Meaningful Mondays - Arrows Out

Want to see good in the world? Then ask for it. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish-- and in effect save their lives.

Don't give up on an uncertain future. Focus on those things that you have control over. When you give up, you surrender your choice. Your story is the choices you make. The choices you make, make you! Yes and No lead in opposite directions and determine the "story" of your life. Ask this question mid-choice (in the moment) "What story do I want to tell."

To be offended is a choice we make. It is not a condition inflicted upon us by someone or something else. "Our choices determine our freedoms." - Lee Brower

"The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstance of our lives, and everything to do with the focus of our lives." - Russell M. Nelson "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Neale Donald Walsch "The enemy of thriving is arriving." - Lee M. Brower

What does your "future self" possess that you don't? - Dr. Benjamin Hardy Can "Pringling" be the way to victory over even our most pesky personal and business ambitions? Pringles = aggregating small but steady marginal gains. i.e. The more you are in motion, the more you tend to stay in motion.

"It's just the beginning" ... 85-year-old lifetime learner. "A man who carries a cat by its tail learns something HE CAN LEARN in no other way."  - Mark Twain "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty."  - Henry Ford "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner anywhere."  - Chinese Proverb

"There are only two ways to influence human behavior. You can manipulate it, or you can inspire it."  - Simon Sinek In other words... "Arrows Out" is all about getting someone motivating you to do it. "Arrows In" is all about you being inspired to do it.

"I am not what I want to be; not what I am going to be, but I am thankful that I am better than I used to be." - Coach John Wooden

Don't be too quick to judge someone. Over 30 family/friends/and families battling cancer celebrate Nick's birthday. "Dark cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that." - Martin Luther King

Regardless of your circumstances (horrible or great), when you focus on gratitude, your eyes will see opportunities the would have never seen otherwise. "Gratitude illuminates the lessons from our past and inspires us with hope for our future so that we can make better choices in the moment."

"Gratitude unexpressed is ingratitude perceived." - LMB “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie UNGRATEFUL - is being unaware or oblivious. SOCIAL - is about respect. APPRECIATIVE - is about acknowledgment. EMPOWERED - is all about sustainability.

"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, I have been bent and broken, but--I hope--into a better shape." - Estella from "Great Expectations." We all face challenges that shape the course of our lives. But that shape and that course are still ours to choose.

“The best gifts aren’t bought from the store... The best is gifts of kindness given from the heart.” - Charlie Brown "Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain

"Our society does a reasonably good job in the course of daily life of taking off the moral lens and helping us see life through an economic lens, making us morally numb."  - David Brooks

"Train your mind to see the good in everything.  Positivity is a choice.  The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts." - Marcandangel When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself. When you focus on the good, the good gets better.

Feel guilty always asking for God's blessings? Do this instead...

The one thing you can't delegate is your influence. Choosing to smile or to do a good deed today changes your mindset from the inside out.

Discover what 3 things you can do to capitalize on the human tendency to seek progress. Fear of losing induces inaction. The thrill of gain induces action. Rationalization is lowering your standards down to your level of behavior.

Wisdom is pure intelligence before the contamination of thought. Apple seeds only produce apples. Good thoughts produce good fruit. You may not be able to stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can stop him from making a nest there.

"See the good in others and treat them as if their good is all you see." “Try to see the good in others. When you're tempted to judge someone, make an effort to see their goodness. Your willingness to look for the best in people will subconsciously bring it forth.” - Marianne Williamson

Success is determined through the performance of a few small steps of daily achievement that stack up over time to produce results far beyond anything we could have ever planned for.

Self-trust is the firm reliance on the integrity of yourself. When we buy into the negative voice, we diminish our self-trust. MKR = MAKE and KEEP one small commitment and then another, then another, and REPEAT it.

Let's face it - some things in life are out of our control. So, what is it that we can always control?

What is the one thing that will get you UNSTUCK? Have you ever focused so hard on finding the rainbow that you lost the opportunity to enjoy the rain?

Do you ever feel like you have your foot on the gas but you are not going anywhere? "The enemy of Thriving is Arriving." - LMBrower Why protecting and expanding your vision is your 2nd most important responsibility as a leader in your family and your business. How does your vision of the future keep you UNSTUCK?