Roeboater Thoughts

  In life we all will face adversity. How will we respond. Will we choose to fight forward or retreat in fear. Adversity is hard, hard things grow us when we choose to become an overcomer and not a statistic. It will be hard, there will be people around that encourage you to retreat to safe, because safe is easiest. You may also have people cheering for you to push through; listen there.  When you choose to push through, grow into the adversity, moving forward no matter at what speed, but forward you become better inside where your fire grows and as you come through the other side you are now stronger than you though you could be. You are more equipped than before. You are more ready than you ever realized. What caused hardship and maybe even pain in now an advantage for you. An advantage, because you overcame. You chose a mindset that you can and then you took action. You are stronger than you realize. You are capable of so much. Belief, Mindset, Action & Grit are all ingredients

  Remember a time when someone helped you? No strings attached, just helped. It may have been a stranger, family member, friend or acquaintance. Whoever it may have been, and whatever it may have been for you remember. A outstretched helping hand is something that is not easily forgotten and can create a ripple effect that creates more good that we will ever know.  Today, really this week I want to encourage us to be open to helping (that extra-mile mentality). I don't know how it will look for you or I, but I know this. When we help others, it does something inside. It brings to the top intention of service , kindness & compassion . I believe that we would all agree that those three traits above are ones we would love to be described as having. 

  Unlike the mall where you can choose the elevator, escalator or stairs there is only one real choice for success...the stairs. One step at a time is a good thing. Keep pace, moving forward towards your goals. Some steps we may be on longer than others and that is ok. We can plateau there for a time to prepare us for the next set of steps ahead.  Focus forward. Act forward.  Do not become distracted by the pace of others going on the stairs. You don't know the story; but you do know yours and that is the one that counts. Comparison is the thief of all joy, so don't let it in.  Earn each step along the way, celebrate victories, help others with their steps & before you know it you'll be closer to you goals growing along the way into the person you needed to become in order to accomplish what you had your sights on. 

Will you face challenges or adversity in your life? YES. What happens next is up to us. We have 2 choices...we can become Bitter from what is happening or we can choose to become Better .  Can it feel unfair...choose better .  Can it seem that the light at the end of the tunnel is too far away...choose better .  Can it feel like you don't have the strength or are equip to win...choose better .  Is this hard...100% yes.  Is it worth it...100% yes. Proud moments in our life never begin or end with bitterness.  Hard is a guarantee; you can do hard. You can grow into what/who is needed to achieve whatever is in front of you. Not easy, but always worth it.  Make your choices today in small and large ways to choose better . You'll thank yourself for it. Bitter is not a companion you want with you.

  In life:  Adversity will happen. Change will happen. Obstacles will rise up. They can be internal or external.  They can be large or small. They can throw you off of your purpose, or not. That is up to us. We can always move forward, towards our goals despite adversity. When your goals & priorities are clearly defined it makes it easier; not easy, but easier. If you are struggling when adversity hits, visit your vision and if you don't have one write it down. There is something powerful when things go from in the air to written down.  Approach your Vision proactively, knowing that adversity will come daily thorough small or large challenges. It's what we do next that matters. YOU CAN...maintain your core purpose and integrity in the face of changing circumstances. We may get bent, stretched, pressed and pulled; it will be uncomfortable, but being resilient means we return back to to our center of who we are. 

The axe is the tool of the lumberjack. They know the importance of it. Not just of itself, but also the condition it is in. Therefore, they invest their time to keep it at high performance level. When the blade is sharp it takes less force to cut through and do the task at hand. On the other side, if time is not taken to sharpen the blade, the same task will talk longer and be more of a struggle. For us, we need to remember to pause, step away and sharpen our axe. It's our job to sharpen the axe; if it's dull, that is on us. Regular work of of an axe wears it down, therefore the practice of sharpening isn't a once in a while thing but a regular occurrence. When we need to be sharpened, that means we were DOING, we were attacking our tasks before us. Today what trees are you going to chop down? Get to work on those knowing that it'll take something out of you; worthwhile things do. Also, promise yourself that following that this evening you'll sharpen your axe as wel

Do you have a junk drawer in your house? Only one? If you have more than one, lets talk lol Our offices or homes may have clutter in them & usually around Spring time is when a decluttering happens & most things get organized, donated or trashed right? We do this physically, but what about mentally or in our daily routines?  Do we go through and 'declutter' them as well?  Have a lot of 'things' to do or be can bring clutter to our lives which causes us to operate slower, with less drive & enthusiasm. We feel overwhelmed. That can come from only practicing addition in our lives, but not subtraction as well. An action for today can be a couple of things to choose from.  Is there a area of your home or workspace that is cluttered that makes it not a place of calm, but anxiety? If so, tidy it up today. Look at your day. Are there too many 'things' in it that are not helping you get towards your goals? I'm not talking about things that aren't your

  Just because something use to be a road block in the past does not mean it has to be now. YOU CAN DO IT! Give up on thinking that hard is impossible. Give up on believing that the idea or thing in your heart is not for you. Give up on allowing outside opinions the power to hold you down.  When you give up these things it allows you to PICK UP what you need to achieve the goals you have in your head and your heart. Potential is a great things, but it becomes truly beautiful when you embark on the journey towards achievement of it. On the journey you will have obstacles, don't give up. On this journey you will encounter people who will hinder you as well as people that enable you; mind that difference. On your journey you will also be inspiring others by your words and actions for them to Give up as well, so they can PICK UP & Go as you are.

  Asking questions to seek answers is a key aspect of growth in any arena of life. When we assume, we close off our chance of discovering something real that is relatable. Another part of this to really have it be effective is to listen to understand what they are saying. Many times we can catch ourselves listening to respond or relate, let their words sink in. What are you working on? How can I help? What has you excited right now? What is something new you are learning or doing? These are just a few examples of open ended questions that help us discover, connect & relate better to those that we meet & even to those we have know for a long time. It's never to late to ask good questions to connect.  Who will you connect with today?

  Until the buzzer sounds we give it our all; we give it our best. We may win, we may lose(learn), but we never give up. Giving up is defeating yourself.  Weather we are way our in front or behind things can change. Our effort should not though. We should always be striving to give it our BEST. Yes, on certain days our best is different and that is ok. Reaching and achieving our potential for that day is a WIN.  When we go until the buzzer, past the finish line there is a sense of pride/accomplishment knowing that you gave it your best.  Think of a time when you didn't hit your goal, but after you think about it and know it your heart that you may have been able to if you had fully applied yourself...that isn't a good feeling; now flush that one.  Now think of a time when you gave it your all on your own or with teammates and you accomplished your goal or even accomplished a greater goal...that is the feeling that should stay with you; that should stay with all of us.  We are e

  We all want to win; that is a given. Wanting to win though isn't enough and I think we all know that as well.  The ground work that is usually unseen is what moves us from participants into victors of the goals we have set out to accomplish. The preparations necessary to win, consistently, over a long period of time take discipline along with a sense of duty to your teammates and family to give it your very best.  When it seems easy, you prepare and show up.  When it seems harder, you prepare and show up. When it seems insurmountable, you prepare and show up.  Actions: What do you do occasionally that you know you should be doing consistently? How can you change that? Who can you connect with that will help you stay accountable to taking your growth action(s)? What is a specific goal that you can make to accomplish in the next 30 days?

It's simple right...taking a breath. We do it thousands of times a day. Let's think about it though; how amazing that it doesn't stop when we sleep, it continues on. So much can come from a breath. We can choose to take a walk, run, cycle or yoga. We can yell, encourage, warn or sing with a breath.  We get to choose what we do with each breath we take. I want to encourage each of us after reading this to close our eyes and take 7 deep, full & intentional breaths. At the end of each breath think of one thing you are grateful for, then lean back into your day.  Each breath is a gift, lets have gratitude & use each one to pursue & do something we can be proud of.