10 things I'm thankful for.

The Thanksgiving Holiday is over…. 361 days till my favorite holiday happens again. I think I had one of the most enjoyable Thanksgivings in years. But one thing I feel like I missed out on this year was really taking some time to be thankful, I mean that is what the holiday is about, isn’t it? So I’ve decided that this early Monday morning after Thanksgiving would be a good time to reflect on some of the things I have to be thankful for and to start the week with a good perspective. 1. I’m thankful for living in America. I feel like I spent a decent amount of time discussing the Occupy Movement, Politics, the Penn State situation, Capitalism, and religion this Thanksgiving. So much of the discussion seemed negative and so much of politics is frustrating to me but I appreciate that I live in a place where we have an opportunity to vote and to be educated and to create change in the system (Even if it is more difficult than I would like). 2. I’m thankful for my health. This is probably the only positive that comes out of being sick (Except for being able to skip class in college). Being healthy and having the physical ability to take part in sports and activities that I truly enjoy is something that I take for granted way too often. 3. I’m thankful for family. My family is frequently I source of stress and frustration for me but my family has also given me so many opportunities and has helped me out in so many different ways. Growing up in a home with two parents that believe in Jesus Christ, have a good work ethic, and are good stewards of their money has taught me many valuable lessons. 4. I’m thankful for my internship. Working at Principal has been a huge opportunity. I feel like I have gained so much knowledge and experience to start out my career and will most likely have an opportunity for a fresh start in a new department pretty soon. 5. I’m thankful for safety. Safety is another thing that I constantly take for granted. I’m so used to being able to leave a front door unlocked, go for a run without telling people or worrying about where I am going and for always feeling pretty safe. 6. I'm thankful for Recreational Sports. I love sports and I love having the opportunity to continue to do things that I really enjoy. 7. My living situation. I feel extremely blessed to be living in the quality of place that I live in and to be part of a group of guys that desire to be good friends and help each other out. I love that I live with guys that desire to have a special bond because we are roommates. Some of the best times I have had since moving to Des Moines have been when we have had roommate nights or house Thanksgiving. 8. I’m thankful for my Friends. I’ve been very lucky to have the number and quality of friendships that I have had. I hope that each one of those friendships will grow deeper this next year. 9. I’m thankful for Coffee and Books. I love both of those things! 10. Goal setting. Goal setting/accountability/ living life together has been a roaring fire and smoldering coals at times in my life the past 3 months. More often smoldering coals than I hope it will be moving forward. It has been a constant source of encouragement and motivation for me that has helped me to continue to pursue “True North”. I pray that it only continues to become more encouraging, motivating, helpful and challenging as we invest more time in it. Thanks for being a brother Charlie! 3 months man can’t wait to celebrate 6 (and 3 for that matter).

Back on track

Nov. 2nd. That is the last time one of us made and entry. :( That is sad. We have missed opportunities in the last 3 weeks. We have slowed down, dulled, stalled, regressed... but no more. Getting back on track is one of the hardest things but getting back on track shows true determination. "THE CHIEF CAUSE OF FAILURE AND UNHAPPINESS IS TRADING WHAT YOU WANT THE MOST FOR WHAT YOU WANT NOW" Zig Ziglar The first time I read I was shaken by how true I think it is. I feel like this sentence so adequately summarizes why I have struggled with consistence, determination, commitment and reaching my goals. If I can continue to remind my self of this truth then I will push forward and keep the right perspective that will make it easier to reach my goals and help me push on through the difficult times. Today is a difficult time. I have worked a 12 hour day at work. I spent the weekend traveling, my room is a disaster, I am behind on sleep..... alright that is enough excuses. Life happens and I will choose to make sacrifices and show determination to achieve my goals. I will own this day (well what is left of it). Time to go own the rest of this day.

Slam your fist against the table..

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want the most for what you want now.” Zig Ziglar Wow what an incredible quote. When I read this it just rang so true for me and my life. How often has what I wanted in the moment kept me from staying on the course toward what I truly wanted, how many times have I said I was going to loose some weight and get in shape and then I had a momentary want for unhealthy food? Or a momentary desire to not exercise because I was tired in the moment? I believe that people who have this perspective are often people who are truly happy and successful or are more likely to be. The people that consistently overcome momentary desires in order to achieve a longer term goal or accomplishment are the people that get where they want to go in life. It is kind of amazing to me how good I was at doing this for sports. I don’t enjoy working out or two-a-days or lifting and there were many days I didn’t want to do those things but I had an iron clad commitment to the goal of being a better athlete and making my team better because of it. I was also very passionate about sports and enjoyed sports. I think the lack of passion is what made school so difficult for me. I was seldom passionate about what I was studying and I didn’t have the long term commitment to getting good grades so I could get a good job… etc. I’m trying to figure out what the driving forces in my life are and how to harness those driving forces. I have a desire to be successful and that is what motivates me day in and day out to try to become better. Maybe even more than a desire to be successful I have a fear of not being successful. I have a strong sense of fear that I could waste my life. I am afraid of looking back when I am old and thinking I wasted my time. So is that the driving force in my life, or one of them that will cause me to overcome obstacles or persevere through difficulties and achieve the things I desire? Maybe that isn’t the best driving force or maybe that is only one of many. I think perspective can be a driving force. When you are able to put things into perspective it helps you to make decisions that are based on long term desires or true desires instead of temporary desires. I believe goals help with perspective and help to be a motivator and that I was I am committed to making, tracking, discussing, tweaking and ultimately achieving my goals. But to find real joy in life I believe that passion can not be removed from the equation. It makes sense doesn’t it? I believe we were created by the Creator and given talents and passions or tendencies towards certain things. And it brings glory to God when we use our talents and passions to the fullest. Let me preface that last part about passion. Last night I was at K-life and Ric was giving a message but we were also supposed to discuss some of the topics he was bringing up. Well one of his points that struck me was “What are you passionate about?” which then we were asked to discuss in our small groups and Dana asked me to kick it off. I quickly created some answer while I was trying to figure out my real answer that sounded something like “well, I am passionate about progress, the process of becoming better at things, I’m also passionate about relationships and continuing do grow and deepen the relationships that I have been blessed to have in my life. I am also passionate about my faith.” I don’t know why but I felt very fake during my answer, I don’t necessarily think that the things I said were untrue but I think I was just still very unsure of what I thought. Ric used the analogy of “what makes you slam your fist against the table? What gets you so worked up that you would slam your first against the table” Honestly my instant reaction while I was thinking was nothing. I started trying to think of things hoping something would just pop into my head and nothing did which made me think nothing. But I know that isn’t true. So on the drive home I continued to think about this idea of “What makes you slam your fist against the table?” To be honest I’m still very much wrestling with my answer, as well as the guilt that my initial response wasn’t “The advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord.” Since that wasn’t my answer or even an answer that feels real right now I’m stuck with the why. Why don’t I feel that way? Do I want to change that? How do I develop that passion? Can I develop that passion? That is a lot to think about and I don’t want to get to removed from my starting point. So what are the things in my personal life that make me slam my fist against the table? I’m going to pause here because I’m going to spend some time considering my answer and write a follow up blog. So I guess the most logical ending is to ask “What makes you slam your fist against the table?”