Keep renewing and improving…

August 28, 2023

From The Best of Jack’s Winning Words comes the post below that was originally penned by Jack on September 23, 2020. “Jack” was Pastor Jack Freed who  posted words of wisdom and encouragement five days a week for many years before passing away on Dece4mber 20, 2022. His son now reposts the best of Jack’s posts over the years.

“I’m not who I was yesterday.” (Alice in Wonderland) I’ve read that our body cells are continuing to die and be replaced, so that we are never who we were yesterday (a complete change in 7 years!). There’s a button you can wear: PBPGINFWMY.  It stands for: Please Be Patient God Is Not Finished With Me Yet. Every day is an opportunity to improve the self that we were yesterday. I don’t know about you, but I’m glad to have a chance at improvement. 😉  Jack

While the physical aspects of our bodies renew themselves at the cellular level is interesting, it is the mental aspect of renewing and growing each day that Jack emphasized, and which gives us the continual opportunity to be a better person than we were yesterday.

Jack’s post mentioned that our bodies completely renew all of our cells every 7 years. The good news is that you don’t have to wait 7 years to renew and reinvent yourself mentally. You can do that by examining things that have become habits and discarding those that are injurious to your well-being and introducing new, good habits. Studies have shown that it takes an average of 2 weeks for a new behavior to become a habit.

The impact of stopping bad, old habits can be instantaneous, but some habits are harder to just quit than others – witness all of the stop smoking ads on TV. Here are a few things might help you make your desired changes in your life:

1, Break it down – There is a saying that “He bit off more than he could chew”. One of the most common mistakes is trying to do too much too fast. Making major changes in your life can be a big task, so break the change down into smaller, achievable steps. In the movie “What about Bob”, that was called taking “baby steps”. So take baby steps in the new direction that you want your life to go.

2. Be accountable – Of course you are accountable to yourself; however, many people find it helpful to have an “accountability partner”, someone that you meet with regularly and with whom you share your goals and to whom you report your progress. Ask that partner to hold you accountable for making progress towards those goals and to call BS when you try got make excuses.

3. Forgive yourself and move on – You will have failures and setbacks. Do not wallow in self-pity or give up just because you had a setback. In many cases, you may have to forgive yourself for having made a poor decision. Don’t beat yourself up. Forgive yourself and move on towards your goal. If nothing else, view your mistake as a learning experience.

4. Don’t do it alone – While you may have an accountability partner, they will not be expected to do it with you. Making small or even major changes in your life is a very personal thing. That does not mean that you must do it alone. Calling on God’s help is one of the most personal things you can do and one of the most rewarding. Get out of the loner mentality of “I’ve got this” and into mindset that “We’ve got this” with God and you will feel an immediate sense of empowerment. After all, the Bible says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

5. Be patient and persistent – Our short attention spans often turn to frustration when things don’t happen as fast as we’d like. Change takes time and you must give it time. Patience and persistence build character and wisdom, both of which are good things.

6. Celebrate your victories – No matter how small the steps that you take may be, take the time to celebrater and reward yourself for the small victories that those steps represent. Repeat to yourself the line from Alice in Wonderland – “I’m not who I was yesterday”, and that’s a good thing.

Jack mentioned a button that he saw somewhere – PBPGINFWMY.  It stands for: Please Be Patient God Is Not Finished With Me Yet. Maybe you should wear a button that instead says INFWMY – I’m Not Finished With Me Yet.

Keep renewing, keep changing, keep improving.

Leave a Comment » | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Turn them into memories…

August 21, 2023

“The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.”  (Tiny Buddha) 

Today’s saying comes from the Best of Jack’s Winning Words blog – a blog being carried on by the son of the late Pastor Jack Freed.

I thought this graphic also fit.

We all have dreams, hopes and aspirations. Some just remain dreams. Hopefully you act on many (if not all) of those dreams and they become fond memories later in life. The phrase, “We’ll always have Paris”  refers to a dream accomplished to visit the City of Lights in France. Most people end life with at least a few fond memories of dreams that they made come true even it they weren’t trips to Paris.

The graphic today makes the important point not to give up on those dreams. Rather, you should set them as goals. A funny thing happens when you convert a dream into a goal – you start planning and working to achieve it. The real becomes real and, if you are patient and persistent, it eventually becomes a memory. Along the way you will make other memories of the journey to accomplishing that dream.

Turn your dreams into memories that you will fondly look back upon. Some will always have Paris, but only you will always have your memories of your dreams that you made come true.

Leave a Comment » | Inspiration | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Seek the right thing…

August 18, 2023

The graphic for today’s posts points to one of the major causes of mental distress and even depression – the pursuit of perfection. That is not to say that one should not always be trying to be better – better at your job, a better spouse and parent at home and a—in-all just being a better person. It is in pushing beyond better and becoming obsessed with perfection that can lead to bad outcomes.

In recent years we have all been witness to some amazing admissions by revered athletes that their pursuit of perfection in their sports has caused them debilitating mental distress. Athletes, especially world-class athletes, put tremendous pressure on themselves to be perfect. That is especially true in sports that have judging systems that deduct points for any little bobble or imperfection in execution. Unfortunately, all sports are designed around a win-lose model. One person or team must win and the other must lose in whatever is being contested. Life can feel like that, too, if one sees it as a series of win-lose situations. If we let that view dominate our lives it is quite natural to also pursue perfection and to see anything less than perfection as a loss. That is a formula for failure and unhappiness.

How can you change your life such that you pursue progress rather than perfection? The first step is to understand how your life will be judged and who the judge will be. The Bible tells us that there is, and always will be, just one judge who will come to judge the living and dead – Jesus. God will not be judging you by how fast you can run, how many baskets you make or how many touchdowns you scored. From everything we have been taught, God’s scorecard will tally the positive impact that you have had on the lives of others.

In my church we pray every week for forgiveness for things done and things left undone. Therefore, making progress means being aware of the things that I should not do for which I will later have to ask for forgiveness. It also means being more aware of the things that I otherwise might not do and making a greater effort (progress) at them, so that I have less reason to ask for forgiveness for not doing them. It means not passing by on the other side if I see someone who needs help. It means being as concerned for the well-being other others as I am for myself. It means ending each day with a sense of satisfaction for what I have done, rather than with a a sense of guilt for what I have left undone.

Will I ever reach perfection? No, but I can at least make progress each day and be satisfied with that. What about you? Are you seeking progress or perfection?

Leave a Comment » | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Don’t get bent out of shape…

August 7, 2023

“Blessed are the flexible, for they will not be bent out of shape.”  (Unknown) That saying is from a post today on the Best of Jack’s Winning Words blog. Pastor Jack Freed for years posted 5 days a week on his blog, Jack’s Winning Words. When he passed away his son decided to repost some of the best posts that Jack had made over the years. I quite often found Jack’s posts to be inspirational for posts to my own blog and these reposts continue to inspire.

There is a big difference between being flexible in life and having no values of one’s own. One can still have values and principles upon which they base their life, but still be flexible enough to “roll with the punches” that life throws our way. Indeed, it is rigid inflexibility that has led to the extreme political divide that we now have in America. Neither side is willing to be flexible in their positions on key issues. Instead, they take to the barricades and hurl insults (or worse) at each other. Misinformation And disinformation become weapons of choice to confuse or misdirect those who have not yet formed an opinion.

What is abandoned in inflexibility is even the attempt to find a compromise. When almost everyone rushes to extreme positions in politics or on issues, there are few left to seek and suggest ways to compromise so that everyone feels some sense of satisfaction with the outcome. Just trying to shout louder or longer about the issue than the other side is not an answer. Nor is using some temporary legal advantage to erect legal barriers to the other side’s position.

But, politics aside, what about flexibility in our personal lives?

Being described as rigid and inflexible does not seem to be all that attractive to me. On the other hand, being described as a “yes man” is also not appealing. I think being described as “honest, willing to listen and open to new ideas”  would be about the best thing that someone could say about you and that would be describing someone who is flexible.

Being flexible does not mean that you can be manipulated, although some may try. It means being able to evaluate different points of view as well as the facts in any situation and perhaps reaching a conclusion that may differ from your initial position. If you have moved off your old position, you have probably compromised and certainly have shown some flexibility.

So, don’t get bent out of shape the next time things or decisions aren’t going exactly as you had planned. Instead, be flexible. Stop and consider the alternatives that are being presented to you and the different points of view. Seek a compromise. You may be surprised that you and the other parties involved can agree upon an answer that lets everyone feel good about it. Life does not have to be a win-lose proposition; it can be win-win.

Don’t get bent out of shape. Be flexible and win.

Leave a Comment » | Inspiration | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Believe in God and believe in you…

August 2, 2023

After a win on he field we often hear athletes thanking “those who believed in me.” The truth is usually that they believed in themselves, and the others came along for the ride. People with self-confidence and belief in themselves and what they are doing tend to attract others – supporters and fans. That is true in athletics, in business and in life in general.

Another thing that I’ve observed about people who believe in themselves and their abilities is that they often have a strong belief in God and that God is in their corner in their efforts. You often see athletes stop and thank God after a success on the field. It seems that believing in God is the foundation upon which they build their belief in themselves. Perhaps faith in God is the first step to faith in oneself.

Having faith in yourself is essential in business, too, and in life in general. One who does not possess faith in themselves might spend their entire life in fear – fear of failure, which prevents them from even trying. A strong belief in God doesn’t necessarily take away all fears, it just allows you to deal with them better. With a strong belief in God, fear does not paralyze; instead, it raises a caution and causes one to stop and plan how to overcome whatever is driving that fear. That planning is always based upon moving ahead; not standing still, frozen in fear.

I have advocated here in the past that even a simple little prayer based upon a sports phrase will help. So, the next time that you are facing a daunting task stop and ask God for “a little help, here.” It will put you into a positive frame of mind and allow you to “see” the way forward. With that litel help from God you will have the self-confidence that you need.

Indeed, you will be halfway there.

Leave a Comment » | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner