A few weeks ago I started to evaluate some of the Most Engaging Facebook Pages (ranked by interactions) to see what their ratio of total Fans to “People Talking About This” was. My goal was to establish what their “Talking About This” % might be so that I could use it as a guide. I’ll share what I found after analyzing the Top 20 Most Engaging Facebook Pages below but first let me set the stage with some perspective on social media and engagement.

If you are trying to build a brand, sell a product or create a following (aka Tribe) with social media, you need to understand something that is extremely important for your long-term success.

It’s NOT just about the number of fans / followers that you can accumulate!

You must have fan engagement in order to truly succeed.

There are plenty of Twitter accounts and Facebook pages with hefty follower counts but horrible engagement. You don’t want that. You want good, quality followers who interact.

Think of it like this… if you throw a party and 1000 people show up you would be pretty excited. You might even brag about it. Some might consider the fact that you got 1000 people there to be “Social Proof” that you have an audience or a platform. At first, from the outside looking in, it might appear that you’ve succeeded. But have you?

Just getting them there is only a small part of the equation. It’s what you do after they are there that really counts.

Pick up from the party idea… what happens if those 1000 people don’t engage? When they just sit around, lean up against the wall and don’t interact? The party would be pretty lame wouldn’t it? Most people would soon get bored and stop paying attention or just leave.

On the contrary if your party is happening and people are talking, finding value and having a good time… they will stay and most likely invite their friends to stop by as well.

You see, social media is like a drug. We’re all memorized by the numbers and we all want the big digits in the “Followers” or “Fans” box but pursing that alone is a recipe for an ineffective platform and weak influence.

Quality is more important than quantity but… they are mutually significant. It’s not about one vs the other, necessarily, it’s about BOTH AND. If you can strike that balance with quality then you’ll likely see your quantity grow exponentially but if your quality sucks then your quantity will too.

One quick indicator for the health of a Facebook page is the “Talking About This” metric that Facebook shares publicly on all pages (left side towards the bottom just under the number of fans that a page has). You can read more about what makes up that “Talking About This” number here or here but for the sake of simplicity, it’s basically just a guide / glimpse of the fan interactions a page has had over the last several days.

If you see a page that has a big fan count but no one is talking about it then most likely their community is inactive or worse… their party is lame and no one is paying attention (but the good news is that trend can be reversed as well).

As one who administers and develops several Facebook pages for myself and for clients, I wanted to know what the AVERAGE “Talking About This” score / rating might be for some of the top ranked Facebook pages out there so that I could compare that average and get a base idea of what a good “Talking About This” percentage might be.

So here’s what I did…

1. I ran across this article featuring the 20 Most Engaged Facebook Pages and this one with the 10 Most Engaging Pages. The articles are from 2011 but still was a good snapshots of pages that create solid engagement.
2. I had a quick spreadsheet created that listed each page, their current (as of January 31, 2012) FAN COUNT and their current “Talking About This” number.
3. We then did some simple math to determine each page’s percentage of “Talking About This” compared to the number of overall fans. Below is what was found…

The value here is this…

• The AVERAGE of all of these pages together was a 6% “Talking About This” to FAN count ratio so if your page is at 6% then you are at least averaging what some of the so-called “best” do. If you are over 6% then awesome. If you are under then you need to intentionally create more engagement.
• If you take a look at the pages of some of the MOST engaged and study their posts, how they engage, etc. you can likely pick up a few ideas that you too might be able to implement in order to successfully increase your page engagement and “Talking About This” ratio… in fact, there are a few good tips here and here on that as well.
• If nothing else, this is a great reminder that you have to do more just practice fan acquisition and fan growth techniques. If you TRULY want to increase your influence and you truly want to move the needle forward then you must create engagement. That’s where real impact occurs.

Numbers change and stats fluctuate, we all know that. So while the numbers I share above may be different by the time you read this… the fundamental point stays true. Pay attention to the metrics that matter. Don’t be so wooed by words like “Social Proof” (in the sense of Quantity of fans alone) that you lose sight of the what matters more (Quality of Fans as well).

I’d personally rather have 12 fans that pay attention, that follow and engage rather than 100 who were lukewarm and merely standing against the wall. Those 12, if truly engaged, can be the catalyst for so much more.

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When you think of a habit, what comes to mind?

For me, my first thoughts are: good habits, bad habits, and Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

We all know bad habits are those that we need to break but what about the dangers of the good habits?

I rarely hear much about that.

Since habits are really just behaviors repeated to a point where they become regular, somewhat automatic actions, they also can create a hidden pitfall that we must intentionally be aware of.

It’s what happens when a good habit becomes a ritual.

And by ritual I mean a set of actions that over time become performed mainly for their symbolic value.

No one intends for it to happen but it does.

It’s when those good habits become “the motions” that we go through because we know we need to do them but we begin to lose the real meaning of why we are doing them in the first place.

Know what I mean?

I’m not talking about common tasks… I’m talking about the habits that really matter.

For instance, before every meal my family prays. It’s a habit because we do it at every meal but there is also the danger of it being a ritual because… we do it at every meal. There is that underlying opportunity for us to just go through the motions of the “good habit” and lose the real meaning of what the habit is supposed to be about. I don’t want that to happen so I am choosing to recognize it, discuss it with our family and make sure we don’t slip into the trap of complacency that even a good habit can bring.

It’s not just about habits at home or in our faith though either. It’s just as important at work.

Every day we show up and go through the tasks and the routines, many of us even developing outstanding habits that make us efficient and productive BUT if we lose the meaning… the WHY… then we’ll begin to see a decline or experience those feelings like we’re just going through the motions. No one wants that so decide to be aware and not let that happen.

The dangers are there but if we stay conscious of them and intentional about them, we can be more than effective with our habits… we can be people who have habits that really matter.

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A few days ago I ran across an article that talked about the significance of creating a Family Creed. A creed is basically a “system or statement of principles and beliefs.” It could also be considered sort of like a mission statement or series of statements that serve as a guide for how you want your family to live.

Author Steven Covey said…

Family Creed’s are important because they help your family to create a vision. Without a vision or a destination in mind of the future, you run the risk of letting life just happen, of getting swept along with the flow of society’s values and trends without having any real sense of intentionality or purpose.

Family creeds help you as a family to decide what kind of family you really want to be and identify the principles that will help you get there.

I like that. I want my family to be intentional. I want my kids to grow up and understand the values that I believe are necessary to succeed. And by “succeed,” I don’t just mean that in the sense of achievement… I mean it in the sense of fulfillment, happiness and joy.

As I sat down to write some initial thoughts for our “Decker Family Creed” it really made me think about the things that matter most (a good exercise in and of itself). I decided to use simple phrases, action statements and guiding principles that would hopefully “stick,” be easy to reflect upon daily, and recall throughout our lives.

Below is a sample of what was created. Our family will now come together and discuss this Creed, what we want to add or takeaway, the kids will be encouraged to think and add ideas, and we’ll create a final version that we print and post in various places around our house to serve as a visual reminder each day. We might stick copies next to the mirror in the bathroom or maybe inside the back of a cabinet door or maybe we’ll even get the creed designed and turned into a poster or a piece of art to hang on the wall. The point is that we’ll be intentional about who we want to be and we’ll make it visible so that we reinforce it every day.

This exercise isn’t just significant for families. It’s also for organization and teams. If you outline the path that you want people to go then they will have a much easier ability to get to the destination. A Business Creed or an Organizational Creed or a Team Creed can be just as intentional and just as purposeful as a Family Creed. It’s all about being intentional.

This is an exercise that anyone can do. It doesn’t take money, it doesn’t even take a ton of time. It just takes a desire to create a future and the actions to help make it so.

What about you? Do you have a creed or mission statement for your family or organization? If so, are you reinforcing it daily?

The Decker Family Creed
Love God.
Love others.
Make wise choices.
Do what is right, even when no one else is looking.
Be a person of character.
Tell the truth.
Seek God’s will, not your own.
Don’t try to fit in. Stand out by standing up (for what is right).
Don’t Never give up.
Set the example.
Be intentional.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Be the light, show the light, magnify His light!
Seek God.
Trust God.
Obey God.
Don’t focus on things that don’t really matter.
Don’t focus on things, focus on people.
Stay Positive.
Don’t complain.
Be grateful for EVERYTHING that you have.
Look for solutions.
Give God the glory in all that you do.
Treat others like they matter (because they do).
Don’t ever believe anyone who tells you that you are not good enough.
Tell others that they ARE good enough.
Dream big.
Don’t settle.
Do the hard work.
Be people who make the world a better place.
Know that you are loved and that you matter.

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Most of us start the new year focused on ways to maximize our productivity, health, finances, etc. While each of those are certainly good, it’s also important to start the year with the right perspective.

Below are just a few simple thoughts / reminders on how to have not only a meaningful new year but also a meaningful life. Feel free to add a comment at the end and share a few of your own tips as well.

1. Put God First. Your relationship with God is what matters most. Seek Him, trust Him, obey Him, and let Him guide your life! It’s not about a religion, it’s about a relationship (with the God who loves you and who wants great things for you)!

2. Make Your Family a Priority. No matter what goals you have or what you want to “achieve,” don’t let those “things” get in the way of your family’s happiness. Spend time with those you love, be present, make them feel important, and let your actions prove how much you care. Your family matters more than money or your accomplishments.

3. Treat People Right. Be intentional with others, treat them as you want to be treated, take time to appreciate them, spend time with them, encourage them, support them and make them feel like they matter (because they do). Do this at home, at work, at school, at the grocery store, etc. Do this with people you know and with people you don’t. Try your best every day to make someone else’s day.

4. Don’t Settle. You were called to do something more. Don’t live a life simply seeking “comfort.” Comfort leads to mediocrity and you’ll regret it in the end. If you’re feeling called to make a difference, you can, but you must take action now.

5. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters who say that it is impossible or you can trust that with God, faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible (because they are).

6. Focus on Solutions. Don’t focus on problems, they are plentiful and never ending. Instead be a Solution Seeker, one who looks for opportunities in everything. Remember, where there is a will there is a way.

7. Overcome Adversity. We all face challenges and hard times. The key is to remember that adversity is not a dead-end but a detour to a better outcome. Rise above, don’t let your circumstances stop you. Circumstances are temporary and with determination, perseverance and faith… you will overcome.

8. Don’t Chase Success. Instead decide to make a difference and success will find you.

9. Stop the Negativity. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, negative people (aka Energy Vampires), issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in what you can control… your own thoughts and actions. YOU have the power to choose a positive path or a negative one. It’s not up to anyone else but you.

10. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation. Be grateful.

What are some of your tips for having a meaningful year / life?

Leave a comment below.

*Some of these tips were inspired from my friend Jon Gordon and his “20 Tips for a Positive New Year,” another outstanding list. (Read here).

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It’s one thing to talk about changing the world…

It’s something totally different to actually do it.

And by “do it,” I mean to set out with an intentional goal or plan to create the change that we wish to see.

And, “the world” doesn’t have to just mean “the world” as in the planet with its 6 BILLION + people. “The world” can mean your world too… your individual sliver of it and sphere of influence within it (but here’s the neat part… when you change your world, you also change the world at the same time).

A lot of us talk about wanting to make change but what do we do? Keep talking? Dreaming? Searching for the roadmap or the “3 Easy Step Guide” because we’re feeling overwhelmed or like we don’t know where to start?

Honestly, that’s all an excuse and most of us know it.

Excuses are plentiful and convenient even though we don’t like to call them that. They help us justify not doing anything but they keep us talking. They help us feel better about pushing it off yet another day or bowing down to the busyness of life that wants us to settle instead of break free.

In Apple’s 1997 “Think Different” commercial campaign it said this:

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

And while that may indeed be true… thinking we can alone isn’t our main problem, is it?

It’s what comes next.

It’s the action part… the follow through… the hard work… the sweat… the tears… the risk… the being uncomfortable in a society where we’re taught that our primary goal should be to remove risk and seek comfort in all that we do.

I’m sorry to break the news but real change… I mean REAL change… doesn’t happen like that. It’s not found in the pursuit of being comfortable.

Real change comes at a cost.

But the question is… do you want it bad enough to pay it?

Whatever it is that you want to change… either in the world or in your world… you must ask yourself that question.

Do I want it bad enough?

Talk is talk and ideas are a dime a dozen but if you REALLY want it then you’ll go after it and do whatever you can to make it so.

That’s when change occurs. That’s when we make a difference that really matters.

I can talk all day about wanting to help end poverty or I can get off my rear and do something about it NOW. I can sponsor a child via Compassion International or donate to sustainable solutions like Kiva. I can start something in my local community to help those in need or I can simply go and volunteer to help where I can.

I can talk all day about wanting to write a book and inspire millions of people or I can start writing and inspiring NOW. I don’t need to take a class or follow every bestselling author on Twitter or learn the secrets of whatever… what I need to do first and foremost is write and inspire.

Do you see the point?

It doesn’t have to be complicated but we tend to over complicate it, don’t we?

It’s really quite simple.

We just need to start.

We need to take action… not tomorrow but TODAY and every day thereafter.

No, it’s not going to come easy. After all, nothing worthwhile is. But, if it’s worth it and if you really want it… stick with it and it will come.

We don’t have to change the world overnight but we can change the world every day.

Are you crazy enough to believe that you can?

More importantly, are you crazy enough to actually take action?

I hope so. The world, your world, awaits…

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This post takes off of the Quality vs Quantity post from last week but expands on it in a different way…

This may be shocking to some of you and perhaps not to others but I’ll lay it right from the beginning…

Numbers can lie.

But we’re still fascinated by them, aren’t we?

It’s so easy to take the numbers at surface value and THINK just because someone has 100,000 followers on Twitter that they are more influential than someone who has 2,000. Right? You probably do it…, I know I do sometimes… a glance at someone’s profile, see they have X number of followers and immediately our brain ranks their perceived influence (based really on their perceived popularity).

Same goes for Facebook. Same goes for email newsletter subscribers. Same goes for just about anything we can try to quantify based solely on what we perceive by the numbers.

But it’s all perceived.

That’s part of the problem when we try to measure influence simply by numbers. The numbers can be manipulated… quite easily in fact. There are plenty of ways to manufacture a following or to inflate the numbers these days.

True Influence isn’t just something you can measure at a glance. Its more dynamic than that.

I know plenty of people who have a very small presence on Social Media but their ability to create an impact is BIG. And the reverse is true as well… I know many who appear to have influence (because their following is big) but in reality, they can only move a small % to action.

Why?

The difference is this: Followers vs Fans

Fans are easy to come by. They aren’t committed believers, their more like casual acquaintances. There’s really no relationship built there yet… they might just like something you said once or have downloaded something and been placed on your list or even followed back out of courtesy.

Followers are something else entirely. They are the people who support you, who champion the cause and who are engaged. They are invested and there is usually some sort of relationship there than causes them to act when you encourage them to do so.

Fans can certainly become followers and that is the goal but the point of this post is this…

Don’t confuse the two.

Fans are not followers.

Just because someone else has what appears to be MORE, it doesn’t always means their influence is greater. Don’t worry about trying to be popular, going wide but seldom deep. Instead, focus on developing relationships and building up those who are engaged. As you do, followers will act and they will help bring in more followers instead of just more fans.

It’s much better to have a 1,000 who you can actually lead than 10,000 who aren’t really listening.

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I was reading a great article yesterday on BusinessInsider.com entitled 7 Life-Changing Lessons You Can Learn From Mark Twain. All of the 7 points offered up practical wisdom that you and I can apply to our lives and businesses today… but… point 4 really jumped out. It said:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

The writer of the post went on to say…

Going after your dreams can feel like an overwhelming task, but that’s because you’re trying to visualize something in your head that cannot be visualized.

Mark Twain is right on in breaking things into small pieces. It works because you can hold an image in your head of what the end result looks like. Instead of thinking “I need to start an online business,” a better thought would be “I need to start a blog.”

Have you been there?

A desire to do something but overwhelmed by the size, scope or next steps to take?

It’s easy to come up with an idea. It’s much harder to figure out how to make that idea become a reality.

Most people let the enormity of it paralyze them into inaction, simply because they don’t know where to start. But as the Mark Twain said, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Whatever it is… don’t let the size of it stop you. Divide it into bite sized chunks and just get started. You CAN do it… you just need to begin.

If want to run a mile but the mere thought of it scares you to death… break it down and think about running a block. You can run a block right? It’s only a few feet. Run that block and then… run one more. Eventually you’ll get to the mile and it won’t be nearly as overwhelming as you thought.

Same goes for business too.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain

Question: What about you? Is getting started tough for you? Do you have any tip or things you’ve learned to help you take the big thing and make it more manageable?

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Learning how to maximize our productivity is an essential component of achieving better results. Productivity helps us work smarter, become more efficient and better enables us to produce our desired outcomes (whatever those outcomes may be).

Productivity isn’t only about cranking out more widgets or more work though… It’s also about using tools and resources to make wiser use of your time so that you can spend more of it (your time) on the things that matter most to you.

Unless you are some lazy couch potato with no drive, ambition or desire to control your time (instead of it controlling you) then mastering productivity is a must.

But let’s be honest… even those of us who are pretty productive fall into slumps. It’s easy to get a tad overwhelmed or start to spin wheels and let inefficiencies creep back in. We’re like cars that drift out of alignment and from time to time we need a Productivity Tune-up.

So, here are a few simple ways to Increase Your Productivity or simply get your productivity back on track:

1. Recognize The Problem – If you are in a slump or feel that you aren’t being as productive as you could, you need to first recognize it so that you can deal with it. Are you weighed down by being in reactive mode (responding to others) instead of creation mode (getting things done)? Is meeting overload zapping your ability to execute? Are you spending too much time on idol things… things that are keeping you busy but not yielding results? Are you letting yourself get easily distracted on random tasks instead of keeping your head down and completing what is of highest importance first? Make a list of the things you feel are draining you. Be honest, self-awareness is a big part of recognizing the problem since quite often we can tend to create our own blocks.

2. Track Your Time - Keep track of your time throughout the day. Use a notepad or something electronic like Toggl or any number of other time tracking tools to see where your time is being spent. Do this for a week and then analyze the results. You might be surprised where your time really goes. Once you know, then you can see where you might be able to adjust or purge what is a waste.

3. Map Out Your Goal – In order to create direction, first you need to know where you want to go. What is it that you would like to be more productive with? Do you want to execute better at work? Do you wish you had more time to complete certain projects? Do you want to have more free time to spend at home? Is there a special project or an idea you have wanted to pursue but THINK you don’t have the time? What is your goal? Write it down.

4. Be Willing – Honestly, productivity often boils down to hard work. It’s one thing to WANT it and something entirely different to do what it takes to GET it. If you want to write a book and need to be more productive with your time… perhaps one way is to not watch TV for a period of time and instead spend that time writing. That’s just one example…

5. Use the Tools – Tools are last on the list. Why? Because the tools only work if you have the right mindset / foundation to use them. If someone hands me a hammer but I don’t know what I want to do with it then the hammer is useless. But, when I know… then it’s an indispensable tool to help me get things done and increase my productivity.

The tools are limitless depending on your need. If you are simply feeling overwhelmed, perhaps you need some help to lighten your load. If you’re drowning in email… there are tools and systems for that. If you are trying to be better organized electronically… there are tools for that too. Regardless of your need, Google can find you a solution and it’s just a search away.

Productivity is about results.

The real difference is in the doing.

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I’m not a fan of complaining… well, at least not the chronic kind that is rooted in negativity instead of being a catalyst for seeking solutions.

Mindless complaining is useless. It not only makes the complainer more pessimistic, it also brings everyone around them down. It’s a lose-lose.

Complaining CAN be productive though, when it’s used constructively in a way that brings light to a problem that needs to get solved (and by “solved” I mean…. resulting action being taken so that the problem is indeed taken care of instead of just talked about more).

But complaining just for the sake of complaining… boo. It’s lame. (You’d agree, right?)

We’re all guilty of it though, some more than others.

If you work in an office there is no doubt you know a few Chronic Complainers who seem to find the bad in everything they can. They are the naggers, the whiners, the gossipers, the people who focus on the negative. And then there’s those who not only complain but they bring every conversation back to something negative about them. You know who they are and you can’t stand it when they do it, can you?

So what do you do? How do you handle them?

Here’s one way. Watch this video below…

Perhaps the better way though is to issue a NO COMPLAINING RULE in your office, school, church, etc. Let people know that you’re not going to stand for mindless, negative complaining any more. Complaints are okay once in a while but the chronic kind… no way. Complaints are only useful when followed up with suggested solutions.

The world has enough negativity. We need to be solution seekers and help those around us direct our energies into positive things, things that lift us up and that help us move forward.

Here are a few resources to help you along the way…

• Download, print and post the No Complaining Rule poster (PDF) and get your team on board. (Additional posters with quotes and ideas here).

• Read this post: 4 Ways to Deal with Negativity, Pessimism and Chronic Complaining

• Pick up The No Complaining Rule book by Jon Gordon.

• Use the No Complaining Rule Discussion Guide or other group resources here.

Before you go… take a minute to watch this other No Complaining Rule video. Hilarious… although we do not condone utilizing stun guns / tazers on those who complain. : )

QUESTION: How do you deal with complaining in your office?

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Stress plagues a lot of us… doesn’t it? Especially in today’s fast paced environment where we’re trying to squeeze out more and more productivity in the same amount of time.

In the course of my day it seems that a good portion of people that I talk with appear to be stressed about something or another. Sometimes it’s a small thing, other times it’s something big. Quite often that stress appears to hang with them day after day… wearing away at their outlook and ultimately robbing them of their joy.

Now, I’m talking more about mental stress here than the physical kind (the physical is like what might happen if we were being chased by a lion or a ravenous monkey, which most of us don’t have to endure.). Physical stress is a different beast entirely.

The mental stuff though…

I believe a majority of it is self inflicted.

It’s what happens when we…

• Worry too much about things that really, in the grand scheme of things, aren’t that important.
• Create a false sense of urgency around things that really aren’t that urgent at all.
• Take ourselves or our positions too seriously and make more out of things than they are.
• Let circumstances, that we can’t control, overwhelm us when there is not much we can do.
• Choose to be blinded by problems rather than look for opportunities.
• Let others get under our skin and change us with their negativity.
• Try to force things to happen when it’s just not their right time.
• Forget that all things happen for a reason.

The list goes on and on (feel free to add some of your own by commenting on this post).

The real issue has to do with two things… Choice and Perspective.

While we may not be able to control all of the events or circumstances that occur in our lives, we can choose how we respond. And, that response stems from the choice of the perspective we decide to see.

Side story…

Several years ago I was leaving a job I had at the time. It was late. I was tired. I went to put my keys in the door of my car and dropped them. They rolled under the car and I had to spend the next few minutes trying to crawl under, in the dark, and find them. Eventually I did but I was upset. The delay made me angry, irritable and elevated my stress.

As I drove home I approached an intersection only to witness the car a few hundred yards ahead of me get t-boned by another driver who blatantly ran a red light.

After checking on the drivers and realizing everyone was mostly okay, minus the mangled cars… I reflected on the situation and realized that had I not dropped my keys and been delayed by a few minutes… I would have likely been the one crossing the intersection at the exact time the red-light-runner blazed through.

My stress was quickly replaced with thanksgiving and a realization that I had a choice when I dropped my keys… to let it get to me and ruin my night or see it as a gift that potentially kept me from harm.

The point holds true for just about anything else we encounter throughout our day or within our lives.

You can choose to let that stress turn into a self inflicted wound or you can see it in another way… a way that gives you peace. No one else can make the choice for you. It’s up to you and it’s a choice you GET TO make.

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