My Riffs

Giving is better than receiving. Beware of giving to people who only take though. Because you may be enabling them and they won’t appreciate what you give. Give to those in need. 

Avoidance rarely, if ever, produces good results. When there’s something that needs to be said or done, avoidance only exasperates the issue. It will only make it bigger or a worse problem. Swiftly taking care of things or saying things that need to be said is how you stop them from becoming bigger. 

I can’t let me feelings dictate my actions. My actions must be based on feelings and logic. They can’t just be based on logic either though. The proper balance is to let my feelings and logic dictate what I do. 

The default question seems to be, "what went wrong?". But the default question should be, "what went right?". Conditioning our mind to see what went right helps us handle what went wrong. Because it seems to take 100 things to go right to counter the one thing that went wrong. If we can learn to see the one wrong thing through the 100 right things, it gives balanced perspective.

Because something is legal, doesn't mean you should do it. Legal doesn't mean advisable. Finding your own limits is key. Don't just assume what is okay is good. 

Failure isn’t the same thing as a mistake. Mistakes or even unfortunate events don’t equal failure. Failure is when you give up when you shouldn’t. Switching lanes or pivoting isn’t failure. It’s wisdom. How you fail is simply to stop trying. 

Winning isn't when I get everything. It's when what I do benefits those around me. Winning isn't about being better than everyone, it's about what we can do to help everyone be better.

You have much power. You get to choose every response. Nobody can make you lash out. Nobody can make you  respond angrily. Nobody can make you yell. Nobody can make you lose your temper. Nobody can make you jealous. Nobody can make you say things you shouldn’t. You choose. It’s your choice what you want to say or do. 

Don’t react to people and situations. Respond. It’s a much different action. Reaction is knee jerk and emotion driven. Response is rational and wise. 

Point out what’s right. Thats a more challenging or should I say “unnatural” thing to do. We want to point out what’s wrong, but there’s way more that’s right. So point out what’s right and what’s wrong will diminish. 

A sign of maturity is when you can get enjoyment out of others successes and joy. It’s when not everything has to be your way or for your benefit and when you find joy in helping others find their places. 

It’s so hard to disconnect these days. Technology has us connected every waking moment. So much that we get nervous when we disconnect. But it’s so healthy to disconnect from it all at times. Being connected too much never allows for quality processing. 

It doesn’t make it easier when you cut corners out of laziness. That actually makes it harder because you’re not getting the job done. 

The better you know yourself, the better you can be. Knowing yourself means knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t dismiss it when you observe a weakness in yourself. Take note of it and work on it. Don’t be afraid to be introspective and realize your strengths and weaknesses. It’s not weak to admit you have weaknesses. Get to know yourself so you can be your best self. 

How to get better doesn't always require big things. Lots of little things add up to better. Lots of little habits. Lots of little improvements. Lots of little filtering out. Get better little by little. Big changes are needed sometimes, but for long-term, sustainable growth, little by little is the way to go.

How we process new information says a lot about how we will develop. Some people reject new information entirely. Some take new information and twist it. Some take new information and use it to change themselves. Ego would cause one to dismiss new information. The less ego we have the more room we have to grow and learn. 

There’s so much to be grateful for. Take inventory of what you have and be grateful for it all. 

It’s hard to feel like we’re accomplishing something when we’re doing the same thing repeatedly. Accomplishment does mean going above and beyond, reaching a goal that stretches us. Accomplishment does involve a level of repetition. But in the repetition there has to be variety or else there will start being declining results. Repetition is a good thing as it provides a consistency. However, doing the exact same thing repeatedly will keep producing the same results. So to accomplish something new or big, add variety and reach for further goals while keeping the consistency of repetition. 

You can’t change other people. But the best way to change other people is to change yourself. When you change yourself you make other people come to a decision. Your actions matter, so when you make positive changes, others around you will be presented the opportunity to change themselves too. 

Sometimes we get caught taking things that don’t really matter, way too seriously. We can even overlook things that should actually be taken seriously. Things that matter and make a long term effect should be taken seriously. But things that don’t actually affect much should be discarded. 

Problems aren't always the result of something we did wrong. Problems don't mean you're doing the wrong thing. Problems will present themselves when we are moving in a new direction or fixing something that has been wrong. They could be viewed as challenges rather than problems. Problems or challenges can be a sign that you're in fact doing something majorly right. Doing the right thing doesn't mean easy street. Doing the right thing can often be more difficult and challenging. So if we can learn to view our problems as simply part of the process of doing good things, it will make them a whole lot more easy to attack.

There’s some times to go with the flow and there’s times to go against it. Don’t fight the flow when it works for your good. But when it isn’t going where you need to go, fight against it. 

Did I do better today? If not, can I do better tomorrow? And if I did better today, I still need to be better tomorrow. Perfection is an elusive target, but better is always attainable. 

Learning more every day is a choice. Many go through life aimless and not picking up on all there is to learn. Learn more than those around you. Most people aren’t even trying. Learn more and then put that knowledge into action. 

The real race is one of endurance, not speed. It’s the ones that can endure that make it. Speed is flashy and cool, but it doesn’t mean speed will get you there. Endurance will though. 

We honour those who deserve honour. Too many who haven't earned honour want it. But honour is earned, just like respect. So give honour to those who deserve. it and you will gain honour yourself.

You’ll find if you speak the truth you may be less liked but you’ll wield more power. Speaking lies makes us weaker. Telling truth makes us stronger. 

Today is/was a day of lots of practical jokes. One of them almost got me. It was a lesson, don't ever start thinking you're too smart to be fooled. Stay on guard. It's when you let your guard down you will be fooled.