Listen

 

If you have followed the MMM for long, you know this is a big topic for me. Today’s thought on listening has to do with people who have varying viewpoints and different opinions. The art of respectfully listening to another person’s point of view seems to be lost these days. Listening does not mean you have to agree with the point being made. It simply means care enough to allow them to be heard. It is a matter of respect. If you want to share your opinion, be prepared to listen to others. Consider this…

“It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

-       Aristotle

Focus

That is my word for 2026. I am not good at it. I am easily distracted and try to do too many things at one time. But I recently came across another way to think about focus.

Focus means choosing what does not matter.

Think about that. We think focus allows us to do more. Maybe we focus on the wrong things. What you choose not to do determines what you can do. Perhaps focus is meant for us to be able to do less better?

Maybe I have been looking at it all wrong. Maybe I need to decide NOT to do something!

Focus

Reputation

 

How do you define your reputation? What does that word mean? It seems intangible to me. Do you see people who try to flaunt a reputation? Maybe even market a curated reputation?

Your reputation is not your decision. You certainly influence it by your behavior and actions. But I don’t think you get to say what your reputation is. I don’t think we get to talk about our own reputation.  Your reputation is determined by others. It is talked about by others. Consider this…

Your reputation is not what you shout, it is what others whisper.

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

Emphasizing the Negative?

 

It’s easy to notice what’s wrong. As a society, we often focus on flaws and failures more than on progress and success. I know I’m guilty of it too. Spotting the negative seems to come naturally, while recognizing the good requires intentionality.

Choosing positivity takes a conscious effort. Some people seem wired for it, but for many of us it’s a daily decision, especially in a world that constantly highlights what’s broken. The news thrives on bad outcomes, conflict and corruption.  Even the weather report seems to work against us. Why do we hear “a 30% chance of rain” instead of “a 70% chance of sunshine”?

Perspective matters. If we made a habit of looking for what’s going right instead of what’s going wrong, we might not only feel better but be better to be around. Positivity doesn’t ignore reality; it simply chooses which parts of reality to emphasize.

Be positive. Choose it on purpose.

Positive Feedback

 

Are you complimentary when you receive good service?  Do you provide a lift to someone by acknowledging their smile or positive outlook?  You might be surprised the difference you can make in someone’s day, and their job performance, by simply being complimentary.  When a hotel clerk greets you with a smile and helpful attitude make sure they know you noticed.  When the dry cleaner’s employee is prompt and professional genuinely thank them.  When your dining wait staff is especially efficient give them a compliment and maybe even a larger tip.  People that serve others for a living are often mistreated, do your part to change that.  If they are doing an exceptional job go out of your way to let their boss know.  Positive feedback is a great motivator and can change someone’s day, maybe even their future!

Pay someone a genuine compliment today and have a blessed week!

Readiness

 

I have said before that if you wait until you are 100% ready you will never start anything. Total readiness is not something we generally feel. There is always a small amount of doubt, a bit of worry, a slight uncertainty. We must get over these thoughts and take that last step to accomplish anything. A friend recently put it rather clearly like this…

“You’ll never feel ready, because ready is not a feeling. It is a decision.”

When life gives you lemons…

 

Twenty-two years ago. I finished my last chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The notes in my diary from that day simply state, “This is my final treatment, and I thought it would never be finished. I kept watching for the last drop.”

That was a long time ago. Even though my diagnosis was considered treatable but not curable, the longer I remain in remission the lower the odds are of recurrence. That was true at ten, fifteen years, and even more true now at twenty-two years!  I am blessed to have had a tolerable treatment regimen and a favorable outcome.

Many of you know that our family took my diagnosis combined with the loss of my father to leukemia and turned it into a passion of raising money for blood cancer research. Over the past twenty-one years our family (The Blanton Bunch) has raised and donated almost $780,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, now known as Blood Cancer United. In addition, The Light The Night Walk has become a key event in The Woodlands raising funds for blood cancers. Lemons to Lemonade, my friends! 

I can’t believe it has been twenty-two years…

A Passion for Excellence (Not Power)

 

Our world focuses a lot on the concept of power. We pursue power. We admire power. We curse power. We are measured on power. But power does not equate excellence.

There is a big difference between a passion for excellence and a passion for power. The pursuit of excellence is a God given gift. It is a critical component in society. It is characterized by a healthy respect for quality, and the use of God given talents in ways that please Him.

The pursuit of excellence glorifies God. The pursuit of power glorifies oneself. The quest for excellence is a sign of maturity. The quest for power, not so much.