I Don't Feel Like It!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this rainy Sunday afternoon in my Sweet Home Alabama! Additionally, I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. 😊

“I don’t feel like it.” Have you ever heard this phrase, or perhaps said it yourself? If you are a parent, you have probably heard this from one of your kids around doing yardwork, getting up early, etc. Often, we don’t feel like doing these things. What about as we grow older? Have you always felt like going to work? Have you always felt like taking care of your responsibilities? For most of us, the honest answer is “no,” we don’t always feel like it.

What about things like love and gratitude? Do we always feel like being loving toward another or being grateful? For far too many of us, love has become conditional, and we are too busy counting our miseries to recognize our blessings. What if we changed the way we looked at love and gratitude? What if instead of love and gratitude being things we do, they become who we are? What would our world look like then?

Let’s talk about love for a moment…

Love is not always easy or convenient. We won’t always feel like doing things that are loving toward another person. And this is made even more complicated because those who need our unconditional love the most are often those who deserve love the least. Here is the thing though, Friends; at some point in time, we will be both of those people – the one who needs to give unconditional love and the one who does not deserve love. Hopefully we will not act only on what we feel and those in our lives will not do so either!

I want to encourage us to be people who are loving towards others – all of them! Let’s start in our homes and love our spouses/partners well. Let’s be intentional and make the time to show up and be there for them. Let’s listen to their cares and concerns, their hopes and fears, etc. Let’s go out of our way to do loving things for them…they do not have to be grand gestures, just thoughtful ones. What about if you have the honor and privilege of being called Mom or Dad? I can tell you from experience, you won’t always feel like getting up early in the morning and taking them to band, sports, dance, etc. You won’t always feel like doing what they want to do. I can also tell you from experience that the seasons those precious souls are in your home are short, that the love you show will echo into eternity, and that your child wants more than anything is you…just you!

“Love is a verb. Love is doing, saying, and showing. Never think just saying you love someone is enough.” – Unknown

“If you love someone, you better prove it. Because love is not a noun to be defined, but a verb to be acted upon.” – Unknown

Now, let’s talk about gratitude for a moment…

I want to start this section by addressing a scripture that is often misunderstood or perhaps misinterpreted. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Please note, Friends, it does not say “for” all circumstances but “in” all circumstances. There is a profound difference between the two. Horrible things happen to us, things that God would not want for us, and we are not being instructed to give thanks for those circumstances. What we are being told, however, is that in all circumstances there is something to be thankful for. Again, it is not about a feeling, it is an intentional choice to look for the blessing, no matter the situation or circumstance.

I want to encourage all of us to be intentional about counting our blessings. No matter how much dirt we must move, let’s find them and call them by name! Maybe it is something as simple as seeing another day, a blue sky, or perhaps fresh snow. Maybe it is something more profound like someone loving you when you are unlovable, showing up when you are completely broken, or reminding you of who you are. The point is, Friends, there is always something to be grateful for – regardless of our current situation or circumstance.

“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” – Seneca the Younger

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” – W.T. Purkiser

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

I want to close by sharing a post from Todd Gongwer. Todd is the author of Lead…For God’s Sake! I would highly recommend reading this book and following Todd on “X,” formerly Twitter, if you are on social media.

“Every word we speak (write/tweet) powerfully affects our life AND the lives of those to whom we speak.

We have a choice:

Build or break down?

Encourage or discourage?

Truth or deception?

Belief or doubt?

Life & death are in the power of the tongue…

Prov. 18:21

#ChooseWisely”

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great evening, a wonderful week, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well! 😊

Kev

Gratitude

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊

It is Thanksgiving week! I absolutely love this week! While I understand that we all have challenges, struggles, and obstacles in our lives, I also know that we all have people and things in our lives that are blessings. Wisdom has also taught me that the quality of the lives we live will be determined to a very large degree by which we choose to focus on! 😊 My hope with this Happy Friday is that you will choose to recognize and give thanks for the blessings in your life.

I found a very good article titled, What Is Gratitude? It was published on October 29, 2021, and was written by Kendra Cherry, MSEd. You can find the entire article here: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-gratitude-5206817

In an effort to empower you to choose gratitude, I want to share a couple of excerpts from this article.

“Signs of Gratitude

So, what does gratitude look like? How do you know if you are experiencing a sense of gratitude? Expressing your appreciation and thanks for what you have can happen in a number of different ways. For example, it might entail:

• Spending a few moments thinking about the things in your life that you are grateful for
• Stopping to observe and acknowledge the beauty of wonder of something you encounter in your daily life
• Being thankful for your health
• Thanking someone for the positive influence they have in your life
• Doing something kind for another person to show that you are grateful
• Paying attention to the small things in your life that bring you joy and peace
• Meditation or prayer focused on giving thanks”

“How to Practice Gratitude

Developing a sense of gratitude isn't complex or challenging. It doesn't require any special tools or training. And the more you practice it, the better you will become and put yourself into a grateful state of mind. Here's how to do this:

• Observe the moment: Take a second to focus on your experience and how you are feeling. Take stock of your senses and think about what is helping you cope. Are there people who have done something for you, or are there particular things helping you manage your stress, feel good about your life, or accomplish what you need to do? You may also find the practice of mindfulness, which focuses on becoming more aware of the present moment, a helpful tool.
• Write it down: You might find it helpful to start a gratitude journal where you jot down a few things you are thankful for each day. Being able to look back on these observations can help when you are struggling to feel grateful.
• Savor the moment: Give yourself time to really enjoy the moment. Focus on the experience and allow yourself to absorb those good feelings.
• Create gratitude rituals: Pausing for a moment to appreciate something and giving thanks for it can help you feel a greater sense of gratitude. A meditation, prayer, or mantra are examples of rituals that can inspire a greater sense of gratitude.
• Give thanks: Gratitude is all about recognizing and appreciating those people, things, moments, skills, or gifts that bring joy, peace, or comfort into our lives. Show your appreciation. You might thank a person to show you are thankful for them, or you might spend a moment simply mentally appreciating what you have.”

While this is great information from Ms. Cherry, I feel compelled to remind all of us that knowledge without application is just knowledge. Knowledge with application is wisdom…let’s be wise, Friends! 😊

And finally, to inspire you to practice gratitude, I want to share a few quotes I have shared over the past week.

“When you’re grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Daria Sanetra 

“You will never have enough until you are grateful for what you have.” – Richelle E. Goodrich 

“As I look at the man in the mirror, I find I must bow before God in speechless gratitude for not giving me what I deserved.” – John M. Sheehan

“Practicing gratitude is like turning the dimmer switch up. Things you never noticed before keep lighting up your heart.” – Kelly Corbet

“If our wants have to be met before we are grateful, we stand the chance of missing countless blessings.” – Shaun Brooks

“To better your day, every day – practice gratitude before doing anything else.” - Natalie Grace Smith

“Gratitude is a form of surrender. It is a way of saying: I am enough, I have enough, and my life is enough.” – Vanessa Autrey

“To refuse to be thankful is to incessantly focus on the few things that I don’t have at the expense of the many things that I do.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough

“Gratitude and contentment don’t stop you from pursuing your dreams; they keep your heart from trying to live somebody else’s.” – Allene vanOirschot

I want to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and stay well! 😊

Kev

This Much

Happy Friday, Friends! 

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊

Before diving into this Happy Friday, I would like to pause for a moment and say thank you to all our veterans. I am eternally grateful for your service. I also want to share a couple of quotes that challenge and inspire me when I think of honoring our veterans on Veterans Day:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy 

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” – W. T. Purkiser

On Tuesday I attended a prayer breakfast where the keynote speaker was Jeremiah Castille. Mr. Castille played football at the University of Alabama and in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. He now serves as the Team Chaplain for the University of Alabama football team.

Mr. Castille told a great story of when he was playing football at Alabama for legendary Head Football Coach, Bear Bryant. He said he was exhausted, feeling like he could not go on – he actually said he felt like rigor mortis was setting in – when Coach Bryant came in to talk to the team. He said Coach Bryant held his index finger and thumb about a ¼ apart and asked, “Can you get this much better today?” Mr. Castille said he figured he could do that. He then pointed out that if we got just “this much” better every day, over time we will have made great progress.

Mr. Castille was talking about prayer and challenging those in attendance to pray. “Can you get this much better today?” If we did just “this much” every day, over time, how significantly would our relationship with Jesus be? As he noted, it is pretty hard to develop a relationship with someone if you don’t talk to them.

How about you and me? Yes, prayer would be a great place to start, however couldn’t we apply this to every aspect of our lives? If we got just “this much” better today in loving our spouses and children, in pursuing our goals & dreams, in working out…whatever it is that is important to you, how different would our lives be in a week, month, or year? Significantly so!

So that’s it, that is the challenge of this week’s Happy Friday; what is the thing(s) that we can identify that we want to get better at in our lives. Let’s not do what we have done hundreds of times – at least if you are like me! – where you can’t completely change everything today, so you do nothing. Have you ever thought how illogical that is? Let’s just pick one thing, the thing that is most important to us, and then let’s commit to getting “this much” better today. Tomorrow we will get to make the same choice again. If we choose wisely, we will find ourselves in a completely different place soon. And one more reminder; the time is going to pass anyways. Why don’t we utilize it to become the best versions of ourselves instead of circling back in 6 months, full of regret, stuck in the same place?

Here are a few quotes for you to thoughtfully consider:

“Practice the philosophy of continuous improvement. Get a little bit better every single day.”  - Brian Tracy 

“Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” - James Clear 

“This is a fundamental truth about any sort of practice: If you never push yourself beyond your comfort zone, you will never improve.” - Anders Ericsson

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” - Tony Robbins

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, please stay well, and Happy Veterans Day! 😊

Kev

Let's Not Forget

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊 Hard to believe it is already November, and the 307^th opportunity of the year! Hey, it doesn’t matter what we have done with the other 306 opportunities, the only one that matters is this one! 😊

This week’s Happy Friday is simply going to be a reminder. Earlier this week I came across this quote:

“Sometimes it is harder for us to smile at those who live with us, the immediate members of our families, than it is to smile at those who are not so close to us. Let us never forget; love begins at home.” – Mother Teresa

So good, and possibly convicting, isn’t it? Let’s not forget, Friends! Yes, our vocations are important and many of you who are reading this are doing critically important work. We must never forget, however, that the most important work any of us will ever do is within our own homes. I truly believe that I can be a smashing success at work, however if I have not loved my wife and sons well, I have failed. How about you?

And I don’t want this Happy Friday to be a “you gotta get your priorities in order!!!” type of message. As I type these words, I think of the Casting Crowns song Slow Fade. The chorus says:

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away

It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

It’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fade

*While I do realize neglecting our families is not what Casting Crowns was talking about with this song, I do think it illustrates the point quite well.

No, this isn’t a guilt trip kind of message but rather a “hey, let’s pause for a moment and take stock of things.” I have absolutely been there where I was slowly fading away. It was just a season I told my wife and sons… “when this busy season of life is over we will be able to play catch, I will be able to be home earlier.” And then that season turned into, “I really can’t take a vacation this year because there is just too much to do.” And on and on it went until one missed vacation became a second missed vacation and the days and hours never got shorter. Thankfully I corrected that course and that is exactly what I am encouraging you to do today if you reflect and find you are fading. I also do want to acknowledge that there are brief seasons where we do have to make some sacrifices. The key is the seasons should be brief and we should be able to consistently honor those in our own homes first. If not, I would strongly encourage us to consider if the job is worth it. We are sacrificing precious souls for it!

As we aspire to make a significant difference in whatever our chosen field of endeavor, I want to encourage us to never forget to make a difference in our homes first. Let’s be as intentional with our spouses/partners and children as we are with everyone else. Another Kev confession: I will never forget the day several years ago Kathy said to me, “You spend all your time helping others become leaders, what about us?!” That convicted my Spirit deeply and changed how I have lived my life from that moment forward.

So, 307 is here! Each one of us will choose what to do with this day. Please don’t spend a moment beating yourself up or regretting the past…simply live this day fully – relentlessly pursuing your purpose and loving, caring for, and serving others…beginning in our homes first.

I will close with a few quotes:

“The most important of the Lord’s work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home.” - Harold B. Lee 

"Your accomplishments in business will not be on your tombstone. But your family will be." – Unknown 

"A man should never neglect his family for business." - Walt Disney 

"The most important thing in the world is family and love." - John Wooden

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well! 😊

Kev