Positivity in Relationships

The people in our lives impact our attitudes. Choose with care who to include and emulate in life. Our associations either elevate or bring us down. Every relationship is different. Some are like kayaks, others a row boat, others a cruise ship, etc. We spend more time with some and put less work into others. However, the best and healthy ones keep us afloat and buoy us up. This is why I choose to surround myself with people who have a positive mental attitude. 

A positive attitude is a powerful thing. It turns obstacles into opportunities, squashes insecurities, eases stress, and makes life much more enjoyable.

A positive attitude's a catalyst that can spark extraordinary results and turn punishment into entertainment. (Tweet this)

One example of a person with an extraordinary positive mental attitude is my younger brother, Kekoa Tato. Kekoa doesn't allow having down syndrom to stop him from enjoying life, having big dreams, and going after what he wants. In fact his positive mental attitude has allowed him to do many things that many others would be too scared to even attempt.
When Kekoa was in preschool, he didn't always want to do what the rest of the group was doing. As a result he'd end up in time out. He'd play with a rock or his shoes. Sometimes he'd even laugh and sing to himself. Time-out was supposed to be punishment, but he was having fun!


Last year Kekoa ended up in the hospital will gall stones and had surgery to remove his gall bladder. Despite the pain he endured to recover from the surgery and having to be cooped up in a hospital room for almost 2 weeks, a smile was ever present on his face. When I'd visited him, he even showed off how he had serenaded all of the pretty nurses and introduced me to all of his new friends. In fact, all who dropped by to cheer him up left uplifted and inspired themselves.

Positivity is contagious, and during adversity it's inspiring. (Tweet this)

 My relationship with Kekoa has always inspired me to smile and stay positive even when things are tough. From Kekoa, I've learned that I should never let my circumstances determine my attitude or the direction the edges of my mouth point. If we decide to always have a positive attitude, we will always be able to make the best of any circumstances.

When bad things happen we can't change the past, but with the right attitude we can learn a lot from it. (Tweet this)

Who is the Kekoa in your life? How would a more positive attitude help you get through hard times?

 

The Power of Asking Questions

Tony Robbins said: "Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers."


Questions can be powerful things. They are the keys to unlocking wisdom and knowledge. A good question will give rise to more questions and questions are the seeds that if cultivated bare fruits of the truth.

 How can our trials strengthen us?

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."-Socrates

The greatest discoveries and creations came about because of brave individuals who not only asked questions, but took the time to go and seek out the answers or solutions.

"For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now?"-James Allen

Asking the right questions don't only lead us to make new discoveries about the world around us. 
Asking the right questions will lead to a greater discovery of who we are and what kind of potential we have within us. [Tweet this]

In what ways can you be a better communicator?

Life can be an effective teacher, but our learning can be enhanced as we allow our life experiences to arouse questions. Our seeking answers can lead us to inconceivable discoveries of knowledge. Can you imagine what the world would be like if Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Hellen Keller, Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin, or all the other great minds decided to just accept their circumstances without questioning how things could possibly be made better? The only dumb questions are the ones we allow to remain unanswered.

Have you ever wondered how to live a happier and fuller life?

Is lying ever worth the consequences?

Why should you invest in your personal development?

What are some of the benefits of keeping a journal?

The Price of Dishonesty

Nothing is free, there is a price for everything we do and receive. The value we place on what we'll receive and become can tell us if the cost is worth the price we'd pay. The price of dishonesty is a steep one. Being dishonest will cost you your integrity, your credibility, respect, and even some of your freedom. 

Honesty and integrity are our best tools in influence and leadership.[Tweet this]

The moment you start lying or manipulating the truth is the moment that you will find yourself captive by the chains that those lies create. A single lie can never stand on its own, it needs the support of other lies to hold it up.

Integrity is not something that can be reestablished in a single act. It is built over time through consistent effort. A single lie however has the power to destroy it all. Every lie you tell to another is a lie told to yourself. To lie one must convince himself that they feel good about doing something wrong, and that the lies are helping more than harming. The liar pays the greatest price by lying. They lose confidence and trust in themselves and others with every lie they tell. 

There is nothing charitable about lying, the only consistent motive is selfishness. [Tweet this]

Contentment may come for a moment for a liar but it will not last. In the end the one who is harmed and hurt the most is the liar.

 

Is lying ever worth the price?

The 3 Enemies of Becoming Your Best Self

 

What do distractions, discouragement, and entitlement have in common? They are all enemies of becoming your best self. They will do all that they can to keep you from reaching your goals and reaching your fullest potential. They want you to fall. They want you to be miserable. Do not fall victim to their traps and snares.

DISTRACTIONS

Becoming your best self requires work. It requires sacrifice, goal setting, and prioritizing. Distractions come in all shapes and sizes at any and all times. It can come in the form of a great series on Netflix, or procrastination disguised as a cheat day or a break. It can come in the form of holidays, birthdays, "family emergencies", and pretty much any other excuse we can imagine up for ourselves.

There will never come a time that everything is so perfectly in order that there is nothing there to distract us.[Tweet this]

Balance is important when working towards anything, but don't allow your need for balance to outweigh your need to work, stay focused, make decisions, and set priorities. Be diligent in the small and simple things, that if done daily will naturally get you where you want to go. As Joseph Fielding Smith taught, "Habits are easily formed. It is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form evil ones."

DISCOURAGEMENT

Discouragement says things like "You're not good enough" or "You can't do that." However, feelings of discouragement do not mean or make you incapable or unqualified. It causes us to second guess ourselves and start worrying about problems and situations we will most likely never face. If feelings of discouragement start to sneak up on you have the courage to keep moving forward just one step and one day at a time. As you take a step forward in faith, you'll find your footing on new hope. That hope can be enough motivation to once again take another step forward in faith until the very things that once discouraged you become the very things that motivate you instead.

ENTITLEMENT

Feelings of entitlement cause us to think we can get something without working for it. It inflates our egos and justifies our laziness. We should never feel entitled to anything we haven't sweat and struggled for. We cannot reap before we sow. Any farmer who adopted that belief would starve once winter came along. Maynard Webb said, "With sports, there's no entitlement on the field. It's about numbers. It's about results. It's about outcomes."

Everything worth having and worth keeping requires work and effort. [Tweet this]

When we allow ourselves to feel entitled, we don't only miss out on the end result, we also miss out on the person and experiences that will grow us along the way. A willingness to work and a grateful heart is necessary to combat the enemy of entitlement.

Be armed to combat distractions, discouragement, and entitlement by developing good habits, having the courage to move forward one step at a time, and maintaining an attitude of gratitude as you put forth the effort to become your best self. What is your line of defense against these enemies?

 

The Faith to be Still

As we know "faith without works is dead" (James 2:4). Expecting to get what we want without doing our part causes us to claim that we have great faith and a positive mental attitude, when in actuality all we have exercised is wishful thinking. However, there comes a time, after all that we can do when we must have the faith to be still and know that everything will fall into place and work out for the best. When we desire long term and far reaching benefits we must sometimes place enough of our faith to be still in those we lead, those we choose to follow, and in the Lord.

FAITH IN THOSE WE LEAD

Effective leaders and parents understand the power of training their replacements. They model, teach, and observe as they turn over the stewardship and step away. Instead of believing that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself, decide to believe that if you want something done right you must effectively train a proper replacement.

 Effective leaders and parents understand the power of training their replacements. [Tweet this]

My mom did this with my brothers and sisters when it came to household chores. My dad did this effectively by teaching me where he goes to find answers to his questions rather than just giving me the answers himself. During the training period we weren't always perfect or as proficient as they were. They encouraged us and showed, however, that they had faith in us by not taking over or completing the jobs for us. Over time we became wise stewards and just as proficient, and in some cases even more skilled than they were. Through their faith in us our confidence and abilities increase and they now had one less responsibility to take care of themselves.

FAITH IN THOSE WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW

The first step in having faith in those who lead us is identifying if they are even worth following. Good leaders have the best interest of all they lead in mind. They know where they are going, have a vision of the end result and big picture and share that with you. They see how each individual moving part works together. More importantly they know where to turn if they do need help as well. To me being able to identify whether a leader is worth following would be to see what kind of faith they require from us to be led. Do they require blind or true faith.

Good leaders have the best interest of all they lead in mind. [Tweet this]

Blind faith says things like "don't ask why" or "just do as you're told" and "don't worry about the details." It discourages questions while stifling growth and understanding. On the other hand, true faith encourages questions while increasing vision, knowledge, and purpose.

Once we know who to follow, we need to trust that they will take us where we want to go. When we have faith in those who lead us, we stop trying to tell them how to do their job and we stop trying to do it for them. As a result we are better able to fulfill our own responsibilities and work together to get where we're going.

FAITH IN THE LORD'S WAYS & TIMING

Most of our righteous desires involve the cooperation of others. We can only control ourselves. When we want something badly enough we tend to do everything that we can to convince everyone involved to help us attain it. In doing so, we sometimes end up pushing them away. However, the Lord knows all things and He knows us each individually. He not only wants the best from us, He also wants the best for us. In order for this to happen He sometimes requires that we be still and have faith in His ways and timing.

He knows, far better than we do, how to prepare the minds and hearts of those involved in what we are praying and working for. When the Lord asks us to have faith enough to be still, it is our job to stop trying to play God in our attempts to control everything. We are to instead continue to pray to God and be prepared to act once given further instructions.

Being still requires patience, do not confuse it with procrastination. [Tweet this]

When we have enough faith in the Lord to be still, we prevent ourselves from creating unnecessary obstacles that delay our receiving the very things we've been praying for in the best way possible. The patience is more than worth it!

Is it worth it for you to have the faith to be still or would you rather take on the extra stress and responsibilities to be in control? Where does one cross the line from being patient to just procrastinating?
 

3 Reasons to Invest in your Personal Development

Why would anyone want to invest their time and money in personal development? I'm not going to lie, it requires effort and time that could be spent with family or hobbies; but the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices. Here are 3, although there are many more, reasons why it pays to invest in your personal development.

1) THE MAGNETISM FACTOR

The personal magnetism of those who invest in their personal development is greater than that of one who does not. As a life long student of personal development I've found that people just naturally want to be around me, be associated with me, and even ask for my advice. I write this by no means to impress you, but to impress upon you the magnetic power of investing in personal development. Until recently I wrote this phenomenon off to an invisible LCD screen on my forehead that others must see that read: "Trust me...Tell me all your secrets...I can help."

Magnetism is the result of an inner radiance.[Tweet this]

People who invest their time and efforts into improving themselves are happier, friendlier, and more trustworthy. This is because they are constantly trying to improve themselves. What isn't more magnetic than that?

2) THE SERVICE FACTOR         

  I am a firm believer that being of service to others is what brings true happiness. The more we know, the more capable we are to be of service to those around us. Personal development is about learning, doing, and becoming more-more able, more happy, more knowledgeable, more skilled, etc.

Personal development is about learning, doing, and becoming more. [Tweet this]

The other day while watching Hawaii Five-O I thought to myself, "Is there anything that Steve McGarrett doesn't know how to do? All joking aside, we never know when a specific set of skills might come in handy. You might not be able to save the world, but when you help an individual in need, you save their world.

 

3) THE EXAMPLE FACTOR

The greatest example the world has ever seen is that of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Even in telling those
He served to not share of His works and in trying to not draw so much attention to himself His example drew throngs of people to follow Him wherever He went. His life and example are still having an impact today, over 2,000 years after His death. I just recently celebrated my 30th birthday and was so touched to receive letters from many of my family and loved ones who expressed specific ways that they have been influenced and affected by my example. I was so touched and balled my eyes out like a baby. No one can really be certain of the far reaching effects of their example, but investing in personal development helps you become someone people are compelled to follow.

Set an example in life and be an inspiration for history in death.[Tweet this]

Are the benefits of personal development worth the price? Why don't more people invest in their own personal development?

7 Benefits of Keeping a Journal

 

Journaling is so much more than having a diary to tell all your secrets to. When used porperly it can improve productivity, keep you more organized, and greatly enhance your life. Here are just 7 ways you could benefit from keeping a daily journal.

Journaling is much more than having a diary to tell all your secrets to. [Tweet this]

 

1) IT'S THERAPEUTIC

This is probably the most obvious reason you'd think someone would keep a journal. You've probably heard at least one story of how someone was able to change their life around or overcome an addiction after they followed the advice to start keeping a journal. Whether you are upset or frustrated or just have a lot on your mind, writing it down is a great way to let things out or let things go. It is also an excellent way to get to know yourself.

Journaling is  away to have a relationship with your mind. [Tweet this]

2) MAKES ROOM FOR MORE THOUGHTS

Do you ever have so much on your mind that you get overwhelmed and paralyzed into inaction? When you dump all of your thoughts out onto paper it is amazing how quickly your mind will relax. In that state, the mind is ready to start welcoming new ideas and information.

Journaling makes room for more thoughts. [Tweet this]

3) GOALS AND GOAL SETTING

A journal is the perfect place to write down your goals. Use it to also write down the progress you are making on those goals. Doing this keeps you accountable. It is also  a way to see what's working and what's not. When you find yourself beating yourself up because you aren't seeing results in your goals, your written record may sometimes reveal that you are a lot further along than you are giving yourself credit for.

A goal isn't a goal until it's written down. [Tweet this]

4) HELPS YOU THINK THINGS THROUGH

Believe it or not, writing down thoughts or ideas allows you to see a more detailed picture. Writing it down makes it more real, and once something is real it can be more readily looked at from different angles. Problems, ideas, solutions, and insights start popping up the moment you start writing your thoughts down.

Journaling helps you think things through. [Tweet this]

 

 

5) PAPER NEVER FORGETS

No matter how good your memory is, you probably won't remember everything. Write down your story while it's fresh. Journaling preserves the feelings you had while going through the mundane and most significant times of your life. It's amazing the treasures that are found in going back to read past entries.

No matter how good your memory is, you probably won't remember everything. [Tweet this]

6) INCREASED GRATITUDE

Journaling can keep you grateful. A great habit when writing is to ask yourself. "What experiences have I had today that I am grateful for?" When you take the time to reflect it is hard not to see the blessings in your life.

Journaling can keep you grateful. [Tweet this]

7) A FAMILY LEGACY

A journal is a record that can be passed on to generations. It is sad when a person dies and with them so many memories and life lessons. Leaving behind a personal record or journal allows families and future generations to come to know where they came from and continue to learn from you for generations to come.

Leave a legacy, keep a journal. [Tweet this]

 How would journaling benefit your life?