Earth is not happy…

April 22, 2022
Earth Day 2022

I got this graphic as today’s inspirational message and couldn’t help but think that earth wouldn’t really be in a happy mood, if it were possible for it to have moods. In fact, earth would be in a foul mood just like it’s atmosphere. Those billions of pesky little any-like creatures who are running around on its surface (and below) and in its skies have created enough pollution to make earth hot under the collar and earth is showing its displeasure with severe weather events, melting icecaps and rising seas.

So, on this Earth Day, instead of being happy or blissfully ignorant, we should all be more aware of the impact that we are having on Earth and take heed of the need to change our ways before the Earth finds ways to deal with this infestation of humans. We hear much about the need to all get along with each other; however, if we don’t figure out how to get along with the Earth first, that won’t matter.

As I sat thinking about earth’s current state and the direction in which we seem to be heading it occurred to me that the current hot political word of the moment – “woke” – applies. Although it has recently been perverted by politicians to use in a very negative sense for political gain, the definition that I found online for it seems to apply – It suggests rage, passion, resistance, action; seeking to draw a line against the unacceptable – .

We all need to become woke to the damage that we are causing to the earth and draw a line against the consequences if we do not make changes. For now at least, this is the only place that we have to live, so destroying it makes no sense – it is unacceptable.

Instead of a Happy Earth Day, we need a Woke Earth Day. Let’s draw that line.

1 Comment | Inspiration | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Worry about liking yourself first…

April 21, 2022

I’ve had this quote lying around in my quotes collection for quite some time. I felt that it is true, but I couldn’t seem to find the right words to describe why I felt that way.

“Remember: The time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony.”  (Douglas Coupland, novelist)

Then it dawned upon me that I have written about why this true several times. It involves liking yourself and being comfortable with who you are. Feeling lonely is mostly about not having someone else there to affirm and validate who you are and that is based upon doubts that you may have about yourself. Sometimes those doubts are based upon the inability to forgive yourself for a mistake in judgement or actions. I’ve posted here a few times about forgiving yourself. Most of the time forgiving yourself involves accepting that God forgives you first. You really don’t need the reassurance of others to validate yourself. You can self-validate and indeed you must; but first, you must be able to accept God’s forgiveness and then forgive yourself.

Once you accept and become comfortable with who you are you will notice that is literally impossible to become lonely, since there are several billion other people walking the earth with you. Your interactions with those that you encounter will no longer involve using them to validate yourself; but, rather, sharing life experiences with them and, by sharing, enriching your life and theirs. You don’t need them to make you feel better about yourself, but by sharing time and experiences with them you both will feel better about life and yourselves.

There is a famous business book by Antony Thomas Harris titled “I’m OK – You’re OK” that deals with how to interact with people with different personality types. The key to using these techniques in business or in life lies in that first part “I’m OK”. You have to understand and be OK (comfortable) with who you are before you can move on to dealing with someone else.

So, maybe Coupland is correct. When we feel lonely, we need to be alone so that we can get right with God and ourselves, forgive ourselves if necessary, validate ourselves and get back to the point of feeling that “I’m OK”. If you can get there, the lonely part will take care on itself.

Hey, “you’re OK”, too.

1 Comment | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Make your path…

April 20, 2022

Today’s inspirational graphic may seem to point to some hidden “path” to achieve your dreams; however, you take the first step along that “path” when you turn your dreams into goals.

All of us have dreams and most are simple musings about things that we think we might like to do or which might be fun to do. Sometimes those dreams take on greater meaning and become goals in our lives. Once they become goals, then this quote from Hannibal takes over – “I will either find a way or make one.” Hannibal famously made a way to get over the Alps in 218 BC to attack Rome in the second Punic War.

Many times, the dreams that drive us have no easy path to achieve, so we must make one. That usually means planning, dedication and hard work. Making the path to your dream often means getting the education that is required, whether that is learning a trade or getting advanced college degrees. One does not just stumble upon some magical path to becoming a doctor or lawyer or teacher. It takes years of hard work and perseverance. Make your path.

Turning your dreams into goals involves process. Part of that process is a realistic evaluation of your dream as a goal. Some dreams involve things that cannot possibly be achieved, due to constraints or requirements that cannot be met. Those dreams are best left as idle musings and one can then fantasize about what one might do if the dream came true. Once you have separated the chaff of pipe dreams from achievable goals, make your path.

Dreams that pass the test of being realistically possible and become a goal must then be turned into a roadmap (the path) of things that need to be done to make progress towards that goal. Once process takes over one can begin got break the path to achieving that goal down into smaller, achievable steps, with sub-goals along the way. Beware the tendency to try to achieve too much in each step or to become discouraged by the slow pace of the progress that you seem to be making. Celebrate each small victory or step along the way and keep revisiting and refreshing your view of the goal. Make your path.

Perhaps it will help if you print out Hannibal’s quote and post it on your wall to look at every now and then when you might get discouraged. It will remind you of the goal and of the need to make a way. It may help you be patient while making that way. If it were easy there would have been a simple and straightforward path in front of you. There seldom is. Make your path.

Venturing into the unknown to make a new path is a scary proposition; however, you have a traveling companion in God. If you trust in God and continually ask for his help, he will show you the way. You may find that God has a different destination in mind for you and that is OK. You will know that you have arrived at where God wants you to be when it dawns upon you that “this is what I was supposed to be doing”.  Make your path.

1 Comment | faith, Inspiration | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Are you paying attention?

April 15, 2022

In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote today – “Life teaches you a new lesson every day, if you are attentive enough in the class of life.”  (Invajy)

Jack also opined that a key to learning the lessons of life is to be curious. Curious about what just happened, or maybe why it just happened. Maybe it is to be curious to know more about the person that you just met. Quite a lot is always happening all around us and new people are always passing through our lives; however, much of what happens and many of the people that we encounter do not make any impression upon us because we are not paying attention.

There is a new movie coming out in May,2022, called Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The trailers for the movie show lots of action in all sorts of weird alternative universes that Dr Strange encounters. The reality of life is that we all live in the multiverse of different perceptions of the reality that is all around us. That strange looking person that we encounter is looking back at the strange looking guy that he just encountered. Both may be wondering what life looks like from the other’s perspective; although it is just as likely that neither one was paying enough attention to even notice the other.

When we are very young, life is all about exploring and playing. There is some learning going on, but we really aren’t paying attention. Eventually the adults in our lives start imposing some discipline and force us to pay attention. They use the concepts of schools and classes to force us to pay attention and develop the ability to learn from what we are experiencing. Some embrace learning through paying attention and some do not. Some take the learning process from their schooling, and some do not. Some continue to pay attention to the people, things and events around them and some retreat into the comfort of being oblivious.

Are you paying attention to life? Are you curious about the people and things that you encounter? How do you act upon that curiosity? Do you follow up? Do you engage in conversations that help you better understand and appreciate the person that you just met? Do you explore the how and why of what may have just happened? What lessons did you earn from that?

We don’t all have to be a Curious George, but we should all be paying more attention. There is a Multiverse of diverse perspectives, backgrounds, opinions, and perceptions all around us if we just pay attention. You will never have all of the answers, but you should never stop asking the questions. We can’t help but to learn from this diversity and that will make us a more intelligent and understanding person.

Are you paying attention to life? What are you learning?

1 Comment | Inspiration | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Isn’t that the truth…

April 11, 2022

I get an inspirational graphic each day that is supposed to be related primarily to my Real Estate business. While it does also apply to real estate and dreams of home ownership, today’s graphic really applies to life in general.

It is fear of the unknown, or fear of failure or just fear in general that holds us back in life. Fear is the basis for prejudices. Fear is the thing that keeps us locked into unsatisfying jobs or unhappy marriages.

According to a quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” Once you determine that something else (like love) is more important than fear, you find a way through the fear by keeping the goal in mind.

The important thigs is not to focus on your fears, but to refocus upon your goals such that they become more important than your fears. The stronger your resolve to reach those goals the less hold fear will have on you.

Sometimes fear will even have a beneficial effect by causing you to stop, think and plan ways to deal with fears that point to real dangers or obstacles. There is a difference between cautious optimism and foolhardiness and that difference is thoughtful planning.

So, rather than letting fears stop you, use them to arm you with plans to overcome the obstacles that you might face. Confront your fears. Examine them and then deal with them through planning. What you want in life is on the other side of those fears. Are those things more important to you than the fears?

I’ll see you on the other side.

1 Comment | Inspiration | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Keep Dreaming…Keep going…

March 31, 2022

In my role as a Realtor® I get a daily email with an inspirational graphic in it. Sometimes I’ll notice that a couple of them just seem to go together to create an entirely new inspirational thought. Such is the case today.

These two graphics came to me weeks apart, yet they just seem to work together –

-AND-

I think the glue that holds these two thoughts together is faith.

One can have dreams that are mere idle musings and it is easy to let go of them. Life changing dreams are seldom so casual and often involve appeals to God for help in achieving them. That brings the second graphic into play. One must have faith to keep pursuing their dreams, even in the face of long delays or temporary setbacks.

Dreams are seldom accompanied by detailed plans and an exact timetable. Initial prayers are seldom requests for the patience and perseverance needed to achieve one’s dreams, yet that is what is most often required. Instead of questioning God as to why he hasn’t helped you achieve your dream yet, it is better that you should thank him for helping you get as far as you are and try to understand the guidance that he is giving you. If nothing else, at least acknowledge that it is not over yet, so your dream is still alive. Keep praying for the patience and perseverance to continue pursuing your dream.

We are told in the Bible –

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

That quote from James also alludes to the real payoff of faith; not so much the achievement of earthly dreams, but the realization of eternal life through Jesus. Perhaps that points out to us that we have not been dreaming big enough.

If you haven’t realized that yet, don’t worry, it’s not over yet.

1 Comment | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Keep moving but be at peace…

March 30, 2022

In his post this Monday to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used this quote – “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith.  They keep it awake and moving.”  (Frederick Buechner) Pastor Freed went on to say that even he has doubts from time to time; however, he has found those doubts to be things that actually strengthen his faith.

How can having doubts about your faith make it stronger? I think the answer is that doubts throw you off-center; they trouble your mind and spin you away from the beliefs that your faith is based upon. Doubts are distractions and sometimes major events in one’s life can cause very big doubts and major distraction from our beliefs. This is especially true when we lose a loved one or when a major event causes seemingly catastrophic disruption to our lives. Think of the doubts that people in Ukraine must be gong through right now. Many times those doubts center around the thought “How could God let this happen to me?”

So, there you are, spinning further and further away from your faith. How do you reestablish your faith, re-center yourself and regain control? How do you actually make your faith stronger in the face of doubts?  I think Jack answered that question in an earlier post using a quote sent to him by one of his followers –

“Your life becomes a masterpiece when you learn to master peace.”  (Sent by RVB) 

We say “peace be with you” often in church or maybe “be at peace” during a conversation, but how does one master peace? It all gets back to faith. The reason that one has ants in their pants is their inability to control things, to solve the unsolvable problem or face the reality of a temporary failure. We spend sleepless nights agonizing over the “coulda, woulda, shouldas” of life instead of accepting what has happened and moving on.

The quickest way to move on is to acknowledge your faith and accept that you need God’s help. I use the little prayer, “Not my will but thy will be done”, but you can use a prayer as simple as, “Yo God, a little help here.” The point is not to create long, flowery prayers, but to surrender your life to God and let him take control. Giving up the futile fight to control everything puts you back in control of your life by putting you back in control of how you react to the events of life. It puts you at peace.

So, Pastor Freed is right that those doubts actually strengthen one’s faith by forcing us to keep returning to that faith as the best and only answer to life’s challenges. If your life feels like you are standing on an anthill, circle back to your faith and ask God for his help.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phillipians 4:7)

2 Comments | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

If you have nothing to say, then don’t say it…

March 24, 2022

I like a quote that I saw today – “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.” (Novelist and poet Barbara Kingsolver)

Too many people spend way too much time trying to figure out what they think others want to hear from them, rather than thinking about their position on things and what they have to say about it. Perhaps they have a well thought out position, but the real issue is whether or not they need to (or should) say anything at all.

It’s a good idea, before you share you opinion or view on something, to ask yourself two questions – 1. has anyone asked for my opinion or view on this; and 2. will sharing what I have to say have any positive impact on things? If no one has asked for your opinion; or if stating it is just going to add to an already negative situation, then consider just saying nothing.

Silence is often misconstrued as wisdom; so It is better to keep your mouth shut in situations, where people might consider anything you say to be an indication of your ignorance or prejudices, than to open your mouth and remove all doubts.

Figuring out what you have to say about something forces you to confront and hopefully re-examine the basis of whatever beliefs you have about it. It is better to admit, “I really haven’t thought about that” than to spout off some ill-conceived response just to have something to say.

It is interesting, and somewhat alarming, that so many politicians do exactly what Kingsolver warns about. They change their position of things, or at least how they state their positions, to fit the moment – the speech they are giving or the interview they are doing. They are often called out on that and then the real weasel-wording starts.

In our personal lives it is important to give thought to our beliefs and positions on things before expressing ourselves and to stick with those beliefs and positions unless further thought or evidence proves that we were wrong and need to reconsider. And, if we have nothing to say, then don’t say it.

1 Comment | Inspiration | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

The C’s and P’s of life…

March 16, 2022

As a Realtor® I have often written blog posts on my real estate blog about the three C’s of real estate – Condition, Clutter and Cleanliness. Those three things are critical factors in determining the price and speed at which a property will sell. In days past I would also usually also write about the three-P’s that that I advise the sellers about – Price, Patience and Perseverance. In these days of low inventory and rapidly rising prices the Three-P’s advice seems to matter less, but the three C’s still have a big impact on how quickly a property will sell and for how much.

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed uses this quote from one of his followers – “The 3 C’s of life: You must make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE, or your life will never CHANGE.”  (Sent  by Kathy M)

Certainly, that is good advice. One must stop and think about the direction that life is taking them in and make thoughtful choices about changing that direction by taking a chance on a different direction. Each day, when you wake up you arrive at that inflection point of continuing down the path that you are on or making changes in your direction.

I will submit that there are also three P’s to life which you can also use to control your future – Patience, Perseverance and Prayer.

The first two P’s are often in short supply in today’s fast-paced world of instant gratification; however, events in our lives often unfold at a pace that can be frustratingly slow. Perhaps that’s what makes the third P so important.

As you start each day, if you take time for a little prayer, it will give you the opportunity to ask God for the Patience and Perseverance that are required in life. It may also allow you to recognize that, whatever the small amount of progress that you made yesterday, it was still progress towards your goals. Be thankful for that and ask God’s help to make even more progress today.

I have posted here in the past that one does not have to compose long, windy prayers. God understands your needs, so a little prayer that I like to use, “Not my will, but thy will be done” can work. Even using a sports phrase like, “A little help here” works with God. The important thing is not how you ask but THAT you ask for God’s help. We have been told – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  (Matthew 7:7)

So, take to heart the advice from Kathy M and implement the three C’s in your life; but also practice the three P’s of life. If you have the courage to take the chance to make the changes that you see need to be made in your life, also have the faith to practice the three P’s.

Have faith in your new direction. God is with you.

1 Comment | faith, Inspiration | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Norm Werner

Take the time to learn…

March 15, 2022

This quote from the Jack’s Winning Words blog got me to thinking about how we learn from the past.

“How we handle what’s ahead of us will be determined by what we learned from everything that’s behind us.”  (Craig Lounsbrough)

The key word in that quote is “learned”. All of us have some time behind us, some of us more than others; but, did we learn from the things that are in our past. Some are destined to repeat the mistake of their past simply because they did not take the time to try to learn from those mistakes.

Learning is not necessarily an automatic process. There are some things that our brains process without us giving it a lot of thought, like not touching a hot stove because it will burn us. Most things that we should be learning from do require that we stop ad think about what just happened and what we can learn from it.

Some things that we learn from also require that we admit that we were wrong in our decision making process and require us to examine the “knowledge” that we had at the time upon which we based those decisions. That can be an ugly process because t often brings us face-to-face with our prejudices and baseless fears. Learn from that.

If you stop and think about a situation and the answer to your questioning about why you reacted as you did is ”I did not trust that person or I feared that person because their skin is a different color than mine”, then you have come face-to-face with your own prejudices. Learn from that.

Maybe, when you think about something that just happened that went wrong, you will find that you made some bad assumptions or based your decision on inaccurate or untrustworthy data. Learn from that.

The key to learning is always to stop and think about it. Often you will find that your knee-jerk reaction to a situation is not what you would do once you have had time to consider your response. Maybe just learning to take the time to think is the real learning in that.

Maybe it would help if you actually made time each morning to think about the things that happened yesterday or the day before and ask yourself, “What can I learn from that?” Perhaps you should just add to your morning prayers, “God, please help me learn from the past, so that I might be a better person in the future.”

Never stop learning and never stop trying to learn from your own past. That way you will be better prepared for what is ahead today.

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

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »