Valuing Others for Success

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but I wanted to share a situation (I've changed some of the players so as not to offend anyone, so this is not the real situation, ok?)

I was at my cousin's house watching an NFL playoff game and my cousin's all-time favorite team was playing. His kids were doing all sorts of things to stay busy and out of the way during the game. They knew that their dad would reprimand them when they walked in front of the TV. While they did interrupt a couple of times during the 3+ hours, no major infractions occurred.

Then, it happened... With time running out, Dad's favorite team was leading by 3 points and the opponent had the ball. Folks were on bended knee praying that the 'good guys' would hang on and win.

Then, the fatal error occurred. No, no, his team didn't allow the opponent to score... this error was far worse than that... his 4 y.o. son came in to ask him a question. Can you believe it!?! How could the boy do such a thing at this critical juncture in the game!! The fierce look on his face and the intense yelling that followed showed his son that the football game was far more important than he was.

How many times have we acted like dad? How many times have we allowed temporary situations to make a permanent mark on the ones we love, the ones we care about the most?

You see, often times we fall into a fantasy trap. We get so caught up in the surreal world that we tragically ignore the real world. Sure the football game was real, but the outcome of the game had very little to do with dad's future or the future of hsi family. In the big scheme of things, who would he say was more important to him, his favorite NFL team or his son?

Today I encourage you to take a look at your priorities.

• Are you valuing the people in your life as much as you are valuing the things in your life?
• In the big scheme of things, is that the way that you want it to be?
• Do you value others for "who they are" or for "what they can do for you"?
• Do your thought habits tend to pull you away from what you truly want to do?

You ARE NOT your thoughts!

You have the ability to take a step back and look at your thoughts. You can figure out what impact they are having on your life.

Some of your thoughts may be producing terrific results for you in your life. There may be others that are holding you back.

Until you are able to recognize which is which, you may not be as in control of your life as you think you are.