Let Your Light Shine

I believe that you can never realize your potential in life by simply trying to eliminate those things that would prevent you from getting there. This may not make sense at first, but let's consider why such an approach is ineffective.


It's no secret that bad habits are one of the main things that stand in the way of reaching our potential. They're so hard to break because we expend all our mental energy trying to eliminate them. If we're not successful, we fall right back into them, sometimes worse than ever. We tend to think that when we fail it's because we lack will power. But it's when we focus our energy on what we don't want that we wear down mentally and end up giving in.



Mental energy, like physical energy, is not unlimited. Just like you can't lift a weight an unlimited number of times without the muscle fatiguing, so it is with our mental energy. Attached to the mental energy we exert focusing on eliminating negative habits, come emotional connections that make them that much harder to break. This process tends to leave us depressed or even despondent - sitting in emotional darkness.


Instead, if you work to shine a light on the person you want to become, you can awaken your positive life force rather than empowering the negative forces that create darkness.

Think about it - illuminating a room isn't the removal of darkness from that room, rather it is the introduction of light into it!

Gabby's Gift

Have you ever received an invaluable gift? One that couldn't possibly have a price tag attached to it? I was fortunate enough to receive such a gift last night and, on top of that, it was for someone else's birthday! How great is that?!

It happened at the 12th birthday party of my friend Carrie's daughter, Gabby. Carrie, being the great mom that she is, would normally have asked Gabby weeks ago how she wanted to celebrate. Would it be a bowling party, a night at the movies, a shopping trip? Before the question was even asked, Gabby told her mom that she wanted to run The Race for the Cure to support breast cancer research for her birthday. That's right - A Race for the Cure Birthday Bash!

Thinking back, I'm not sure what I asked for on my 12th birthday but I'm guessing it didn't have anything to do with giving gifts to someone else, let alone expending that kind of energy on them. I mean, come on, at twelve most of us are fairly self absorbed. And I don't mean that in a judgemental way. It's just that at twelve we're still only kids. And when you're a kid, the world revolves around you by definition, right?

So, how is this a gift for me? For one thing, I'm incredibly impressed by this soul-refreshing gesture. But more than that, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago. She had a mastectomy to remove the cancerous growth. After the first surgery, the doctor went in again and took out a few lymph nodes to be sure the cancer was all gone. Unfortunately, a few cells were found in one of the nodes. Subsequently, mom has undergone six rounds of chemotherapy which, in case you're unfamiliar with this hellish regimen, has been utterly mentally and physically challenging and exhausting. Now, Carrie, who also ran the race, has been aware of my mom's ordeal and, just prior to starting the race, thought of her and let "Gabby's Girls" know. They went on to run the race for my mom. I still get choked up just thinking about it.

Thanks so much to Gabby and "Gabby's Girls" for running for my mom and for helping to raise money to find a cure for this horrible disease that attacks 1 in 6 women! You are a very special group of girls who know, at a very young age, that when it comes to gifts, it truly is better to give than to receive.

Making Waves

Every word that comes from our mouth to another reaches beyond the intended recipient. Whether our words are harsh and negative or loving and positive, they have a much farther-reaching effect than we often realize.

A negative word (or negative thought, for that matter) can change another person's mood or demeanor so that every person he or she contacts throughout the rest of the day feels a little bit of what you delivered in your message. This, in turn, has an impact on the people touched by the next group of people in the chain and so on. Therefore, the impulses of energy that you send through your words and actions move out into the world like a wave. That wave travels much like the rings from a small pebble dropped into a pond, emanating in all directions from the point of contact.

Words and actions begin with a thought. We must learn to recognize the power of our thoughts and how they can impact those we contact both directly and indirectly. Before we speak or act, we must consider the impact carefully and then ask ourselves if we will be a positive wavemaker or a tsunami of negativity.

Free Yourself From Mental Slavery

What is holding you back - your job, your marriage, your lack of education, your lack of time or lack of money?

Let me suggest there is nothing outside of us that can hold us back against our will.

It is the excuses, the rationalizations and the justifications that keep us on the treadmill.

These exist only in our mind and only we can unchain our God-given potential.

There will always be a price to pay for reaching for that potential, but the alternative is bondage to mediocrity.

I'll unfurrow my brow here and end on a lighter note by citing some poignant pop songs:
"Free yourself from mental slavery. None but our self can free our mind." - Bob Marley, The Redemption Song

"So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key." - The Eagles, Already Gone

Your Hearts Desire...

It may seem obvious that we all want to get the best that life has to offer. We all want to improve our performance at work, get promoted, earn more money, etc. But do we demand the best of ourselves in order to get it? Are we currently making the most of our God-given gifts?

It is crucial to apply our talents in a way that pushes us to achieve our best in any area of life. If we approach things at 70% how can we possibly get 100% output?

We all know people who are not happy with their current job. Or, maybe it's us... In these positions, people continue to show up day in and day out. They give less than their all to a job that they feel gives nothing back.

Why not target the companies in which we think we would flourish? Sure it's easier to take the job that comes our way through a friend or from answering a job wanted ad but there's little fulfillment in that unless the stars align and the position uses your skills or you somehow dig down and find a passion for it. The reality is that the career of your dreams will be found at the intersection of what you are good at, what you love to do and into which you are willing to put time and effort to improve.

I do get that it is not an easy undertaking to find a career position that combines our skills, passion and desire but, believe me, it is worth the time and effort! I not only get it. I lived it. At the age of 27 I went to work on the floor of a Footlocker store. No, not as a store manager or even an assistant manager. I was 27, married with a college degree and I worked next to high school kids selling sneakers.

I was told by a Nike sales manager that I needed athletic footwear experience to break into the wholesale athletic footwear business. So I got a job selling athletic footwear...at retail. It was tough to get motivated for a job that didn't challenge me based on my knowledge and skill level but it was a stepping stone. I knew I wanted to work in the athletic footwear industry and if I had to sell at retail to get there, so be it.

Though underemployed, I applied myself, lead the group in sales and got promoted in just a few months. I continued to knock on the doors of the athletic footwear brands that appealed to me. After 9 long months of wearing a polyester referee outfit, I took an entry level position with Converse. Today I am a sales director for Converse and I love what I do and the industry that I'm in.

Underemployment may be the biggest waste of resources of this or any time. Yes, this is one of the worst economies in American history but companies are always looking for the right person in the right position with a passion to grow. Often we apply for positions beneath our ability just to begin outgrowing the position the first day on the job. But this can be the starting point of something better or another dead end. It is up to us. It is critical to create a challenge and show what you can do regardless of your current level. If you don't show what you a capable at a lower level, how can you possible be seen as someone who deserves greater responsibility?

Don't accept what life offers as it will always be less than you desire. God has planted the seed in your heart. Nourish it and be sure to follow the dreams that are attached.

"For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all of the horrors of the half lived life." Herman Melville (1819-1891)