Leading & Loving Your Family
Maturity doesn’t come with age; it begins with the acceptance of responsibility – A.R. Bernard “Four Things Women Want From A Man
If asked, most people would tell you that they are a mature person. If a couple is in a disagreement, each person thinks that they are being the mature one. So how do we know if we’re being mature or if we are still young in mind and spirit? Like the above quote, maturity comes down to responsibility.
This is that time of year. You know,when every professional, influencer, and guru is going to try to sell you on why you need their program to make next year better.
I understand that they all have a product that they believe in and that they want to get into the world. What all these Black Friday sales and End of Year Sales don’t tell you is that their product won’t help you. It won’t make your life different. You are the difference maker in your own life.
The other day I was talking with my wife and realized something about myself. I have paid good, hard earned money on multiple writing courses. All with the promise of helping me become a better writer. What has actually happened, I have yet to finish any course all the way through. Have these courses done what they promised they would? I can’t truly answer that because I haven’t done the work needed.
This is why we shouldn’t just buy all these products and services. Will they do what they say? Maybe. What it really comes down to is ourself. New Year’s Resolutions are a waste of time. Think of the last time that you made one and it actually made a difference that year.
Many resolutions don’t stick through February because we make them out to be our wish list. We want to lose weight, we want to make more money, we want to spend more time with friends. All of those are wish list items.
What we should be focusing on are developing better habits and skills that will benefit us. Resolutions are like wishes because we don’t really attach ourselves to those things.
Instead of looking to make a New Years Resolution, this year I am going to focus on myself. For example I’ve been working on eating better, getting in better shape and taking care of my physical body better. So instead of making a resolution to lose weight, or to hit a certain number, I’m going to work on developing discipline to work out consistently. I’ll continue to eat better and developing
Each year we make resolutions only to see them fall by the wayside by February and by April they are a distant memory. We’ve talked about why we should make changes and not resolutions, and why habits and skills are better than wishes. What lies behind all of those are the why.
Why are looking to make these changes is just as important as what we are looking to change. Your why is your greatest driving factor. It is what will keep you going when things are tough, and when you want to give up on changing for the better.
What motivates the changes you want to see in your life?
Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. – Brian Tracy
It’s that time of year. The time where we get together with our friends and families. There are food, games and holiday movies to be enjoyed by all. While you’re enjoying this upcoming holiday season, I want you to think about the people that may not be as fortunate as you.
Over the last couple of years, my wife and I have invited people from our church to spend the various holidays with us. To at least come and share a meal with us.
Sometimes it would be friends, but most times it would be someone new might not have had family in town to spend the holiday with.
Whether it was a barbecue for the 4th of July, a potluck style meal for Memorial Day or Thanksgiving. The heart behind it was to be able to spend time with people that we care about.
The last couple of posts that I’ve written have to do with being thankful, and being thankful in our marriages. What we can’t forget is about extending that thankful spirit and inviting people into our circle.
You may be a fortunate person who has loved ones, friends and people around you that you can enjoy the holidays with. Choose during this holiday season to be the change or be a positive influence on someone around you. This is the perfect time of year to begin. This is where we can start.
An easy place to start is to look at the people and relationships that are close to you. My wife and I started with people in our church, or people in our small groups. Those that as we got to know them, we realized that they might not have aplace to go.
What I’m not saying is that you invite complete strangers into your home. What I am telling you is to pray and use wisdom. Build relationships with people. That’s part of what makes the various holidays fun. Getting to know people that you may not get to spend a lot time with otherwise.
Pray about the people that you should have an impact on. You could be the influence that is needed in their life.
Being comfortable in your own space is great. You don’t want to lose that. You have to be able to be yourself. You don’t want to bring people into your life, if you are going to feel like to have to put on an act for them.
Doing that doesn’t help them and only drains you. What really impacts people is when you are able to be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin.
Have you ever invited someone into your home, or been invited into someone’s home during the holidays? What was the experience like?
