My Riffs

On the cusp of a new year it's best to look back over the last years blessings and put behind you anything bad that happened. Look forward expecting the best. Some bad things will happen this coming year, but expect good things too.

It's a lot harder to unlearn something than learn it. Unlearning is a part of life though. As we go through our lives we find things we must unlearn, and those are usually the most difficult battles. We’re not to blame often, we couldn’t know it wasn’t correct. But we have to put in the work to undo it. Everyone has things to unlearn. Good on everyone who is putting in the work and unlearning. That takes honesty, strength and courage and what great characteristics to develop as you unlearn. 

If you've given it your best, let it go. Let it go meaning don't fret over it. Once you've given your best, that's all you can do. Put in your best honest effort and then let it be. 

Stop putting off what should be done today. It’s easy to push it off but we’re wasting time and life by putting it off. Successful people don’t procrastinate. Get it done today. 

If you're not doing hard things then you're getting weaker. Shying away from difficult things doesn't help us, it weakens us.

I read a good tip today about New Years resolutions. It was suggested that instead of New Year resolutions, make resolutions for new skills to learn. That sounds like a great idea!

Merry Christmas! May this day and season be filled with everything you need. 

Giving is the best form of receiving. The things you get back from giving are so much more valuable that the gift itself. 

There is little beauty when things are under construction. But things don't get better without construction. It's an ugly process of usually tearing out unneeded and decaying pieces. It hurts and it extremely uncomfortable, but it's to make things better. You don't create a beautiful edifice without some very ugly construction. If you're under construction, hold on, something good is in progress.

Your life will only be as good as the amount you love.

Every online product comes with reviews. The funny thing is there’s almost always polar opposite reviews for the same product. Makes the reviews harder to use.  What do we want to be known for? What would our reviewers say about us? Our life is a story, become what you want people to say about you now. 

Some of the surest things have fallen apart. You can be sure about very few things. Whatever good things you have in your life, treasure them. Don't take one good thing for granted.

Jesus said that Peacemakers are blessed. Seems to many are wanting to start wars today. Be it culture wars, political wars, social media wars and more. Be a Peacemaker in the middle of so many wanting to war. Your value is far higher as a peacemaker than a war maker. In a world intent on war, be a Peacemaker.

The more you know someone, the more you understand them. We too often judge people without truly know them and their story. If we try to learn and understand them we likely won’t judge them but rather be compassionate. 

There will always be a fallout for standing for and speaking the truth. That's what makes it so difficult. The fallout may not be pleasant and joyful but it will always bear good results in due time. 

Flying is best when it comes to troubles. To get up and above, to get a higher view of your issues put them in proper perspective. Ground level views make them bigger than they are. Flying above them (a change of perspective) helps us put them in their place.

You have to stick with your principles but be flexible with your methods. Companies that stray from their principles will inevitably end up irrelevant. Companies that stick to their principles and are flexible in their methods will always be relevant. 

If you don't rest enough, you can't work and play well. If you don't play enough you won't rest and work well. If you don't work enough you won't have a place to rest or play. Finding a good balance of the three is how you create a good quality life.

You can always get better. There’s always more to learn and improve. You never arrive. Cause if you stop working you slip backwards. 

Life is meant to be spent, not held back. You only live once so the only things to hold back on are negative and self destructive impulses. Otherwise, live life giving. 

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. Do it well or don’t do it. 

The amount you are willing to love is the amount you are willing to be hurt. As with so many things in life, you rarely get one thing. You don't just get happiness without experiencing sadness. You don't get joy without pain and loss. You can't have love without hurt. But holding back on love brings a much worse result than simply being hurt does. It's best to love big and be willing to be hurt, because not having loved costs much more.

Don't forget you. Work, family and life can take over our schedule. And our life should largely be lived to help others. But you need to take care of you. If you don't take care of you, then you won't be able to help others. So don't neglect yourself. 

There's a time to be patient and wait. But many things (maybe even most things) require us to seek them out. To hunt them down. To knock on the doors. A little slumber and a little sleep (too much patience) will end up in poverty. We have to go after the things we want. We have to go after the good things of life. Good things come to those who wait, but don't mistake patience for inaction.

My eye naturally sees what's wrong. But I'm training myself to speak the good. No special talent is necessary to see the bad, but it takes someone special to see the solutions and the good.

You're following someone or something and someone is or will be following you. Where your aim is affects you and those after you. Our actions matter much. Our words matter much. They're not inconsequential. We likely are repeating what we're looking at. And those looking at us will again repeat.

Nobody wants to be known as a quitter. And that’s a very valid thing to avoid being known as. But it’s also good to quit some things. Or more accurately, quit the unnecessary things. Quitting the unnecessary things allows you to be better at the more important things.  

What possible good can come from resentment? I can’t think of any possible good. Resentment is something to shun. It has no positive value, it will only drag you down. 

December marks the end of the year. Make the end better than the beginning! The ending is most important so make it better than the first of the year!