“What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.”
— Lao Tsu

“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The picture below is a text conversation I had with my 14yr old son when he was flying home from school by himself.  His plane had gotten in late to the terminal and he was waiting for his bag plane side with only 15 minutes to spear to get across DFW airport to catch his next flight.  This conversation occurred because he was unsure how to navigate the airport.

The Ability to Problem Solve sets us apart from other people!!

Yes, yes it does.

I don’t think I have much more wisdom on that today.  As Red Green would say, “Keep your stick on the ice.”

Not just Superman needs sun light to regain strength.

Has the winter been long? I can feel a resounding yes from everyone that just read that last statement.
I think cabin fever is another way to say it.

There is not much I can do about the weather, but there is something I can encourage you in.
Just as Super Man needs sun light to regain strength we need a figurative sun light in our lives to regain strength as well.

I call it appreciation. I know the tough ones out there are thinking, “I don’t need that, I’m strong and confident in myself.”

Yes, and you are also human.  We are wired to love and be loved.  

Now how do you think we go about getting some of that light of appreciation?

By giving it away first!  

I tell my kids everyday to, “encourage everyone.”  Then I ask them, “Why?” and they say, “Because when we encourage others it encourages us return.”

It all goes back to a very simple but mostly forgotten law.  The law of sowing and reaping.  When a farmer goes out to the field to plant corn what comes up? Corn, not beans.

I would encourage you today to try it out.  Give away some of your light, “encouragement”, to someone else and watch it produce a harvest in your own life.  

A Few quotes on Encouragement I dug up for you from my stash.

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through encouragement from someone else. I don’t care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for applause.” ~ George Matthew Adams

My eight-year-old son’s comment to the Super Bowl game last night. “The Seahawks must have practiced harder.”

Hall of Fame American Basketball coach John Wooden believed games were won in practice and preparation.  The game was just an extension of what they had already perfected.

I’m not trying to analyze the game last night by any means.  It’s the comment by my eight year old that brings a great teaching moment into play.

Ask yourself some questions today.

What am I doing to be better at my craft? 

What new things have I learned lately that make me better than I was yesterday, last week, last month, or last year?

Lastly and most important questions.

How can I improve today? 

Just taking the time to read this post is a step in the right direction. Just like Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

Today’s Your Victory Day!!

To learn, read. To know, write. To master, teach.

To Learn. To Know. To Master.

What do those words say to you?

Is Mastery something that you think about on a daily basis?

Is being the best you can be part of your daily thought pattern?

Let me encourage you today by saying, “Someone needs what you have, so make the best of it and share it.”

Today’s your Victory Day!

Recently I attended one of my nephew’s pewee hockey game, they were struggling to keep up with the opposing team that they had beaten night before.  I had to stand and watch the game because I was getting a little excited about how they were not in the game, “once a hockey player always a hockey player”.  As I stood in the moment of watching that game I was reminded of a mind set most people get into when the game of life starts heading in the wrong direction.