by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 12, 2014 | Decisions, Encouragement, Motivation
It is easy to stay motivated when everything is going well, but what happens when setbacks occur?
What happens when your “well thought out” plans don’t work out, or your world get turned upside down by events beyond your control, what do you do?
You can cry. You can crawl into a hole. You can give up. Or you can try again.
Napoleon Hill once said:
“One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.”
The problem with most of us is that when stuff doesn’t work out we think it’s the END instead of seeing it as just TEMPORARY DEFEAT. What we need to do is realize that the worst is never really the worst. An end isn’t always THE END. It could simply be the end to one thing and the start of another.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 5, 2014 | Empowerment, Encouragement, Goals, Motivation, Self-Leadership
Do you feel bombarded with change from every direction?
Do you feel stressed, overworked, with too little time to appreciate and enjoy life? Do you find it difficult to keep up with everything you need to do? If so, you’re not alone. Our rapidly changing world is rapidly stressing us out. What can you do to cope?
In Future Shock, Alvin Toffler wrote that when people go through times of rapid change, they need what he calls “islands of stability.” Those are things that do not change in your life—sources of security, safe harbors and anchors for the inevitable storms.
“When the speed of change around you or an organization is faster than the speed of change within you or an organization, they becomes irrelevant,” according to Rick Warren. Staying relevant requires you to take three strategic steps. Check out Rick’s video and discover the secret to remaining relevant.
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What do you do to stay relevant?
by Clarence E. Stowers | Feb 3, 2014 | Encouragement, Motivation, Teamwork
Heard this somewhere:
Don’t press timid people to be bold – Give them hope and they will be bold.
Boldness follows hope. Hope is facing the future believing you’ll win. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Timid people don’t believe they can win. People who believe they can win keep working to win.
10 Ways to Build Hope:
- Believe in them more than they believe in themselves.
- Do things that matter. Never complete bland tasks; always achieve meaningful vision.
- Remember past successes. “Hope is the feeling we have that the feeling we have is not permanent,” Mignon McLaughlin.
- Smile.
- Pat people on the back.
- Celebrate small wins, every day. Small wins create big wins.
- Celebrate effort; it keeps people moving forward.
- Praise often; correct occasionally.
- Focus on strengths more than weaknesses.
- Help people rest and renew.
People who give others hope inspire people to be bold.
by Clarence E. Stowers | Jan 31, 2014 | Encouragement, Goals, Leadership, Networking, Teamwork
I need your help!
I’m noticing a disturbing trend on my Facebook timeline. It’s filled with negativity, sexually suggested dancing, fistfights, & bizarre/demonic criminal behavior. It appears people are in despair & perhaps have lost hope. Facebook and other social media outlets are the places people gather to mingle and converse. They are today’s wells….the gathering place for people to catch up on what’s happening. If Jesus were here today, he’d log on to Facebook.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | Jun 5, 2013 | Christian, Christianity, Encouragement, Motivation
Each day has troubles. Sometimes the troubles are so great that we think they will break us. Unimaginable troubles…we never saw coming, hit us with such force, we are knocked down. We look up, searching for help, but we feel weighted down where we are. God knows we will have troubled times such as these. He desires we place our hope in Him rather than our circumstances. In order to do that, we must have a healthy understanding of hope.
What Is Hope?
In Scripture, hope is a confident expectation for the future, describing both the act of hoping and the object hoped for. When grounded in God, hope provides the motivation to live the Christian life even in the face of trouble. Having hope is to imagine a favorable outcome because we’re confident in hope’s source.
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by Clarence E. Stowers | May 28, 2013 | Communication, Current Affairs, Decisions, Encouragement, Motivation
Someone once said “your past can be used as a crutch or a springboard to a better tomorrow.” Those who use their past as a crutch are hindered by it and fail to move forward. Our past is important because it influences our future, it reminds us of God’s grace, and provides helpful lessons for today.
Why Is It Important To Remember The Past
It is vitaly important to study and remember the past to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. History is littered with leaders & politicians who have not studied the past and have fallen into the same trap as their predecesors.
Our Past Influences Our Future
*Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me, and I will tell you what is going to happen to you in the days to come.”* (Genesis 49:1)
Jacob blessed each of his sons and then made a prediction about each one’s future. The way the men had lived played an important part in Jacob’s blessing and prophecy. Our past also affects our present and future. By sunrise tomorrow, our actions of today will have become part of the past. Yet they will already have begun to shape the future. What actions can you choose or avoid that will positively shape your future?
Our Past Can Be a Reminder Of God’s Grace
*Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer—”the stone of help”—for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!” *(1 Samuel 7:12)
The Israelites had great difficulty with the Philistines, but God rescued them. In response, the people set up a stone as a memorial of God’s great help and deliverance. During tough times, we may need to remember the crucial turning points in our past to help us through the present. Memorials can help us remember God’s past victories and gain confidence and strength for the present.
The Pain From Our Past Provide Helpful Lessons For Today
*All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close* (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Today’s pressures make it easy to ignore or forget the lessons of the past. But Paul cautions us to remember the lessons the Israelites learned about God, so that we can avoid repeating their errors. The key to remembering is to study the Bible regularly so that these lessons remind us of how God wants us to live. We need not repeat their mistakes!
