We are all salesman. The power to persuade people is powerful. It is even more powerful when all odds are against you. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had to figure out how to get his point across and because he did we are a much better society today. He was able to do this through peaceful means and did not have to turn to violence.
Can you imagine yourself being attacked and actually doing what Jesus told us to do and turn the other cheek. God shows favor to those who not only talk the talk but walk the walk and this is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did. He was able to organize peaceful protests and because of this he was able to gain support.
As you go out and enjoy your three day weekend remember why we actually celebrate this extra day off. Say a prayer for those we have lost to tragedy because one person allowed anger turn to violence. Unfortunately we will always have a few crazy people out in society but because of people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. our society in general sees each other as equal and all on this earth to serve God's purpose.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
It is Natural to Resist Change
Simple Truths - Change is Good!
Success comes to those who embrace change. Enjoy the movie and get out there and make some positive changes.
Success comes to those who embrace change. Enjoy the movie and get out there and make some positive changes.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
How Does Your Child Spell Love?
Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!
Take a few minutes to watch the movie on the link above. It's amazing how we forget that a child's perception is much different from ours. Enjoy and go share your love today.
Take a few minutes to watch the movie on the link above. It's amazing how we forget that a child's perception is much different from ours. Enjoy and go share your love today.
Monday, December 20, 2010
5 Pointed Star Model for Success
As we were putting up our Christmas tree I began to think about the significance of the star on top of the tree. Then I started to think how as parents we always want our kids to be stars. More so from the day they're born until they're about 7 years old. You see it every Christmas at the number of school shows. The younger kids have their own fan club including parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and anyone else that wants to be supportive of that cute little kid.
Cuteness doesn't wear off but usually more kids come in to the picture and we start to feel that the older kid doesn't need that fan club anymore. The truth is that these kids need support throughout their childhood. As adults we turn to our family or social circles for support so why do we think that just cause a kid is older he or she is not looking out in the crowd for their fans.
Time and other activities makes it difficult for us to be at every event. It is important that we teach our children a model to follow so that they will always experience success and continue to feel that same support without needing their fan club present every time. I have come up with the following model that I am trying to incorporate with my children.
Things Needed to Shine like a Star:
1. Spiritual: Recognize that God has created this world and us for his purpose. We all have unique talents and it is our responsibility to use those talents to serve others. We must dedicate time throughout the day to give thanks for the opportunity . It is important for our kids to learn that they are here to serve a higher purpose and the world does not revolve around them. Children now seem to get bored easily even though there is more entertainment products, services, and media available than ever before. When they are able to participate in charitable giving there is more fulfillment and they get to appreciate the simple abundances that they do have.
2. Physical: Exercise & diet is important towards your energy & longevity. Stress has been known to deteriorate your health. Exercise can help reduce the amount of stress in your life or at least help you manage it and improve your mood. One of the benefits from being in a good mood is the quality of our relationships.
3. Mental: Zig Ziglar said "Positive thinking won't let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Children must learn how to control their thoughts & actions. Eliminate biases & remember that we all have different gifts to offer. .
4. Social: Not one person can do it on his/her own. Even Jesus, son of God, surrounded himself w/ 12 disciples. Relationships help us grow, laugh, and love. All of these are beneficial to our health also. Studies have shown that there are medical benefits to laughing also, so have a sense of humor.
5. Attitude: A positive attitude allows you to set high goals and believe that you can reach them. Believing in yourself is important for you to take action and achieve your full potential. Having an attitude of gratitude also helps you stay positive. If you can learn to look at what you have instead of what you do not have then you will spend less time moping around. We can allow the media to create a demand for luxury items we do not need or we can use the media to show us how blessed we are compared to the majority of this world.
This is the model that I try to use daily when I speak to my children. My children have lost their mother because of drug addiction and for the last 2 years to incarceration. They were very young when I had to start playing the role of mother and father. I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me but by using this model and being consistent they are growing up to be well rounded children and I have also been able to grow myself. They know that our struggles have helped us grow closer and stronger. Their mom was just sentenced to a total of 4 years with time served for 2 of those years. Although they were sad to hear the news they know that God's timing is perfect and it is not always in agreement with what we want. They continue to stay positive and are very thankful for what they do have.
Good luck with your children and remember the most important thing is to obey the commandment that Jesus left with us, "love one another".
Cuteness doesn't wear off but usually more kids come in to the picture and we start to feel that the older kid doesn't need that fan club anymore. The truth is that these kids need support throughout their childhood. As adults we turn to our family or social circles for support so why do we think that just cause a kid is older he or she is not looking out in the crowd for their fans.
Time and other activities makes it difficult for us to be at every event. It is important that we teach our children a model to follow so that they will always experience success and continue to feel that same support without needing their fan club present every time. I have come up with the following model that I am trying to incorporate with my children.
Things Needed to Shine like a Star:
1. Spiritual: Recognize that God has created this world and us for his purpose. We all have unique talents and it is our responsibility to use those talents to serve others. We must dedicate time throughout the day to give thanks for the opportunity . It is important for our kids to learn that they are here to serve a higher purpose and the world does not revolve around them. Children now seem to get bored easily even though there is more entertainment products, services, and media available than ever before. When they are able to participate in charitable giving there is more fulfillment and they get to appreciate the simple abundances that they do have.
2. Physical: Exercise & diet is important towards your energy & longevity. Stress has been known to deteriorate your health. Exercise can help reduce the amount of stress in your life or at least help you manage it and improve your mood. One of the benefits from being in a good mood is the quality of our relationships.
3. Mental: Zig Ziglar said "Positive thinking won't let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Children must learn how to control their thoughts & actions. Eliminate biases & remember that we all have different gifts to offer. .
4. Social: Not one person can do it on his/her own. Even Jesus, son of God, surrounded himself w/ 12 disciples. Relationships help us grow, laugh, and love. All of these are beneficial to our health also. Studies have shown that there are medical benefits to laughing also, so have a sense of humor.
5. Attitude: A positive attitude allows you to set high goals and believe that you can reach them. Believing in yourself is important for you to take action and achieve your full potential. Having an attitude of gratitude also helps you stay positive. If you can learn to look at what you have instead of what you do not have then you will spend less time moping around. We can allow the media to create a demand for luxury items we do not need or we can use the media to show us how blessed we are compared to the majority of this world.
This is the model that I try to use daily when I speak to my children. My children have lost their mother because of drug addiction and for the last 2 years to incarceration. They were very young when I had to start playing the role of mother and father. I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me but by using this model and being consistent they are growing up to be well rounded children and I have also been able to grow myself. They know that our struggles have helped us grow closer and stronger. Their mom was just sentenced to a total of 4 years with time served for 2 of those years. Although they were sad to hear the news they know that God's timing is perfect and it is not always in agreement with what we want. They continue to stay positive and are very thankful for what they do have.
Good luck with your children and remember the most important thing is to obey the commandment that Jesus left with us, "love one another".
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Melancholy Moments
I know by now most people believe in the benefits of positive thinking. I am constantly trying to learn techniques that can help me develop daily rituals so that I am always positive. Am I crazy for thinking it's possible? Well maybe just a little but I have more and more people that depend on me to be positive so that I can help them find the brighter side. So what about those melancholy moments?
Don't tell me you have not experienced those times where you are just feeling down but you can not manage to put your finger on why you are feeling that way. People come up to you and continue to ask what's wrong and you don't have an answer. They press and press because they either want to be helpful or want some gossip but you really don't have the answer. It starts to build momentum and soon it's like a giant snowball of negativity. It use to happen to me a lot. I can list a number of things that have gone wrong in my life but why list them cause I know it is not the reason why I am feeling that way. I have decided to stop trying to figure out why and focus more on how to change my attitude because in the end it is a choice.
My daily ritual now includes the following; from the moment I wake up I give thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ for giving me a chance at living another day so that I can try to make a difference in this world and I can fulfill the purpose that I have been put on this earth. I read some scriptures with the kids before dropping them off at school. I then go workout so that I can take care of my body and feel good about myself. Now what about those times when you are blindsided and all of a sudden you are feeling melancholy again. We sometimes go through life and we try to treat our social needs by treating ourselves to something nice, maybe dinner, a movie, or a purchase. These always seem to be quick fixes and do not last long. When money was tight I just did not have that option anymore so I had to figure something else out. I realized that a random act of kindness gets me over it quick. I am not a doctor but I am sure that the fact that helping someone makes me smile has some kind of health benefit to myself and the ability to change my attitude to one of gratitude. Give it a try and do something for someone.
Don't tell me you have not experienced those times where you are just feeling down but you can not manage to put your finger on why you are feeling that way. People come up to you and continue to ask what's wrong and you don't have an answer. They press and press because they either want to be helpful or want some gossip but you really don't have the answer. It starts to build momentum and soon it's like a giant snowball of negativity. It use to happen to me a lot. I can list a number of things that have gone wrong in my life but why list them cause I know it is not the reason why I am feeling that way. I have decided to stop trying to figure out why and focus more on how to change my attitude because in the end it is a choice.
My daily ritual now includes the following; from the moment I wake up I give thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ for giving me a chance at living another day so that I can try to make a difference in this world and I can fulfill the purpose that I have been put on this earth. I read some scriptures with the kids before dropping them off at school. I then go workout so that I can take care of my body and feel good about myself. Now what about those times when you are blindsided and all of a sudden you are feeling melancholy again. We sometimes go through life and we try to treat our social needs by treating ourselves to something nice, maybe dinner, a movie, or a purchase. These always seem to be quick fixes and do not last long. When money was tight I just did not have that option anymore so I had to figure something else out. I realized that a random act of kindness gets me over it quick. I am not a doctor but I am sure that the fact that helping someone makes me smile has some kind of health benefit to myself and the ability to change my attitude to one of gratitude. Give it a try and do something for someone.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving 2010!!!
It is that time of year again when we get some time off to gather with friends and family to reflect on everything we have and not what we don't have. The simple fact that I am in the United States and able to write a blog means that I am better off than most of the world. Sure there are times when I want more and might feel bad because I don't have more but then I realize that I need to continue to show gratitude that my needs are being met.
There are people out there that are having extreme difficulties meeting their basic needs. Some people do not have family or friends to have Thanksgiving dinner with and these holidays become very difficult to handle. Please remember the impact and influence that you can have on many. I know times have been tough and we are not always in the position to give monetarily but it doesn't always have to be a monetary gift. Share a smile, greet someone, or pick up an extra 99 cent sandwich and hand it over to that guy or girl you see standing at the freeway exit. We can all do a little bit to make a difference in some one's life.
We have more entertainment options available to us today than we ever have had, yet we still hear kids say they are bored. I have noticed that my kids do not say that as much after we have volunteered somewhere to help the less fortunate. I believe the reason why is that it is very fulfilling when we help others. That kind of service really fills the soul. A person I consider my mentor, Zig Ziglar, always says "you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want out of life." It might sound a little selfish but if you are helping others than does it really matter that it is selfish? Even Mother Theresa once said that she considered herself selfish because everything she did was to get closer to God.
I apologize for going on and on but I am very thankful for all of my old and new relationships. I am very happy to have surrounded myself with generous people that keep me inspired. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and for those of you traveling please come home safely.
There are people out there that are having extreme difficulties meeting their basic needs. Some people do not have family or friends to have Thanksgiving dinner with and these holidays become very difficult to handle. Please remember the impact and influence that you can have on many. I know times have been tough and we are not always in the position to give monetarily but it doesn't always have to be a monetary gift. Share a smile, greet someone, or pick up an extra 99 cent sandwich and hand it over to that guy or girl you see standing at the freeway exit. We can all do a little bit to make a difference in some one's life.
We have more entertainment options available to us today than we ever have had, yet we still hear kids say they are bored. I have noticed that my kids do not say that as much after we have volunteered somewhere to help the less fortunate. I believe the reason why is that it is very fulfilling when we help others. That kind of service really fills the soul. A person I consider my mentor, Zig Ziglar, always says "you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want out of life." It might sound a little selfish but if you are helping others than does it really matter that it is selfish? Even Mother Theresa once said that she considered herself selfish because everything she did was to get closer to God.
I apologize for going on and on but I am very thankful for all of my old and new relationships. I am very happy to have surrounded myself with generous people that keep me inspired. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and for those of you traveling please come home safely.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Losing My Ability to Express My Thoughts in More Than 140 Characters
I have not written in my blog for a long time now. I have had plenty of thoughts to write about but I am so used to using twitter that I express it in 140 characters or less and I am done. I really felt like I had to write about this because I felt like I am losing my ability to write. I think it all started when I decided I was going to write about my trials and tribulations and then all of a sudden writers block or just life got a little hectic. I am going to get back to this blog more often and hopefully contribute something meaningful that will inspire others to always keep pushing forward.
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