Quote of the Day - July 12, 2013

Leave A Better Person

Many of you may already know the predicament I find myself currently in. It's a situation entirely foreign to me. I am unemployed. I've had 24 hours to ponder what happened. Knowing I've always been a high performer, always gone the extra mile, I had to ask, what brought me to this point? Did I let this happen? Did I change? Was it changes in policy, tools, leads, etc... that caused such a drastic change in performance? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?

I quickly realized these were not the best questions to be asking myself. It does me no good. I know I kept working hard, kept going above and beyond. It's not in my nature to sit back idly. So much so that I cancelled a vacation last week to get in and get some numbers that were nearly impossible to achieve without working more than 2 days. I couldn't find child care for my son so I enjoyed the weekend with him instead (no complaints here - that kid makes me so happy)!

The questions I should've been asking (and quickly began asking) were:

What great things does God have in plan for me now? What type of job am I passionate about that I'll be able to enjoy? What blessings do I have because I was let go?

There is always a plan in life. A plan that I can't see or often even imagine, yet it is there. Our creator has a plan.  The divorce wasn't something that I planned or could have predicted yet it happened. I've learned a lot since it happened though. Things that have helped me turn my life back towards God. His timing is impeccable (plans are to write a post about his spectacular timing sometime soon - but...plans don't go as expected this post started out as something different than it ended up as).   

I have a book that is full of great questions we can ask ourselves. One question posed asks "When was the last time you did something for the first time?" In thinking about things I am passionate for I realize that whatever job I find in that field will be something of a first time for me. I look forward to it!

Leaving the office yesterday was very difficult. There wasn't the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone like I would have liked. Friends there are amazing and have made a huge difference in my life. They helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life. As I was walked out the door I noticed my boss starting to choke up. That made the exit even harder. I was able to keep my composure long enough to get to my car and home. But...once home the tears started and couldn't stop for nearly an hour.

In that moment I was reminded of the importance of people in life. My concern at that moment wasn't a fear of finding a new job, not having money to pay bills, etc... It was a purely selfish concern....one of knowing I would be missing my friends.  To all my friends I've worked with I wanted to give a thank you for all you've done for me over the past few years. Mother Teresa said

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better."

I have left a better person by knowing all of you and hope that I have been able to leave you better than how I found you! 

p.s. this post was going to be about fear and worry and how it does absolutely no good. I couldn't help but give gratitude to those who have changed my life (crap...waterworks coming again) for the better!  So again....Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Quote of the Day - July 11, 2013

Quote of the Day - July 10, 2013

Quote of the Day - July 9, 2013

Quote of the Day - July 8, 2013

The Power of a Smile

It's been a few days since I've posted. I guess that's what happens during a busy holiday weekend. Parts of it didn't go as expected and others went even better than expected. Overall it was a splendid weekend full of great memories, fun, and just overall good times. Saddest part is that I've had so many different ideas on things to post over the past few days. I thought I'd have time...I was mistaken. That's ok though because my weekend brought a smile to my face and that's what matters, happiness!

There's something to say about the power of a smile! Have you ever just sat there and smiled (not for any reason besides just to smile) for 2 minutes straight. Don't stop, the muscles in your face will likely start to hurt. Push through it. Once the time is up feel free to stop. Even though it hurts I bet you can't stop smiling easily. I'll even go out on a ledge and bet you had fun and laughed at yourself for doing it at least once. Ok, maybe you didn't but I sure did! :)

There's something powerful about a smile. One of my favorite quotes says

"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks!"

 Author Unknown

Maybe that's why everyone loves to hang around me. LOL!  Seriously though, think about the people that inspire you the most in life. What is it that attracts you to them? I'll bet it is the smile, coupled with a positive attitude. What if I were to tell you that you can be that person? YOU CAN!!!!  It's not easy, it takes work. It's a choice. You must step outside of your comfort zone. Another one of my favorite quotes

"If you want to be successful,

 you must be willing to be uncomfortable."

Gil Eagles

Being uncomfortable isn't easy. Especially for those who strive for perfection. Forget perfection.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland stated "Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with." It's time to get out of our own way and push past the fear and discomfort. We are who we are, let's make a difference in the world being that person! I'll post more about this later this week (about Being Comfortable in Our Own Skin). For now, make that conscious effort to smile.

Several months ago I was sitting in the courtroom waiting for the commissioner to enter and hear my custody battle case. While waiting, the attorney's and someone who worked in the court system (guessing scribe or something) were chatting.  I don't remember much about their conversation but one line stuck out to me "I felt like I had to shower when he left the room." What impact do we have on a room when we leave? That's a profound thought. Be honest with yourself.

For those that have known me long enough. I was once that super bright, bubbly person. A person that everyone loved spending time with. Then for unknown reasons I let life get to me. Life kicked me down. It held me there. Didn't let me catch a breath. Depression kicked in. I felt sorry for myself.  I was that person that when I left people wanted to take a shower.  Am I proud of it. NO. I tell you this because I know that no matter where you are that you can be who you want to be.   

When I think back I realize that life wasn't what caused my issues, I did. Life hasn't changed, it continues to throw difficult challenges my way. In fact, due to a lack of expected performance at work (not due to lack of effort) I may be unemployed shortly. If that happens, I have already chosen to not let it get me down. I don't know what the future holds for me....but what I do know is that a positive attitude goes a long way. I figure, it may just be the universe pushing me on to something better!

If you keep struggling with this even though you are trying, it may be time to step up and ask a friend or two to help remind you to be positive if you start down the wrong path. Having support can make a huge difference in being who you want to be. I have so many people in my life that are supportive. I want to thank them all (whether they read this or not). Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today and I won't be even better tomorrow!

Many of you may have heard the verbiage that everyone brightens a room, some when they enter, others when they leave. Smile when you enter a room, smile when you leave...because when you smile, you'll find yourself happier and you'll change the lives of those you spend your time with. Don't be the one that brightens the room when they leave! 

Quote of the Day - July 2, 2013

I may not be,

who I ought to be.

I know I'm not all,

that I want to be.

But I've come a long way,

from who I used to be.

And I won't give up

on becoming, what

I know I can be!

-www.daveswordsofwisdom.com

A Fathers' Love

Today I didn't feel like I had the inspiration that I needed to accomplish the things I had planned on accomplishing. In retrospect I believe it all had to do with how I started my day.

Nope...I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed. I just woke up late. I forgot to set my alarm  and my normal backup alarm, Ian (my son) who wakes up by 7:30 nearly every morning slept in till after I woke up. I was stressed, running way late for work. Spending a few minutes with my son calmed that stress right down...how can one be stressed when they have the ability to spend quality time (even if only for a few moments) with someone they love!

No matter what happens I always make that quality time with Ian. He deserves it! Most days he gives that quality time back. Tonight's scripture study sums up that love that a parent has for their child.

"Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life for his friends"

John 15:13

I would give and do anything for Ian. I've been blessed with such a wonderful little boy! This can't be that bad a morning can it? It really was a pretty good. So why, you ask does the way my morning started have anything to do with why I didn't have the inspiration to accomplish my goals?

Simple...I didn't make time to pray this morning. OK...I prayed in my heart many times, but I didn't take the time to kneel down and pray. It's amazing how such a simple act of kneeling down, giving thanks, and asking for a loving Father's help can make such a difference in a day.

Think about God's power and love for all of us. We are His children. Knowing all that I would sacrifice for Ian I can only imagine what our Heavenly Father is willing to do for me (all of us really) when I just make a few minutes to talk with Him. I didn't get the inspiration I needed until I took a moment to kneel down tonight and ask for His help on what I should write. All day I felt something was missing and I didn't realize it until I asked for His help. I'm glad I did. Lesson learned.

You should notice that as I've written I specifically stated "make time" vs. "take time." To me this is important. When we make time we are sacrificing something for the greater good. This is a test of our faith and we in the long run are rewarded by his love! Make the time until it becomes so routine that you are taking the time. Once you are there, you'll find that there are plenty of other things in your life that you'll need to make time for.

There's a verbiage out there of "fake it till you make it." If your faith is shaken and you don't feel that God is listening, I promise you that He is. It is something that you're sacrifice (faking it until you make it - i.e. making time to pray) will help you re-establish that relationship. It takes time. It's like any relationship, you don't feel close to someone after meeting them for the first time and only talking for a few minutes. In recently building a relationship I've found that we've spent hours and hours on the phone talking and getting to know one another. If we were to talk for only 5 minutes a day, there wouldn't be a relationship. Making time, quality time is imperative for any relationship. Kneeling gives that quality time, keeping that prayer in your heart will continue to "build" that relationship. If 5 minutes is all you have a day, start there. Pray for help to build the habit. Before you know it you'll find yourself missing your daily prayer when it was skipped.

Remember, good habits get better with time. A word of caution though, bad habits get worse with time. It's the patterns (i.e. prayer, scripture study, positive attitudes, etc...) you create in life (good or bad) that make you who you are. I challenge you to MAKE the time to pray!

Quote of the Day - July 1, 2013

"Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought. Our brightest blazes are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks." -Samuel Johnson