The Worst Game Ever Invented

You always hear people saying they are playing a "waiting game."  Everyone plays this game at some point in their life.  Based on my own experience, I believe it is the worst game ever invented.

Most likely if you are waiting on something and it feels like time is standing still, it is a situation that you want to have resolved as soon as possible.  It could be exciting news or news that could possibly change the direction of your life. The longer time goes by and you don't know the news, the longer you live in a state of complete distraction.

Other than not being able to move forward, the worst part of waiting is the situation is totally out of your control.  If you are waiting and feeling tortured about it then someone else probably holds the answer to your situation.  You can't call and bug them, sending nagging emails, or try to rush things along without the risk of sounding desperate, being annoying, or possibly influencing the outcome to not be in your favor depending on the situation.  So you have to wait.

Here are some tips on making the wait more tolerable:
1. Find something else to do during the wait.  This will help time go faster and keep you productive.  It is amazing how many chores you can accomplish or how satisfying it can be to check off some of those home projects. Find something that will tie up your thoughts or go get lost in a movie or conversation with friends.

2. Take a moment to acknowledge that you never had control of this situation in the first place.  God has a plan for you and His will is better than anything you can come up with or desire. Even if you get the answer you have been waiting for and it isn't what you had hoped you can rest easy because all things work together for good for those who believe. So no matter what, everything will be just fine.  Just believe, really believe, and you will be able to relax.

3. Take what ever step you can take. What is the next step if you get your answer?  Can you research anything? Can you get ready? Can you plan the next step without implementing anything?  Maybe take a moment to write things down.  Drawing a decision tree, make a plan A or Plan B diagram, create a list, and just let your mind and thoughts progress.

Waiting can be a great training tool for developing patience.  God could be working things around during your wait time to make the answer better for you.  Waiting is the worst game ever invented but you don't have a choice in whether you experience it so you have to try and make the best out of the situation. You will wait for something important at some point so choose to make the situation as good as it can get.  So what are you waiting for?

3 Signs You Are an Instant Gratification Addict

You can get almost anything at anytime on the Internet.  With invention of the Smart Phone and tablet things are now available anywhere you go.  The more readily the information and services are the more we seem to want and the less tolerant we are to wait for anything.

The question is, do we need things immediately or do we just want it because we can have it?  Have we become greedy for information and pleasure?  Everyone wants to experience pleasure in their life.  Pleasure feels great but it doesn't last very long.  That is why we keep seeking it and often push the limits of normal behavior to try and squeeze every last bit of pleasure out of everything.  They say good things come to those who wait...  so why can't we wait?  Are we addicted to instant gratification?  Here are 3 signs:

1. Lack of Self Control
Do you have a hard time stopping certain behaviors like drinking, eating, speeding, spending, or talking about yourself?  This could be a sign that you want to feel as good as can, as soon as possible, and as much as possible no matter the consequences.

2. Gossip
Do you find yourself participating frequently in conversations about other people?  Do you make it a point to share any details you know about certain people at work or in your family?  This could be a sign that you need to feel good by making other people look or sound bad.  You may feel more superior when you talk about the questionable behavior of other people.

3. Desires are too Strong
Do you have to have the latest technology gadget, fashions, celebrity news, or information? Do you often find a way to justify the purchase of things that you really don't need?  Do you have to know everything about what is happening in the news or inside of a company?  You may be passionate about something but love it so much that your desire has reached an unhealthy or obsessive level.  Knowing everything you can about one subject can make you feel good.

If you have some of these signs and experience them on a daily basis you may be addicted to Instant Gratification.  While some of this behavior could be harmless, some of it could be causing you to act in ways that others perceive as questionable.

Here are some things to consider to help curb the need for instant gratification:

1. Acknowledge there is a problem.  Admit it and begin recognize what it looks like.

2. Set boundaries so that you are not tempted.  Don't go to bars.  Don't eat dessert. Don't buy anything for 30 days, Turn off your phone at meals and meetings.

3. Set limits of time, portions, spending, etc. only allow a specific amount of time to spend on your passion or behavior, i.e. once a week, once a day for 30 minutes, etc.

4. Get help.  Find an accountability partner or speak to a counselor.

5. Look at the root of your behavior.  Is there something else missing or not right in your life that this behavior is covering up that needs to be addressed?  Find it and address it.

6. Think bigger.  Instant is small but waiting for something better is bigger thinking and could be more of an investment in your future.

7. Pray for guidance.  God is big and can help you see how blessed you are and how to be content with what you have.

8. Spend time on more important things that add value to other people or to your future such as: Volunteer, take a class, read a book, exercise, teach, spend time with kids or seniors.

9. Go cold turkey!  For example, cancel your text plan, give up sweets, be silent for hours, return the gadget to the store.  Take drastic action to jump start your new line of thinking.

10. Make sure the person you are talking about is in front of you or always assume that what you are saying will be heard or scene by the person.

Start seeking joy rather than pleasure.  Joy is God given, longer lasting, and usually it is a better experience than anything you can imagine on your own.  Joy is harder to find but usually well worth the wait.  Let go of the need for instant gratification and embrace the process of things happening at their own pace.

Use Passion For Good

I recently discovered the newest excuse for less than professional behavior in the workplace... proclamations of having passion. Passion is:  a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.

Maybe you have witnessed this excuse?  When a topic or decision is being discussed in a meeting and someone: begins talking over people, interrupting, speaking loudly, strongly disagreeing without regard to others' feelings, ignoring others who try to express their thoughts, using sharp edged language, or getting frustrated when they don't get their way.  Lately, I have heard from several people that the reason a certain people act this way is because they are passionate about the subject at hand.  When did being passionate about something make it okay to be unprofessional?  When did this become acceptable workplace behavior?

I was always under the impression that having passion about something was a positive thing.  People long for spending more time with things or people they are passionate about in life.  Passion creates and endless supply of energy that people need to do great things.  Finding what your passionate about is an amazing process.  You can't plan it, force it, or buy it.  When you realize what your God given passion is and you are able to live it there are few levels of joy that can match the feeling.  So how can this priceless feeling of joy turn into a situation where it hurts other people in the workplace?

The moment someone disrespects another person in a meeting the passion that person has about the subject matter at hand becomes useless and unwanted.  The so-called passionate person quickly becomes viewed as out of control, rude, disrespectful, and not a team player.  It becomes difficult to work with this person because of how they make you or others feel.  You can find yourself not wanting them involved in projects or discussions because of how they dominate the conversation and how they cause a loss of momentum with the work.  You will begin having side conversations with the other people you need to work with on projects and only bring in the passionate person at the end of the process.  You end up spending more time managing this person and being less productive.

At no time is having passion about something an excuse for disrespecting people or for being unprofessional at work.  Being passionate and professional are not mutually exclusive things.  When you put them together you will find greatness.  You will see people flocking to work with these kind of people.  Passionate and professional people have huge networks, get assigned to big projects, and are always invited to meetings or to be apart of the decision making process.  They are a pleasure to work with and they inspire you.


Are you the one others manage or are you the one that people want to work with?  Be passionate about your work relationships.  Be passionate about how you treat people.  Use your passion for good.

The Cure For Worry

I am a recovering worry-aholic but I have found the cure.

Every time you are in the throws of uncertainty you start to worry. People try to help you by telling you not to worry. Which at that moment, is probably the hardest if not the most impossible thing for you to do.

With the uncertain times happening in our economy and the drama that is on the news every night it is hard not to worry. None of us know what the outcome will be and jobs, investments, and the comforts of life are all at risk.

People say, "try not to think about it" or "stay busy." While these are good tactics they are only temporary because the worry has a way of creeping back in to your thoughts. You can only stay so busy for so long and trying not to think about it means you have to think about something else which if you could do that you wouldn't be worrying in the first place.

Is there a cure for worry? A 12 Step program? A quick-fix pill? Does it take hyponotism or therapy? No, not for me. It was simple and it was right in front of me the whole time.

Let Go - Give up Control.

It was brought to my attention recently that I wasn't in control and never had been. The tighter I tried to control things the more stressed I became. Once I fully understood that the person really in control was more experienced, in the know about what going on, and had my best interest at heart it was easy for me to let go and trust Him.

I still have my moments but they are short-lived now that I know what what I need to do. By trusting and letting go of the control I can live with uncertainty without the fear and without the paralyzing physical effects worry can bring. Now I have peace and confidence that things will be just fine no matter what.

If you need to know this worry-free helper He is easy to find. Just close your eyes and pray and He will be there. God is the worry warrior. Let Him fight the battle for you. After all, He already knows the game plan and has a perfect record.

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [7] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:25

Share the Love - Moments of Appreciation

I believe all thanks go to God for blessing me with the ability to earn a living and afford to buy things that help me live a comfortable life. I thank God for the people He has put around me to shape me, challenge me, help me, support me, and love me. It has recently come to my attention that I am thankful for a lot of things.

Do you ever have a moment when something that you have taken for granted for a long time is suddenly thrown at the forefront of your life? It may be a moment of misery that causes you to remember how great life is or was, but none the less you become very grateful for the things in your life. These precious moments put your priorities in clear focus and cause you to reflect on how good life is.

Here are some things that I am very appreciative of:

- Being raised by two parents in the mid-west
- Parents who attend the ballgames of their kids even though they are not that good just to cheer them on and hopefully see them do something good
- Friends who support you when you need advice or encouragement
- Moms and Grandmas with sewing abilities
- Air conditioning and Air Conditioning repair people
- Electricity and Power Company repair people
- Computers and the Internet & Facebook
- People who voluntarily serve our country in the military
- Military families that sacrifice time with their loved ones so they can protect the rest of us
- Being able to travel places quicker in a car
- Working with a good leader
- Having trusting people to delegate important work to
- Working with people that make you laugh
- People who have the ability to fix things around the house
- People who know how to play a musical instrument (especially the trumpet!)
- Smooth whole grain bread without all the flaky, nutty, grainy texture
- The minute clinic that is open on Saturdays
- When men open doors or pull out chairs for women
- People who say please and thank you--especially children!
- Washing Machines
- State Troopers who keep our roads safe and are respectful to you when they pull you over
- State Troopers who give warnings even when you really deserved a ticket
- State Troopers who have a sense of humor and can appreciate being late for church
- Mom's who help their grown children with laundry and ironing
- People who take vacations at Disney
- Libraries
- Wi-fi
- Cold water
- Hot water
- Television, DVRs and shows that are not stupid
- Sisters who do your laundry when they visit your house when you are not home
- Dad's who go on school field trips and volunteer at school
- Teachers that allowed students with summer birthdays to celebrate with the class during the school year
- The Bible
- Pastors who know their stuff, have a solid character, are great communicators, and just love people
- People who compose music (seriously... how do they do that?)
- How kids learn to communicate and speak
- Funny and innocent things that kids say
- Antibiotics, antihistamines, ibuprofen
- Pizza and ice cream
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.. okay who am I kidding - ALL cookies without nuts or coconut!
- Substituting applesauce for oil when baking
- Healthy muscles and bones in your feet, back, and neck
- Breathing easily and without complication
- People who quit smoking
- Coaches that care about their players on and off the field/court
- Coaches that teach character, values, and responsibility in addition the the skills of the sport
- Dr. Oz
- People who follow the rules
- People who don't follow stupid rules
- Mom's who try to do it all
- Sesame Street, The Muppets, Little House on the Prairie, and The Facts of Life
- Waiting to see and the timing of a sunset
- College professors who grade the content of your papers and give constructive feedback to make you think rather than grade you on your ability to cite references and follow APA formatting
- People who let you go ahead of them at the grocery store when you only have a few items
- Playing sports as a kid for fun and staying in shape as an adult to stay healthy
- Dad's that buy surprises for the whole family at Christmas without consulting mom
- Aunts that spoiled you with attention when you were little

I am sure I could keep going for days. What are you appreciative of?