in some air, you are living proof that you are alive and therefore have not yet fulfilled your purpose...and consequently something significant is yet to take place in your life.

A simple but profound thought.

What do you think?

Hope for the hopeless.

Ever feel alone and disconnected? You wonder why you are even alive? After a while of feeling sorry for yourself, you chide yourself for that very thing. You hate being a whiner or complainer. The people you most enjoy being around- when you have the energy to be around anyone at all - are happy people. Laughter surrounds them. Love and joy permeate the room. That's where you want to be. But wait. If you were there, you tell yourself, the happiness would dissolve in your prescence. You would ruin everything by your downcast spirit.

Not good. What to do?

Want some hope? I've got some for you. I'll share it with you tommorow. In the meantime...take a deep breath.

We'll talk later.