I put 'Thing 2' in his bed and told 'Thing 1' to go to bed. After about thirty minutes I went to check on T1 and this is what I found...
Sure do love you son...
Dad
"We are foolish when we want to conquer the world, we are wise when we want to conquer ourselves."
That begins when we do what we should no matter how we feel about it.
Stretch yourself
Jesse
Ever noticed when things go bad, some people tend to blame someone else for the problem? They act like passengers. Leaders, however, realize they they are drivers-and are responsible for their attitudes and destination in life.
Being a driver is about responsibility. It's about ownership. Unfortunately, it's a life lesson some people never learn. When life goes wrong, many people blame others for the problem.
"If my professor would only..."
"If my parents didn't..."
"If my boss wasn't so..."
People who don't take responsibility for actions become a victim who has no control over their attitudes of their destination. They are passengers in life. Leaders take responsibility for their attitude. They take responsibility for their responses to problems They take responsibility for the direction of their lives.
Leaders choose to be drivers and demonstrate it in their attitude.
In what area of your life have you failed to be a driver? Where have you become a victim or a 'passenger,' and allowed circumstances to determine where your life has gone?
Stretch yourself
Jesse
*Thank you to Dr. Tim Elmore for inspiration.
Here is a thought I try my hardest to live by:
I and I alone, ultimately control my own happiness by the attitude I choose to "mentally fan" in the private corridors of my mind. No circumstances or person can impact my personal happiness significantly. I am the master of my own attitude.
Stretch yourself,
Jesse
A man's word is the measure of his character.
Stretch yourself
Jesse
The Mask
Men tend to hide. We hide our emotions, we hide our intentions, we hide our faults and insecurities. We hid our problems and we often hide who we really are. It's easier that way. No explaining to do and therefore nothing messy to deal with. Life is met head on with 'bring-it' attitude hidden behind a 'if they only knew who I really was' lifestyle. The mask covers a lot, and whatever is kept in the dark has an opportunity to grow and only until it is exposed to the light or reality can true healing ever begin to take place. We put on a show and invite others to watch, the show may look good from a distance but up-close the stench of false reality lingers. Maybe, just maybe this is 'a' reason we don't allow ourselves to get to close to people. The mask always represents the man he wants other people to think he is.
Delusional Dan
Every man thinks he is great. He has the solution, he knows how to fix the problem and doesn't need any help. He is an extraordinary husband and father always going above and beyond and any woman should be so lucky to call him her own. Sure he has issues, but at least they aren't as bad as 'that' guy's problems. In his mind he has it all together and everything is taken care of. Don't tell him the truth about who he really is - he wont listen because his pride is way to loud. Delusional Dan always represents the man he thinks he is.
Reality
Unfortunately, most men don't even know who they really are. They have spent so much time getting away from reality, they no longer know what it looks like. I think if we could see who we really were we may be shocked.
How can we know who we really are?
An 'in your face' friend will do the trick. We need to build relationships with other men who will tell us like it is. Someone who isn't afraid to call us out of immaturity and prideful arrogance. Someone who will believe in us regardless of how many mistakes we make. Someone who wont allow us to keep making the same mistakes. Someone who will challenge us to step and be the men we ought to be.
Who is this person for you?
Which of these do you find yourself dealing more with in your own life?
Stretch yourself
Jesse
As a leader, there is no doubt you will be faced with an opportunity to confront someone. The keyword is 'opportunity.' Confronting someone usually is a little like going to the dentist, you have to but you don't want to. It is however a great chance to add value to someone you care about. Here are a few strategic steps to take to make it a good experience for both of you. Be sure to... 1. Encourage - this is the "You can!" part of the conversation. Encourage actually means to 'put courage into.' Be sure to encourage the person with what they can do. 2. Inspire - this is the "You could!" element. When you inspire someone, you 'fill' them with a thought of what could be. Paint a picture for them and help them see what could be. *Both encourage and inspire lay the foundation for the final step. 3. Equip - This is the "You should!" part of the process. This is where we have an opportunity to add value to another by gently directing them to an area of improvement. When confrontation is necessary, remember to build before you destroy. And don't leave anything on the table... Stretch yourself Jesse
I'm officially addicted to the following: salt, monosodium glutamate, sugar, spices, paprika), seasoned coater(enriched bleached flour [bleached flour malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate, nonfat milk, leavening [baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate], spice, soybean oil, color [paprika]), milk wash (water, whole powdered egg and nonfat milk solids), peanut oil(fully refined peanut oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness and dimethylpolysiloxane an anti-foaming agent added), pickles(cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, contains less than 1% of the following: calcium chloride, alum, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate [preservatives], natural flavors, polysorbate 80, Yellow #5, blue 1), butter-flavored vegetable oil(soybean oil, palm kernel oil, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, TBHQ and citric acid added as preservatives, and artificial color). This conglomeration of fantastic/scary ingredients somehow heroically forms my favorite food. Hungry?
There IS a difference between 'hearing' and 'listening'. When people talk - do you really 'hear' them? Can you 'feel' what they are trying to express? This isn't about making assumptions or drawing conclusions. This is about understanding, learning, keeping problems from growing, and establishing trust.
I put 'Thing 2' in his bed and told 'Thing 1' to go to bed. After about thirty minutes I went to check on T1 and this is what I found...
Noble turned three today. We did the usual. Presents, cake, song and WATER PARK! Here are some pics!