Thanks to Javien Chronicles for this one - http://itsallaboutthestories.com/

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that the first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

that she spent alive on earth
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;
are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile…
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash,
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?

Consider this poem before you start pulling your hair out, before you start dreading the rest of the week. Ask yourself this question, “How will I spend my dash?”

“A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.” -unknown

Whether you wear the title of a leadership position or not, you can still lead. Follow these steps to lead:

1) Contribute to solving problems. Know the problem and eliminate the noise (unimportant information). Leverage skills, abilities, knowledge and experience of yourself and your team to arrive at a solution.

2) Think of the big picture. Thoreau once said, “For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, one is hacking at the root.” Take a step back from the problem determine if there is an underlying bigger problem.

3) Be proactive. If a deeper problem exists take steps to resolve.

4) Make decisions, and take responsibility for the consequences. Exercise wisdom and experience when making decisions. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The best leaders reflect behaviors and make decisions they want the group to emulate. Be confident in your decisions by basing them on facts and not guesses. Follow through on your decision and be an acting participant in making it happen.

5) Share your vision. Inspire. Motivate. Guide. “Most important, leaders can conceive and articulate goals that lift people out of their petty preoccupations and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts”-John Gardner. Expand upon the vision as a team.

6) Remember that it’s not all about you. Leadership is not about glory, prestige, or wealth. “A leader is best when people barely know s/he exists; when his/her work is done, his/her aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves”. -Lao Tzu

Source: WikiHow

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How are they going?

Are you on fire with motivation and accomplishing everything that you set out to do?

Or have your goals/resolutions fallen to the wayside?

I hope that you are part of the former, but if you do find yourself in the latter, it’s not too late! And for those that planned on creating resolutions, but just didn’t get around to it, don’t wait until next year! You have 11 more months to make this your best year ever.

We set goals and resolutions because we believe that there is something that we feel we need to change or improve upon. It is very healthy to set goals and it can have a tremendous effect on your future. Most successful people haven’t always been successful and people in great physical shape haven’t always been healthy. At some point they looked at themselves and where they were in life and decided that they wanted better, made plans to become better and followed through on the plans. We should follow the same model.

Take the time and look at the man/woman in the mirror and ask:

Could I be doing better?

Is what I am doing today going to lead me to where I want to go 10 years from now?

Do I look/feel the way I want to look/feel?

Am I happy?

By answering these questions you may find yourself looking at life a little bit differently. The world is filled with so many distractions that we can often forget our goals and our dreams. So it is important that we regularly and consistently reflect and review our goals and actions. I strive to take a few minutes to reflect daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. This let’s me know if I’m on the right track and on the road towards accomplishing my goals. Over years of goal setting, I have found that the act of reviewing my goals can often spur up motivation and energy as the pain of not achieving is realized. Take action today: review your goals, adjust them as needed and follow through.

“As you grow older you find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.” -Unknown Author

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Proverbs 15:14 says: The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. It is common knowledge that when we eat unhealthy food we gain weight and open ourselves up to sickness and disease. In the same way, what we feed our minds is just as important. The TV shows we watch, books/magazines we read and music/people we listen to are all apart of what our minds digest. Just as we should desire to eat right, we should desire knowledge and truth. Having discernment of what we feed ourselves, influences our total health and well-being.

Proverbs 15 (New International Version)

Proverbs 15

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

² The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

³ The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

⁴ The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life,
but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

⁵ A fool spurns his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

⁶ The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
but the income of the wicked brings them trouble.

⁷ The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the hearts of fools.

⁸ The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

⁹ The LORD detests the way of the wicked
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

¹⁰ Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path;
he who hates correction will die.

¹¹ Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—
how much more the hearts of men!

¹² A mocker resents correction;
he will not consult the wise.

¹³ A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but heartache crushes the spirit.

¹⁴ The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

¹⁵ All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the LORD
than great wealth with turmoil.

¹⁷ Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened calf with hatred.

¹⁸ A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension,
but a patient man calms a quarrel.

¹⁹ The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰ A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹ Folly delights a man who lacks judgment,
but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.

²² Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

²³ A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word!

²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the wise
to keep him from going down to the grave.

²⁵ The LORD tears down the proud man’s house
but he keeps the widow’s boundaries intact.

²⁶ The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked,
but those of the pure are pleasing to him.

²⁷ A greedy man brings trouble to his family,
but he who hates bribes will live.

²⁸ The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

²⁹ The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

³⁰ A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.

³¹ He who listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise.

³² He who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

³³ The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 2 tells us that God wants us to be wise so that we can choose the right actions. Being wise allows us to fight temptations and overcome evil. Being wise allows us to be faithful and victorious. When we seek wisdom we surrender our own understanding and rely on God to direct our path.

Proverbs 2 (NIV)

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

 ¹ My son, if you accept my words
       and store up my commands within you, 

² turning your ear to wisdom
       and applying your heart to understanding,

 ³ and if you call out for insight
       and cry aloud for understanding,

 ⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
       and search for it as for hidden treasure,

 ⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
       and find the knowledge of God.

 ⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom,
       and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

 ⁷ He holds victory in store for the upright,
       he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

 ⁸ for he guards the course of the just
       and protects the way of his faithful ones.

 ⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
       and fair—every good path.

 ¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
       and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

 ¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
       and understanding will guard you.

 ¹² Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
       from men whose words are perverse,

 ¹³ who leave the straight paths
       to walk in dark ways,

 ¹⁴ who delight in doing wrong
       and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,

 ¹⁵ whose paths are crooked
       and who are devious in their ways.

 ¹⁶ It will save you also from the adulteress,
       from the wayward wife with her seductive words,

 ¹⁷ who has left the partner of her youth
       and ignored the covenant she made before God.

 ¹⁸ For her house leads down to death
       and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

 ¹⁹ None who go to her return
       or attain the paths of life.

 ²⁰ Thus you will walk in the ways of good men
       and keep to the paths of the righteous.

 ²¹ For the upright will live in the land,
       and the blameless will remain in it;

 ²² but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
       and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

To grow in faith and know God’s will and purpose for ourselves requires discipline to study His word, pray and apply His teachings. To build a strong marriage requires active listening and a willingness to learn from our spouse. To build a business we must be willing to fail and learn from our mistakes. In each of these examples there is an action followed by a conscious effort to learn from that action. I can read the Bible everyday for my whole life, but if I don’t follow through on my readings it really doesn’t mean anything. I can listen to my wife express that she wants me to pick up after myself to keep the house clean, but if I don’t actually do it I’m not being a good husband. If I keep losing business because I’m not prepared when I meet with clients, I am failing to learn.

If we become set in our ways and ignore opportunities to learn, we “will eat the fruit of [our] ways
and be filled with the fruit of [our] schemes.” God is always teaching us through good experiences and through bad. We must be willing to humble ourselves and take the time to analyze our experiences, learn and change our actions.

Proverbs 1 (NIV)

¹ The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

² for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;

³ for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;

⁴ for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young-

⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance-

⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom

Warning Against Enticement

⁹ They will be a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.

¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
do not give in to them.

¹¹ If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for someone’s blood,
let’s waylay some harmless soul;

¹² let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

¹³ we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;

¹⁴ throw in your lot with us,
and we will share a common purse”-

¹⁵ my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;

¹⁶ for their feet rush into sin,
they are swift to shed blood.

¹⁷ How useless to spread a net
in full view of all the birds!

¹⁸ These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they waylay only themselves!

¹⁹ Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom

²¹ at the head of the noisy streets she cries out,
in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:

²² “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?

²³ If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

²⁴ But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

²⁵ since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,

²⁶ I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

²⁷ when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

²⁸ “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.

²⁹ Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,

³⁰ since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,

³¹ they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

³² For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

³³ but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

It has been a while since my last post and before the last post it was even longer. I have been struggling with posting on a regular basis because of the time required to do so. Since I only want to publish content that will be useful to my readers, I don’t end up doing it because I don’t want to rush through writing just for the sake of writing. I am still striving for success and have a desire to share my struggles and victories for you to learn from. The biggest challenge I am dealing with now is balance. It is very difficult to balance growing my marriage, my business and my faith because spending too much time on one thing takes away from the others. In my mind I constantly ask myself, am I spending enough time on [fill in the blank]?

From my self evaluation, I realize that I don’t spend enough time on my faith. Thinking logically I can justify spending all my time with my wife to build a strong marriage or spending all my time on my business will help us reach our financial goals faster, but the TRUTH is that God is control of it all and only God can provide the wisdom to have a blessed marriage and business. Though my wife and I serve in the church and pray and read the Bible a few times a week, I know that I don’t always put God first. More often, I pray and read in the last hours of the day when I’m tired and ready to fall asleep. I could be reading more, praying more and serving more. We have been truly blessed, but I know that God wants even more for us. It is up to us to release those blessings by stepping out in faith, exercising discipline and learning from God.

This month I have set a goal to read the Bible every day in Proverbs. Since there are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs and 31 days in the month of December, I plan on reading a chapter a day. The book of Proverbs provides a real practical teaching for wisdom, discipline and life that all can benefit from when applied. Throughout the month, I commit to sharing what I learn as I read and apply the principles to my life. Please join me and share how God changes your life.

God Bless You!!!

Somehow along the way of growing up I acquired the habit of multitasking. I saw multitasking as a more productive way of getting work done and for some jobs it can be. But as I build my businesses I found myself doing a little bit of everything and at the end of the day saw little progress. It is important to “know thy time” and focus efforts on what is most important. When I apply focused efforts and stop myself from bouncing from task to task, I produce higher quality work in a shorter timeframe.

Take a look at some Work Smarter tips at manified.com.

For the past four of weeks, my wife and I have been attending a class for our church, Christian City Church San Diego. Since I’ve been a Christian for a number of years, I thought I had a good understanding of God and his character. But what I have come to realize is that I was only scratching the surface. The more I learn about Him, the more I believe and have faith that He is real. I think as human beings, we have a natural attraction to learn about what we don’t understand. While many people have theories, I truly believe that God’s word is undeniable proof that He is real, that He loves us and wants to bless us according to our faith.

Here is video of a great man of God, Christian City Church Pastor Jurgen Matthesius, that talks about His existence and character. Let me know what you think, God Bless!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1