Tag Archives: success

Start the Day Right…

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Start the day right...Here's an example of how this really shifted my mood from bad to good!

Start the Day Right…

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Success magazines and self-help sites are loaded with “start the day right” theories, especially at the start of a new year.  I’ve gotta say though, this “start the day right” thing really works!  I know…why am I so surprised that this actually works!?  I’ve been teaching this for years, and I’ve even experienced it on more than one occasion.  Nevertheless, I still surprise myself from time to time.

I’m going to tell on myself…

Several years ago (when I originally wrote this post) my husband Eric used to leave for work before I even got up most of the time.  Sometimes, not always, he would get on these kicks where he would set his alarm for super early but then hit the snooze button.  Consistently.  Over.  And over.  I’m a pretty light sleeper, and it typically takes me a while to even get to sleep.  I’m also a pretty cranky person if I don’t get enough sleep or if I’m overly tired.  Oh, did I mention that the sound of his alarm often wouldn’t wake him? So many times I had to wake him and tell him that his alarm was going off…every 9 minutes…for sometimes an hour.

Needless to say, this occasional morning snooze habit that he used to have tended to make me a little angry drive me insane.  I promise I really tried to stay calm and not get angry.  Really I did.  However, there was a particular day that was not the case.  On that morning it was all I could do not to take his alarm clock and knock him over the head with it.  I’m telling you, I had some choice words in my head!  I became extremely angry and cranky.

Moving past my feelings

I didn’t feel like getting up early to read my Bible and have my quiet time that day.  I didn’t feel like playing praise and worship music.  Nevertheless, I sucked it up and got up regardless of my feelings.  I made a decision to start the day right, even though it went against every grain in my body that day.

I went into the kitchen to make my coffee and whole-grain bagel (even though I felt like eating the plate of leftover Christmas fudge that was still sitting on the countertop).  I pulled up my YouTube praise and worship playlist and clicked “He Lifted Me” to listen to as I made my breakfast.  In full disclosure, I probably used a little more force than I should have to click “play” on the music. It really only takes a light tap, not a blow to the touch screen with my index finger. 🙂  I think I even muttered out loud to myself, “I don’t WANT to listen to praise music!” like a little pouting 3-year-old.  See what a baby I can be at times?  After that song was over, I was still angry but clicked on another song anyway, “O Praise the Name”.

Afterward, I took my breakfast and phone and went to my usual morning chair to read my Bible.  I did each of my reading plans, prayed, and journaled my thoughts.  Amazingly, I even finished before the kids got up.  I think I was still in a little funk but really didn’t pay much attention to it after that because I was on to get the kids up, ready, and off to school.

It worked!

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Mistakes Can Turn Into Success

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Mistakes Can Turn Into Success. Look at these examples of bad turned good…

Mistakes Can Turn Into Success:  Look at these examples of bad turned good…

In a previous post, we talked about how our failures and mistakes can contribute to some of our insecurities.  We tend to beat ourselves up for the mistakes we make.  It never ceases to amaze me though how God can take our disobedience and mistakes and turn them into something beautiful.  He can take something that I completely messed up and then turn it around to be a blessing to me and to others.  

God can take our disobedience and mistakes and turn them into something beautiful.

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Did you know there are several products and inventions that came from mistakes?  To name a few…the Slinky, Penicillin, plastic, chocolate chip cookies (thank goodness for this mistake!), potato chips, the pacemaker, silly putty, safety glass, microwave ovens, corn flakes, Post-it notes (another one of my favorites!), x-rays, superglue, popsicles, vulcanized rubber (i.e. tires), and matches.  Here’s a fun read about the 20 Most Fascinating Accidental Inventions all originating from mistakes.  I personally believe many of these mistakes turned success were probably God-inspired.  There are stories throughout the Bible of mistakes turned success too.

God turned Jonah’s mistake into a success

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Seize the Day

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Seize the Day

A few months ago I was going through some old journals of mine from college to find some things to help one of the girls in my youth group. As I was thumbing through the pages, I found a poem, “Seize the Day”, I had written about not worrying about the future.

My student I was working with loved the poem and took a picture of that page in my journal. Even though that was months ago, she just recently shared with me and the other girls in our small group that the poem has really helped her and that she still reads it often. I was touched that something that I had just written in a private quiet time over 20 years ago could be beneficial to someone now.

As I was pondering what to write about this week, that poem came back to mind because of the words “Seize the day”. It felt a little appropriate for many reasons. Primarily at the front of my mind are the graduating seniors that have missed out on so much their senior year because of COVID-19. There are still so many unknowns in the future and so much loss experienced over the past few months. Seize the day seems like some timely advice for graduates who will not get this time back.

It’s also wise counsel for so many others of us who are also affected by this COVID-19 crisis. We can live in the past mourning all of the things that we are missing. We can fret about the future and what is to come (or NOT come) and the timing of it all. OR…We could seize the day and live in this present moment, trusting God.

23 years ago…

In my journal entry I wrote about how God had worked some things out that I had been worrying about. I honestly do not remember any of the specific details of that time (and my journal entry was a bit vague), but the point was that God came through when I just trusted him instead of worrying. I was writing to remind myself to stop worrying, trust in God, and make the most of my present moments in the process.

Here is my journal entry from January 20, 1997

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Taking Notes Effectively

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Taking Notes Effectively

Taking Notes Effectively

Today’s post is more practical in application. This past week I was just visiting with a friend who homeschools her children about some resources for note taking. I thought it might be beneficial to share some resources here as well. After all, good note taking skills aren’t just important for students in school. It’s useful in our jobs during training, meetings, conferences, and in continuing education. It’s also useful in church or for taking notes during a podcast or video message.

Some of this might be very basic or seem redundant if you already have a habit of taking notes. Nevertheless, you never know when you might be able to tweak or improve your note taking style or even get a few new ideas! If you’re NOT a note taker, revisit this post about the importance of writing things down. Basically, when you take notes, you remember the material better, plus you have something to refer back to later on.

The process of taking notes

The process of taking notes involves three phases: before, during, and after. Before taking notes you must learn effective preparation and observation methods. During the process of taking or recording your notes (i.e. actually writing something down) there are several helpful methods to make the process more effective. Lastly, after taking notes, it’s very important to review them in order to transfer the information from your short-term memory to your long-term memory and to retain the information better.

Becoming a good note-taker is a process in itself. You have to find the method or combination of methods that work best for you, and it sometimes takes practice and some trial and error. Every individual is different, so what works for you may not work for a different person. Different learning styles also come into play when deciding the most effective way of taking notes.

Make it plain

When considering taking notes, I think it’s important to note what the Lord told Habakkuk when he was making complaints and requests to the Lord:

“And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:2 (ESV)

The Lord told Habakkuk to write down plainly the important things to be revealed (i.e. the vision and answers to his questions and complaints). He says to do this in order that “he may run who reads it”. Other versions say things like–so that the correct message can be carried to others, so it can be easily read, or so that one can read it quickly. Makes sense, right? The whole point of taking notes is to help you retain the information and have a reference to go back to and read over or study.

Our goal today will be to learn some effective and proven methods of taking notes in order to write down the correct and important information in order to retain it, record the notes in an easy and “plain” way and to make them useful for future use and review.

Order and organization—characteristics of God

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7 Tips for Remembering Names

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Bad with names? Here are 7 Tips for Remembering Names...

Bad with names?  Here are 7 Tips for Remembering Names…

Do you know that feeling of panic when you see someone you know, but for the life of you, you can’t remember their name?  I’ve been there a few times.  I’ve typically done one of two things in this case.  I either try to carry on a conversation without even having to say their name and without admitting I forgot, or I go ahead and admit that I have completely forgotten their name, beg forgiveness and ask them to remind me.

Oh…there is a third thing that I hate to admit that I’ve done…just flat out hide and/or act like I don’t see them.  I know!  I know!  That’s terrible!  Don’t act like you haven’t done it though! 🙂  On the receiving end of this situation though, I think I’d really prefer the other person to just admit that they don’t remember my name.  I actually respect people more for this.  Remembering names can be tough!

It feels good to be remembered

It does feel really great though when someone remembers your name, especially if you don’t expect them to.  I had this happen recently.  I was volunteering at church and had to check in at the front desk.  The girl working there said “Tracy, right?”  That made my day!  I have probably only seen her a handful of times, and I don’t think we’ve actually ever had a conversation.  You also have to understand, we have thousands of people that attend our church and hundreds of volunteers, therefore making it extremely difficult for remembering names!  To me, it was highly impressive that she could remember my name.  It made me feel really good.

I’ve also been on the flip-side where I run into a person that has met me several times yet still doesn’t remember my name.  This makes me feel Continue reading →

Confess Your Sins…

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Confess your sins...

Confess Your Sins

“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)

Do you have some hidden sin that is blocking your success and prosperity? Concealing sins can prove to be a road block or a hindrance to us. Hidden and unconfessed sin can also cause anxiety and inner turmoil. It can begin to eat away at us.

“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.” Psalm 32:3 (NLT)

“I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.” Psalm 31:10 (NLT)

God knows this and therefore has given us confession as an outlet. Weights can be lifted and refreshing can come when we confess things and come clean. Proverbs 28:13 promises us mercy when we confess our sins and stop doing wrong. Today I’d like to share four observations that I took away from this verse about hiding sins versus confessing them. 

Hidden and unconfessed sin can cause anxiety and inner turmoil.

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Observation #1: Hiding sins blocks success

“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)

Don’t hide or try to conceal your sins. You shouldn’t cover them up. Don’t act fake. Don’t act as if you never do anything wrong. Claiming to be without sin is just deceiving yourself and others. Everyone has sinned. So be transparent! Concealing sins blocks success and prosperity.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT) 

Hiding sins blocks success and prosperity.

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Observation #2: Confess your sins

“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)

Admit your wrongs. Tell God. Tell someone else so that you may receive help, healing and accountability. Confession of sins can bring healing (emotional, physical, etc.) to yourself and to others involved.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NLT)

It will also lift weights to get them off of your chest. It’s important to get sins into the light so that the darkness can be dispelled. Satan wants to keep them in darkness.

“All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” John 3:20-21 (NLT)

However, keep in mind that all things in darkness and hidden will eventually be revealed anyway!

All things hidden will be revealed…

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Multiple Intelligences—A Different Kind of Learning Preference

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Multiple Intelligences—A Different Kind of Learning Preference

A couple of weeks ago we discussed learning styles—more specifically those styles of Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. I showed you how even Jesus taught in all three of those learning styles. This week I thought I would introduce you to a different type of learning style or learning preference that we discuss in my classes. It’s called the theory of Multiple Intelligences.

The theory of multiple intelligences was an idea derived in 1983 by a Harvard Professor of Psychology named Howard Gardner[1]. Based on his research he believes that different people have different ways of processing information and different intellectual strengths. Gardner says these strengths are important in knowing how we best learn.

In other words, in discovering what our own individual strengths are (our own multiple intelligences), we can leverage these to enhance our own learning and understanding to be more successful–be it in school, at work, or even spiritual growth. We’ll discuss some strategies we can use to leverage our strengths in order to be more successful. 

We can leverage our strengths to enhance our learning and understanding to be more successful.

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See if you can see yourself in any of these descriptions…

Gardner’s Eight Multiple Intelligences:

  • Verbal/Linguistic—includes the ability to analyze, use, and manipulate language and words (written or spoken); strengths include reading, writing, telling stories and memorization
  • Musical/Rhythmic—includes the ability to use and make meaning out of sounds, rhythms, repetition, and tones; strengths include creating rhymes/rhythms/melodies/songs, singing, and/or playing an instrument
  • Logical/Mathematical—includes the ability to reason scientifically, understand and analyze patterns/equations/calculations, and make connections between complex and/or abstract items; strengths include problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, and reasoning
  • Visual/Spatial—includes the ability to see relationships between objects and to visual things in the mind; strengths include understanding maps/graphs/charts, making use of images, and creative processes such as designing, crafting, building, etc.
  • Bodily/Kinesthetic—includes the ability to connect the mind and body and learning through bodily activity and motion; strengths include good motor skills and controlling movement, using the body to create products, and/or excel in activities requiring physical activity such as medical careers, athletics, performance (dancing, acting, playing music, etc.), military, construction, etc.
  • Intrapersonal—includes the ability to be introspective and self-aware including evaluation of one’s own strengths/weaknesses; strengths include self-assessment and knowing oneself (own abilities and limits), predicting one’s own reactions and emotions, and ability to know and set boundaries for oneself
  • Interpersonal—includes the ability to utilize empathy and see things from other’s perspectives, discernment and proficiency in reading the people around oneself, and skill in social interaction; strengths include communication with others (both verbal and nonverbal), creating and managing relationships, negotiation, and cooperating within group settings
  • Naturalistic—includes the ability to connect with nature, relate information to the natural surroundings, and to recognize and classify things in nature; strengths include understanding patterns in living things (recognize distinct types of plants/animals/geography), feeling nurtured/invigorated in natural surroundings, and excelling in areas such as biological and environmental sciences, gardening/farming, hunting, culinary arts, etc.

A video interview with Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences

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What Are Your Preferred Learning Styles?

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What Are Your Preferred Learning Styles?

I love taking self-assessments. I’ve always found them fun and interesting. Many of my students over the years have seemed to enjoy them as well. Most people love to learn new things about themselves or confirm things they might already know. I think learning more about ourselves and getting some strategies to put into practice can help us to accomplish the tasks that God sets before us and help us to be successful in the things that God has called us to do and be. Since we discussed success a little last week, I thought it might be fun to share a learning styles self-assessment as a tool to add to our toolbox for success!

In the classes I teach, both a success skills class at a local college and a life skills class at a women’s restoration home, we spend some time learning about learning styles and preferences. Knowing how we learn can affect both our success in school and in our careers.  We can utilize these learning styles to our advantage to help throughout our lives.

Self-awareness and understanding that others sometimes learn, think and behave differently than we do can also help us manage relationships with others better (both personally AND professionally). Through self-assessments we can analyze and modify learning techniques and behavior patterns to get more out of learning, whether it’s at school, work or even learning and growing spiritually. 

Learn more about yourself to succeed in what God has called you to do and be.

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VAK Learning Styles: Visual, Auditory, & Kinesthetic

The first learning styles assessment we discuss in my class is the VAK system, which is an acronym that stands for Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. This set of learning styles focuses on learning through our senses:

Visual: Learning by seeing

Auditory: Learning by hearing

Kinesthetic: Learning by movement

We all use all three when we learn, but most of us have one or two dominant learning styles or preferences. We typically default to our dominant preference when we take in new information.

Visual learners tend to take in and understand information by actually looking at it, either in writing or some other visual format (pictures, videos, demonstrations, or visualization). These are the people that when you ask for directions they will either write them out for you or draw you a map. If they are assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably look over the directions first or watch a tutorial video on how to do it.

Auditory learners tend to take in and understand information by hearing it or talking about it. When asked for directions they will give you verbal instructions. If they are assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably read the directions aloud, have someone else read the directions to them, or just ask somebody who has already put a similar piece together about how to do it.

Kinesthetic learners tend to take in and understand information while moving around or by touching things. These are the people that when you ask them for directions they might say, “Follow me. I’m driving right by there.” Additionally, they might use their hands and point a lot when describing the directions to you. If assembling a new piece of furniture, they will probably disregard the instruction manual altogether and just start assembling.

VAK in the Bible: Jesus even modeled visual, auditory, and kinesthetic styles

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