My Riffs

Everyone seems to have "that thing" or "those things" that just really get us. Sometimes we call them pet peeves. We have areas where we just seem vulnerable to allowing something to get under our skin. They may even be very legitimate issues, but they also identify areas of weakness or vulnerability. We can be troubled about a situation, but cannot let it master us. Once it masters us, we lose the ability to overcome it.

Do you need help? It's a sign of strength to admit it and ask. We all comes to places in life where we need help, we need to normalize asking for help. The old song says "we all need somebody to lean on". Let's be someone to lean on and let's also lean on people when we need to. We're all better together and stronger together. But we have to reach out to be together.

Where do you derive your value from? That’s an important question to ask. It’s important to really know the answer to it very clearly too. The reason is, too many people derive their value from the wrong things and places. This leads to letdowns and fast devaluations which leaves some devastated and injured. Finding value from correct sources won’t allow you to be easily devalued.

We can obsess over what people think about us, but those very people likely don’t really know us. So unless they truly know and understand you, should it matter what they think of you? Keep your circle of people small whose opinions you value. You’ll go crazy trying to please too many people. 

The biggest force in the world is love. Does that mean that hate is weak? I believe hate can easily be overcome by love. So love and love big!

Today is a day to hold our loved ones a little closer and tighter. Not everybody has that luxury today and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

It's gonna take work to accomplish anything significant. It's gonna take work to do anything of value. Nothing of value comes easy so we have to be prepared to do the work.

If you allow yourself to have low standards you lower your ceiling. Expect the best of and for yourself. Don't settle for lower than what you're capable of.

People without purpose fail. People with purpose may experience setbacks but they don’t fail. Their value is in their purpose and their purpose provides a goal that that failure can’t stop. Finding one’s purpose is one of life’s greatest treasure. Those who find it find true life. 

I spent a day in Banff and was reminded that nature can teach us a lot. There’s many lessons to be learned in observing nature. Take the time and see what you can learn!

Some thing in life we choose. Many other things we don’t. Even in the things we don’t choose, we have a choice on our response. To the future really will be dictated by our choices. It may not turn out how we thought it may, but we have lots of influence in it with our choices. 

Perfection is an impossible target, but better is always a reasonable target. We get better incrementally. Forget being perfect and just be better. Over time better will become great.

To tag onto yesterdays post about being stronger... For many, being stronger means somebody else needs to be stepped on or tore down. However, that's not how it works. Truly being stronger happens when we help others and in turn we all become stronger. Tearing someone down or stepping on them isn't a show of strength, it's a show of our own weakness and immaturity. Building someone up is a true show of strength.

We’re made stronger or weaker by the things we consume and the activities we partake in.  It's time to opt out of activities that make you weaker. Here's a few things that make us stronger, they are a little different for everyone of course. But generally these are things that make us stronger. Good food Exercise Positive influences Being outside Good books Here are things that make us weaker and things we should spend less time doing. Negative thinking Gossip Social media Bad food We all derive strength from common things but also some unique things. Remove things that make you weak and take part in things that make you stronger.

Weeds grow faster and easier than valuable and beautiful plants. This is a very apt analogy for life. Bad things will grow easily. Good things take work and cultivation much like how a exquisite plant would. Dandelions grow fast and easy, with little to no assistance. Same thing in life, bad things will grow with little to no effort. Bad habits form easily, bad relationships form easily, bad attitudes come with no effort. But if you want a beautiful life, much like a beautiful plant, you have to work hard at it. You have to keep a close eye on yourself and not allow any weeds to choke the good things happening. You have to spend time cultivating the good and it will grow into something more valuable than you could ever imagined. 

For some reason, we are programmed to think fast is always better. But it's not a correct assumption. There's usually more value in slowing down than speeding up. Society has us thinking faster is always better so it goes against our instinct to slow down. Slowing down allows for better quality. When we intentionally slow down we experience more and can be more present. This allows for better quality.

Be an example. Talk has become cheaper than ever with technology and social media. Action has never been more important. You don't even have to say much, just be an example. You will be more by being an example than by speaking countless words.

It's the things we didn't do that we regret more than what we have done. What's within your control, must be done. Or you will regret it. Even if you make a mistake, that's easier to take than having done nothing.

We used to be able to handle a difference of opinion. It seems that having a difference of opinion now if reason for division. It ruins healthy balance, it ruins good discourse. We all are poorer for it. The tide can turn one by one though. If we individually learn to listen to someone with a difference of opinion and not minimize them, but value them and listen to what they feel and say. It's okay to have a difference of opinion.

I keep hearing so much talk about pain and suffering. I think especially in this season in history, we’ve seen an increased amount of both. But they’ve always been part of life. They’re that unfortunate part of living that we have to contend with. It’s that unfortunate part of life that makes the good times what they are. Without experiencing the moment of pain and suffering, the good times wouldn’t carry the weight they do. 

Mothers Day, a day loaded with emotion. The word will strike a note with every single person. Whatever Mothers day means and feels to you, wishing everyone the best today. Mothers have so much to teach and so much for us to learn. What an important role Mothers have, much respect to every Mother.

When you have a tough day, you learn a whole lot about yourself. Take good notes of how you respond on bad days. There will be your list of things to work on for the next while.

If there’s a good opportunity, it’s gonna be equally difficult. Good things, or shall I say great things don’t come easy. They don’t come cheap. They don’t appear without much work and dedication. Is what your facing difficult? Good! There’s some major value there for you to extract. 

Having support makes the load lighter. Sometimes just knowing there is support is enough to make things lighter. If you support someone, let them know! It may be just what they need!

You have to make time for what's important. The important things often won't make time for themselves until they're in an emergency state. So take care of the important things early. Make time for them.

Life comes at us fast and hard and we often forget to make time for what really matters. It's putting one fire out after the next. But the fires will never end. Making time for the long term, more important things has to be done. 

If something is convenient, it will be coming at a high cost. We look at convenient things as better, but when we assess the cost, we may find they aren't better at all. Convenience comes with a high cost. The less convenient route may better more often than we naturally seem to choose.

One of the best things we can be is a good example. There is a plethora of bad examples in our society. Some of the most popular people are the worst examples. There’s a shortage of good examples though. What’s needed in society today is more good examples. The next generation very likely may reflect the prevailing examples of the current generation. So be an example worth replicating.