My Riffs

It’s the eve of a new year.  The best question is, what did I do last year? Did I do the best with what I was given? If I didn’t, no better day to start than tomorrow. But I need to know why I didn’t do it last year so I can fix that.  Unless something changes, this year will be identical to last year. 

You’ll find what you’re looking for. One way or another.  You wanna see ugliness and problems? You won’t have to look far.  But what if you wanna see beautiful things and positive things? If you look, you can find it. And this is the eye you want to develop. 

If you to do something, no matter how small or insignificant, let it be done with it quality.  Let it be known that if you’re doing something, it will be done with quality and care. If that becomes your ethos you will elevate your abilities. Quality will always take you further than quantity. So don’t rush through the tasks to just knock them out, because you’re missing out on the important aspect, doing it with quality.  

The best investment is people.  Invest in people.  That’s the best ROI you can possibly get. 

It’s okay to withhold your opinion.  We feel pressured to have an opinion on everything.  Silence says something, but we don’t have to have a hot take on everything single issue.  Reserve opinions for things that matter and when your opinion actually makes a difference. But pressure to say something and have an opinion should be ignored.  A wise man isn’t the man who speaks the most. It’s usually the man who delivers the most with the fewest words. 

A new year is coming but don’t wait.  Start tomorrow. Make changes now. Why wait?

Merry Christmas to everyone!  All the best this season! Jesus is the reason for the season. 

It’s Christmas Eve.  Slowing down for a few days and trying to take in more real life. 

We can’t always run a break neck pace. You have to slow down in order to go fast when you need to.  If you only go fast, you’ll slow down slowly, and eventually crawl.  Slow down, reenergize. Then go fast as needed. 

This is such good life advice. Just stay curious.  We constantly experience situations where we don’t understand something or somebody. We could get mad and frustrated, or….we could just get curious. Rather than react, try to understand. Get curious. Stay curious. Rather than jumping to conclusions, simply stay curious. Your emotions will be steadier and your energy won’t be drained, and more importantly you’ll learn much. 

Not all wins have to look like big, dramatic finishes.  A win can be simple and small. You keep piling up small wins and that’s how you do great things.  Little by little leveling up and doing the right thing will get you further than a single big win. 

Don’t give up.  Change tactics. But don’t give up. 

Hope for the best, be prepare for otherwise.  Things rarely go how we thing they will. But with tenacity and creativity we can get to where we need to be. 

When you hold the truth, you hold the ultimate power.  So always stand with the truth. Don’t give an inch to a lie.  Speak truth in love and kindness and you’ll be an unstoppable force. 

Silence says something. But you don’t always have to have an opinion.  Being silent doesn’t mean you’re not saying something. Often our silence is saying something. That doesn’t mean we’re compelled to always have an answer or opinion on everything. Speak to things you know, truthfully. But if you don’t have anything to add, don’t just add noise.  The real problem is when we’re silent when truth needs to be spoken. That’s an error of omission that cannot happen. You speaking the truth is the most powerful tool you have. Withholding that is a grave error and sin. 

Growth isn’t linear. So you may slip but as long as you keep moving and pointing in the right direction you’ll grow.  So keep your direction and heart oriented in the right direction. 

Everything gets better when you’re having fun.  If you’re having a tough run, just smile and suddenly it gets a bit better. Cause it tells your body you’re enjoying it.  Any job is better when you’re having fun.  Lots of important work is simply just work and it’s hard, but learn to find the enjoyment and fun and it will be easier.  Conversely, things get much harder when we complain.  We can make something difficult even worse by complaining.  Gratitude and joy are like vehicles to get us through tough times. 

When the work gets hard, that’s when it means something.  So when things get difficult, embrace them. That’s when real growth begins. 

Our energy is limited.  Put it into things that are worth it.  Don’t let your energy be drained by things you can’t control or bring you down.  If it’s out of your control let it go.  Invest energy into things that bring a good return. 

Everybody likes to be encouraged. So many are discouraged. Be an encourager. Make people feel better, make people believe in themselves.

If you can find joy in the little things, your life takes a giant leap forward in quality.  Contentment and gratitude will lead you to a full, happy life. 

Taking ownership of things within your control is a power move.  It’s easy to blame situations or people, but that gives away our power. Taking ownership reclaims our power. 

Being calm is a far underrated skill.  Someone who can bring calm can have profound impact.  There’s so much chaos in our world. Those who can bring calm can master the chaos. And also influence those who are effected by chaos. 

Timing is everything.  Take advantage of opportunities when you can.  Be patient when needed.  But don’t wait for things to happen for you. Make them happen!

We need more builders. There’s too many destroyers.  You’ll accomplish so much more by building than tearing down. Tearing down is easy. Building is difficult but better. 

The way to climb isn’t by stepping on people.  That lowers us.  The way you climb is by lowering yourself and serving people. 

If your idea is better, embody it. Live it out loud.  Usually you don’t have to say anything. Just do it.  Showing your idea is better then telling it. 

Hatred will never be overcome with hatred.  It can only be overcome with love.  Someone consumed by hate won’t be changed by more hate.  Hate doesn’t accomplish anything.  Love is much stronger.