Recently, I had one of those days. I felt like George Constanza—every decision I made was wrong. I would have been better to just do the opposite of my inclinations. I made one misstep after another. After several miserable hours into the day, I realized it all started by me staying up later than I should have the night before.
That may sound a bit over-simplistic, but I know it was the first domino to fall and set off an embarrassing chain reaction.
You’re busy. I’m busy. If there’s one thing I hear more than anything else in small talk it’s how busy everyone is. It’s generally with a tone of frustration, feeling like victims of others’ demands or of circumstances out of our control.
The good news is that we are in control of more than what we seem to be. So much of our time pressure results from overcommitting. We are the problem. It happens because we don’t say “no” as much as we could.
Have you ever given something to your child that you thought would be a big deal, but he just takes it and moves along? Most likely you have, and you’re probably reliving a flurry of emotions just thinking about it. Will you be inclined to give him anything else in the near future? Probably not.
Courtesy 123RF.com/Mikkel Bigandt
Children can quickly develop a mindset of entitlement. It’s not a glamorous trait. Yet it will become ingrained if we as parents don’t train them to be thankful. As with most character training, it starts with simple things.
One of the more common questions used by interviewers is, “Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your younger self today if you could?” It’s a great question and I always love hearing others’ answers. There is something very powerful about hindsight.
I often get complimented on my sons and daughters, now adults. There’s usually a similar follow-up question like, “What did you do to enjoy the kind of family you have now?” Gail and I have asked ourselves that many times. But for the grace of God…
Health has become a strong passion for me in the last few years. You can expect me to write on the subject regularly here. But it wasn’t always that way. I never really had to watch my weight—until my late 40’s and early 50’s. No real health issues. I credited my Danish genes.
Courtesy www.myhdiet.com
That’s why the diagnosis in January 2011 was such a shock. The biopsy report determined early stage, slow-growing prostate cancer. My PSA score—a blood test commonly used to monitor prostate cancer—had been creeping upward so I’d had a bit of a heads up. Yet, little prepares you for the “c” word. Just a few years prior I had supported a dear friend through his battle with prostate cancer and I eventually officiated his funeral. That’s a strong visual and emotional image to override.
The other day I was talking to a friend and mentioning that my husband and I went through a very rough patch in our marriage around years 14-18. When she asked why that was, I had to really think for a minute. It should not have been that difficult. This was one of the most pivotal points in our marriage and it had to do with—not surprisingly—respect.
Photo by Corey Lack
I had a wonderful husband, but I didn’t always give him the credit he deserved. His schedule at work was quite busy, and he wasn’t at home as much as I would have liked. This meant I was carrying the load of our five children, homeschooling, and everything else on the home front—many things that I felt shouldn’t be my sole responsibility. He was the breadwinner of the family, but not much else in my eyes.
Without a doubt, the most powerful productivity habit I’ve formed over the years is my morning routine. I have been fine-tuning it for decades. On days that I have neglected it, I’ve done so to my own hurt. I feel like I’m swimming through mud.
I read a story once of a prospector who spent years mining a piece of property. Having never unearthed more than a few insignificant flakes of gold, he eventually gave up. Years later, another took over where he’d left off, discovering a major vein of gold just inches from where the old prospector had stopped.
70th Anniversary Michael and Leona Leban
I had the same sad feeling this week thinking of how so many married couples never hit the major gold in marriage because they stopped short.
Before you fill up your kids’ summer schedule with camps, sports practices and games, and multiple Vacation Bible Schools, take a moment and consider the possibility of a more relaxed and memorable summer break this year.
Courtesy momitforward.com
Sending the kids off to experience summer with their peers can certainly be a fun part of summer. Yet too many parents miss out on this amazing opportunity to spend time together making great memories.
We all want the best for our kids—to have advantages that perhaps we didn’t. We work hard to use whatever resources we have to pave the way for them to hit their mark as adults. So we set up college funds; get them in the best schools; build their experience through diverse extra-curricular activities; use our network to secure helpful internships for them.
All good. Yet, sometimes common sense training—which turns out to not be so common—can provide an even greater real-world edge. Even with limited resources.
