The One Thing I cannot live without
On the radio they were talking about the one thing people couldn’t live without, and I heard things like slippers, coffee, and other self-involved crap. So what can’t I live without?
There are lots of things I would prefer not to live without, but for what…. Would I rather die, than live without.
What is the one thing I cannot live without?
I am going to skip the things that our physical body requires in order that life exists. I am going to skip God (as I believe He is the creator of life therefore the question would be redundant).
It is about relationship not the coffee.
So my one thing…. Relationships
I am referring to all of them, the good, the bad, the strange, and the boring. It is the diversity of our humanity. It is how we each view our world from a unique perspective. How we are each motivated by different passions, experiences and ideas.
Relationships are where I feel the most joy and the most pain. Trust, communication, and companionship are so vital to my existence. I do not know what the point of life would be without those traits.
I enjoy walks alone, and moments watching the immense beauty of nature. There are times I need to be alone to recharge, hang out with God, or even yell at God. Still I cannot imagine a world of being alone all time. I don’t think we were created to be alone.
When I was young, my insecurities led me down a sad path. I tried to be like others, or like others wanted me to be. I was untrue to who I truly wanted to be. Hiding the unique individual I was created to be.
As age and relationship with my savior destroyed my insecurities; I became free to find friends and acquaintances different from me. In order to communicate with someone they did not need to believe exactly how I believe. They could be of a different religion, political affiliation, race, or even like sports teams different from me. They could enjoy things I found stupid, boring, or maybe even offensive.
In these new relationships I saw the world in a different light. I saw the beauty of our diversity.
Serving tea on our Wedding
So what can I not live without? It is you, especially the real you. The person you hide from us because of insecurity or fear we will reject you. Not one of us knows everything, we need each other for our lives to be complete.
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Wealth Creation (part 1)
What is the difference between wealth and income?
Wealth: the accumulation of excess assets and resources
Revenue: Earning from an asset
Wealth is accumulation of revenue you have kept and not consumed. Just because a person has high revenues (earnings/income) does not make them wealthy. The ranks of professional athletes, entertainers, and lottery winners, are filled with examples of people who had extremely high incomes, but were never wealthy and when their high revenues ceased, they became worth less than zero.
So how does one become wealthy?
Wealth or lack thereof is derived from the following equation: revenue minus expenditure equals income or loss.
So each year we have a surplus of revenue over expenses we accumulate a brick of abundance to create a reservoir of wealth in your life. Each year of deficit (when expenses exceed revenues) we take some of those bricks of abundance away. In America today many of us borrow bricks of abundance from the future bricks of abundance we expect to get later, leading to an accumulation of deficits (better known as debt).
Our first rule of wealth creation is: “Earn more income than you consume each year”
What are you doing to increase your revenue and/or decrease your expenses?
Coming soon “wealth creation pt.2“ to learn about how Accumulation surpluses and deficit affect your wealth
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Peering through the veil of a small-town window
This post is a little bit poetic and inspired from a quote of Steven Pressfield’s from his book “Do the work”.
Our world is so small
A few days will get you almost anywhere.
Yet there are those who never leave.
Bound in their “I can’t”
Those words always true
“I can’t” never failing
Sure there are places we can’t see…….yet
One day the depths of Mariana will be charted
Mars will be surveyed and explored
Technology lost uncovered.
Us working together to discover
Will you play silly games with Indian orphans?
If I dream big enough,
If I “live the dream”
Could the unseen be seen
If my “I can’t” became “How?”
What is my “how?”
Can a city be changed?
Can a nation be born?
Can I remove reason?
Will logic disappear?
Will the finless turtle swim?
The “Why not’s.” remain unheard.
I shall, and my end will come
Will you visit African orphans?
With Every effort made
That I might see my future
A life was not in vain.
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Reckless (What does it mean?)
This post is in reference Jeremy Camp’s new single listen to it here (Reckless). It is what, I think about when I hear the song.
Definition: having or showing no regard for danger or consequences; heedless; rash: a reckless driver ; a reckless attempt (dictionary.com)
This is not going against the wise counsel of those who love you. It is not going off half-cocked driven by emotion. It is not going on a mission trip for the adventure of it.
So what does it mean to be reckless:
- It is taking brownies to the neighbor whose dog leaves presents in your yard.
- It is sharing God’s love to a full movie theater at the end of a movie.
- It is praying for blessings on the driver who just cut you off.
- It is fasting so that God will move on someone else’s behalf.
- It is telling those friends you used to party with, why you are different, what God did in your life (despite it being so awkward).
- It is buying a used car, instead of a brand new one, so you can give more each month to those orphans in the Andaman Islands (link).
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It is dancing and praising, even when the storms of life hit so hard you can barely stand.
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It is living a life selflessly, serving others, fully living in your destiny and calling.
What do being reckless mean to you?
You can find Jeremy’s new album here(Amazon), or at Jeremy’s site.
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Everybody pays rent (Size Matters)
I hear your thoughts already; “I live with my parents,” “I mooch off of a friend,” “I live with a boyfriend/girlfriend,” or “I own my home.”
First lets address the first 3 excuses. Here are some of the currencies you are paying with:
- Goodwill (eventually this usually runs out if their isn’t some reciprocation)
- Chores or other Services (Your currency is barter)
- Companionship (We are social creatures and many of us don’t like living alone)
What about “I own my home?”
What are the various costs of maintaining and owning your home?
First with a mortgage payment (The principal portion would not be rent, but the interest portion is really rent by another name)
“But I don’t owe anything on my home!”
Rent a homeowner pays:
- Repairs and upkeep
- See how long your home is livable, if you do not replace your roof.
- Choose not to clean your carpets and see how many friends enjoy being in your home.
- Size matters (the larger the home the more things have to be maintained)
- Insurance
- It is wise to insure something of this much value.
- Size matters (The larger and more expensive the property is to replace. The higher your premium will be)
- Utilities
- Not applicable to Amish (although the larger the place; the more wood or other heat source has to be used to keep the home warm)
- Size matters (a larger home requires more energy to heat or cool)
- Property Taxes
- Don’t pay these and you will find out who really owns the land.
- Size matters (the larger and more valuable the property the more you have to pay.
Notice the theme? Size matters, when you are purchasing a home all of the ancillary costs increase as the size and value of your home increase.
This is not a rant against home ownership. I hope each of you is on a path to live in a beautiful house, filled with love, peace, and family.
Often times people buy their “dream home“…. Only to be enslaved by the required rent payments. Let your home be a financial blessing, and not an anchor. Buy something easily within your means and you will have time and money to enjoy the things money can’t buy.
What percentage of your income goes toward rent?
What can you do to decrease that percentage?
If you paid less rent could your pursue your dream more easily?
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That Hurt
About a week ago, I was installing an exterior sign at our accounting office. I was about 14 feet in the air, drilling screws into the overhang. It was cold Saturday morning, the ground had a little snow on it. This turned the already slick asphalt surface into an even slipper surface.
I had just moved my ladder to be closer to where I wanted to hang the sign. As I climbed and began to adjust myself to start drilling and….. the ladder began to move, sliding down the overhang. The bottom of the ladder was sliding out and I was along for the ride (all the way to the asphalt). Before you could blink your eyes, I hits the ground still holding the ladder and a drill. That hurt (really hurt)
Scene of HURT
As I sat up full of adrenaline. Yet not fully functioning as I began to survey the situation. After a few minutes I tried to stand up. Attempting to use my left arm but as I put pressure on my left arm. I realized “that arm is broke.” A passerby helped me to my feet and the world began to get very blurry. So I sat down for a few minutes till the concussion symptoms passed.
Next was the painful removal of the right hand glove (that thumb hurt). The removal revealed my crushed thumb and the blood dripping from it. I put things away, locked up, and drove to the emergency room.
It was the most trauma I had ever experienced at one time:
- My first concussion
- First major broken bone (left arm)
- A crushed right thumb
- Bruised right knee
- A broken toe on my right foot
Should these injuries cause me to fear going up a ladder?
Should I avoid ever using a ladder again because of this pain?
I could let the fear of a future fall keep me from climbing a ladder again. Or I could use this fall as a learning experience to avoid a similar accident in the future.
What did I learn:
- Sealed asphalt is slick
- Make sure your ladder is as perpendicular to the ground as safely possible
- Use a ladder with feet on the bottom when on a potentially slippery suface
- If possible have a 2nd person there to stand on the bottom of the ladder to keep it from sliding out.
This spring I will paint the exterior of my home. A wiser and more experienced man will climb those ladders. Allowing wisdom to conquer fear.
How often do we let a painful experience keep us from enjoying the fullness that life has to offer?
Is a broken heart or painful divorce keeping you from being open to love?
What is it you don’t do (but would like to) because of a painful experience?
Are your actions being led by wisdom or fear?
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Locked behind an unlocked door
Sharky
I once had a pitweiler by the name of Sharky. He was a dog full of life who loved to run and chase anything whether it be insect, bird, mammal, or human. When you left you had to make sure he wasn’t near the door, or your departure to your desired destination would surely be delayed.
The latch on the front screen door broke one day. A simple push would easily open the door. When Sharky was younger, he once jumped through a screen to get outside. Sharky would stare out the door. So sure was locked. His sad eyes revealing an insatiable longing for freedom. A dog designed and created for the purpose of guarding property relegated to waiting for those few moments when he is could run on a leash.
Are you staring at the door to your Destiny?
Maybe you tried to enter Destiny’s door and it was locked. Now you remain imprisoned behind the unlocked door. “It was locked earlier, so it must still be locked”. Maybe we tried several times and failed each time.
Passionate Persistence is required to fulfill your destiny.
Abraham Lincoln ran for public office 7 times before his run for the presidency and failed to get elected each time until his Presidential election. His drive to stay persistent and keep trying led to him becoming the president that led our nation through some of its darkest days.
“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% percent perspiration.” (Edison)
Is it time for you to stop complaining about your locked door, and give that dream one more try (maybe 2 or 100 tries)? Thomas Edison worked for many years and failed many thousands of times. Then finally he created a light bulb that worked. (Edison light bulb)
Perhaps the passion filled life you yearn for is just beyond that door and all you have to do is push it one more time.
Where in your life have you failed, but persisted and then found success?
What did you learn in your failure that helped you succeed?
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What is your Price?
What are your morals worth?
What type of woman do you think I am?
A wealthy man walks over to this extremely beautiful woman. The man asks her if she would have sex with him for $1,000,000.00? She quickly answers “yes”. Then he asks her if she would have sex with him for $2.00? She promptly slaps him across the face and asks “What type of woman do you think I am?” He replies “we already determined that, now we are just negotiating on price.”
What is the price of your integrity?
While in college I worked at a variety of bars as a bouncer. In every location I became the one who checked ID’s at the door. I was paid to protect the owners liquor license by keeping those under the age of 21 from entering the premise.
ID please!
Bouncers are notoriously corrupt, often a $20 bill will allow you to cut the line. $20 to $50 will get you in underage. Engaging a bouncer in licentious behavior will get you and your under underage friends in the door. I tended to be the exception.
The girls I dated that were under 21 knew they wouldn’t get into the bar where I was working. My friends knew they could NOT come in, if they were underage. I never did get repeat bribes. I accepted their money as a tip. Then, explained that they were still unable to enter the establishment.
Perhaps, They just wanted to tip me for doing such a good job?
What is the price of friendship?
I remember as a kid I stole a baseball card from a friend (it was worth $0.10). I did it because I could. I took advantage of his trust in me. I still regret that action to this day. If I ever see him again, I will confess. Then, pay him for that 1989 score card of Kevin Bass(plus interest).
“I took advantage of his trust in me.”
That persistent feeling constantly encourages me to always value relationships over material things. If my friend and I are unsure who purchased a particular item, I quickly defer ownership. A $12 tool isn’t worth a priceless friendship.
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What are your morals (or core values)
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Are they for sale?
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At what price are you willing to change your morals?
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48 days book
