What Makes A Great Father

Children are blessings to a father and a father should be a blessing to his children.

 

I had the distinct honor of having breakfast with my oldest son this past week at his school, along with 220 other fathers and their children.  It was great to see so many fathers making an effort to be involved in their children lives.  As I glanced around the room, I watched my son and 220 plus children excited by the presence of a DAD.  This beautiful experience inspired today’s blog.

It’s interesting how life happens.  I never thought three young men would change my life like they have.  With each birth, my life has been enhanced beyond my wildest imagination.  It’s amazing how deeply and quickly you can love someone else.  Quite frankly, it’s fascinating.

Life is full of interesting adventures, but none greater than being a parent.  I can’t speak to being a mother, but I would like to share some thoughts on being a father that I have learned from personal experience and other fathers.

Before we discuss What Makes a Great Father, let me first say there are many other fathers more qualified to speak about what makes a great father.  I still have many lessons to learn as a father, which my sons will be instrumental in helping me learn.  This blog is for men and women.  It’s obvious why it is for men, but ladies you also want to make sure you are dating, marrying, or raising your sons to be a great father.  Having a great father in you life makes a world of a difference.

Being a great father doesn’t mean you are perfect, but it means you are putting forth your best efforts.

So, What Makes A Great Father?

 

1. Be Yourself

 

God has uniquely created us all, especially as a father.  Each father has a unique way in which he will raise his children, but it’s his unique rearing techniques that make him a great father.

2. Be Consistent

 

A great father is all about consistency.  We have heard quality time is the key with our children, but consistently spending time with our children has to happen for quality time to occur.  If we are inconsistent with our fatherly responsibilities, then we become Holiday Dads.  Our children aren’t looking for Holiday Dads, but they want to know that we will be there.

3. Be Active

 

It’s good for father to be present, but it’s better for us to be actively involved in their lives.  How many times have you been somewhere, but your mind was somewhere else?  As a father, we need to make sure present and active in our children lives.

4. Be Understanding

 

Understanding makes the world of difference in any part our lives, so it is just as important when it comes to being a father.  As fathers, we need to seek to understand our children.  This doesn’t mean we let our children raise themselves, but it will dictate how we will communicate and strategically raise them to face the challenges of our world.  

5. Be Loving

 

When discussing fatherhood with many fathers, I have heard so many men say their father had a hard time hugging or kissing them.  Unfortunately, most men say it was even harder for their father to say I LOVE YOU!  Regardless of whether you have a son or daughter, they need to hear and feel your love.  This needs to be a consistent practice.

6. Be Persistent

 

Don’t ever give up on your children.  No matter what they may say or do, we never should give up on them.  We need to persistent about the last 5 points of being a great father.

 

What do you believe makes a great father? (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Daily Meditations

There’s nothing like daily refreshing your mind.

 

Believe it or not, nothing in life lasts without a little maintenance or upkeep.  Usually, those things we want to lasts are those things we can’t do without in life.  Life is all about having the right attitude.  To have the right attitude we need refueling everyday.  As humans, we need Daily Meditations!

We need Daily Meditations because it’s quite easy to get stuck in a rut.  Several negative thoughts will pop into our heads before one positive thought will enter our mind.  I don’t know about you, but many things attempt to cloud our minds and steal the serenity we discussed in Enjoy a Serene September (click link) blog.

We are directly and indirectly influenced by negative thoughts such as political bantering, condescending tones of the haughty, rumors of wars, acts of violence, parental indiscretions, job uncertainties, religious fights, and many other pessimistic perspectives.  It’s all around us.  It’s in our homes.  It’s in our cars on the way to work.  It’s in our workplace.  It’s in our churches.  It’s on our smart phones.  It’s everywhere on the Internet.

Are you tired of all the NEGATIVITY?

 

Our world seems to be FED UP or tired of it.

You and I have the power to change this trend.  I discussed this in the Are You Speaking Words Affirmation? (click link) blog.

There’s no way I could give you all my daily meditations, but I would like to share a few to help push out the negative and bring in the positive.

A great way to start your day is with one of my favorite quotes from my Father in heaven…

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let let the righteous fall.” ~ Psalm 55:22 NIV

Another great meditation is…

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:12 NIV

My father and mother started this as one my daily meditations years ago.  It may be one of my best daily meditations.  It is…

“…with God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26 NKJV

It’s just fine if your daily meditations are totally different than mine.  The most important thing is to discover your own daily meditations to positively refresh your life.

 

Share some of your daily meditations? (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Enjoy a Serene September

Our outward character and courage comes from an inward peace.

 

Today’s blog is to encourage you to make the best of your September.  You still have an opportunity to make your 2014 a productive and profitable year.  So let’s discuss how you can enjoy a Serene September.

Be Content

 

We all are aware of the miraculous power of God and how He freely gives to those who trust in Him.  Matter of fact, God blesses in a mighty way whether you trust Him or not.  Your ability to read this blog is a testament of His blessings working mightily in your life.  Why?  One, you have been blessed with life.  Two, you have been blessed with sight.  Three, you have been blessed with a mind to comprehend what you are reading.  And I could go on and on about the blessings just from you being able to read this blog because God is so GOOD!

Are you content with God’s plan for your life?

Before you answer that question, take a few minutes to think about how you would answer that question because being content can be a challenge.  Contentment is being satisfied, at ease, happy, or in peaceful state.

I don’t ever question whether I should be content.  I know it is in my best interest to be content because of the affect it will have on my life.  However, that can pose a challenge because of all the distractions that attempt to hijack my life.  I need contentment with my “SPW” life.  My “SPW” life has to do with the three most significant areas of my life - Spiritual, Personal, and Work life.  Now I must say, I’m not perfect and I will always be a work in progress.  But the beginning of being content is recognizing God uniquely created each of us for our daily challenges.

It’s easy to say we are content, but our lives must speak the same confidence through our actions.  Sometimes we are tricked into thinking that “the grass is greener on the other side,” but this reality couldn’t be further from the truth.  I have learned this the hard way.  God planned one thing for my life, but I decided to act on my own desires.  This usually leads to discontentment.  Discontentment is being dissatisfied, displeased, or unhappy with something.  I believe many people in our world are suffering from discontentment.  Just turn on the news or watch the people near and close to you; daily, people are just dragging unhappily through life because of a lack of contentment.

The great news is, there is a cure.  Accept who you are, where you are, where God wants you to be, and watch the serenity of God flow through all the areas of your life.  We must believe God has given us all the necessary gifts and abilities to make our lives meaningful and successful.  It’s our job to make those gifts and abilities work for us.

How?

First, we have to recognize our gifts and abilities.  After we have recognized them, then you must ask yourself if you are content with your gifts and abilities God has blessed you with?  It is only then that we will be able to find an inner peace that supersedes the demands and expectations of this world.

Let contentment flow through your “SPW” life.

Make Solitude Your Friend

 

In the last half-century, we have heard great songs such as All By Myself (Eric Carmen, Celine Dion), Scared of Lonely (Beyonce’), and Need You Now (Lady Antebellum).  I love these songs and the artists; I even have these songs on my iPod.  However, sometimes the thing we need most is SOLITUDE.  Solitude is the state of being alone or secluded.

Many people are desperately in search of some form of inner peace in the midst of their confusion or some form of organization to their chaos.  Although we all have these sincere desires for a serene life, many are unwilling to carve out time to be alone.  My wife discussed this in the Seeking Simple Solitude (click link) blog.  I love the way she described solitude and referenced a very fitting article.

If you want serenity, you have to make solitude your friend.  Yes, you must make solitude your friend.  Why a friend?  First, we usually want to be around our friends.  Second, because our friends aren’t afraid to share the God honest truth with us.  Just as a good friend, solitude will teach you the God honest truth about you and your life.

Wait no longer to live a more serene life!

 

How do you plan to make your “SPW” life more serene? (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Celebrating YOU!

There are many things we celebrate in life, but what’s better than celebrating you!

 

We have birthday, graduation, engagement, wedding, and retirement parties.  Every once in a while, you need to have a party for YOU!  You may be saying that’s what birthdays are for, but this is different.  This celebration is for your work ethic.

Whether you are a stay at home mom, you work for an organization, are a small business owner, or you are the president of a big corporation; you need to be celebrated.

You and many other working people get up every morning to provide a great life for your family and our world.  You get up every morning and work regardless of what time you turned in the night before.  You work days when you aren’t feeling well.  You’ve had those days when you are sick enough to feel miserable, but not sick enough to call in sick.  No matter the weather; hail, rain, sleet, or snow doesn’t stop you from doing your job.  You keep working until the job is completed.

Today, we celebrate YOU!

 

Today is known as Labor Day because it recognizes the contributions of workers to the strength, prosperity, and well being of our country.  Internationally, this day is celebrated on May 1^st as International Workers Day.  I believe we should recognize these hard working individuals every quarter.

You Make Our World A Better Place

 

You have heard the phrase, “Money makes the world go round.”  Money helps with many things, but I believe people and relationships make the world go round.  It is your relentless attitude to get the job done.  It is the employee’s professionalism and dependability with serving the customer.  It is a mother’s tenacious spirit to nurture and raise her children during chaotic times.  It is the business owner’s dogged determination to steer its business in the right direction without cutting corners.

These are the people that won’t quit in life!  These are the people who won’t give up!  You make our world a better place!

For this reason, we CELEBRATE YOU!

Go You!

 

If you are reading this blog, we are celebrating you!  Share this with someone else.  There are many people needing to be celebrated and you may be the only one who will acknowledge them.  Join me in celebrating YOU!  Also, help me celebrate someone else you may know who needs celebrating.  You deserve this celebration.  GO YOU!

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

 

What are your thoughts concerning celebrating YOU every quarter.  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Sing and Be Happy

Everyone has a song in his or her heart.  Sing it! Live it! Be happy!

 

What song is in your heart?  Better yet, have you confined your song to only your heart?

Everyone may not be able to sing professionally, but you should be able to sing your song.  Regardless of what key you sing it in, it’s your song.  Don’t worry about what others may think about you.  They may not understand your song, but God did not give them that song to sing.  Life is about enjoying the music you are able to play and sing.  Life’s about living within who you are.

Why Sing?

 

Sing because your family needs it, your co-workers need it, the world needs it, and you need it.  Let your life’s harmony resonate loud and clear.  Don’t be afraid to sing and be happy!  Try it for yourself.  Take a moment and sing!

Once you have discovered your voice, help someone else discover his or her voice.

Sing Your Song

 

You have to admit, singing in the shower sounds pretty good.  If that sounds good, how about singing in the car, while cooking, cleaning, or a little hum while working.  When you think about it, the relief singing brings to the soul is amazing.  It doesn’t matter your age.  Whether you are young or old, sing your song!

It may be laughing with your children, sing your song!  It may be talking with a friend, sing your song.  It may just be your smile, sing your song.  Remember, it doesn’t matter what others may think of your song, just sing you song.

Sing and Be Happy!

 

 

Do you have a song to sing?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Jackie

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Escaping The Daily Grind

Making a living is vital, but making a life is more important!

 

We discussed Finding Power To Drown Our Excuses in our last blog.  There’s no excuse for anyone not to enjoy life.  If you are going to enjoy life, you must find a way to escape from the daily grind.

The Grind

 

Everyone is involved in some form of a grind.  We each have a different grind.  The grind is anything causing you to work or study laboriously at it.

You may enjoy what you are doing when you are on your grind, but it is still a grind.

Okay, I can hear someone saying, “I don’t have a daily grind.”

What’s Your Daily Grind? 

 

Let me clarify a few things.  You grind doesn’t necessarily have to be something you dislike.  Matter of fact, your grind very well may be something you love to do.  So please understand that your grind can be anything you like or dislike, but you may just be overwhelmed with whatever it is you are doing because of the excessive performance of the activity.

Let’s pause for a moment and take a few seconds to think about what’s your grind?

It may be work, school, parenting, preaching, teaching, working out, dating/courting, paying bills, attending physician appointments, being engaged, etc.  Remember, it doesn’t mean that the activity you are thinking of is bad or good, it’s anything done excessively over a short.  We have all heard this phrase, “Too much of anything is bad.”  There may be a few exceptions, but I definitely know one exception.  For me, there is no such thing of too much of my God.  I am in constant need of my Father.

Escaping The Daily Grind

 

I am not suggesting that you run away or abandon your grind, but there are two primary ways for you to escape your grind.

#1 Physical Escape

The first way to escape your grind is to Physically Escape.

Whether you love the activity you are doing or not, sometimes you just need to physically unplug.  Unplug from the meetings, social media mediums, work, etc.  This is one of the reasons why we have paid vacation time at most of our jobs.  We are so plugged in at work week in and week out that every once in a while we need time to get away to refuel, refresh, rejuvenate, and restore the passion for what you love.

Physically escape and take some time to RECHARGE you battery.

#2 Mental Escape

I believe this form of escape is more important than any other way of escaping your daily grind, which is to Mentally Escape.  If you aren’t able to mentally disconnect from your daily grind.  You will find yourself living with emotions such as unhappiness, frustrated, stressed, annoyed, etc.

Mentally, you must disengage from the daily grind.  I’m able to mentally escape from my daily grind by praying and giving God that which is my daily grind.  This gives me the peace my heart needs.

What are you waiting on?  Go ahead and escape your daily grind.  Then, watch the productivity of your life increase.

 

How will you escape your daily grind?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Finding Power To Drown Our Excuses

Drown your excuses or your excuses will drown you.

 

If we aren’t careful, we will find ourselves drowning in the plethora of responsibilities around us.  The interesting thing about our responsibilities is they will either control us or we will control them.

Does this mean that your responsibilities have power?  I think it depends on the person.

We all start with the power, but it is up to us to keep the power.

Make Up Your Mind

 

Your ability to control your responsibilities versus your responsibilities controlling you depends on your attitude.  Your attitude will dictate whether you will drown your excuses or not.

It will take a change in attitude to drown our excuses!

Without change our excuses will stay afloat.

To make an excuse is to seek to remove the blame of or to release from an obligation.  We all have made an excuse before at some time in our lives, but the problem is not making an excuse from time to time.  There is a big difference between a legitimate excuse and a fabricated excuse.  Legitimate excuses are those excuses in which we make because we were at a doctors appointment during working hours, etc.  Fabricated excuses are those excuses in which we make up because we don’t want to be held accountable for further responsibility.

It happens a lot in our world.  Are you that person?  The problem with consistently making excuses is we then compromise other parts of our lives.

Reasons to Drown Your Excuses

 

There are many reasons why you should drown your excuses.  Let’s discuss two reasons.

Reason #1 - Maximize Your Potential

One of the primary reasons to drown your excuses is to maximize your potential.  Making excuses down plays your abilities.  You will never know what you can be by making excuses why you aren’t who you should be.

When we are able to hold ourselves accountable for all our thoughts and actions, we then are to drown our excuses causing us to maximize our potential.  Our growth and development depends on us finding the power to drown our excuses.

Reason #2 - Preserve Your Reputation

Another important reason to drown your excuses is to preserve your reputation.  People will not take you serious if all you are known for is making excuses.  Kill your excuses by drowning them and protect your reputation.

Preserving your reputation helps you to live with integrity.  People know you “say what you mean and mean what you say.”  We will always have doubters, but let’s not give anyone a reason to doubt because of our consistent formulation of excuses.

So my final thoughts are my initial thoughts; drown your excuses or your excuses will drown you.  Stop giving your excuses life and make up your mind to drown your excuses.

 

Why is so important for you to drown your excuses?  How will you go about drowning your excuses?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Fearless Friday

Fearlessly live your life and watch any regrets leave your life.

 

Don’t let fear control your life, instead live fearlessly enjoying your life.

In today’s blog, let’s look back at several blogs that will help us live a fearless life.

In the blog, Overcoming Obstacles (click link), you will discover an amazing story about a young man demonstrating a fearless spirit.  After hearing his story, you will be motivated to rid yourself of any excuses you feel are holding you back.

We started 2014 with this blog.  Just a reminder, we are 8 months throughout the year, have you accomplished any goals.  Time is moving and will not wait for any of us.  Check out the blog, Jumpstart January (click link).  It will share 3 ways of jumpstarting your life.  You may have not accomplished any goals, but It’s Never Too Late (click link).

 

How will you fearlessly live your life? (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Weird Wednesday

Weird is living out God’s purpose for your life.  In short, God’s purpose for your life is to be weird because weird is being different, set apart, and more like His Son that He gave to us to save us from having to live normal.

 

What is weird?

I am weird!  Weird is me!

I’m a firm believer that no one is normal, so why not accept your weird?

In today’s blog, let’s look back at several blogs that will help us accept the difference God created us to be.

Take a look at this short blog; Weird Gets A Bad Rap (click link).

You may not find the word weird anywhere in this next blog, but it has weird written all throughout.  Check out; Make Your Mark (click link).  You will discover great ways to promote your life.

One of my favorite blogs is Stand Out (click link).  This blog takes a glimpse into a few ways we can positively stand out to reach new levels of achievements in our lives.

Just don’t make your Wednesday Weird, but make WEIRD a way of life.

 

What makes you WEIRD?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Meditation Monday

Meditation begins with you.  In a world full of distractions, you must find time to discover the best of you.

 

In today’s blog, we will reference several blogs that deal with mediation.

The first blog reference is Meditations of the Heart (click link).  This blog deals with discovering a daily practice of to consistently infuse organization and confidence with your every decision.

The second blog reference is The Art of Simplicity (click link).  In this blog, you will discover 5 ways of getting back to simplicity with your life.  Most of the time, the best things in life are the simple things.

The last blog reference is Think Good Thoughts (click link).  You will find this to be a short blog, but packed with power punch of encouragement and motivation to help you discover how to make your days more positive and productive.

 

What are your Monday Meditations?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Follow Your Instinct

A unique gift or skill lies within each of us, which makes us good at something.  But, do you know what that something is?

 

If you don’t know what that something is, just follow your instinct.  However, before you can follow your instinct, you must first discover it.

Discover Your Instinct

 

Before we jump into how to discover your instinct, please know that our Father in heaven created each of us with at least one unique talent.

Instinct is defined as talent, gift, ability, skill, or genius.  Whether you know it or not, you are a genius in some area of your life.  Don’t let anyone tell you different.  If anyone tries to convince you otherwise, just know that individual feels that he or she is without talent or skill.  More than likely, that person is still in search of their talent(s).  Read Rising Above Life’s Challenges (click link) to figure out how to deal with people who bring negativity in your life.

If you’re going to discover your instinct, you will need to do some exploring?  You won’t have to go far, but it will take focus and attentiveness to discover your gift.  It will be quite obvious once you start the process.  This process will only take 5-10 minutes, but you will have follow the steps.

Discovering Your Instinct

1. First, grab a writing utensil and a piece of paper.  I prefer to write in a journal, see Life’s Replay Button (click link).

2. Find a quiet place to quiet your mind.

3. Take about 3-5 minutes and reflect on the last 10-20 years of your life.

4. For 2 minutes, write down all the areas of your life, in which you did a superb job

5. Spend the last 3 minutes writing down the specific skill set or talents you brought to the table to make those areas of life superb.

6. In 10 minutes, you should have discovered some unique talents.

7. If you want to spend a little more time with this exercise, take what you have discovered and compare it to what you know or what other people who knew you may have said about your talents as a child.

Develop Your Instinct

 

You have now discovered your instinct, now let’s develop it.

To what extent are you willing to go to develop your instinct or gift?

It may be a book you will need to buy or read.  It may be a conference you will need to attend.  It may be an expert you will need to sit down and talk with in the future.  It may include spending money, but it may not.

Whatever the case, there are great sacrifices that will need to be made.  However, with those sacrifices will come with considerable rewards.

Discover and develop your instinct!

 

How will you discover and develop your instinct?  How will you use your gift to positively influence our world?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Rising Above Life’s Challenges

Life has a way of challenging our inner strength.  It’s not that life is bad or good; life is what you make of it.

 

Have you ever been around someone who blames others for their mishaps?  Have you seen people who negative thoughts about life?  How many times have seen someone angry, frustrated, or bitter about things out of their control?

Today let’s go for a ride to see how we can rise above life’s challenges.  There are 2 simple steps to rising above life’s challenges.  Are you ready?  Let’s go!

Step #1 - Control Your Mind

 

When you look at some of the most influential people in our world, most of them learned this step long before they were able lead anyone else.  I’m not pushing for you to lead anyone else, but I am pushing for you to lead yourself.

If you are going to rise above the challenges in your life, you first must learn how to control your mind.  Controlling your mind has a lot to do with your ability to quiet your mind.  A loud mind doesn’t have time to think, reflect, or visualize success.  Everyday there has to be a set amount of time in your day for you to quiet your mind.

I know what you may be thinking, but “I don’t have the time.”

Every person on this Earth has the same amount of time.  I know we have different responsibilities, but we have the same amount of time.  From research & experience, I have discovered we will make time to do those things that matter most to us.  So the question is, how important is it for you to control your mind?  If you’re not controlling your mind, you’re giving someone else permission to control it.

When you are in total control of your mind, you won’t let the small things bother you.  In passing, I hear people complaining about small things everyday such as the weather, politics, money, clothes, etc.  I‘m not saying these things aren’t important, but let’s think a little deeper.

What are the most important things in your life?

In my life, the most important thing has nothing to do with any materialistic possession.  It’s not my car, house, etc.  The things that matter most to me are God, family, and people.  There may some exceptions, but for the most part anything else outside of those three things doesn’t mean much.  Yes, I believe having money is important, but it is not greater than the God I serve.  Yes, I believe having a great paying job is important, but it is not more important than my family.  Yes, I believe advancing in life is important, but it is not important enough to affect the relationships I love to develop with the people from all walks of life God has allowed to enter my life.

So, what I’m saying is, know your priorities and those things that matter most.  Those things will help you control your mind and will eventually cause you to rise above the many challenges in your life.

Step #2 - Rid Yourself of Negativity

 

My mother taught me, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it at all.”  She raised me with that philosophy for several reasons, but I believe the primary reason was to protect or control my mind.  Her and my father was great about teaching us life-long lessons.

How do you protect your mind?

To protect your mind, you have to get rid of those things that may hold you back.  Right?

If you know something or someone is keeping your dreams from coming to a reality, why not get rid of it?  How valuable is your dream?  If your dream were able to become reality, how many people would be positively affected by it?  How important is your dream?  If your dream has any value, get rid of any form of negativity that could possibly kill it.

Sometimes the very thing that kills our dreams lies within us.  This why my mother said, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it at all.”  There are two important reasons:

Reason #1

When you speak negative talk, no one else with any positive energy will want to be around your negativity.  Those who are positive have learned positive energy comes from positive reinforcement, not negative reinforcement (Thanks B.F. Skinner for your countless hours of research and experimentation.).  What happens if you yell at a child?  The child does two things: 1) Either he or she fights back or 2) He or she runs away, ignores, or secludes themselves.

We aren’t that much different from children, we are just bigger and little more complicated because of life’s experiences.  Stop making people fight you.  And, don’t run anyone out of your life.  We all need companions and the very person you may fight or run out of your life, may be the person you will need to help you rise above your life’s challenges.

Reason #2

When we speak negatively, we have already thought of the negativity twice.

What do I mean?  Before you speak a negative word, your first think and then you speak it.  We discussed earlier, negative reinforcement leads to further negative experiences.  You don’t have the privilege of running away from yourself, but you will fight yourself.

You have seen this picture before.  Matter fact, we all have been here at some point and may experience these emotions again because no one is perfect.  But, we must do everything in power to get rid of these emotions of fear, anger, low self-esteem, lonely, ashamed, arrogance, perfectionist, impatient, hopeless, discouraged, judgmental, and there are many more.

So in the words of my mother,

“If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it at all.”

Control you mind and rid yourself of any negativity, then watch you and others around you Rise Above Life’s Challenges.

 

How will you control your mind?  What negativity will you remove from your life?  What are some other ideas you may have to rise above life’s challenges?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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4 Things You Should Do Everyday

No matter what life throws our way, I believe we should make the best with what we possess.

 

There are 4 things we all are capable of doing daily that would help with our general sense of wellbeing and life’s success.  These 4 things are simple, but are becoming a lost art during this age.

#1 TALK TO GOD

 

It is easy to get so busy in life, but we should never get to a point that we are too busy to talk to God.  This is the first key to living a purposeful life.

Take some time and spend a few minutes thanking God.  Your talks with Him will help in giving you insight and peace.  These talks not only will provide insight and peace, but it will also boost your confidence.

#2 SMILE

 

I was reading a guest commentary article titled Smiling is our lost expression by Sally Bergmoser in the Naples Daily News.  Much like Sally, I believe smiling is a lost expression.  Her article is an interesting one.  Sally mentions in her article, “It takes 17 muscles to smile and 47 to frown.”  She concluded her article by saying, “Smiles have been lost and we need to bring them back.”

I totally agree.

Matter of fact, witnessing a smile can be a rare siting.  If you find yourself smiling, people sometimes look at you skeptically.

Why are people skeptical of smiles?  Why are people smiling less?

Life is serious enough with our daily responsibilities, but somehow and someway we must find a way to smile.  It’s infectious!

How many times do you smile during the day?  Do you smile at strangers or are you straight faced?

Smiling makes you and others feel warm on the inside.  It makes people feel you are approachable and sparks unexpected conversations.

I challenge you everyday to SMILE more.

#3 LAUGH

 

Laughing is another important thing we have to find time to squeeze into our busy days.  It is a positive visual expression suggesting the presence of joy, happiness, relief, etc.  Sometimes laughter is considered contagious.  Just like smiling, laughing is a way to spark positive feedback from others.

I ‘m well aware that not everything in life is funny, but to go days or weeks without laughing can be bad or your health.  We must find a way to laugh, even if it means laughing at ourselves sometimes.  All research suggest that laughing is a form of medication or therapy for our brains, lungs, and heart.  In all the research studies, it alludes to laughter helping to alleviate stress and pain.  There are three formal types of therapy for laughter that assist various patients receiving cardiovascular rehabilitation because it works on the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system.

So, what are you waiting on?  Find something to laugh about.

If you can’t find something to laugh about, just smile.  And if you can’t find anything to smile about, try to do the next thing that should be done everyday.

#4 DANCE

 

I know everyone doesn’t have the ability to dance like Michael Jackson, but that’s not required.

Dancing is a form of exercise.  It is a nonverbal way of expressing your joys, fears, anger, excitement, hope, frustrations, love, loneliness, passions, etc.

You don’t have to be a professional dancer.  You just need to be able move body and have fun while doing it.

It may be formal dancing or it may be a simple two-step.  Whatever dance you decide to do in the words of Will Smith, “Get jiggy with it.”  I’m not sure if people are still “getting jiggy,” but you know what I mean.  Dance until your heart is merry.

Enhance your life by talking to God, smiling, laughing, and dancing!

 

What can you do to make these 4 things part of your daily routine?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Do You Have an Elevator Speech?

I love watching or being involved with any form of human interaction.  Today’s blog is about the human contacts we make daily.  The inspiration from this blog comes from several sources, but the primary source of inspiration comes from one of my patients. I was in a focused patient education conversation concerning diagnosis, prognosis, plan of care, and patient responsibility.  In the middle of our conversation the patient said, “Here you go trying to sale me something.”  I proceeded to say, “We all are selling something.”  Of course, I went ahead and educated the patient.  The patient’s comment made me think about how everyone has an elevator speech.

I believe everyone has an elevator speech.

What is an Elevator Speech?

 

An elevator speech is a clear, brief message about you.  It is called an elevator speech because it should be about 30 seconds long, which is the ride from the top to the bottom of a building.

Your elevator speech is your personal testimony of who you are and what you are all about.  Traditionally, an elevator speech would only be verbal in nature.  However, elevator speeches take on a different point of view in this day and age.  In an age with computers and high speed internet, the elevator speech has taken on a face lift.

Your elevator speech may not be a speech at all.  Most of the time, it not what you say but what you do.  It has been said by many, “The first impression may be the only impression.”  Regardless of how you look at it, I believe everyone needs a 30 second verbal elevator speech.  So, why should you have a good elevator speech?

What are you Selling?

 

What would you say if I told you that we are all salesmen or saleswomen?

Some may agree, others may disagree, and there will be a few people who will be indifferent about the question.

Let’s talk about it.

A salesperson is only someone who is selling something.  I have heard many people say that they hate salesmen.  If you think about it, everyone is selling something.

One of the first things I do when get home after work is make the greatest sales pitch of the day.  You may be wondering, what are you selling?  I am selling to my boys and my wife that I truly missed them while I was away.  This is where some people would say, “They should already know you missed them.”  I would agree with you, but there’s something about letting the people you care about know that you truly care about them.

You could see how this would apply to any other situation in life.  Whether you want to believe it or not, we all are in the business of sales.  It’s not if we are in sales, but more importantly the bigger question is what are we selling?

 

Do you have an elevator speech?  What are you selling?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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3 Benefits of Widening Your Mind

It is amazing how much construction work is in progress everyday in America, especially road construction.  This may not be a problem where you live, but in most states it’s happening. Why?

Road construction can be frustrating, but it is necessary because more people are driving due to America’s growing census.

Just as it is necessary to have road construction to improve our roads, it is necessary for us to have some form of construction to Widen Our Minds.  After today’s blog, I hope you will consider widening your mind.  If you have been in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you understand the frustration and angst that comes along with the feeling of being stuck, squeezed, or feeling held back.

An open mind is always better than a closed mind.  A closed-minded attitude will only limit your opportunities to grow and develop.  I believe we all would like to move forward, prosper, progress, advance, or improve.  However, for this to happen we must open our minds.  We discussed How to Manage Life Under Construction (click link) in a previous blog, but today let’s talk about 3 Benefits of Widening Your Mind.

Benefit #1 - Improve Your Faith

 

I BELIEVE in God!

Along with believing in God, I believe God gave me the greatest gift I could ever receive in Jesus Christ.  The Bible said, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus.”  My belief in God and Christ widens my mind.  It is this faith that gives me confidence with all of my life’s endeavors.

Benefit #2 - Improve Your Flow

 

One of the primary reasons for roadwork is to improve traffic flow.  When it comes to our minds, at times we have difficulty with the knowledge flow into our minds.  Sometimes all we need is more knowledge.  Here’s a fact for you, an open mind will learn more than a closed mind.

No one has it all figured out, so that is why we open our minds to new information, new ideas, new relationships, new challenges, and new everything.

Benefit #3 - Improve Your Fulfillment

 

When your belief system and flow improves, you will definitely have a greater sense of fulfillment.  Everything will make more sense in your life and you will have a greater satisfaction level.  Make sure you are taking the time and effort to Widen Your Mind by developing your abilities and your character.

 

What benefits are you receiving from widening your mind?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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There’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate

There are two sides to every story.  There’s a right for every left.  If there’s a front, somewhere you will find a back.  In the midst of darkness, there’s always light.  Where there’s love, somewhere hate is lurking in the shadows.

 

In today’s blog, I will discuss two facts of life that leaders can use to enhance their leadership skills.

The two facts are: Hate Kills, but Love Builds.

Hate Kills

 

There’s a time a place for everything.  Hate can be used as an effective tool as a leader.

There are many things a leader should hate, but here are a few:

1. Procrastination,
2. Laziness,
3. Idleness,
4. Passing the buck, and
5. Judgmental behaviors.

 

Hate is to intensely dislike something or to dislike with a passion.  When it comes to any unproductive action or behavior, leaders must deal with these behaviors swiftly or it will lead to catastrophic damage to your personal life or business.

The behaviors listed above will kill any chance of success.

Love Builds

 

On the other hand, love builds.

This statement is true when it comes to any life situation.  It holds to true in any aspect of your life.  Think about it, love is a driving force when it comes to success.

The greatest sporting teams of all time always share this special bond of love.  If you do the research, most championship teams aren’t built around just one player being great.  On the contrary, these teams are built on the love and unity for one another.  It is this special bon of love that allows them to pull together as a team to do the unthinkable - WIN!

The United States Armed Forces is another great example of the affects of love.  These men and women from different branches work together to preserve the freedom that we enjoy daily.  Why do they do this?  One word, LOVE!  Love for their children.  Love for their spouses.  Love for their fellow countrymen.  Love for their country.  Love for FREEDOM!

This applies to any family, church, business, country, etc.

So the question is, why does love build?

The reason love builds is because love is to have a strong affection for something or someone.  Without this connection, there is no reason to play, fight, work, etc.

When love is present, here are a few character traits you will find in the midst of a team and its leader:

1. Honesty,
2. Loyalty,
3. Devotion,
4. Sincerity,
5. Faithfulness,
6. Patience, and
7. Unity.

 

Remember, hate kills, but love builds.  Hate those things, which are unproductive to your life’s growth.  Love those things, which will move your life forward.

 

What things in your life do you need to hate or love more?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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How to Live an Active August

It’s hard to believe that we 60% through this calendar year.  We are continuing with our blog series at the beginning of every month to make your year A Meaningful 2014 (click on link).

We have heard the phrase “Time flies.”

However, sometimes we live like we have all the time in the world.

Before we know it, we will be in 2015.  I know we still have 40% of 2014 left, but what would happen if you were judged by your actions from January up to now?  Would you be happy with the things you have accomplished so far this year?

Whether you are happy or not, there are three steps to making the rest of year successful.

Step 1 - Reflect

 

So, you want to accomplish more?

Take out a sheet of paper and let’s work on improving your 2014.

Take about 5-10 minutes to reflect and write a few things down.

So, what are you writing down?

Write down those things you have done well.  Write down the challenges and failures that have occurred in the last 7 months.  Lastly, write down what you could have done differently.

Step 2 - Plan

 

After gathering all the information from your reflections.  It’s now time to draft up a plan.

No one can design your individual plan, but you.  Your plan will look different than anyone else’s, but you must develop a plan dependent on what has been done during the first 7 months.

Set goals.  Make them measurable, but also make them attainable.

Step 3 - Act

 

You have reflected and designed a plan for success.  Now, you just need to put your plan into action.

Many people reflect for days, weeks, and some months without action.  Some people have a great plan for success, but lack action.

So, the most important step to bringing success in your life is acting on your reflections and planning.

Action makes it all happen.  Don’t let anything stop you.  Get it done!

 

What actions will you take to make your 2014 a successful year?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Two of the Most Powerful Words in the World!

Today, we would like to discuss two of the most powerful words in the world! Just like any other family, this week my family and I have faced several life situations for which I must kneel down, pray, focus, and meditate.  Often, we make decisions with the attitude of “What’s in it for me?”

What would happen if we took a different approach?  What would that approach look like?

What if we first sought out to ENCOURAGE and EMPOWER others before seeking to please self?

Both words deal with enhancing others and yourself, but let’s take a closer look at both words.

EMPOWER

 

When you empower someone, you are do the following: enhancing, liberating, enabling, equipping, or setting someone free allowing them to feel stronger and more confident.

Basically, to empower someone is to give them permission or POWER to be unique or different.  You be saying to yourself, “No one needs my permission!”  And I would agree 100% with you.  However, there are many people that aren’t looking for your permission, but would love the support of another.  If you won’t empower them, who will?

It may be a father, mother, brother, sister, co-worker, church member, bank teller, grocery store cashier, or it may be yourself needing empowering.  So, the next question is, “Who’s going to do it?”

To empower is to give a person an environment to grow!

Just like a flower needs healthy soil to sink its root into, so it can stand tall.  Empowerment allows us to stand tall.

This may look different depend on the person you are empowering because no one is the same.  We are all very different!  I call it, WEIRD!

Find a way to support someone’s weird.  Take some time and figure out how to let them know that you appreciate their different.

ENCOURAGE

 

You can encourage before you empower, but it would be wise to empower then encourage.  Both are kin, but there is a slight difference.

Let me use the flower example one more time.  The soil empowers the plant, but the flower and the soil will need replenishing.  This is when you need encourage.

How many times have you had support with starting something such as school, marriage, having children, church, a job, or a business?  Only to find a lack of support after starting.

I have been there before and unfortunately may be there again one day.  Although, I will plan better with my future endeavors to compensate and adjust for the lack of support.

Encouragement is the water to the plant.

When you are encouraging someone, your do the following to their spirit: bring cheer, uplift, inspire, motivate, vitalize, revitalize, fortify, invigorate, give support, advice, champion, nurture, promote, cultivate, foster, strengthen or stimulate!  WOW!  Who wouldn’t want to be encouraged?

Encouragement is consistently providing the support, whereas empowering is getting the person or you started.

Two of the Most Powerful Words

 

Both empower and encourage are verbs, which means it will take some work to get this done.  It will take you listening, being friendly, and respecting other people.

Think about it, if everyone took this sort of pay-it-forward way of thinking to encourage and empower others consciously every day, we might have a different world!  A WEIRD world!

I know, I know – someone is thinking that this is a load of crap.  If that is you, you may need empowering and encouraging.  We all need it.  Yes, it can be draining when others are just taking all the empowerment and encouragement you have to give.  But just remember, your time is coming!

I am sure there are influences that have encouraged and empowered you along the way, so be the same to someone else.

What I am trying to say is try to approach every conversation or interaction you have with the intent to encourage and empower!

Ways you can do this: 1) Talk with a smile – even over the phone or while you tweet or post to Facebook. 2) Speak to the positive of the situation – there is power in the tongue you know! 3) Think uplifting and bright thoughts. 4) Smile (the universal language) even if they won’t smile back.

MTN Universal is all about empowering and encouraging individuals, schools systems, businesses, etc.

Find 2-3 people to serve, empower, and encourage throughout the week and/or year!

 

How do you feel about these two powerful words?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant & Chaitra

MTN Universal

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How and Why to Be an Expert

Pause. Take a moment and write down the areas/subjects, in which you are very knowledgeable.  Hold on to this list and we will revisit this later in our blog.

Everyone wants to be a SME.

You may be thinking, what is a SME?

SME is an acronym for Subject Matter Expert.

Why a SME?

The more you are considered a SME, the more you will recognize various opportunities to advance the lives of others and yourself.  As a clinician, I have spent countless hours learning in classrooms, on-line, from evidence-based research; from colleagues, students, and on-the-job experience.  From all my learning, I have learned that life is all about being a SME.

Why is life all about being a SME?

Being a SME means you are a forever learner.  You would think being a SME would allow you to relax because you have made it to the top.  On the contrary, SME’s are experts because they continue to saturate their minds with knowledge.  SME’s tend to have a 3-way thought process.

1. I Don’t Know

 

The first step to being an expert has to do with knowing your individual limitations.  This is a starting and continued process of being an expert.

Even now after being out of school for almost a decade, I still have to take continuing education courses to be one the best clinicians in my field.  When I study experts, all experts are involved in some form of continued education.  It can be formal or informal continued education, but experts are good at seeking out further knowledge to advance their skills.

The key to enhancing your knowledge and expert status has to do with understanding what you don’t know.

2. I Must Grow

 

Your awareness of what you don’t know should drive you to GROW.

If you knew there was something that you did not know, how far would you go to learn it to become an expert?

The difference between a SME and anyone else is the SME’s ability to assess his or her own needs and move in the right direction to develop their needs.

3. Spread the Growth

 

 SME’s are not only about increasing their own knowledge, but they promote and encourage knowledge-share.  It’s like spreading the wealth with your knowledge!  So, pay it foward with your SME knowledge and spread the growth!  Each one, Teach one!

Question:  At the beginning of today's blog, we asked you, In what areas of your life are you considered a SME?   (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below).

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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Exercising the Power to Choose

The beautiful thing about life is having the power to choose.

 

It is possible to the live the life you want to live, but you have to exercise the power to choose.

Work It Out

 

When I hear the word exercise, I think of working out.  Working out makes me think of activities such as running, swimming, jogging, and cycling.  It also makes me think of the programs such as P90X and Insanity.  What do all of these programs have in common?

Each program takes a commitment and effort.  Your muscles may be sore and you may feel pain in every joint, but somehow you will find a way to complete your work out program because you are serious about exercising and staying healthy.

When it comes to making choices in life, it will require the same effort and commitment.  In other words, to live the life you have always wanted to live, “It takes work!”

You Have the Power

 

You have the power to control the choices you make in life.

If you avoid making an active decision, eventually a passive decision will be made.  So, not making a decision is actually making a decision.  I believe that passive choices are harder to maintain than active choices.  By the time you ignore, avoid, or tune out an active choice, you could have made an active choice.

So, why not exercise your power to choose right now?

Choose the life you want to live.  Choose the friends you want to hang around.  Choose what type of student you are going to be in school?  Choose how much financial independence you will have in the years to come.

Choose!!!

 

How are you exercising your power to choose?  (Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.)

 

Bryant

MTN Universal

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