With Regard To Life

Times Have Changed

I write and mail a letter to about 100 clients each month. I hand deliver many of the letters. It saves postage and gives me an opportunity to visit with them. I delivered one to a banker friend today. We were talking about that method of delivery and he told me that he and his brother were youngsters, they hand delivered bank statements from their father's bank to his customers. I remarked how that is unheard of today. Shoot, you would be hard pressed to find a bank that even prints its statements on paper. This is not the world it used to be. And we cannot conduct business the way we used to either. You can still find old fashioned, or old school, values and philosophies in people today. But it is rare. Business has changed many times over the years. And it will change again and again. We need to view change as an opportunity. It is part of doing business, and it is part of life. Today's Winning Thought: Don't change just to be changing. But don't stay mired in the past either. Have a plan and a purpose. Then act.

Finish

If you are a baseball fan, I hope you saw parts of four games on television Wednesday. The final day of the season was one of the craziest days in baseball history. You might not see anything like it again in your lifetime. A spot in the post-season playoffs was at stake for the teams. The short version is this. In the National League, St. Louis and Atlanta were tied for the final playoff berth. St. Louis won easily. Atlanta was ahead until the last inning. They lost the game in extra innings. Atlanta just blew it. The team had an eight-game lead over the Cardinals in the standings on September 1. Then, they lost their last five games of the season. Boston got off to a horrible start this season Then, they were as good as any team in the major leagues. The Red Sox must have thought the season ended on Labor Day because they did nothing in September but lose a nine-game lead. Wednesday, Boston was ahead of Baltimore in the ninth inning. There were two outs and two strikes on the hitter when Baltimore rallied. The Red Sox choked. Down in Florida, Tampa had to win its game with the New York Yankees. It did not look good for the Floridians in the seventh inning. They trailed 7-0. Then, they erased the deficit and won the game. You might be thinking, "Who cares? What is the point?" The point is that we must view life like the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. Do not lose focus. Don't give up too soon. Today's Winning Thought: Baseball is a game. Life isn't. Finish your life well. Finish strong!

Growth Comes From Pain

Os Hillman is a businessman and speaker. He writes a daily devotional thought, which he sends to subscribers electronically, and has recently had a book published. The book is entitled Change Agent. An interviewer recently asked Mr. Hillman what he attributed his success to. How did all of this get started, he was asked. Mr. Hillman answered simply, "Pain." He had to experience pain - a lot of it - to move to a larger story, a successful story. The adversity in his life chipped away at his flesh to make room for the Spirit of God, he added. He went from a mess to a messenger. So did I. So can you. I have heard a some tragic stories from different friends recently. They are painful and heartbreaking. These individuals have their pain. Now, they are sharing their stories. Today's Winning Thought: Trials will come. Trials are inevitable, inconvenient and invaluable. They also allow you to come out the other side with more strength and hope.

Chick-Fil-A Coming Soon

I walked out of Starbucks this morning and heard a lot of noise. I looked up and learned that the thumping and banging and pounding was at the site of a new Chick-Fil-A restaurant across the street from where I was standing. Finally! Work on the new store has started. It has been a long time since the announcement that Chick-Fil-A would build at the location. It is enough to make a guy become impatient. If the truth were known - and it is to many - patience is not one of my strong suits. I often pray, "God, please give me patience, and I want it right now." I think I am learning and getting better. But I have work to do. When I consider when and where I am the most impatient, it is probably with people. I am not proud of that. It is just the facts. How are you when your patience is tested? Today's Winning Thought: Patience is hardest when we need it the most, but it is a key to success.

Mission Field

Last week, I was visiting the campus of a parochial high school school. I was leaving the parking lot when I saw a sign at the end of the driveway that read, "You are now entering the mission field." I have seen similar signs at churches. It is a good reminder that wherever we go when we leave the parking lot, there will be people with just like you and me who have real needs. We will be able to see these people if we take the time and effort to look around. The next time you leave your home, think of your neighborhood and your community as a mission field. You have to be intentional about being mission minded. And you need to be flexible. Today's Winning Thought: Think of yourself as an instrument to render God's service to mankind. To serve society and leave the world better than you found it.

Fishing

I spent this day with my wife and daughter at the Special Olympics state soccer tournament watching our daughter's team play. Special Olympics is well known for then opportunities it provides to people with disabilities. Our event was a three-hour drive from our home. But back in our community, there was another event for disabled individuals. Fishing Has No Boundries, a national non-profit organization which provides kids and adults with disabilities an opportunity to fish and learn about the great outdoors, was holding a weekend fishing event. There are countless stories about both of the great organizations. And there are many wonderful, but untold stories, about people whose lives were of changed as a result of serving those special needs. Stories of how volunteers, uncertain and a bit nervous about serving because of the fear of the unknown, were blessed more than the people they were serving. That is how it usually goes. I cannot speak about Fishing Has No Boundries, but I can say that volunteering and serving one of these or some other worthwhile organization, will expand your boundaries. Today's Winning Thought: We have all been given a gift of one kind or another. We were not given them to keep them to ourselves. We were given them to use, to serve others. Expand your boundaries this week.

Questions

On most days I know what I will write about in this blog. Or I have an idea. Some days I do not. Often if I am looking for something to share, I will peruse my bookshelves looking for a thought, or quote that might challenge or encourage you. Today was one of those days when I needed to phone a friend, or whatever it is they do on that millionaire program. I did not really call this author but I pulled her book from the shelf. Inside, I found enough questions for a lifetime. The book is Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership. The author is Laurie Beth Jones. If Jesus were your CEO, He would be a great model and mentor. Each chapter in this book focused on something He did or something He was. Both would make us better if we followed them. There are too many chapter titles to mention, but I don't know which ones I could leave out. Here are just a few. He believed in Himself. He did the difficult things. He said thank you. He did not waste His time judging others. He did not despise the little things. He had a plan. He saw things differently. He educated, empowered, served, forgave, loved and defended His people. Each chapter ended with thought-provoking questions. Like the chapters, there are way too many questions to ask. I will toss out a few. What is your mission? Can you define it in one or two sentences? Can you list opportunities in your path that might really be distractions? What are they? What are the fears that are keeping you from your goals? How in your life are you despising the day of little things? What deeds of yours today would you like to see multiplied? Today's Winning Thought: That is a lot to think about. I need to reflect on them this week. Would you consider them too?

Utopia

I recommended that you read a book the other day. Tonight, I saw a movie I would suggest that you see. You really must make the time to see Seven Days In Utopia. You will not regret it. You will find encouragement and hope. This is the story of a young professional golfer who was losing his game and his way in life. Both nearly came crashing down upon him after one tumultuous week. But he found his game and a new way of life in a most unlikely place. Today's Winning Thought: It does not matter if you do not understand the game of golf, or if you hate everything about it. This is a great moving that will touch your heart. I hope you can see it this weekend.

Brilliant

Yesterday I encouraged you to buy a book - and read it. The book, Poke The Box, was written by Seth Godin. This guy is brilliant, a great marketing mind. The book is about initiative in an ever-changing world. I cannot put it down. Until you can obtain a copy, I want to share a couple of his thoughts. "The best way to thrive in a changing world is to change." "Initiative is scarce. Hence valuable." About mediocrity, Godin wrote, "Mediocre products and services set the bar so low that it is hardly worth the energy to cross the street to buy them." No one pays good money for average. "Remarkable demands initiative." "The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing." Do not fear being wrong. Today's Winning Thought: "What situation in your workplace, your community, or the world would you like to see turned around?" -- Laurie Beth Jones Whatever it is, be about the business of turning things around.

Poke The Box

Stop what you are doing right now! Stop for 30 seconds. Get a pen and write down this book title. Poke The Box by Seth Godin. I strongly encourage you to buy a copy of this book this week. Then, read it within 48 hours. Poke The Box is a quick and easy read. It is 83 short pages that will change you and those you connect with. You might buy two because you will want to give one away. If you read it, let me know what you think. Today's Winning Thought: It is all about initiative, your personal decision to act.