Eat That Frog In 2009

Yesterday we talked about the importance of developing good habits. A really good habit to develop in 2009 would be to eat a live frog first thing each day. You may be saying, "What?!!!"

Watch this short movie and then you'll understand. As Mr. Nike would say, "Just Do It!"

Have a happy and safe new year's celebration!

The Bucket List

Yesterday afternoon I did something out of character for me. I laid down my work and took my wife to a movie for Valentines Day. Nothing major for most people, yet it made a positive impression on my bride.

We saw The Bucket List which we thought was very good. There were some things we wished were not in the movie, yet they did get a good part of it right, even a discussion about faith.

But what stands out to me is what Connie said to me on the way home. She said, "Thanks for the date! It's not the movie that matters, it's that you gave up your time to be with me. Thank you."

Wow. That made me realize that I have not been treating her as the most important person on this earth to me. I have let my task list get in the way far too often.

I have just created my own bucket list. At the top is "Spend time with those who are most important to me and make that a priority." I probably will not always succeed at this, yet I am going to truly work on it. Perhaps I won't wait until next Valentines Day to kidnap my wife on a workday!

Preparation

In this week's Sports Illustrated, there is a brief article about the ageless Morten Andersen. Andersen, 47, was just asked to rejoin the Atlanta Falcons after the Falcon's prior kicker missed two field goals in a game on September 16.

In the interview, Andersen was asked how he prepares for pressure kicks and this is his response:

"I do mental training throughout the week. I take myself through specific game situations so when they come up I've rehearsed them. Before the snap you're in real time. Then right after the snap, that 1.2 or 1.3 seconds that you're actually out there on your work bench, time slows. You see the ball clearly, you see everything in slow motion. Then you complete the kick, and it switches back to real time."

I believe this applies to all of us in all areas of our lives. There is much we need to be prepared for. This is especially true when it comes to temptations.

Each of us are tempted daily with things that are not of God. If we can anticipate these and prepare for them in advance, we can have victory. Read Matthew, chapter 4 sometime soon and see how Jesus fought off temptation. He fought of satan by reciting scripture. He was prepared and you can be too!

Planning Your Day

With one of my consulting clients, I am trying to teach the sales team the importance of planning their next day before leaving the office. So it was great to see Zig Ziglar write this:

If I were to ask the question, Would you like to improve your productivity dramatically without working any longer or any harder? chances are pretty good that you would say, "That would be nice! I’d be more effective and I’d probably get a raise! I might even have more fun in the process."

Question: How many of you, on the night before the day you were going on vacation, sat down and wrote out a list of the things you wanted to be certain to do before you left work the next day? Chances are extremely good that most of you would say you had done that. And most of you would also admit that you managed to complete more than twice the number of tasks you complete on a normal day.

Now think about this for a moment: If planning your job on the day before you go on vacation increases your productivity, doesn’t it make sense that if you were to spend a few minutes every day before you start your work day contemplating what is really important and what you really need to accomplish, that you would have the same great results? And the chances are excellent – definitely better than good – that this process will attract favorable attention, probably leading to more job security, perhaps a raise, and maybe even a significant promotion.

To read the rest go here.

The New Crack Berry?

The new iPhone is almost here (click here to read a story about its release). Will you be one of the first buyers?

In my July newsletter, I have written about how I believe technology is actually costing us time - at least time in our meaningful relationships. Technology can be very helpful and is designed to save us time, yet I see people (me included) becoming addicted to it. I regularly see people reaching for their cell phone or their Blackberry while they are in the middle of a conversation which I think tells the person they are with You aren't that important.

James 1:19 says ...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

How can we listen to other people when we are more focused on our things?

BE - DO - HAVE

Zig Ziglar writes this in his book Success for Dummies:

One of my favorite phrases is, "You've got to be before you can do and do before you can have." In short, you have to be a person of character and do the right things, and then you can have the things you really want. To make the "be, do have" theory valid, look at some examples in your own life.

1. Draw two vertical lines to make three columns on a sheet of paper.
2. At the top of the left-hand column, write BE; in the middle column, write DO; and over in the last column, write HAVE.
3. In the right-hand column list all the things you really want in life, whether it's an education, good family relationships, a beautiful new home, a luxury automobile, a trip around the world, to lose weight--you name it.
4. Work your way down the center column identifying the things that you have to do in order to have the things listed in the right-hand column. As an example, let's say you want a successful marriage. To do so, you must be willing to share your innermost thoughts and concerns with your mate. You must carry more than your share of the workload, encourage your mate when he or she is down, and defend your mate against criticism. You need to remember special occasions. Be particularly helpful when your mate is having a bad day or is not feeling well, or has had a tough day at work. Apply the philosophy that "you can have everything you want out of this marriage if you just help your mate get what he or she wants." Everybody's list varies because each of us has unique needs, beliefs, and interests. However, the formula remains the same.
5. Go to the left-hand column and identify what you have to BE in order to DO so that you can HAVE. To have a successful marriage, some of the things that you must be are faithful, attentive, loving, caring, helpful, empathetic, encouraging, persistent, committed, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and responsible. Not having all these qualities at this moment is okay, because they're all skills, and skills can be developed.

You can use this basic formula for whatever it is you want to have. Look at what you have to do in order to accomplish your objectives, and then examine yourself and determine what kind of person you have to BE in order to DO so that you can HAVE.

I highly recommend doing something like this at least once a year - kind of a self-inventory. Stephen Covey calls it "beginning with the end in mind." If you would like tool to help you with this, I would recommend downloading my Bleedership Life Planning Assistant. To download it for free, go here.

The Strike Out

I receive a magazine each month from Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Les Steckel, who many remember as a coach in the NFL (Minnesota Vikings) is the President of FCA and he wrote this letter in this month's issue:

Picture yourself in this situation. It's Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, and you are up to bat for the home team. It's the bottom of the ninth inning. Your team is down by three, and the bases are loaded. Not only that, but since you were voted the American League MVP last season, you've got a lot to live up to.

Talk about expectations. Everybody in your dugout, the fans in the stands, everyone watching on TV, your family, all the higher-ups in the front office - they all expect you to do something special. Your mind is racing, I need to hit this thing out of the park. My team needs a grand slam. That's what they expect. That's what everyone expects.

Do you ever feel like that - like you've got a lot to live up to? Like you have to meet an unreasonably high level of expectation?

Well, I want to share something with you - something that I've learned from situations like those. If you hit a grand slam, hallelujah! Those grand slams happen from time to time. But in our lives, we can't expect to hit a home run every time we go to the plate.

Every great player strikes out, and so do you and I. But when we strike out, we have to realize that it's not the end of the world. Most likely, a day will come when we will have another chance. It may not be the same exact situation, but there will be another opportunity for great achievement. That's one of the unique things about living the Christian life. Sometimes God wants to see how you handle failures before He gives you victories.

Do you remember watching this year's Super Bowl? Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy went through what seemed like so many personal and professional defeats during his career. But through it all, the world watched as he walked by faith and never took his focus off of Christ. And look what happened! After he endured many trials and defeats, he was blessed with the ultimate NFL victory.

This month, whatever you're facing, whatever expectations are threatening to crush you, I challenge you to turn it all over to the Lord. He has a perfect plan for you. And not matter what the outcome, you can't forget that He's watching. Not only that, but He's cheering you on. He wants you to trust Him and to praise Him, win or lose. And once you learn to do that, He may grant you the victory that you've awaited so long.

Are you up to the challenge? I expect that you are.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:57

How to Deal With a Bad Boss

Most of us have probably had one at one point or another. I know I certainly have (to read more about that, click here).

If you have a bad boss now, I read an interesting article that you will probably get a lot out of. Here is one of their ideas:

Boss Problem: Explosive Temper

Your Solution: Stay calm and try to figure out what the boss is really saying. If possible, delay responding in detail until he's in a better mood.

"If a boss yells at me—and it's certainly happened—I go into therapy mode. I tell them, 'I'm really sorry you're upset, and I want to understand exactly why you're upset.' But if the explosion includes a gross violation of my personal space, I say, 'I'll come back when you've cooled off.' And then I leave."—Miriam Dumaine, former PR executive at Blanc & Otis

To read the rest of the article click here.

Time Change a "Mini Y2K" in Tech Terms

Daylight savings time is being moved up this year and begins this Saturday. I didn't realize this was going to be such a big deal. In a New York Times article about the change in daylight savings time they discuss the impact this seemingly harmless change will have:

“This is mainly an annoyance for consumers, but it’s a major headache for corporate technology departments,” said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst at Forrester Research.

For the roughly 7,000 public companies in the United States, Mr. Hammond estimates the total cost of making computer fixes to deal with the daylight saving time shift at more than $350 million. “It’s causing a lot of corporate technology people sleepless nights,” he said.

I don't know about you, but it's really easy for me to shake my head and say that Congress really should think things through before passing laws - they need to get a clue.

But then I am reminded of all the times I have done things before thinking them through. The time as a kid I threw rocks at our neighbor's brand new car. The time I... well you get the idea.

In our workplace, we need to remember that we are being watched. We must think through our actions because our actions really do have reactions and long term implications.

My wife Connie and I returned late yesterday from an amazing weekend in Dayton, Ohio. We attended a "Weekend to Remember" conference put on by FamilyLife, a ministry founded by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. If you have not been to one of these, I highly recommend it!

The experience was an extremely positive one for Connie and me in our marriage. In addition to the awesome content, I was extremely impressed with the way everything was done. One thing that really got my attention was the way after each session, we would have "homework."

These assignments were used to cement the ideas discussed. But they took it a step further. They asked us to each write down 2-3 items we could work on individually to improve our marriage in the area just discussed. We were then to select the one key idea we could implement and we needed to record that on the back flap of the booklet.

At the end of the conference each of us had 12 action items to implement in our lives. We were then instructed to prayerfully look over the list and select 3 that we would commit to doing this coming week. I thought this was very simple but extremely effective.

I think this is something we can apply to every area of our life. But the key is the last part - implementation. We must make it a priority, we must schedule it if it is truly going to happen. We are all busy people. If it is not scheduled, life will get in the way and the truly important stuff will get pushed aside.

If you are struggling with this, I have designed a free tool to help you. Click here to download my free Life Planning Assistant.

Make it a great week!

Think on these things...

In an interesting Blog post at Selling Among Wolves, Michael Pink writes:

Meditating on things that are true will produce peace. And peace is the state I personally need to be in to hear the still, small voice of God. If you are experiencing anxiety or lack of peace, take inventory of what you are meditating on. You may say that you are thinking a lot about the fact that you are in a terrible financial bind and that is the truth.

It may be true that you are in a financial bind, but there is a higher truth. The truth you are struggling with now is a temporary truth, but here’s an eternal truth for you to consider… “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.” (Isa 48:17)

Maybe you should spend a little time thinking on this and asking the Father to teach you how to profit not only from your challenging circumstance, but also how to profit so you can get out of the jam you are in. There are simply too many Scriptures I could list that give you practical, applicable insight to remedy your problem, but do you know them? Have you reviewed them? Are you thinking on them? God will speak to you in the midst of His word and give you everything you need for life and godliness! Whatever things are true… think on these things!

Great words of advice!

Passion

I just read where passion will help you on a job interview. Does this surprise you? I hope not.

After all, we are commanded in the book of Colossians: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

The term "whatever" covers everything, even interviews. Also, don't you think an employer wants someone who puts this verse into practice on the job? If you are giving it your all on the interview, you will be much more likely to do the same on the job.

Is Your Boss a Psychopath?

Take this quick quiz to find out.

Then I challenge you to take it again with you as the subject and honestly grade yourself. Could be very revealing.

Doesn't seem Christ-like to me

Have you read this story about the pediatrician who would not treat a little girl with an ear infection because her parents had tattoos?

The doctor said he is just following his beliefs and creating a Christian atmosphere for his patients.

Somehow I don't this is what Jesus would do.

Bad Apple

Have you ever worked with someone who is like poison to the organization? You know, a bad apple? If so, then you know the damage someone like this can do.

An interesting article appeared earlier this week on this subject and it got me thinking. If a bad apple can cause this much damage, can a good apple, or someone who is treating their workplace as their mission field have a significant positive affect?

We all know this is true but I would love to see a study done on this.

The question of the day is, are you a bad apple or a good apple?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a great day to be reminded of how much you are loved by God. Here is an awesome letter:

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28
I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5
I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13
I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad.

Pretty cool! To get the full effect with audio, go here.

Love is in the Air

A couple of days ago my wife was telling me about a friend of hers who told her that she didn't love her husband anymore. This is not uncommon. We hear things like this all the time. Especially on TV.

This is something that bugs me. This feeling of "love."

I admit, it is an amazing feeling to feel like you are "in love." However, I believe what you are feeling is not love but actually something else. It has gotten defined as love - mostly by Hollywood and as a result our society suffers.

According to Scripture, the word "love" is a verb - not a feeling. We have all heard it read at weddings that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

No where in there does it mention a feeling of love.

As we approach Valentines Day, let's remember this. Let’s step up and choose to love our spouse and others. Let's also remember that we can even choose to love the person who drives us crazy in the next cubicle simply because God does.

Proud Dad

I am a proud dad this morning.

As I have mentioned before, I coach my son's 4th and 5th grade basketball team. We had our 3rd game this past Saturday. We have pretty much been manhandled in our prior two games as we have a pretty small team. But we make up for it with inexperience.

To give you the entire picture, I have coached my son for the past four years. He has always been one of the better players on each one of our teams, until last year.

Last year, Robbie couldn't do the simplest things. He even had serious trouble just catching a basketball. I was perplexed. Here was one of the better players year after year who was now really struggling. It didn't make sense.

I figured that God was trying to tell me that there was more to life than athletic prowess. Since I had played in college, I really wanted Robbie to play competitively, at least through high school. I resigned myself to the fact that he would not play at the level I was hoping for. And believe it or not, I was OK with that. Robbie ended the year without a basket and feeling like he did not contribute much to the team.

Last spring Robbie told us he was having trouble seeing the black board at school so we took him to get his eyes checked. He needed glasses - big time! No wonder he couldn't catch the basketball - he couldn't see it!

This year I have seen Robbie (along with the rest of the team) gain confidence with each practice, each game.

This past Saturday, the other team had just scored to cut our lead to 14-12 with 30 seconds to go. On the ensuing possession, Robbie ended up with the ball and dribbled around his defender and shot a long shot that missed badly. However, he was fouled. He went to the free throw line and made both shots!

We ended up winning by two. I am so proud of our team. We have gotten better each day.

I am also proud of my son - not because he made the winning free throws (although I think that is pretty cool!). I am proud of him because of the teammate he has become. The funny thing is I also saw his actions on the court as a model for us in the workplace.

I saw him slapping other players high fives when they did something well (Romans 12:15). I saw him encouraging others on the team (1 Thessalonians 5:11). And, I saw him playing hard (Colossians 3:23). As a result of all this, I have really seen his confidence increase. Praise God!

Way to go Robbie! Thanks for being a great example!

Not my Plans

Don't you hate it when things go awry!

I have a short day today because I am charged with picking up our new cat from the Vet today at 1:00 before they close (my wife is working today). He just got de-clawed. So, I had great plans to get into the office and get lots of stuff done this morning.

Well, it was not to be.

I utilize Franklin Planner Software and sync it up with my Palm Pilot. My Palm decided to freeze up this morning which caused me to have to hit the reset key. As a result I lost all my data on my Palm. Fortunately, I still had it on my computer.

When I tried to sync, I lost data on my computer and nothing went to my Palm. Ughhh.

However, for once in my life I was thinking. I performed a backup just prior to this so I was able to get back to where I was on my computer. However, syncing with my handheld was still an issue.

I have just spent the past 2 hours chatting online with Franklin support. They have been very willing to help and have suggested some things, but nothing seems to work.

I am saying all this to let you know that my plans of getting a lot done this morning just went out the window.

I don't know about you, but I sometimes think that everything I am doing is SO important and MUST be done. Like the fate of the world depends on it. Who do I think I am? I must think I am pretty important.

For that reason, I am glad God uses these roadblocks from time to time to bring me back down to earth.

Have You Ever Done Anything Stupid?

Well...have you? I mean have you ever done anything REALLY stupid?

Obviously, we all have. Check this out (it is a reminder that we must give people grace as they will make mistakes too):

Yes, it's that magical time of the year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here then, are the glorious winners:

1) When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.....And now, the honorable mentions:

2) The chef at a hotel in lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the
machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3) A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4) After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from to had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5) An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6) A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, he man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer...$15. (If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?)

7) Seems an guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinderblock through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinderblock and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinderblock bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8) As a female shopper exited a convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9) The News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in , at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered
onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.***A 5-STAR AWARD WINNER***

10) When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.