My Riffs

What’s within will eventually spill out.  Work on the inner person. That’s what will flow outward. Whether you like it or not.  Get the inside right and the things around will become right. 

It's people that matter, not things. We work hard to impress people, often by buying things. But what we should be doing to impress is simply being a good person. Nothing makes a truly better impression than being a good, kind and helpful person.

The only way to reach high and to withstand reaching high is to go deep.  Deep roots make for enduring heights. 

How you feel on the inside and how healthy you are on the inside will show on the outside.  If not immediately, eventually.  Do the inner work. Those around you will benefit. 

We all will be tested. Our mettle will be revealed.  Build your inner person. What’s inside will be revealed. So work and build that character, it’s what will be revealed. 

Endurance is an underrated skill.  Many start strong and fall off.  But people who can start and endure make it to the finish lines. 

Facing a challenge will tell you a lot about yourself.  Do you shrink back and complain? Or do you rise up and meet it regardless of how you feel? Your mettle is revealed in challenges. 

What's powerful? Power is often thought of as raw, overwhelming force. And that's true. What's more powerful than a tsunami or hurricane? That's powerful. But for humans, that same brutal power found in nature doesn't translate as effective power. Power is kindness. Power is clear and effective communication. Power is articulating great ideas. Power is showing and leading people in a better way. That's truly power. Force or coercion isn't really power. It's fear and force. And will eventually backfire. Be a powerful force. And that means be the best you were meant to be. Be kind and courageous, that's really what's powerful.

The substance will eventually come out. You can dress something up but eventually the substance will be exposed. What your made of will at some point be shown. Work on the inner person, it’s what people will see and what will make you who you are. 

If you're given your best, you can rest. It's when we don't give our best that we are left with what if's. When we give our best, the best possible outcome will happen. Even if it's not the outcome we wish for, it's still the best possible one. If something is worth doing, it's worth giving it our best shot.

Nice guys finish last I’ve heard. But being nice doesn’t have to mean being a pushover. You can be nice but also firm. Nice done right can actually accomplish a whole lot. Nice done right should have you finishing first. 

Hard times reveal a lot. Hard times will reveal where you’re weak and where you’re strong. Strong people get going when times are hard. Weak people create hard times. Strong people keep going when things get tough. Weak people bow out. Let hard times flush out where you’re strong and where you’re weak. 

Selfish people think of themselves more often and think of themselves as more important. People with humility think of others as equal or more than themselves and find themselves no more important than anyone else. Selfless people give and selfish people take. Selfish people are satisfied easy, selfless people find contentment much faster. The art of living selfless takes maturity and it the better way to aim. Selfless people are the ones who truly make the world a better place.

The things that we think impress people are really some of the least impressive things. Society seems to demand we impress people with the superficial and temporal. But what is really impressive are the things of character and love. Good character is impressive. Showing love is impressive. Generosity is impressive. Flashy things aren't actually as impressive. Getting character and giving from a generous heart is so much more impressive.

There may times it’s tempting to repay evil with evil or just bad with bad. But it won’t help. Repaying bad with bad just makes it more bad. Do good. Don’t let your ego get in the way. Always do good and you will become a bigger and better person. 

Develop your character before anything else. Develop it before your skills. Develop it before your physical strength. Develop it before your career. Your character will be what carries and sustains you as you develop other areas of your life. Talent, strength or hard work will only go so far without the underlying bedrock of character. 

Secrets are weakness. Secrets don't make us stronger they make us weaker. The cost of revealing secrets is worth it because the consequence of revealing a secret isn't worse than the weakness it's costing.

The things we see may not be the most real. The most real things may not been immediately seen. We all put on our best faces and people may not see what we’re really dealing with. The most real things are unseen like Love, and our spirits and our character. 

Nobody likes to get rocked. And life will rock you. But it’s possible to get better at not getting rocked. You can be better at not letting life and people rock you. Learning to steady your ship when storms come helps both yourself and others around you. Get good at steadying your ship; you won’t get rocked nearly as much. 

This may be counterintuitive, but the best way to change others is to change ourselves. When we change ourselves sometimes we learn it's not them that needs to change, but it's us. Also we can't expect people to change when we don't. Lastly, as we change we effect change around us. So instead of focusing on changing others, change yourself and you'll make the world a better place. As the song says, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror...".