"A careful person I want to be, a little person follows me. I dare not go astray, for fear they may go the same way." - John Wooden

​Are your actions setting a good example?

“There has never been a warrior who did not know pain. There has never been a warrior who did not know failure. There has never been a warrior who did not know defeat. The strength of the warrior is that they stand in their pain.” - Erwin Raphael McManus
 
Are you able to stand in your pain and keep moving forward?

Are Your Priorities in Order?

11 Guideposts to Keep in Mind When Determining Your Priorities  
 
 
Number 1: Make Time Take the time to set your priorities.
 
Number 2: Keep The Process Simple Select priorities based on sound reason.
 
Number 3: Think Beyond Today Ensure your priorities stand the test of time.
 
Number 4: Make The Hard Choices Determine what matters most to you.  
 
Number 5: Invest Your Resources Wisely Resources are finite.
 
Number 6: Maintain Your Focus Accept the fact you can’t do everything well.
 
Number 7: Get Ready To Sacrifice Choices have consequences.
 
Number 8: Maintain Balance Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance.  
 
Number 9: Make Joint Decisions Discuss your goals with your loved ones. 
 
Number 10: Learn To Say “No”  Remember that subtracting from your list of priorities is as important as adding to it.
 
Number 11: Get A Reality Check Give yourself a periodic check-up to ensure that you’re on the right course.
 
 
From the article: Make It a Priority by Frank Sonnenberg – December 25, 2018 – FRANKSONNENBERGONLINE.COM

“A person should never be ashamed to own they have been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words, that they are wiser today than yesterday.” - Pope
 
What did your last mistake teach you?

“The noblest of all studies is the study of what man is and what life he should live.” - Plato
 
Do you study others so you can develop your best life?

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” - Sun Tzu
 
Are you tactful enough to win the war without fighting the battle?
 

“Fear is an acid which is pumped into one’s atmosphere. It causes mental, moral and spiritual asphyxiation, and sometimes death; death to energy and all growth.” - Horace Fletcher
 
Are your fears and anxieties causing you to suffocate? 

In his book, The Way of the Warrior, Erwin Raphael McManus challenges the reader to understand their "darkness" and act on it accordingly. What darkness or barriers are preventing you from reaching your goals or being a better person? Here is what McManus says about darkness:

"If your darkness is fear, then fear is what you must face.
If your darkness is bitterness, then it is bitterness that you must confront.
If your darkness is greed, then greed is what you must conquer.
 If your darkness is self-doubt, then here you must find your courage.
If your darkness is anger, then it is here that the battle must rage.
If your darkness is despair, then you must stare it down with hope.
If your darkness is hate, then you must slay it with love."

“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” - Burke
 
What can you learn from the person who is always critical of you?

“Peace does not come because you finally have control over your life; peace comes when you no longer need control.” - Erwin Raphael McManus
 
Do you have peace in your life?

“A wise man knows that he has only one enemy - himself. This is an enemy difficult to ignore and full of cunning. It assails one with doubt and fear. It always seeks to loosen and lead one away from one’s goal. It is an enemy never to be forgotten but constantly outwitted” - Ben Hecht
 
How well do you know yourself and the enemy within?

Finding Your Wings
  
When my son, Justin, was four, he found a caterpillar and put it in a jar. Each day he fed it fresh grass and leaves. In a few weeks the caterpillar was fat and ready to sleep. One morning we discovered the caterpillar wrapped in a cocoon. It hung from the top of the jar, an example of one of nature's wonders. 

Justin was excited. To him it was like Christmas. He knew a moth or butterfly was about to be born, but he didn't know what kind. He was curious to know what gift nature was about to give him. 

'Dad!' as he ran to me one day. 'Something's happening. Come see!' 

He led me to his room. The cocoon had become translucent. We could clearly see the wings of the unborn. A few days later, a beautiful black moth broke free from its silky cage and began to lay eggs on the blades of grass, completing the life cycle of the little caterpillar. 

The next day, I convinced my young son it was time to set the moth free. He took it outside, opened the jar, and the little moth flew out. It circled the yard twice, came back, and landed on Justin's arm. He picked it up, tossed it in the air, and the moth repeated its flight pattern. He tried over and over to set it free, but each time it would return to his arm. 

Justin gave up. He returned his little pet to the jar. The next day he attempted to set it free again, and after a few return flights to his arm, the moth finally flew off into the tall grass. 

Like a person, I believe the moth was afraid to leave what it was comfortable with. It wanted to stay with something familiar, scared to move on and experience new things. 

I was once that little moth. My cocoon was my mother's love. I was comfortable wrapped in it. Like the moth, I didn't want to fly too far from it. My first job required me to move to a new city. I resisted. I was afraid. What would I find there? I liked where I was. 

Many times in my life, I have faced a move and resisted. Humans are creatures of habit. We resist change. However, if I hadn't moved, I would not have experienced many new and wonderful things. I also would not have met many of my friends. 

The moves have been between cities, provinces, states, and even countries. Each move gave me the opportunity to learn and experience, but best of all, I met friends. I hated leaving my old friends behind, but when I think about it, I didn't lose them. They're still my friends. I talk to them regularly. However, I have even more friends now. 

I'm glad I found my wings.
 
 
Written by Michael T. Smith

“Perhaps the most valuable lesson of education is the ability to make yourself do the things you have to do when it has to be done.” - Aldous Huxley
 
Does your education provide you the ability to get things accomplished? 

“Genius, in truth, means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way.” - William James
 
What is your gut telling you to do?