The answer to this question can change everything. Our family just finished a media fast for the last month. I spent the month starting my next book. My wife and I began getting rid of things we do not need. What is essential? When we began, there was a lot. Most of it was stored away somewhere not being used. Now we have brought it out and asked this question of so many things we held dearly. There is a lot of emotion wrapped up in our stuff. Some things we kept, but put them out where we could find them and actually use them. Many things we let go…
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More Is More
“Less is more.” I have to admit, I do not really believe this. Inside me, I want to believe it. Particularly when I am overwhelmed and anxious by everything. All of the todo lists, piles of ideas, stacks of books, relationships to manage, inboxes to check…they all are like Leaning Towers of Pisa over me. I feel like they are going to collapse and crush me. Despite this, I just keep pursuing more. I operate out of the belief “more is more.” I consume more. I pursue more. I collect more. I protect more. I value more. More…more…more! Is more…well, is it more? What one chooses to believe about this…
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Family Media Fast
At the end of last month, some friends told my wife and me they were doing a media fast for all of September. They decided to take a break from social media, tv, movies, etc. One exception would be one movie night a week. Basically they wanted to put some boundaries on screen time for a month. Later that day, my wife asked me what I thought about us doing a media fast for the month of September. Inside I secretly thought, “That sounds awesome! I want to do it!” On the outside, though, I played it cool. I pretended to only be interested and supportive. My excitement stayed hidden. I wasn’t…
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“Reference Books”
Do you have any “reference books” in your house? Yeah, me too. I have quite the book collection. Nothing wrong with books. In fact, books are awesome. We all need to read more. However, being a book hoarder may not lead to your desired result of reading more. Hoarding is unhealthy. When you hoard, you have to protect, manage, organize and replace whatever you are hoarding. Typically this takes time and money. I would also argue hoarding is bad for ideation…an important activity for us Idea Addicts! If you are a book hoarder, one of your famous lines to yourself and others is probably, “Oh, I need this book. It is…
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What Kind Of “Collector” Are You?
I love books! I would not consider myself a “collector.” I’m more of a “hoarder.” There are more books in my house than I could possibly ever read. Regularly, I am adding more to my “collection” and others help me with my addiction. Because I am an Idea Addict, I have quite an array of books. They cross the span of genres. And I seem to be finding new ones all the time. Several months ago, I had the opportunity to help a friend move. This friend is also a book hoarder. He is older than me and has a larger collection. He plans to never let a book go. At…
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Power
There are few choices more powerful than forgiveness. It removes further self-inflicted poison from the lips of the victim. It creates an opportunity for new beginnings. It sets offender and offended free. It initiates the healing process. Forgiveness. It is love in action. It liberates from the inside out. It starts the perpetrated on a new path. It turns the eyes of the guilty heavenward in utter awe and faith. There are few decisions more influential than forgiveness.
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Boundaries Are Your Friend
We hate boundaries. We need boundaries. I’m a recovering people pleaser. I struggle with boundaries. It is very hard for me to say “no” to people. I feel guilty saying “no” and I feel like I need to solve all the world’s problems. Do you struggle with this? Do you try and always say “yes” to your work, your boss, your pastor, your family? We cannot do it all. Healthy boundaries are a must. Not everyone should get a voice at all times into your life and your decisions. Do not allow those most important to you to be out-voiced by others. Also, unhealthy people should not be making decisions for you.…
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Hungry?
What do you hunger for? Perhaps you should make a list. “I hunger…” For sweets. For steak. To be a better spouse, parent. To be a spouse. To be a parent. For success. For money, power, authority. For spiritual things. To be loved. To be respected. To make a difference. To be in better shape. To eat better. For community. Your list is full of many good things. Perhaps there are some not so great things on your list, especially taken to an extreme, but overall they are good. Now look at your list and answer this: Which one hunger is going to be first? Which of your hungers is…
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First Things First
You can only put one thing first. If multiple things are first, then nothing is first. Also, if something is first, other things will not be first and therefore could be done better, but won’t be. This is because they are not first. You get to choose what is first in your life. Let me repeat. You get to choose what is first in your life. I get to choose what is first in my life. I can blame all I want, but at the end of the day… Only one thing is first. And I get to decide what is first.
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Noise
I don’t know about you, but there is a lot of noise in my life. From actual noise, to advertisements, to social media, to another phone notification…Oh, and then there is email! My life is full of noise. All kinds of distractions that do not really fit well into work or personal life. They actually pull me away from relationships and real work. I yearn for quiet, for stillness. I desire a sense of peace. I long for deep community. But the noise continually crashes in. Is your life noisy? What are you doing about it?