Mother's Day

 

If you did not talk to your mother on Mother’s Day, do it today.

If you have not recently told your mother that you love her, tell her.

If you have not seen your mother recently, plan a trip.

If you need to reconcile with your mother, do it.

If your mother is not in your life or no longer alive, love someone like a mother.

If you need to forgive your mother, do it.

If you need to ask your mother for forgiveness, ask.

If you are a mother, bless you.

 

In loving memory of Barbara Ward Taylor (1940 -2008) - My mother-in-law lost her battle with lung cancer just one week before Mother’s Day.  She was a loving mother, wife, grandparent, friend and family member.  She had a wonderful zest for life and a love for people. 

Choices

 

Life is made up of a series of choices. We make choices each day of our life by prioritizing activities and choosing courses of action. It can be frustrating and challenging to make these choices. The alternatives are equally appealing, and the ramifications of the decisions seem so serious. The best we can do at any one point in time is to make a choice with the information and knowledge available to us at that point in time. Consider your alternatives, study your options, seek spiritual guidance, and make an educated decision.  Once a choice has been made, go on down the road of life. There is no value to be gained from beating ourselves up over past choices and decisions that did not work out. Sure, we should learn from past decisions, but there really is no need to re-live poor choices or to constantly second guess ourselves. Learn from those choices and grow. Make the best choice you can with the information available to you at the time.

 

Have a blessed week making choices.

Intentionally

Do you live intentionally?  Do you act with intention?  Do you plan your day with intentionality?  Often, I find myself just allowing the day to come to me.  My business discussions may have a hopeful direction, but maybe not an intended goal.  Conversations with family are not always the teaching moments they should be or result in firm decisions.  I know people who are very intentional about what they do.  Those that are good at being intentional are thoughtful and purposeful about every action they take and every decision they make.  Intentionality is powerful.  It increases our influence as leaders.  It leads to greater productivity.  It can lead to a healthy lifestyle and better personal habits.  Be intentional.  Influence what happens to you and around you.

 What are you intentionally going to accomplish this week?

What Day is it?

The weekends used to include soccer, church and nights out.  A normal weekday included a work schedule and human interaction, outside of immediate family.  Days were recognized by fixed meetings, happy hours or workout schedules.  Monday was often dreaded, while Friday celebrated.  But now?  Things are different; how is one day really much different from another?  What does it even mean to say, “Enjoy your weekend”?

Our “normal” is changing and we are learning to adapt.  Some people have said they do not like the concept of this being “the new normal”, they prefer to think of it as the temporary normal.  A lot of this change is temporary.  Our routines will come back, and our schedules will return.  We will eventually get back to knowing what day it is!  But I do not think our lives, or this country will ever be the same. 

Does it matter if the MMM is really issued on Monday?  What day is it?  

Who’s in Charge?

Sometimes I will walk into my office, a meeting, or even my own home with the somewhat joking greeting of, “Who’s in charge?”  Reactions vary, sometimes I get “You are”, or maybe, “not me”.  Then there is always someone who names another person in the room that is in charge.

I was thinking about this rhetorical question last week.  Who is really in charge?  For many of us it is our God, but on a day to day basis, we are in charge of our lives and the decisions we make.  Our faith, morals and values guide those choices, but we must act upon them. Our daily choices have results and consequences. We decide our attitude for the day.  How positively we impact others is a decision we make.  Individually, each day we choose what we eat, when or if we workout, and like these decisions we all are in control of our own productivity at work and at home.  Every single one of us is in charge.  The answer to the question is, “I am!”   

You are in Charge!

Happy Veterans Day!

Thanks to all those who have and will serve this country to ensure our freedom!  Say thanks to a veteran this week!