Thoughtful Reactions

The other day I spoke about giving others the job of making us happy.

http://www.powersharing.com/m/articles/view/Whose-Job-Is-It

Our happiness does not hinge on other people or circumstances.

I also spoke about Short Cut Thinking and how easy it is for us to keep digging into the same old ruts of habitual thoughts and reactions. Instead of taking ownership of our thoughts and reactions, we tend to take the easy way out and allow our habitual patterns take charge.

While it is not easy to be in total control of our initial reactions, personal responsibility still demands that we learn the importance of taking charge of our actions and reactions.

As creatures of habit it's unlikely that our first reaction to our situations will be under total control. But we can do something about the second reaction and those thereafter. In order to avoid the downward spiral out of control, we need to recognize when we're in Short Cut Thinking mode. Let's take responsibility and make a conscious decision to act like grown ups. In other words, let's put on our big boy pants and stop throwing tantrums like a bunch of babies.

Even though our habitual thinking will tend to be our first response, the willingness to assume responsibility and seek out intentional, positive responses will bring about solutions with successful outcomes.

Tommy Wittig
(c) 2011 T-Dub-Ya Words

Experienced Parents

Attention Parents: you may not be a perfect parent but I’m willing to bet you have experience. You may not know what lies ahead, but you have hindsight.

If only we knew then what we know now! Chances are that we could have avoided the unnecessary pain and consequences of our own decisions.

But instead of thinking that your kids can or will only respect a perfect parent, remind them that there are no perfect parents, only experienced ones. If you present it with genuine love and respect, they might just be willing to listen to your advice. This is no guarantee that they will listen, but your odds increase when you are genuine. Kids can see a fake a mile away.

Remind them how much more painless and wise it is to learn from the mistakes of others rather than making the same mistakes of others (like we did!).

Eventually it should be enough for your kids to hear of your experiences, to learn from them, and hopefully, if you back this all up with your actions, show them that you are worth listening to.

Tommy Wittig
© 2011 T-Dub-Ya Words

Just One More

Wow, I really like this - did you know that water boils at 212 degrees? Maybe you did, and if so, good for you, you are smarter than me (‘cuz I just learned this yesterday).

Now think about this - at 211 degrees water is just really, really hot. It’s that one degree more that causes water to boil. 211 degrees, really hot; 212 degrees, boiling. And when water boils it causes steam and steam can power a locomotive. What a difference one degree can make!

This is a perfect example of how one more can make a huge difference. It speaks to how one more step, one more effort, or one more minute, can make or break us. In life it is this one degree, one step, or one effort that separates the good from the great. If we had to settle for 211 degrees, we would never reach the boiling point and be able to reap its benefits. If we only walk 5279 feet, we are one foot short of a mile. It’s that one foot that makes it a successful and complete mile.

Never dismiss the power of one more. It separates 59 minutes from an hour, it separates 23 hours from a full day, and it separates 6 days from a complete week. While 211 degrees is really, really hot, it is that one degree more that is needed if we are to move locomotives.

What is that one more thing that you can do today to power your locomotive?

Tommy Wittig
© 2011 T-Dub-Ya Words

Lifetime Investments

Just a quick thought -
If you are unwilling to invest in or contribute to life, don't be surprised when down the road, life has nothing to give you in return.

Tommy Wittig
© 2011 T-Dub-Ya Words

Ability Vs. Willingness

The ability to be successful lies within all of us. The willingness to be successful lies within few of us.

Success is seldom about ability, it is about willingness. The willingness to do exactly what you know you need to do is what it takes to be successful in most of life’s ventures.

Tommy Wittig
© 2011 T-Dub-Ya Words