Indulgence or Gluttony?

What is it that you really need? Seriously. How often do you indulge in things that are not good for you? I'm not just talking about food, either. Maybe you live a very disciplined life and occasionally feel like you have earned a little bit of a treat. Another possibility is that indulgence is a part of your every day life. Either way, when used improperly, indulgence can quickly become gluttony and do you far more harm than good. My challenge to you is to monitor your input. Figure out how much you take in and how it is effecting you. I have a feeling that, for most of us, it will be a rude awakening to find out just how much in our lives that we do not actually need.

Before writing this, I wanted to know what gluttony actually was. Naturally, I had always heard about the "7 Deadly Sins" and went to the Bible to find out. It actually surprised me to find that gluttony is never mentioned in the Bible. In fact, the 7 deadly sins as a list never appear in the Bible either. Many of the concepts are mentioned or eluded to but never explicitly mentioned. Therefore, my search took me elsewhere.

When the Catholic church came up with the list, gluttony had an aura of lacking self-discipline. It was a life spinning out of control because of the numerous indulgences. As I began thinking on this concept, I realized that many lives today are affected by over-indulgence. For the purposes of this post, we will look at over-indulgence as taking in more than you really need. I also want to get away from the mindset that this only includes food, but instead, look at it from a self-discipline perspective.

Take technology/social media as a prominent example in our society. How often do we take a break from our productivity or what we are doing to check Facebook, Twitter, etc? The funny thing is that, most of the time, the short, deserved break quickly becomes a long undeserved break. Technology and social media are tools to be used, but when any tool is used more than it is needed, something ends up damaged or broken.

Another example is in the television we watch. Keep in mind, a deserved break is one thing, but if you constantly leave the tube with a headache because of the length of time spent in front of it, that is where the issue comes in.

I think it is also important to note here that you can desensitize yourself to the amount of something you really need. Food is an excellent example. Did you know that your stomach will actually stretch out to suit what you put inside of it? The reason for this is that the rest of your body trusts your brain to tell it what it needs. If you eat an entire pizza every night and then you only eat half of one, your body will tell you that it is hungry because it is in a constant state of being over-fed.

What is the best way to find out if you have become desensitized? Eliminate the act for a reasonable period of time and see how you feel. Skip a night of TV for a good book. If you miss it, you were probably indulging more than you should have been. Skip dessert. Go for a weekend technology fast.

Human vices are so diverse that there is no way they could all be covered here. But I do want for you to start thinking about the things in your life that are essentials and those that are indulgences. Think about what really makes you a better person and what is just for fun. You need occasional indulgences in your life. But be disciplined. Plan them. They will serve you better as planned indulgences than as undisciplined gluttony. If it does not make you into a better person, it is negative, or just plain damaging to your self-image and those around you, get it out. Indulge occasionally. But be disciplined in keeping it as far away from your life as possible. Be mindful of what you put in because it will affect what you get out.

Stay classy,

Andrew

Is Your Everyday Speech Hurting You?

We spend a lot of our time thinking about other people. We compare where we are in life to where friends, family, and even enemies are in their lives. While comparison is one thing, the area where many of us need the most work is in how we talk about others.

The world we live in is permeated with negative speech. From foul language to discouraging words, most speech that is allowed into the atmosphere at this point in time has no place in the mind or ears of a professional. This is particularly true in the realm of talking about other people. It is incredibly easy to walk down the hall at work and overhear numerous conversations about what such-and-such did last week or how much trouble so-and-so is causing. While we cannot always control what we overhear, the issue comes when we neglect to keep on walking by.

When the topic of discussion is a person with whom we, ourselves, have had difficulty, the temptation to participate is unbelievable. Even people who consider themselves to be positive thinkers can easily be sucked into the vortex of negative thinking and degrading others. But I contend that this is not only destructive to the other individual, it is harmful for you to participate in as well. As a professional who strives to take care of him/herself, you honestly cannot afford to speak negatively of others. Doing so takes a toll on you physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Let's begin by looking at the physical and mental repercussions of negative discussion. Many forget that, in addition to keeping your body functioning, your brain is also a muscle. It works just like any other muscle in that it must be exercised, it has times where it is not as pumped as others, and it can grow stronger. The brain on negativity and putting others down is a sad state, indeed. The reason for this is that it works much like a normal computer does. Your brain automatically gravitates towards what you put into it. For example, if you love sports, you probably fill your head with facts, game stats, and watching games. That being said, your brain more readily picks up on discussions about sports than anything else. When the word "football" is mentioned, my ears always perk up, regardless of what else I am doing, because I love the game.

Negative speech is the same way. Have you noticed that there are some people who just can't wait to share bad news? The reason that they always find the type of news that they are looking for is because they hear it so much that their brain automatically tunes into it. But the major physical effects come with what you're giving up by listening to negativity.

When you fill your head with positive, encouraging, and motivational thoughts, there are certain chemicals that your brain releases that put you in a good mood. Essentially, they are the equivalent to having a good piece of chocolate or doing a genuine act of kindness for someone. The funny thing is that, even after working hard to do something nice for someone, you will find that you have more energy afterwards because these chemicals were released. Am I saying that being nice and speaking well of others gives you more energy? Absolutely. The result is increased productivity and you begin passively listening for good material instead of poor material. Mentally, you focus on more positive things. Physically, you have more energy and are more productive. 

Let's move on to the spiritual aspect of what we say. It is very easy to harm our spirit with negative discussion of others. Primarily, this comes when we find out that someone else overheard and/or repeated the information. That feeling of getting punched in the gut after something you said comes to light? That creates unnecessary stress on your body and on your countenance as well. Jesus said that the world he came in to loved darkness rather than light. The reason for this is because light exposes the deeds of those effected by it. That way, good deeds shine all the brighter and evil deeds are exposed for what they really are (John 1). 

Be a child of light. You don't have time to partake in negative conversations about other people. It is harmful for you to do so physically, mentally, and spiritually. Speak encouragement and hope. Those two things will take you further than gossip, slander, or mean words ever will. More energy, increased effectiveness, a happier spirit, and better demeanor are all results of encouragement instead of putting someone down. Why would you ever settle for the latter when the former is an option? Don't be lazy with what you listen to or say about others. Take the higher road. Doing so shows a better person and a better professional. 

Stay classy,

Andrew

Get Going

"Doing is better than perfect." - Facebook Company Motto

We live in a world where information is more easily accessible than at any other point in history. Most of us can pull out our cell phones and receive information via the internet from all over the world. That information is then delivered without wires into the palms of our hands. Wow. There is certainly a lot to learn out there. You could pick any given topic, spend a lifetime learning about it, and still not know everything there is to know about it. There are lots of people who know enough information to fill a library. The issue comes when a very simple life principle is overlooked. Information is only worth learning if it is used.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has a show called Sherlock that my wife and I enjoy watching. This modern retelling of Sir Author Conan Doyle's famous stories follow the adventures of a Sherlock who uses text messages, Google, and email to solve crimes. One of my favorite scenes is shortly after Dr. Watson and Sherlock first meet. A question comes up about the solar system and Dr. Watson discovers that Sherlock does not know that Earth is the third planet from the sun, or even how many planets there are in our solar system to begin with. Sherlock then makes the point that his brain is like a computer. When there is information contained in his brain that he does not find useful, it is deleted.

While this is a fairly light example, it illustrates an important point. Most people like to gather information to the point that they can accomplish a task or know a topic in its perfect state. In an age of information we kill ourselves with it. In fact, actually starting the job becomes less important than knowing enough to start. That is where the issue lies. 

Learning is a wonderful thing. I strive to constantly learn new skills and information every day. But if I put off actually doing something with the information for the sake of learning more, the information itself is worthless.

Consider this example. I have mentioned previously my interest in Spanish and in looking forward to the opportunity to write and one day preach in this foreign language. I can sit around on my computer learning Spanish until I am blue in the face. But if I never actually get out and use it, the information does not do me any good.

Your brain is a powerful enough tool that it knows unused information is worthless. That's where the old adage "If you don't use it, you lose it" came from. When you put information into your brain that goes unused, it may not necessarily be deleted but it will be filed away so that relearning is easier than trying to find the old information.

So why is it that we look for information that we are never going to use? The answer is because the fear lies in the doing, not in the learning. Gaining new information makes us feel productive and good about ourselves without any of the risk of setting out to do it. My challenge to you today is to forget how much information you think you need. Doing is better than perfect.

But what if I mess up? What if it goes horribly wrong? That will embarass me. I would have been better off to not have set the goal or started the task in the first place, right? Wrong. People were created to have their energy focused on something. That's why we set goals. Yes, you may fail. But the act of trying is what you were made for. The most disappointing strikeouts in baseball are the ones where the batter never swings. It is actually more dangerous to sit there learning that it is to be out there doing.

"And what if I did run my ship aground; oh, still it was splendid to sail it!" - Henrik Ibsen

It is a proven fact that ships deteriorate more quickly sitting at anchor in the harbor than they do sailing. It is much safer to sit in the harbor, sure. But the joy comes in the sailing! Is it dangerous? Yes. But the preparation is nothing without the doing. I leave you with the quote below because it sums up this post perfectly. Quit killing yourself with information and get out in the world. Make some mistakes and learn something worth using. That is what will make you into a better person and a more effective professional.

"Just do it." - Nike

Stay classy,

Andrew

Finding Your Motivation

What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? No, I'm not asking about your alarm clock or the coffee maker. But seriously...what drives you to get up and go? One of the coolest things about our brains is the amount of power that they have over the rest of our body. Sometimes a simple blog post, article, or book can tell our brains that we need to do something and then our body actually does it! Think of motivation as fuel to a car. Fill up the tank and you're good to run for quite a while; overfill and you will burn out. The real beauty of motivation lies in the fact that we are all motivated in different ways by different things. My challenge to you today is to check what really drives you. Then see if that driver should ever be in control in the first place.

Think about someone attempting to lose weight. They have finally decided that they are sick and tired of the way they look and start putting in the hard work to look the way they want. Sounds good, right? Wrong. Here is the issue: That person trying to look better is partaking in a lifestyle choice that is only motivated by a shallow view of themselves in the mirror.

This means that one of two things are bound to happen. That person will either cease the lifestyle change once the desired appearance is reached, or quit. Why? While looking better is a goal for many aspiring gym-rats, they eventually come to find that it is not worth the work required. That is why so many New Year's resolutions to lose weight quickly fail. When the goal is based around something temporary, it will pass and the motivation passes alongside.

Contrast that with someone who wants to get healthy and get in shape. Immediately we can see that the goal has more long-term benefits than just looking better in the mirror. Just from the wording, we know that the results will be worth the struggle. I also want to point out that this is a goal that will not simply pass away. You will always need to eat clean and exercise in order to be healthy.

That example illustrates why it is so important that the focus of your goals, objectives, living, etc. be actually being the right person, not on doing the right things. What's the difference? The former is person-focused. It enables you to set daily objectives to reach the long-term destination. It realizes that the growth comes from the journey and not the destination. In contrast, the latter is task-focused. It is complete once the task is complete; nothing more and nothing less. It is something that can be easily pushed to the side or avoided because there is not enough time or the goal-setter simply does not feel like it that day. Be the right person and the right things will fall into place. Change the direction of your motivation and you will change the outcome to a better one.

"You've got to be before you can do, and you've got to do before you can have." - Zig Ziglar

Find what motivates you and the reasons you set certain goals and think about if they are focused on building a better you or on completing a task. Drive is important. Actually arriving at your goal is not where the person-building comes in. That comes with the striving for something. So pick something you want to do, anything at all. Find what drives you. Make sure it is something that will stick and is person-focused instead of task-focused. Then, above all else, quit gathering information about it and just do it. I'd love to hear about the journey sometime.

Stay classy,

Andrew

When Urgency Matters

With the daily hustle and bustle of every day life, urgency is no stranger for many of us. Whether it be a project due, a test to study for, or a deadline at work, having a sense of urgency is vital to surviving in our fast-paced world. Sadly, many people have the biggest sense of urgency about the things that really do not matter all that much in the long run. Investments of time and energy are wasted as people move without purpose. Take some time to examine those things in life that are truly urgent matters. Then ask yourself how much those actually matter in the grand scheme of life.

I am not going to contend that everything we do is purposeless. I firmly believe that anything you do as work to the Lord and not to men is something that matters in eternity. But too often we confuse God's work with man's work. A sense of urgency is not a bad thing to have. The value comes when we are urgent about the right things. In fact, I would contend that there are really only two aspects of life that this sense of urgency is really important to have: doing God's will and in sharing the Gospel.

My Sunday school teacher said the other day that, when it comes to God's will, He gives us plenty of time to accomplish it. But we had better get up and do it. Without a sense of urgency in doing God's will, we miss out on the opportunities and blessings that would have come otherwise.

The cool thing about doing God's will is that His will can and does spill over into the rest of our lives. For example, if you believe you are in the will of God where you are in your career, then producing quality work, meeting deadlines, and taking steps to advance your career are all in God's will also. That being said, depending on where God has you and where He wants you, a personal sense of urgency when it comes to your job could be exactly what you need.

Another example is in the goals that we set. If we follow God's leadership, our goals in life are ultimately determined by Him. That means that time you spend striving towards goals that God has set before you is not wasted. Instead it is being spent furthering the will of God. Along the line of spending time furthering the will of God, included in that will is the sharing of the Gospel.

Many people put off sharing when given the opportunity because they're afraid, don't have time, etc. The excuses are pretty well endless on this one. But the sense of urgency comes in when we take the time to really think about it. You may be the only "Jesus" that person ever sees. Your words may be the only Bible they ever hear taught. Why is it important for you to have a sense of urgency about sharing God's Message? Because for the person with whom you're sharing, tomorrow might not come.

I know that sounds pretty apocalyptic but it's true. The decisions that you make in deciding whether or not to share the Good News have lives hanging in the balance. Even more so than that, Jesus commanded you to spread the Gospel. Which bring me to a final point: Obedience is key.

That is really the dividing line between what matters and what does not. Are we being obedient? If we are obeying God in what we are doing, chances are that a sense of urgency is a requirement. If obedience is not much of a factor, you probably should not be wasting your precious time and energy on it. After all, you have limited amounts of both. Choose wisely what you will spend them on. Be urgent about the right things.

Stay classy,

Andrew

How to Live with Integrity

"Integrity: The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty." - Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language 

Living with integrity is something that we have all probably heard at one point in life or another. My company, for instance, puts a very strong emphasis on integrity being the cornerstone of everything that we do in our business dealings. What has always interested me is that those who profess integrity the most are the ones who know the least about it. Let me explain.

Integrity for its own sake is vague and leaves you directionless. Unfortunately, there are many businesses and people who preach integrity but take it no further. It would be the equivalent to someone telling you to, "Tell the truth." If that is your only order, you are left with a plethora of statements that you can make. More than likely, none of them help you or the other person get what you are looking for. However, if a parent catches you with your hand in the cookie jar and asks if you ate any. The command to tell the truth carries much more weight because it is applied to something specific. 

The fact of the matter is, in our society morals are seen as relative. Unless you judge everyone by the same standard, integrity does not mean that much. The legal system is the closest human beings have come to having the same standard for everyone. But most of the time, people referring to integrity are using it in the context of something that is not covered by the legal system.

Don't the me wrong, I believe integrity is a wonderful thing. But if it is not applied to any particular thing, it remains ambiguous and highly unhelpful. Let's look at a few things to which you can apply this mindset of integrity that will actually help you live your life better.

1. Your Mind

I chose the definition above because it included integrity particularly being applied to your mind. You are the one who monitors and chooses what goes into your mind. I am a firm believer that what you put in your head affects your performance and that how you see yourself affects your output. That is why it is so incredibly important for you to keep your mind pure and "unimpaired."

Can you prevent all negativity from coming into your mind? No. Can you significantly reduce its effects? Yes. How? We need to spend our time wisely. Keep the junk out of your head and fill it with positive thoughts. As I have mentioned several times previously, your mind is an incredibly powerful tool. The way that you mentally see a particular situation will determine how you respond and how you solve problems. Your mind will also take that situation once it is complete, and store the information from that issue to remind you of next time something similar arises. With a tool like that, why wouldn't you want to take care of it constantly? Living with integrity in the mind is all about keeping it clean and functioning optimally. It is about not letting things enter your mind that could harm it or you.

2. Your Speech

Speaking and rhetoric have always fascinated me. I love watching a speaker draw an audience into content and method of delivery. The art of rhetoric is one that has been used throughout history as a tool both to motivate and manipulate crowds ranging from 2 to 2,000,000. But when we discuss the integrity of your speech, we are not necessarily talking about how you give a speech. We are talking about how you speak in every day life.

Everyone lets words slip out of their mouth that they regret. We've all had that moment where we wish that we could literally suck the words that just came out back up into our mouths. This is probably not news to you; but life doesn't work that way. Maintaining the integrity of your speech is not letting anything corrupt proceed out of your mouth. Too many people believe that certain words accentuate the point that they are trying to get across. But using language like that is just plain lazy and it has no place in the mind or speech of a professional.

3. How you Treat Others

This is, quite possibly, the most prominent area of life in which integrity is vital. Even though there are lots of people who look at morality in ways unlike any other, how we treat other people is a fairly set standard. The definition at the beginning does a wonderful job of expressing this with the word, "Honesty." When others are treated honestly or fairly, they are more responsive to you and you are made into a better person for treating them in the right way.

For example, we spend lots of time listening to and spreading gossip about other people. But that's pretty unfair to them to judge without them being their to make a defense. Gossip is hardly treating someone honestly. Another example is in business dealings. Treat someone you're in business with as if you're trying to make a deal that is actually mutually beneficial. If you take that same approach with your family, you will be a higher quality contribution to them as well. When you treat people fairly, even if they do not respond with integrity, you are doing the right thing and becoming better as a result.

In winding things down, integrity is a great concept when applied correctly. I hope this post has given you some practical tips for how to better incorporate integrity into your life. Let's all spend some extra time finding ways to live with integrity. We will make a better world tomorrow that is full of better professionals. That's my goal in these writings in the first place. Building a better tomorrow by building better people.

-Andrew

Lazy Emotions

Humans were created to show emotion. The ability to show outward manifestations of how our souls and minds are feeling at a given time is truly fascinating. We can go into the technicalities and the numerous facets of emotion at a later date. But one thing I've noticed is that, when we are going through a period in life that takes a toll on our emotion, the internal controls we have over them fall by the wayside.

For example, when someone has an approaching deadline at the office, their brain tells them that they need to work harder and puts stress on them in order to complete the task. But when someone is stressed, we usually do not see it as odd at all for them to be snippy, closed-off, or sometimes just downright rude. Before I continue, I want to make something very clear.

I am not attempting to minimize any experience you have had that leaves you feeling like you're at rock bottom. Those experiences are real. They are hard lessons. They are certainly no fun.

No, what I want to do here is challenge you. I want to challenge you to not let your emotions get the better of you. We waste too much precious time and energy on negative emotions that hurt us and those around us. Why? Because those negative emotions are much easier to show than positive ones. That's just what human nature is like. Think about it. For most people, it is much easier to cry at the funeral than to show sympathy to the family.

"Anger, fear, aggression...the dark side, are they." - Yoda

Star Wars hit the nail on the head with this one. It is continually emphasized that a Jedi must clear and control his mind. But the dark side allows people to release their anger. They become very powerful, but are internally killing themselves and outwardly destructive as well. Excuse my nerd rant but it was a perfect illustration of my point.

Don't let these kinds of emotions define you at times in your life. Make the effort to guard your heart. How do you keep your emotions wholesome? You actually take action by doing the right thing even when you don't feel like doing so. The Bible lists what many people have called, "The Armor of God" in Ephesians 6. When it comes to the heart - the center of emotion - Paul tells Christians to put on the breastplate of righteousness. When it came to protecting the mind, the helmet of salvation was to be in place. It's really quite mind-blowing when you think about it.

The best way to protect our minds is to have them fully-focused on His salvation and saving grace. The best way to guard our hearts and prevent lazy emotions from taking over is with being the right person and doing the right things. That's what righteousness really means.

The challenge I leave you with is to take the extra steps to control your thoughts and emotions. I realize that's a large order and that sometimes we just "lose it." Trust me; I understand that. But when you make a conscious effort to guard your heart, you keep your thoughts clean, your energy is higher, and you show more love for other people. Above all else, you are honoring God by protecting your heart and mind which are, arguably, the most valuable tools He gave you. Those are what make you unique. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew