What do you have?

Each of us walks a path, one that is filled with wonders, trials, and joys.  While we know we love a mountain top experience we find our greatest growth comes from adversity and challenge.  When we find ourselves in the valley of despair it is hard to see the significance or meaning that is being drawn from this great well of wisdom.  We do not know the rest of the story yet!   

All too often we get caught up in the focus of what we do not have or possess.  It could be assets, skills, talent, or knowledge.  This feeling of deficiency over takes us and it can be a paralyzing.  It leads us into a pit of despair that can become a principal factor in developing a spirit of failure.  Once we give our self over to this cloud of doom we have lost.  

If we could rewind our thoughts at the point of seeing only what we do not have and refocus on what we do possess we can be free of this trap. Free to seek what we can possess.  Each of us has the skills, talent, and knowledge that are able to get us to that feeling of success.  A spirit of victory is attainable.  Count your blessing, be thankful for what you do have, seek ways to bless others, and choose to focus on what you do have rather than what you don’t.      

Made well!

We have had a lot of sickness around our place this past winter.  We even celebrated Christmas later because of sickness. One of the first rules of being around sickness is you don’t drink after anyone. The sick will make you sick.  But what if someone could be so well that to drink after them would make you well. That would be the ultimate cure for all sickness! You do nothing for it but drink and you are made well. As strange as it sounds this is possible.  John 4:13-14 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”  Drink after the Lord taste and see that He is good!

Finding the Fit!

A question was raised in my Principals of Management class this week.  Why do we learn all of this management theory when we have never seen it in real life? When I asked some clarifying questions I found a common thread in each of their answers.

 

Most of the class has only post-recession work experiences.  The real world to them is built around cost control and part time transient jobs. In the past five years most of the students have held four or more jobs. Each of their stories ended with the same result the job was over or gone.  Only one of the students had had the same job for more than two years.  Each student was questioning the relevance of a college degree with theory that they have never experienced first-hand.
 
Following my traditionalist concept of business theory and my Machiavellian thinking we must follow the tried and true. It is clear that we face an uncertain future and we are surrounded by underemployment. Companies that have traditionally built on the strengths of their people have had to stream line to remain profitable. We see far less of what we have grown to expect of American employment but it will be the companies that have applied proven theories that will be the best companies of our future. 

 

We learn this to change the future outcome and not accept the current environment as the status quo! Ships are not easily turned but the ship’s turning is started with one of its smallest components. Change starts with someone . . . maybe you.             

Seeing the Big Picture

Much of what we achieve or fail to achieve in life comes from within us. The way we see our situation controls our actions and our actions define us. This failure to see past stumbling blocks keeps us in a stunted world view. Living with low expectations and preconceived ideas of failure is like living with an enemy that you cannot get your hands on. We face enough headwinds from external forces we do not need to start with internal ones.    

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”
― Henry Ford

William Woods University

William Woods University had a great orientation in Joplin last night! We look to start a MBA cohort the 1st week of May.  We still have a few slots left for this cohort. Give me a call 573-220-7173  Email bud.fitzpatrick@williamwoods.edu

I Wanna Be a Maccabee

I Wanna Be a Maccabee

Google It?!

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-was-right-google-looks-a-lot-like-microsoft-did-2011-11