Enjoy Today

Life... it happens to all of us.  Some days are easy and fun while some, not so much.

Matthew 5:45 (paraphrased) says that the sun rises on the evil and the good, and the rain falls on the just and unjust.

Bad things happen regardless of how good you are.

Good things happen regardless of how bad you are.

That's life ladies and gentlemen.

In Genesis 8:22 the Bible says, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

It's comforting to know that even though there will be night, the day always comes. Even though it may be cold, the sun will eventually come out and warm things up.

If today is a tough day for you, realize that tomorrow is coming and things will get better.

If today has been great for you, celebrate, but also beware that night falls soon.

I know as you read this post you probably think, whoa, he must be having a rough day.  I would tell you that it's not been my best day, but not my worst day either.  What it is, is a normal day.

My encouragement for you today is to see the day for what it is.  You can't undo what's been done, but you can look forward to what's ahead.

Right Things

You can't please everyone all of the time.  Such a simple statement, that is either liberating when you think about it or it causes you a deep sense of frustration within.

I read a blog post earlier this week that touched on the topic.  We work hard to please our family.  We work hard to please our boss.  Don't forget about your friends,  the church, the volunteer position that you are donating your time to.  It seems everyone wants more and more.  But at the end of the day if you aren't going to be able to please everyone then who should you be putting your focus on?

That is a question that many people offer advice about, and even more people are searching for an answer that resonates with them.  In my opinion, that is simply the wrong question, or at the very least a wrong perspective.

I believe that if you are doing the right things for the right reasons,  pleasing people becomes less of your focus.  But therein lies the irony, when you are doing the right things for the right reasons, people will generally be pleased.

  

Successful People Read

Reading is something that had you asked me ten years ago, I would have told you that "I'm done with school so why would I want to go and do something like that."  I am pretty sure that I am not alone in that sentiment.  You don't have to listen to very many conversations before you realize that most people put more importance on the latest and greatest television drama than on some old book.

The truth is that very few shows on television will go very far in improving your life from where you are right this moment.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching tv just like everyone else.  Sometimes just flipping your mind on auto-pilot and being entertained can do you some good.

Reading though, does so many wonderful things for you.  It can open new worlds to you.  It can bring new ideas to light or remind of us things once known but too quickly neglected or forgotten.  It can help a leader keep their edge.  It can help the professional continue to grow and improve.  Reading can provide the inspiration to strive to be a better person in all areas of life.

I have developed a love for reading.  That development process started several years ago when my boss recommended that not only I, but everyone in my company, should read a particular book.  Having worked for my present company for almost 12 years now,  I have heard my boss talk about the books he has read on many occasions.  I have seen his bookcase at work that is overflowing with business books.  I have sat through meetings where he did his best to convey the message of whatever book he was currently reading or had just finished.  

It took me a while to correlate his success as a business owner and a leader to those books he read and so passionately talked about.  It took me equally as long to correlate my lack of success to the simple fact that I wasn't reading.  Once my lightning quick mind made that connection between being successful and reading, I have done my best to grow my library. 

I really don't even recall at this point what book my boss even recommended for us all to read.  I can tell you this though.  It started a journey that I don't see ending anytime soon.