Grudges

Do you hold grudges? It can feel like we’re protecting ourselves by holding on to anger or resentment. But more often than not, the weight of a grudge hurts us more than it protects us. Holding a grudge actually feels like work.

How quickly are you to forgive? Forgiveness is about choosing your own peace and allowing yourself to move forward. It doesn’t require reconnecting or trusting someone again. It simply frees you to move on. It just means you’re done carrying what they left behind. Let it go. Do it for your own peace. Enjoy the quote below…

“Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
— Buddha

Failure

 

Have you failed? More than once? I certainly have, we all have.

Thomas Edison made many attempts at inventing a working lightbulb with setback after setback. Yet he was confident he hadn’t failed even once. He had simply found ten thousand ways not to make a lightbulb. That’s a great perspective when you face adversity. In the effort toward any worthwhile goal, failure has to be considered part of the process. Failure in achieving a particular result isn’t really failure if it’s another step on the way toward the goal. It can be a vital part of the journey.

Until we can accept failure as part of the process our growth and accomplishments are limited.

*Taken from a page in the book “Uncommon Life Daily Challenge” by Tony Dungy

Be Present

Last week, I wrote about the past and the future. This MMM is about the present. Are you truly present? 

We live in a world that constantly pulls us somewhere else. The next meeting. The next notification. The next problem to solve. Even when we are physically in the room, our minds are often already on what’s next, certainly our phones are.

Life happens in the present. The conversation in front of you. The client with the problem. The family member telling you about their day. A friend who needs your attention. Being present is a choice. It means putting the phone down. Closing the laptop. Listening with intent. It means giving someone the gift of your undivided attention.

When we are present, we build trust and we create opportunities!

Don’t just show up this week, be present.

The Past is the Past…

 

There is value in reflection. The past holds lessons for us. It can remind us of how far we’ve come. It gives us moments to celebrate and be grateful. But it is still the past. We cannot rewrite it. We cannot relive it. We cannot change it. What we can do is write what comes next.

Each day is a blank page. Every hour is an opportunity. The future is not something that simply happens to us, but is something we shape with the decisions we make today. While yesterday is written in ink, today is still being drafted in pencil. The days, minutes, and moments ahead of you are unwritten pages in your book of life. Choose your words carefully. Act intentionally. Lead purposefully.

Make it a great week by creating it. Happy Presidents Day, enjoy the quote below…

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

-       Abraham Lincoln