My Riffs

If you keep doing the same thing you’ll keep getting the same results. If you want different results you’ve got to do something different. If you keep running into the same problem over and over you need to make adjustments and do something different. 

People don't need any more discouragement. We need to spread hope to people. It's free to give and one of the best gifts you can give someone. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Rules are made for a purpose. We need rules. Rules help our formation. But once we understand the rules, we learn where they can and can't be broken. Some rules may be absolute and cannot ever be broken, but other may have room for an exception or better rule.The lesson is don't try and break rules when you don't fully understand them. It takes time and wisdom to learn and understand many of the rules of life. You can keep trying to go about life breaking them without any wisdom or knowledge and that will lead to a life of misery. The better way is to learn why the rules are there and see how the best apply to you. 

Discomfort is our minds or bodies trying to tell us something important. Some discomfort should be tolerated, but other discomfort should be welcomed. Discomfort pushing us from our comfort zone is a very good thing. Thats the type of discomfort we should embrace. 

Often the way to get of pain is to deal with it. Ignoring pain rarely helps the pain. Sometimes you have to go to the pain and in doing so cause it to hurt more. But if you don't it will hurt more down the road. So to get rid of pain you often have to touch the pain and it may hurt worse. But that's how you deal with it. Don't ignore pain. It's a sign something is wrong. 

What’s pushing you? What’s driving you? One of the best purposes to be pushing you is the drive to be your best. Everybody has a best. And everyone’s best looks a bit different. But when being your best is a driving force it will push you to be better than almost any other motivating factor could. 

Self control is the ultimate mastery. There’s no larger task than controlling ourselves. If we can learn to control ourself we control everything we need. 

Keep presenting the truth. It will eventually win. No need to say anything but the truth, ever. Just present the truth and the best possible outcome will happen. 

Your height will only go as far as your root are deep. The roots are where you are nurtured and fed. If you develop a good root system that is fed good and healthy things you can go higher. Shallow roots make for short trees. Deep roots allow for tall trees. It's a lesson for us, grow the fundamental root systems, feed them and nourish them and you'll grow into everything you're made to be.

Always be grateful. There’s always something to be grateful for. Grasp onto whatever it is to be grateful for every time you can. Don’t allow despair to overwhelm you, train yourself to see what you are grateful for. 

Get wisdom and get understanding. If you can get these things; you can take on anything. 

Many conversations we find ourselves wanting to talk about us. The best friends listen to your story though, they're interested in you and what you have to say. If you want to be a good friend, be a good listener. If you want to be a good friend, learn to care about what people have to think and be interested in them.

How you treat people sets the precedent for how you want to be treated. If you treat people well, you are setting the precedent for how you will be treated. You're not guaranteed everyone will always treat you good, but you will set the standard and bar for how you should be treated. Plus when you treat someone well, you start a ripple that extends way beyond the person you've been good to. 

Listening is a skill. Good listeners can make you feel heard. Being heard is something that helps everyone. Being a good listener is actually a very positive and impactful thing you can strive toward. 

Sometimes it's just your support someone needs. That may be all they need to know that they can do it. If you believe in someone, make sure they know. 

Your attitude will determine what you see. How you see reality is through the lens of you attitude. Attitude is a choice and something you can shape. If you choose a good attitude you will see the world as good. 

Your words can carry the power of life and death. Your words matter. Your words carry weight. Your words bring life or they bring death. Your words build or they destroy. Your idle words are even to be judged. Your words matter, think before speaking. Listen twice, think even more, then speak. 

We’re so afraid of the unknown. But it’s in the unknown where real possibility is. Possibility doesn’t exist in the known and comfortable. You have to stretch out into the unknown to find the possibilities and opportunities. It may seem scary to go into the unknown but it’s more scary to maintain the status quo. 

Temptations will come. Don’t bite on them. It’s over a week into a new year and it will be challenging to keep the New Year’s resolutions. But you can’t give in even once. And if you do, don’t give in twice. Don’t give room for temptation even. Stay strong and keep the things you’ve set in order. 

One of the best way to change is to change your inputs. What you read. What you listen to. What you watch. And very importantly who you surround yourself with as they will be inputting into you. 

How well can you handle change? The answer to that question shows how well you handle life. Life = change, some wanted and some unwanted. And how you roll with that change determines how well you ride the waves of life.

Your treasure will be found in what you love. Or said another way, what you love will be where your treasures are spent. The heart always gets what it wants and it will cost your treasure to get that. 

Environment matters. Be selective and picky about your environments. Certain environments are good for growth and others aren’t. Choose ones conducive to maximizing your growth. 

Part of getting wiser is recognizing patterns. Specifically, recognizing patterns in yourself and adjusting early on. Wisdom is recognizing potentially bad patterns in ourselves and making adjustments far in advance prior to any mistakes. Learn your patterns and learn from your patterns of behaviour. 

All your investments come down to time. You can invest your money, your possessions but you paid time for all of those things. Even your skills take time. So your real investment is time. Being wise with your time is the best way to manage your investments. 

Wisdom isn’t always the loud voice. It’s usually the quieter voice. But if you listen, you’ll find wisdom. Listen to wisdom and you will make good decisions. 

Love always wins. It’s a true statement. You can’t lose with love. You can love and experience loss, but you never lose with love. You lose by not loving. 

Bad things can and will happen to us. It’s part of life. It’s built in and we can’t change it. But those bad things are what truly develop us and make us better. The good times and things are to be enjoyed but they’re not what change us. Allow the tough times to make you better. 

Wishing everyone a very happy New Year! Make this year everything you want by taking control of everything in your control!