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Showing posts with the label Sometimes You Win

“The key to being free from the stranglehold of past failures and mistakes is to learn the lesson and forget the details.”

A thought by John C Maxwell, (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn: Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 199). Center Street. Kindle Edition. Add caption But we usually do the opposite, we remember the details, rehearse, relive the details and don’t learn anything. Those failures, those mistakes take on a life of their own and we become them. And that is such a waist.   I was listening to Mike and Mike on ESPN this morning.   And Mike Greenberg was dealing with identity.   He was talking about Mike Golic his radio host partner about his identity.   He thought that Mike Golic would probably think of himself more as a retired football player but who would be known more for his TV and Radio work.   But his identity was as a football player. What about your identity?   Who would you say you are?   I am divorced.   I am a failure.   I am… What you say you are tells me where you are living.   Yes those mistakes, those fail

"The greatest gap in life is the one between knowing and doing."

A thought by John C. Maxwell, (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn:Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 219). Center Street. Kindle Edition. I am about to finish this book.   I have underlined and shared a lot of thoughts here on this blog but if that was all I did then it would just be entertainment and in a sense a waste of my time.   And I don’t have enough days here to live to waste them.   The key is, what am I going to do with what I have read and the same is true of you?   What are you doing with what you know? Now knowing is very important.   There are so many people who have died between their ears.   They are not challenged to learn.   They went to school and that part of their life they say is over.   But our brain didn’t go out of existence just because we finished going to school.   Knowing is very important but doing is the next step from knowing. I am challenging myself to read 14 books this year.   I am

"Success in life is: the learned ability to keep bouncing back."

A thought by John C. Maxwell, (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn:Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 221). Center Street. Kindle Edition. If I can give you something that will make this a great year it is for you to see this as a reality in your life.   Life is tough.   John quotes Joseph Sugarman who says, “If you’re willing to consider failure as a blessing in disguise and bounce back, you’ve got the potential of harnessing one of the most powerful success forces.” That to me is faith being lived out.   How you bounce back says whether you believe God is good and God makes good out of every situation in a Christ-followers life or He doesn’t care.   If He doesn’t care then all of the bad that happens to you has no purpose behind it.   It just happens.   But if you believe that He has a plan for you and your life then no matter what happens to you goes through Him first and the purpose for it has been changed for your

"Trying to change others is an exercise in futility."

A thought by John C. Maxwell, (2013-10-08) from his book, Sometimes You Win--Sometimes You Learn:Life's Greatest Lessons Are Gained from Our Losses (p. 190). Center Street. Kindle Edition. As a retired Pastor I understand that.   I can give people insights but I can’t get them to believe them and accept them and that frustration can change me for the worst.   John says, “For many years my life was filled with disappointments over other people’s unwillingness to grow. For years I waited for them, hoping for progress. Too many times I have hoped circumstances would change, only to be disappointed. Anything you try to change that is outside of your control will ultimately disappoint you.” I love the illustration of taking your fist and pushing against your other hand.   What happens?   It pushes back.   So what do you do?   You don’t push.   Another way to say it is, you change your attitude.   Pushing doesn’t help but acceptance of the person not the action will go