Talking to Yourself

It’s amazing how the talk inside of our heads affects us. Just yesterday I caught myself saying to myself, “I have to go to the dump today.” I’ve been putting off this simple task for almost a week now. Want to know why? It takes a whole 10 minutes out of my schedule to drive there and back. What a terrible inconvenience! (kidding, of course!)

The huge up-side to this is that by going to the dump our family saves $30 each month. So why is it so hard to get myself there every week? I’m convinced that much of it has to do with my self-talk. I’m learning that my self-talk has shaped the way I feel and behave. So, instead of saying “I have to go to the dump” I’ve replaced it with “I get to help my family save $30 every month.” This little change makes it much easier for me to load up our vehicle with the trash cans and much more likely that I’ll get this task accomplished.

Just by changing the way I talk to myself I’ve made this simple task something that I enjoy doing. Who wouldn’t want to save their family money?? I’m choosing to focus on the positive rather than the negative and it’s made all the difference.

Listen to your own self-talk this week and make a list of what you find yourself saying to yourself. Who knows, you might even be saying some of it out loud! Do you notice some negative statements that you could replace with something positive?  If so, replace it and repeat it to yourself the next time you find yourself “stuck”. This could be the little thing that makes a BIG difference in your life!

Barack Brings Hope

I’m often amazed at what a person can accomplish when they commit themselves to it. The election last night is a perfect example of that. I didn’t vote for him, but Barack Obama does bring hope to us as individuals. His run for the Presidency was admirable, in a way. If a man with only 2 years of experience as a Senator can be elected to the highest office in our country there is great hope for the rest of us.

Like President-elect Barack Obama, you see a pattern among those that accomplish great things. Most of them are as normal as the rest of us, but their determination sets them apart. They start out toward their goal, sometimes timidly at first…build momentum…make some mistakes along the way…and instead of allowing it to stop them in their tracks they learn from it and continue on. Their work is often hard, but the reward is even sweeter. After all, it’s our struggles that make the reward that much more enjoyable!

So, what are you dreaming of doing? Write it down along with one thing you can do today to get started.

Larger than Life

My vote has been cast and it’s now in the hands of those that do the counting. No matter the outcome, I take great comfort knowing that God is in control! He is so much bigger than me and the next presidential administration.

A great reminder of this came last week from my awesome sister who sent me a video from Sanctus Real. Their message is a reminder that in spite of what goes on around us, we have a God who cares for us and has a plan for each of our lives. Here are the lyrics that jumped out at me: 

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

Check out this video and remember that He has a plan for your life!

Adding Value

Value will trump quality every time. People like the taste of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee over Starbucks (you can check out their video ad here) but overall sales goes to Starbucks. Why? Because Starbucks meets a value that people want: a welcome environment that creates a great experience.

Another example is a gutter cleaning service that my wife and I used recently. Their service was excellent but they hounded us so much with sales calls that our relationship with them has soured and we’ve decided to never do business with them again–that is until they can figure out a way to add value to our lives once again!

If you want to help others in business or life you have to ask yourself: “wiifm?” Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself, “what’s in it for me?” You might have a quality product, but if it’s not meeting a need that people have, you need to reevaluate it. Maybe it’s as simple as showing them how it can meet their need, how it can add value to their life. Or if it’s a conversation that you need to have with someone, ask yourself how you could present it in a way that would add value to that person’s life–how would they be better off after their time with you?

It’s all about adding value to the next person. How can you do that today? And more importantly, WHO will you do it for?

Sweet Caroline!

It’s a great day to be a Red Sox fan! Last night they beat the Angels and are now headed to the American League Championship Series. They’ll face the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that “owned” us in the regular season. But there’s something about the playoffs that bring out the best in teams, especially the Red Sox! Afterall, we only needed 4 games to send the Angels–the team with the best regular season record in the leauge this year–home for the season!

I can’t wait until Friday night! GO RED SOX!!!

Boston Marches On

Who Am I?

Not too long ago my wife, Liz, was looking through our old photo albums for a particular picture that she wanted to pass along to her father. It began as a quick task one afternoon and ended several hours later with the two of us taking an unexpected trip down memory lane! Our pictures were a reminder of times past and helped give us a sense of who we are. In today’s world, knowing who you are is very important. We’ve all heard of people paying lots of money and traveling thousands of miles in order to “find themselves.” I once heard a comedian say that he took a guy who wanted to find himself to a mall, stood him in front of the mall directory and pointed to the “You Are Here” star!  

It’s doubtful that such a star would bring purpose to our lives and help us answer the critical question that we all are faced with: who am I? But as simple as it might sound, it is important that each of us know who we are. We are reminded of who we are through our own pictures and memories, but do we know who we really are? Stay with me for a moment as we look back several centuries at the life of one man who sought the answer to this critical question. His name is Nicodemus and we can learn much through his example. We can read about his story in the third chapter of John from the Bible. According to this chapter, Nicodemus was rich, powerful and a leader in the community. He seemed to have much when it came to earthly possessions and if we read on we see Nicodemus do something very peculiar: he travels at night to speak with Jesus.

Now why would a man who seemed to have it all take time out of his busy schedule to go to Jesus? My guess is that Nicodemus was seeking the answer to the “who am I?” question and walked away from his encounter forever changed! Jesus tells him that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). In this verse we see that there is a God who desires to have a personal relationship with each of us. All we have to do is accept the free gift that He has given. And whether your past is filled with memories that you’d like to hold onto or leave behind you can take advantage of the hope that Christ offers to you today by accepting this free gift that He has given to each of us.

The Shack

So many people that I know have read The Shack that I decided that I needed to read it as well. I brought it with me on vacation and have to admit that it’s a great read! The author dives into some tough subjects and handles them well. Here’s a few of the quotes I loved:

(In the book these first two quotes are spoken by God)

“Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don’t ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors.”

“Humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image.”

(Why God wants to hear us pray) “As we (trinity) are listening to you, it is as if this is the first time we have known about [your prayer requests], and we take great delight in seeing them through your eyes.”

27 Cents

I bought a coffee the other day and the cashier gave me back 27 cents as change. A simple exchange for a common drink. But this change brought back a great memory for me. When I was a kid 27 cents would buy me a pack of my favorite gum: raspberry Bubilicious! And now, every time I see a quarter and two pennies it brings me back to my childhood and I can almost taste the raspberry flavor. What great memories.

Today, I can’t help but think of what 27 cents will buy a child who’s living in a poor country. I bet it would go a long way to help put food in their stomach. It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose. A few coins in my small hand equaled a sweet treat. A few coins in a hungry child’s hand could mean a full belly!

I was at a friends house the other day and couldn’t help but admire their beautiful house. I enjoyed my time with them and unfortunately walked out thinking, “man, my house is small compared to there’s!” It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose.

But the things I could do with all that room and the huge plasma TV! And then I was reminded of the young man from Kenya who came to our church to speak to us. He told us about the ONE room that he and his entire family lived in….and he said this with a BIG smile on his face because they lived happily and were thankful for what they had.

It’s all a matter of perspective, I suppose. Learning to be happy with what I have right now.

Is It Really Free?

I love giving things away! Here’s what I have…I wrote a very short article for the Journal of Christian Coaching and they sent me extra copies of their latest edition. If you want a copy, send me an email (larry@focusincoaching.com) and include your mailing address. I’ll drop it it in the mail at no charge to you! Here’s the catch: I only have 2 copies left so you better hurry with your email!

This journal is a nice read because it’s filled with great ideas and resources to help coaches and leaders (every one of us is a leader to someone!) become better at what they do. I love the encouraging stories and the articles are filled with helpful insight. It’s added value to my life!

Focused on Action

Ok, I’ll admit it. I am a person who likes to plan and then work that plan without deviating from it. This is my nature and I often have to fight against it. Planning is great, but if I’m not careful I spend too much time dreaming about what could be and not enough time actually getting out there and doing it! So, here’s the principle that I’m learning this week:

Ready, Fire, Aim! 

Yes, you read that right. Fire your shot before you aim. The idea is to keep you focused on action rather than on planning. Many of us love to dream of a better tomorrow, but are stopped dead in our tracks when it comes to actually putting our dreams into actions. For me, I feel like I have to have everything figured out, all the details thought through and taken care of before I lift a finger and put the plan into action. But, it’s this dependence on the plan that prevents me from action and the best way to learn and improve on my results. What about you? Is it hard to take the jump from planning to putting it into action?

The quickest way to hit your target is to fire a shot, check to see where it landed, adjust your aim and then fire again. Your aim gets better and your results will be closer to your target with each shot that you take. You learn best by doing. Planning has its place, but make sure it doesn’t keep you from acting on it. One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 33:3:

 Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

What “great and mighty things” does God have in store for you? Quite often we don’t know until we take that first action step of faith. Pray and ask God to show you what your next action step is. Big or small, I want to encourage you to take that next step. What do you have to lose? Get out there, take your shot, check your aim and then take your next shot! You’ll be glad you did!

 

We’d love to hear your story! Share how God is working in your life by posting a response on this blog. It’s a great way to encourage others on in their journey!