Wednesday, May 15, 2013

The Power of Self Reflection







I am usually the type of guy that is full steam ahead.  I am really big with living in the moment and not being too concerned with what has happened in the past and not being too interested in planning out the details of my future. As of late I have been finding joy in reflecting on past events and past scenarios and discovering what impact they have had on me.  The Lord wouldn’t give us the ability of memory if he didn’t intend for us to use it. How else can we learn if we don’t deconstruct the past and see what worked and what didn’t?

What do I self-reflect on?
  1.   Evernote - I use Evernote as a storage device for capturing quotes, recording sermons and reflecting on my day. By review notes I have created in the past I am able to reflect on my thought process on a specific day and also follow up on action items I swore to do.
  2. Gym Log Journal   I love looking at older gym logs and being amazed at how much stronger I have gotten.
  3. Wikipedia - Almost every chance I get I review the “this day in history” section on Wikipedia. It’s amazing how countries and nations have changed in such a short period of time. (The civil rights movement was like yesterday)

 The only way to grow is through making mistakes and the only way not to make the same mistake again is to reflect on what happened and change your approach.

“You’ll never know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. 

Do you have a self-reflection time? Thoughts? Comments?

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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Materialism


Materialism

Materialism is man’s defiant attempt to overshadow destiny with the panoply of cities, the hurling activity of his body, the absorption of his five senses through ceaseless compulsions-with toys and furnishings, games, stones jewelry, and fine processions-with listening and looking and smelling and touching and tasting- with all and everything that servers to stave off introspection for a minute, an hour, a lifetime.

Phillip Wylie, Night unto Night (Preface)

There is a thin line between enjoying the spoils of life in which God has blessed us with and being over materialistic. I grew up neither wealthy nor poor but I have always have had a grasp of the difference between needs and wants. I have developed is the only unspoiled only child in America (I only had a Nintendo growing up, so I missed out on Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, PlayStation 1 & 2 and Sony Dreamcast…. sorry for the nerdy rant). My parents have instilled in me a sense of being satisfied with whatever you have and I grew up a happy kid.

I am a bit worried for the youth of today always being stimulated with something (iPads, PSP, Cell Phone, etc.). It’s hard not to become materialist when you always have. Once the habit of always having is fully developed in a child’s consciousness there will be no limits for the wants of the child in the future. The youth of today may not even know the difference between a want and need as I learned growing up.

If I were to be blessed to have a family my plan to combat this trend of materialism would be.
1.     Technology Free Day – One day a week without any technology, that means no TV no playing on cell phones or tablets. This will also have to apply to the adults in the house for we are the best example for children.
2.     Charity – You don’t see how truly blessed you are until you dwell with people less fortunate than you. I am not talking about give some change to the homeless man at the train station either. I’m talking about going down to soup kitchen, handing out food to the homeless.
3.     More Play Time - There have been countless days where I have passed a park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and its completely empty.  This would be unheard of in my teenage years. I remember some Saturdays traveling from park to park to find a court that’s been over crowded.    

Maybe I am just being old school with my thoughts and nothing is wrong with the way kids are coming up theses days.

Am I overthinking? Would you raise your children differently? Thoughts? Comment?

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