You Got Knocked Down. So What? Get Up!

The world is full of quitters. Some people quit jobs and relationships like changing clothes. At the first sign, or after several signs, of trouble they are ready to pack up and move on. We don’t have staying power anymore. Without staying power, we are unstable and can’t stand up to the slightest struggle.

As a young boy I loved watching college football on Saturday afternoons. I dreamed of one day being a receiver in the NFL. I could catch a ball like nobody’s business. And man, was I fast. So my sights were set high. I knew I was good.

During the summer of transition between junior high and high school, I went to football camp. Just as I thought, I was one of the fastest runners and I could catch anything they threw near me. Even though I was smaller than most of the other players, my confidence was high.

But then the day came to learn defense. With such great offensive skills, what did I need with defensive practice? Up until this point, there had been no defense so all I did was catch and run. But on this day I received my first tackle. What a hit! I really didn’t think it would hurt so much. At that moment, my dream of playing football ended.

I wasn’t prepared for the hits that would inevitably take me down, time and time again. So, I just decided to quit. I couldn’t handle being knocked down.

People quit jobs and relationships because they can’t handle the hard hits. They aren’t prepared to deal with negative consequences to their own mistakes. So what if you messed up at work and got wrote up? You didn’t get fired. So what if you hurt your friend’s feelings and they got mad at you? They didn’t shoot you. Is that a reason to give up?

Every single one of us gets knocked down from time to time. We have the choice of getting up and moving on or we can simply give up. No matter how hard the hits come, getting back up is still an option. If you screwed up at work, do what you can to fix the problem and learn from it so that the next time you are confronted with a similar situation, you’ll know what to do. It doesn’t have to end at the point of takedown.

I could have taken what I learned on the football field that day and grown from it. I could have begun working out and bulking up so that I could withstand the tackles. But instead I chose to be a quitter. You don’t have to quit.

Learn from your mistakes. Grow from them. Just don’t be a quitter. That leads to so much regret in life. Looking back I can see all my misconceptions and failures in fulfilling my dream. Maintain focus on your job, in your relationships, in your dreams and goals. You can make it if you just don’t quit.

Movin' on Up! Rise Above Status-Quo(5 Steps to Promotion)

There are a whole lot of people in this world that have been waiting on a promotion for a long time.  I used to be one of those.  I continually worried myself about moving up the ladder of success.  I’ve worked quite a few jobs, performing a variety of tasks.  But, here I am, 46 years-old and have learned the pathway to advancement and I want to share what I have learned.  My desire is for you to learn from my experiences and from what I have found out by watching others remain stuck in their positions.  If you will take the information I’m about to share with you and apply it to your situation, you may not become top dog at your company but you will be in much better position for your climb to a better life.

If you feel stuck in your present position in the workplace, work these techniques into your approach:

1)       Stop complaining.  This one is first because it is the toughest.  It is so easy to complain about not enough money, or somebody else received the promotion that should have gone to you, or I’m tired of working these hours.  Our complaints are one of the biggest contributors to our lack of advancement.  We find anything and everything to complain about.  We wake up in the morning and dread going to work. ‘I wish I didn’t have to go into that place today.’  ‘I dread what I’m going to have to do or who I’m going to have to deal with.’  That feeling of dread, that doom-and-gloom attitude will bring us down quicker than anything.  We must change our attitude if we want to move up.  Stop complaining about everything.  There is no room for complainers at the top.  When you get up in the morning, make up your mind that it’s going to be a good day.  Make up your mind that whatever you must do on the job will turn out great, simply because you have developed a positive attitude.  Make up your mind that you won’t allow anyone to deter you from this new outlook with their snide remarks and childish behavior.  Whether you realize it or not, your boss is as concerned about your attitude as much as, if not more, than your work.  So, cheer up, think positive, and speak positive.

2)      No matter what you do, do it to the very best of your ability.  When you do just enough to get by, your supervisors are taking notice and look at you as someone who doesn’t care.  And someone who doesn’t care will not be moving into any position of authority or influence.  They will remain right where they have been, unless they are shown the door.  When you put your all into a task or project, you are demonstrating a desire to see your company succeed.  You are proving to the people around you that you care about the quality of your work, which is a direct indication of the quality of life you want to live.  Give it your all and you will be rewarded. 

3)      Show respect to the people around you.  Don’t talk about others who work for the same company and run them into the ground.  Don’t allow the rumor mill to be fueled by your tales of discontent and revenge.  Speak up and defend your co-workers.  Lend a hand if they need help.  Don’t spread anger and spite for your supervisors simply because they made a decision that you didn’t like.  Get over it and move on.  Whether you are dealing with co-workers at ground level or the CEO of the company, display the same amount of respect to both.  Goodness begets goodness, mercy begets mercy, and respect begets respect.

4)      Let it be known, through your actions and your appropriate conversations with management that you are open and willing to learn new things.  That shows them that you have incentive to succeed.  They want to know that you want to build the company rather than just build your checking account.  A company can only grow as much as its employees are willing to grow.  Your willingness to learn demonstrates growth possibility in you.  When asked about work-related ideas or your plans in the future of the company, be honest.  If you are looking to stick around and advance, tell them that.  They want to know who is in it for the long haul.

5)      Finally, become a problem solver.  If there are issues that you may have noticed concerning your job or something around you, don’t be afraid to approach a supervisor and be straight with them; ‘Hey, there is a problem with this machine over here and I may know a way that it can be fixed efficiently without needing to call in a specialist.’  Try that type of approach.  If you can demonstrate a willingness to help the company while saving them money, you have become a problem-solver.  That makes you important to the success of the team.  You become an asset rather than an instigator.

These actions have been invaluable to me.  I have been working for a company for seven years and done everything that has been asked of me.  I have not always been the easiest person to get along with.  I have come close to quitting several times.  But things changed recently because I changed my approach.  I was offered a promotion to a position that I knew nothing about and had no desire to even attempt.  I was angry for the way the ‘opportunity’ was presented to me and I complained like a big baby.  But I came to a decision.  It occurred to me that I wasn’t giving this a chance.  I have been told repeatedly that I had a lot of potential for growth in our company.  So, I made up my mind that I was going to go into this new position with a new attitude.  I decided to attack this job, head-on.  I determined to learn everything I could and grow quickly in knowledge and performance.  I did it.  I put my all into it.  I stopped complaining about the way it was presented to me.  I showed respect for everyone I encountered, both co-workers and customers.  Then, wouldn’t you know, after about two months I was offered another promotion with a substantial raise.  This position was something I was familiar with and the opportunity excited me.  I firmly believe that had my attitude not changed two months earlier, I would not have moved up again. 

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy in this world.  We can talk ourselves out of anything; happiness, peace, job satisfaction, and dreams.  If you want to move up in this life, you must rise above a status-quo mentality.  Stop thinking and acting as if ‘doing just enough to get by’ is good enough.  Living a better life requires an attitude of excellence.  You can do it, if you want to.  Give these steps a try.  You don’t have to do it all at once.  Shucks, start with one step per week and work your way through the other four.  I dare you!

Help! I'm Boxed in and I Can't (won't) Get Out!

At some time in everyone's life we have felt boxed in.  Maybe on a job.  Maybe in a bad relationship. Maybe in ministry.  Or maybe you have come to a place in life where you felt that you were simply stuck with your present circumstances of everyday life.  You know what I mean.  Get up every morning and get ready for work.  Get the kids ready for school.  Eat breakfast.  Go to work.  Come home.  Eat dinner.  Go to bed.  Then get up the next morning and do it all over again.  You're in a rut that you can't climb out of.  Boxed in so that you come to the point where you feel like you're going to explode if something doesn't change in your life.  We've all been there at one time or another.

It's easy to look at our circumstances, at our ruts and boxes and blame them on other people.  We may feel boxed in on our job and 'it's the bosses fault because he won't promote me.'  We may feel boxed in with our current relationship because 'I wouldn't be able to find anyone who would love me like he does', even though abuse has become a ritual.  We may feel boxed in with our ministry because 'That preacher won't let me do what God called me to do', even though you haven't taken any steps to fulfill your calling in your everyday life.  Just because it isn't on a stage does not mean that it's outside your calling.

We place blame on others, when in actuality we are solely responsible for climbing out of our the  boxes.  I know what you are probably thinking - It ain't that easy.  You're right.  It's not easy.  That's why getting out of our boxes and ruts means getting out of our comfort zone.. It means taking steps that seem difficult and stressful.  It means being uncomfortable.  But the effort is so, so, worth it.  Picture this in your mind : A person is sitting in a 3 foot x 3 foot cage.  They continue to sit in that cage, as cramped as it is, even though there is no lock on the door.  They are free to open the door at any time.  But they choose to stay in the cage.  Eventually, his body will begin to conform to the limitations of the cage.  At first, the discomfort will be extremely difficult to manage but as time goes on they will grow accustomed to it.  So, there will come a point where they are satisfied with their condition. 

A conscious decision must be made to climb out of the cage.  On that day, they come out, still disfigured because they remained in the cage for too long.  The pain is excruciating.  But with time they begin to reconfigure themselves to the correct stature.  Then, suddenly, they are standing tall and are able to do what they had been missing out on.  Just like that, we keep ourselves boxed in because we are afraid of the ramifications of our expanding beyond our comfort zones.  We can't blame someone else because our boxes are about us.  We have to choose to get up and out.  We cannot allow ourselves to become stagnant because we are afraid of what could happen on the outside.  Growth does not come without being stretched beyond comfort. 

If you want to climb out of your box, or your rut, you must see yourself outside the box.  I've heard folks say, when you're trying to make a decision, to make 2 lists - one of the advantages and one of disadvantages to your choices.  Well, I agree that you should make those lists.  But, if you plan on ever growing, throw the list of disadvantages in the trash and focus on the advantages.  If you don't, your focus will gravitate toward the disadvantages and before you know it, you won't be able to see yourself doing any better.  And if you can't see it, it won't happen.  Choose to grow.  Choose to climb out, and stay out of the box.  It is totally up to you.  So what if you're afraid.  Choose to conquer your fear. Growing up I was terrified of the thought of flying in an airplane.  But when I was in my 30's, my brother got married in Chicago and asked me to be in the wedding.  I didn't have time to drive so I had to make the choice to fly.  I was scared to death.  But I did it.  There were four legs to the flight, there and back.  Now, I love to fly.  I can't wait to do it again, and I will.  You may have to climb out of your box while afraid, but do it anyway.  When you make the decision to get out of your comfort zone and grow, you will be able to see more clearly into your future.

Get up, get out, get moving, and grow!
https://pastorscott40.wixsite.com/Kingdomcoachevans

Success is in the Eye of the Believer

The word success is so often associated with finances, how much money you make and how many cars you have in your garage.  We look at people who we deem to be successful because of what they own and determine that for us to succeed we must make more money.  Granted, if your idea of success is to have x number of dollars in the bank or to drive a Rolls Royce, more power to you.  But sometimes, those people you look at with a wishful eye, aren't necessarily successful, they've just made a lot of money.  

Real success isn't based on money.  Real success is about the path you have chosen in life and what you are doing to arrive at the place where you can be confident that you have realized your goal. Too often we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and then grow weary when we don't reach them when we think we should.  Once we begin growing weary, we think our goals have become unreachable and we simply give up.

Successful people have these things in common: 1) They have a dream.  They know what they want out of life and where they want to end up.  They know what they want to accomplish. 2) They turn their dream into a vision. Successful people keep their dreams alive by continuously seeing them in their mind.  God told Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain so that others could see it and run with it.  These people keep their vision ever before them so that they remain focused on where they are going.  3) They set goals along the way to the destination.  Without small accomplishments along the way, the dream seems farther away than it should.  The more you reach the lesser goals, the easier it is to continue pushing toward your dream. 4) They don't allow the opinions of others to sway their determination.  Their mind is made up and not subject to what other people think they should do.

No one can decide whether you are successful but you.  Only you know what is deep down on the inside, the dreams, and desires.  Only you can determine what you want to accomplish in life.  Nobody can do that for you.  People can help you reach your goals but they cannot determine your vision or level of success.  "But how will I know if I'm successful?"  When you have accomplished your goals; when you know that you are doing exactly what you were meant to do; when you are seeing your vision come to pass; then you will know that you have succeeded.   Now, if you don't believe in yourself or your ability to succeed, you won't make it.  It doesn't matter how much everyone else believes in you.  You have to believe in yourself.  You must see yourself as successful already.  You have to know that you have what it takes inside of you.  You can't be wishy-washy throughout the process of fulfilling your vision. 

Get With It! Your Dream Won't Wait Forever.

Good evening.  In my last post I talked about dreams.  We all have had dreams in our lives, some fulfilled and some unfulfilled.  A lot that we wanted to accomplish in life has fallen by the wayside for many different reasons.  Some dreams have been given up on because someone said something to get you to think that you were wasting your time.  They may not have intentionally hurt you but what they said cut you deep enough to cause you to dwell on their words until you decided that they were probably right and that you just needed to move on.  You may have given up because you weren't in a comfortable financial position and wouldn't be able to continue in your pursuit of that dream due to a lack of funds.  Maybe you gave up because you tried it once and it didn't work like you wanted it to so that was your sign to quit.  Whatever your reason for giving up on your dream, I'm here to tell you - ENOUGH!  It's time to step back up to the plate and get ready to swing your bat at the opportunity that is about to come your way.  It's time to dream again and the very first thing you need to do is make up your mind that 'Hey, I'm going to do this.'  Until you make that decision you may as well keep your seat because you'll never get anywhere.  Once you have made that decision, it's time for action.  Begin to set a plan in place to get you started on your journey.  Decide exactly what you want to accomplish and write it down where you have continuous access to it.  Focus!  If you don't know what you want to accomplish, you will not succeed in getting it done.  Next, formulate a plan to get from where you are to where you want to be.  You may not know all the details right off but you have to start working on it.  Don't worry if you have to take what, to you, seem like baby steps. It's totally okay to do that.  After all, babies don't just decide one day that they are going to run without going through the process of crawling and learning to walk.  Baby steps!  Just get moving. 

While you are making these plans, people are going to come to mind that have discouraged you in the past, maybe even made fun of what you wanted to do.  Cut them off!  That's right.  Do not listen to them any more.  If they aren't building you up, remove them from your vicinity.  Don't hang out with them.  Don't call them for advice.  Find some folks who will encourage you and motivate you to push through your struggles.  Those people are priceless.  Discuss your dream with them and allow them space to give you feedback.  God will bring people into your life that can help you fulfill your dream.  They can provide inspiration, emotional support, and sometimes even help in ways to propel you financially to the goal.  While you are working through your plans and receiving that encouragement and motivation, your steps in the process will begin to form a pattern that will let you know that you are on the right track.  Those baby steps will turn into bigger steps.  Your dream will begin to appear closer than it ever has.  Keep on pushing.  Don't give up.  Set smaller goals on the way to your dream.  When you reach those short-term goals, celebrate them.  That will boost your confidence even more for the rest of the journey.

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my dreams was to write a book.  Well, it has now been published and is on the market.  The title is "Out of the Shadows; From the Closet of Religion to the Light of the Kingdom."  It is available on Amazon and Createspace.com.  At one time I had given up on that dream because I felt that the task was too great and I was too unequipped.  But a man of God gave me the push I needed to get with it.  He advised me throughout the process.  I distanced myself from the nay-sayers and only listened to encouragers.  You can do the same thing.  So, let's hear from you.  What is your dream?

It's Time to Dream Again!

Everybody has dreams. Throughout childhood we have dreams of what we want to be when we grow up. Some dream of being doctors or firefighters or sports superstars. As we grow older our dreams change. Sometimes they wither up and die altogether. We face battles and trying circumstances which cause us to want to give up on our dreams and simply settle for where we are in life. But still, somewhere in the recesses of our mind, thoughts of those dreams we used to have still pop up from time to time. That signals us that there is still hope for us to fulfill our dreams before it's too late. Sadly, there are so many people who ignore those signals and give up. They stop dreaming. I've come to let you know today that it is time to start dreaming again. It's time for you to make up your mind that no matter what you've been through; no matter how much it looks like the odds are stacked against you; there is hope for you. You don't have to remain dreamless any longer. What is it that you really want to accomplish in life? It has been a dream of mine for a long time to write a book. I had pretty much given up because it just seemed like such a huge undertaking. But within the next few days my first book will be published and on the market. I had given up on my dream and it took one man to encourage me and give me the push I needed to get with it. That's what I want to do for you. I want to encourage you to pick your dream back up and get with it. I believe in you simply because you have taken the time to read this post. That tells me that there is something inside you that desires to do more and to be more. My next post will talk about how to do that. I will relate to you what it takes to carry on with your dream. So, until next time, be blessed.

Just gimme a reason

The call to ministry is scary enough without being told that you shouldn't be trying to do what you know you should do.  I was given plenty of encouragement to step out and accept the call to preach because my father was a pastor.  But when people learned that I was in my second marriage, THEY immediately disqualified me from moving on in ministry.  Thank God that He is kind and gracious enough to forgive us of those stupid mistakes we made when we were kids.  People aren't always that forgiving though and they will use your past to discourage you from stepping out.  I figure that if God called me, He knows better than anyone what I used to be.  So, if He's ok with it, why can't everyone else be? Religion can and will hold us back from being and doing what we are called to. That is the subject of this blog; the things that hold us back from answering the call to ministry. If you feel that you have been called into the ministry and are afraid to take that step, let me know the reasons you feel that way. I want to help you see more for your future than the limits that have been placed on your life.