Tag Archives | Humility

What to do When the Boat is Sinking | Thoughts on Honesty, Control, and Letting Go

You’re in the middle of the ocean. You’re the only person on the boat. And, the boat is sinking.     This is my greatest fear—complete isolation in the middle of the ocean. Yet I have purposefully been visualizing this fear. While some may see it as unnecessary or unproductive to emotionally assume your greatest fear, I have found it empowering. By placing myself in this scenario and choosing to feel the emotion, it has helped me realize that I […]

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The Pressure of a Perfect Christmas

I recently read a story about an ambitious dad who decided to trump the Elf on the Shelf tradition by actually dressing up as the elf himself. Apparently, hiding a stuffed elf every night wasn’t challenging enough. His story went viral. Touché elf dad, pictures of you dressed up like a life-sized elf duct-taped to the wall are on every news site in America. Clark Griswold, eat your heart out. But I have a confession. When I see stories like this […]

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Nobody’s Guru

I remember a movie when I was growing up called, Nobody’s Fool. Although I haven’t seen it, I think it stars the guy whose picture is on the salad dressing bottle in the grocery store. That’s Paul Newman, right? I always confuse him with Robert Redford for some reason. Anyway, I thought about that title this week as my thumb was busy perusing my Twitter feed. I don’t have many followers on Twitter. Perhaps it’s because I don’t play the game […]

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America Needs More CEOs Like This Guy

The Story of the Anti-CEO There was once a CEO of a thriving, 100 million-dollar business. What began as a dream in a garage had grown into a national organization with more than a thousand employees. According to every economic, social, and professional metric, the CEO and the company were successful. As the business grew, the CEO found out that one of his employees had a daughter who was battling cancer. Upon learning the devastating news, he insisted that his […]

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This Homeless Man Didn’t Want My Money, He Wanted Something Else

Aside from a perimeter fence, the only thing that separates our rear property line from the parking lot of College Acres Baptist Chuch is a narrow row of trees. Except for Wednesday night and Sunday morning, the lot stays quiet—and quite peaceful I might add. But not too long ago, it provided the setting for a fateful encounter with a homeless man who taught me one of life’s greatest lessons. It is a lesson that will serve us in more […]

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The Gratitude Cycle

If you pause and look at your life objectively, I think you’ll recognize a real tension that pulls you in opposite directions. On one side there’s gratitude, generosity, and humility. On the other side, you see entitlement, fear, and pride. Every human being is driven by three distinct tensions: Gratitude — Entitlement Generosity — Fear Humility — Pride In every circumstance, every relationship, and every interaction, we feel these polar forces at work. A quick look at American culture and many would argue that we […]

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Blinded by Pride

In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was fashionable to wear wigs—wigs that were mostly made of wool. So, when the media would report on an issue from a biased perspective, the common critical response was, “they’re pulling the wool over our eyes.” And of course, it’s hard to see the truth when you can’t see at all. One of the most blinding forces we face is our own pride. It inhibits us from seeing clearly because, of course, the only thing pride […]

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