7 Secrets of Family Success

Yesterday I wrote about succeeding in relationships and then last night I received a copy of the October 2009 issue of Awake! magazine, a Bible based journal.  It is a special issue about succeeding in families.  It seemed fitting to me to write about this since so many families face trouble and it goes well with what I wrote yesterday.  Since I will only highlight what the magazine discusses, links are provided so that you may listen to an audio version in MP3 format or ACC format.  See below for the links.

So often families challenges and difficulties to the point that more than 50% of families in the USA break apart.  The USA has one of the highest divorce rates in the world.  We always here about what goes wrong and the problems families face that cause these break ups.  However, there are families that thrive and succeed.  What is the secret to success that these families enjoy?  There are 7.

Secret 1 – The Right Priorities…What comes first in your life?  For successful families, everyone else is more important than anything else.  A successful parent and spouse puts his or her family ahead of their self.  That means that their job, possessions, desires, friends, relatives, etc. all take a back seat in relation to their spouse and kids.  When both mates and parents can do this, it provides a rich loving atmosphere for the whole family.  What is priority in your life?

Secret 2 – Commitment…Do you view your marriage as a permanent union?  It’s easy to say yes.  However, in order to be sure, measure your commitment against the backdrop of problems.  When your marriage has difficulties, are you ready to bail out and leave?  Are you truly committed to your mate?  Too many view problems as a way out rather than an opportunity to grow.  Albert Einstein was noted as saying, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”  When each spouse has a sense of commitment to the marriage, then there is a feeling of security with each one trusting the loyalty of the other.  Are you committed to your marriage and to your mate?

Secret 3 – Teamwork…The Bible identifies an arrangement within marriage.  Ephesians 5:22-24 it says that the husband is the head of the family.  In order for any structure to function as it should, whether it is a business, organization or a family, there should always be someone in charge.  When both respect this “headship arrangement”, the family functions as it should.  Nevertheless, both husband and wife should view the marriage in terms of “we” or “ours” rather than “mine” and “me”.  Since marriage is the opposite of singleness, then the heart should be married, too.  Teamwork helps create intimacy between the two and a relationship that works.  It’s similar to a pilot and copilot working for the benefit of passengers.  In your heart, do you think as a single person or as a loyal member of an important team?

Secret 4 – Respect…There is no room in a marriage and a family for political correctness.  In other words, it is not loving to say one thing with the correct words but say it in such a way that the true meaning is understood by all.  Sarcasm, insults and abusive speech are not conducive to success.  When disagreements arise it is important to treat others as we want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12) Discuss matters openly but in a reasonable peaceful manner.  There is a difference between “reacting” to a situation and “responding” to a situation.  It is better to respond than react.  How do you handle difficulties in the family?

Secret 5 – Reasonableness…Literally, this word means to yield.  Who of us is perfect?  When we make a mistake is it not true that we desire forgiveness and hope others yield to our error?  It is important that we make allowances for error in our families.  Husbands and wives should freely forgive one another of mistakes, and when children need discipline it should neither be to rigid nor too permissive.  Household rules are necessary for peace just as in society, but they should be balanced and fair.  How reasonable are you in dealing with your family?

Secret 6 – Forgiveness…This is the easiest to want and the hardest to give.  How so?  We may think we easily forgive but how often have you used the expressions such as, “You are always late” or “You never listen.”  The usage of the words always and never are absolutes and leave no room for forgiveness.  They call to mind past actions or mistakes that should have been forgotten when forgiveness was granted.  Instead of bringing up the past, learn from past mistakes and move forward.  Going backwards never leads to success.  No one, including you, wants to be reminded of mistakes.

Secret 7 – A Firm Foundation…Family endurance is not an automatic process.  In order for any house or building to stand it needs a firm foundation.  A strong family needs a good foundation that is built on a source of guidance.  Just as one would need a repair manual to work on a vehicle, families need the same.  Whether one believes in God or not, the principles found in the Bible work.  They can serve as a solid base for which families can find success.  What source do you use as foundation for your family?

These 7 SIMPLE Secrets are key to succeeding in a securing a happy successful family.  Successful families create successful civilizations.  Imagine how better the world would be if the family unit was strengthened worldwide.  Do you want to succeed in your family?  The links to the complete article are listed below.  I know you will benefit from them.

To listen to this article online go to http://www.jw.org/index.html?option=QrYQZRQVNZNT and scroll down to the Awake! magazine section.  Click the MP3 or the ACC file to listen.

 

From Where Did We Learn It? Relationships 101.

Imagine the scene.  Two young kids playing together in their room, peacefully and with no problems.  They have their toys and their imaginations and all is well…until!  Until one of the children takes a toy from the other in order to simply show them something as part of the play session.  The other child gets their feelings hurt and takes the toy back.  Then one hits the other, the other hits back with a toy and this continues until one or both are crying.  Naturally, mom comes running to see what is going on.  When she questions what happened they both started pointing fingers and crying telling what the other did.

“He hit me with the toy!”

“But he hit me first!”

” But he shoved me!”

“But he took the toy when I was playing with it!”

“But it’s my toy and I wanted it!”

They each volley back and forth like this hoping to gain mom’s favor and, of course, blaming the other for what transpired.  Their comments are full of “buts”, casting blame and not accepting responsibility for their actions.  But their just kids, right?  Is that not what kids do?  If you have ever had kids, you know this familiar scene all too well.

Quickly, mom puts and end to the situation and punishes them both.  She explains that they should not be treating each other this way regardless of who started it.  They need to learn to share, ask for permission and show love to one another.  She makes them apologize to each other and then all is well, with a little time, of course.

Within a couple of hours dad comes home.  He has been working hard all day on a construction site and is tired.  The sun was hot and the work was taxing.  As any guy knows, construction sites are rough. I know as I have worked on several.  The language is foul, the attitudes can be bad and the testosterone is flying high.  Each is trying to prove his “manhood”.  Construction sites are a difficult place to work.  The dad in our story puts up with it to provide for his family because he loves them.

He comes home from work dirty, hot, sweaty and tired.  He tries to put on a good show for his family but his attitude is rough.  In his heart he wants his family to see how happy he is to be home but his exhaustion weighs hard.  The kids come running to see daddy and he is happy to see them, but he wants a shower first.

The wife is happy to see him but it does quite show it the way she thinks she does.  Right away the wife feels the need to talk to her husband about her day.  She has been home alone with kids all day who have been fighting with each other.  She did the laundry, mopped the floors, paid some bills and went to the grocery store.  She also spent some time with the kids doing activities.  However, she is tired and truly needs to talk about her day and get a break from the fighting the kids.

Each parent wants to feel appreciated for the efforts they put forth for the other and for the family.  However, because of the situation neither is in a position to communicate effectively.  Before long one is arguing with the other and insults show their ugly face.  Insults which hurt just as bad as a child hitting another with a toy.  This is a continuous pattern, day after day.  It happens so often that each of them are on guard constantly and begin reading malicious intentions into the words and actions of the other, intentions that are not really there.  Trust barriers break down and so does the relationship.

The relationship certainly did not start out that way in the beginning.  It was positive and happy just like the two kids playing.  However, expectations grow in a relationship and unrealistic expectations of others always leads to disaster.  Does this sound like a familiar scene? Is it any wonder that the kids act the same as the adults, each casting blame on the other and not accepting responsibility for their own actions?

“I only said that because of what you said!”

“Well if you didn’t nag me all the time I might not be so grumpy!”

“But you treat me horribly everyday when you come home from work!”

“But you show me no appreciation for what I do to provide for us!”

“Well that job keeps you away from us too much and then you are too tired to talk to me and show me attention when you get home!”

“But you show me no attention!  I would not mind some attention too.  All you do is play on that stupid computer!”

“But you treat me badly!  Why would I want to show you any attention?”

“You treat me badly, too, you know!”

It goes on and on like this for days, weeks, months and sometimes years without any reconciliation.  How can it be fixed?  How can a damaged relationship such as this be repaired?  The answer is SIMPLE.  In any relationship it is important to consider ourselves last.  In the above scenario, each person is considering themselves first.  They are more concerned with how the other person is treating THEM rather than how they are treating the OTHER person.  This is selfishness and in any relationship, especially marriage, THERE IS NO ROOM FOR SELFISHNESS!  Each has to take into consideration the feelings of the other before their own.  If another person is hurt by our words, even if we meant nothing by them or had no underlying meaning, should we get upset because the other person took it wrong?  NO!  Our words hurt someone else.  It is possible our tone did not come out right or the other person is just in a wrong frame of mind.  However, to resolve the situation it is better to simply acknowledge that we did not mean anything by what we said and sincerely apologize for saying it.

In today’s society people have become too concerned about their OWN rights and their OWN feelings rather than consider others.  If we truly want strong relationships, we need to take responsibility for our actions.  In the same manner, we should not be so quick to be offended and hurt.  Why not just grow up and be a real adult?  Is it any wonder, then, why our kids act the way they do?

 

Successful Path to Achieving Happiness

Are you happy?  It’s ultimately the goal for which we all strive.  Do accomplishments, money, possessions, fame, fortune etc. create happiness?  According to the website, Eureka-lert.org, these things can create the opposite.  How so?

According to the site, researchers at the University of Rochester followed people for two years and studied their actions and accomplishments in relation to the emotional state and well-being.  The study discovered that as more people went after their goals, all of which would center around “self”, and they accomplished them they were left empty and feeling unfulfilled.  Their anxiety levels were increased, as well as, negative feelings of shame and anger.  Physical problems, such as, headaches, stomach problems and loss of energy were common too. Would we consider this a state of happiness?

The study also revealed that those who were involved in community programs, volunteer work and valued their relationships with others experienced less stress and less physical problems.  Their focus on others more than themselves proved to be a key factor.  Those who were happy had better relationships and more passion in their life.  Their happiness was not a result of what they possessed materially, but from the life and relationships they developed with others and the positive things they did for others.  Their lives were not just goal oriented around their personal endeavors but for helping others.  So…what is your purpose?

How can we have a purpose in life?  Ask yourself..”What is more important to me in life than anything else?”  For some, it may be their charity, their kids, their spouse, volunteerism, religion or more.  “What actions am I taking to accomplish my purpose in life?” “How do others view me and what do they think of me?”  “Am I recognized as a person who genuinely cares about others?” “Do I feel fulfilled?”  “How do I want to be remembered?” These are important questions to ask yourself in order to determine your purpose in life.  Personally I enjoy teaching others how to improve and better their lives.  Rather than simply tell them WHAT to do I help them determine and conclude what steps they need to take and direct them accordingly. I thrive on motivating others to improve their self-worth and their power of positive thinking whether it is in their personal life, their spiritual life or their business life.  My goals are continuously growing and adapting to my purpose in helping others.  How about you?

In my book, Success Is S.I.M.P.L.E., I touch on this subject to help readers see the need to have purpose and direction.  A degree of happiness can be achieved through the possessions and accomplishments we obtain, but when we have a specific clear purpose and direction, a desire to help others and value our close relationships, we will find that our happiness will exist almost effortlessly.

 

Can I Have Your Attention Please?!

How many times have we heard those words either on the radio, television or at a seminar?  Usually what follows is important imformation that we need to know.  Have you ever noticed that there are always those few, and sometimes more than a few, that just keep talking or going about their business as if uniterested?  As if the information is not about them?  Well let me have your attention for a moment.  I have something to say.

If there has ever been a more important time in our lives to move forward and take advantage of what lies in front of us, this is it.  The opportunities for advancement in every area of our life is at our fingertips.  Those who recognize the opportunity will take it and those who do not will examine it or make up some lame excuse why it will not work. What am I talking about?

Our economy worldwide is in disarray.  So what?  Yes unemployment is up.  Foreclosures are up.  Stress levels are up.  The rate of drug and alcohol abuse is up.  Can you fix that?  Can I?  Of course not.  All we can do is focus on our little niche in the world and make it a better place.  Somewhere, right in front of you at this very moment, is an opportunity for advancement.  An opportunity for you to bring you and your family out of the quagmire of difficulties you are now experiencing.  How? Get beyond the feelings of self-doubt and blame, put away the feelings of self-pity, extinguish the rising levels of depression and take note of what is there. What is your opportunity?

It is different for everyone of us.  We each have something staring us in the face that we can take hold of and work with and see advancement. I am not speaking of a stimulus package from Obama, or government assistance from your State.  I am not talking about a hand out, loan or gift.  I am talking about the talent that each of us have hidden within us to “see” what is directly in front of us. No excuses. Why not take it?

I sit here in the comfort of my own home writing this BLOG and I am telling you that it can happen for you too.  I enjoy the freedom I currently have to be able to move forward with my own dreams and goals.  I have created this with no money.  I started with nothing and still it grows through enginuity and hard work.  Determination fuels me to make more of myself than I am.  Are times tough?  Certainly.  Do I have concerns about tomorrow and the effects of the economy on my family?  Without doubt!  Yet its those very factors that fuel me to go on, to continue and to grow in advancement.  Do not wallow in your own pity as the hogs wallow in the mud.  Pick yourself up, stay focused and move forward.

What motivates you? A desire for a better life?  A love to provide for your family?  A fear of loss of what you own?  If you have already lost it all then you have nothing to fear.  Is it money, fame, a sense of accomplishment or is it something more?   Does a fire burn inside you that seems difficult to put out?  Or has your fire dwindled to a flame?  If so then fuel it!  Drive yourself forward and be determined to never quit, never surrender and never give up!

Find out how I am doing it. No MLM, no tricks, no gimmicks and no surprises. Just principles of success.  Nothing more.  Do I have your attention now?  What do you want out of life?

 

Exercising Good Sense Without Giving Up

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was noted as saying, “Never give in – never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” In today’s uncertain economic times many are affected by the effects of past mistakes, both of themselves and of others.  We ALL are affected, whether we admit it or not.  As divided as humanity has become, today’s events prove that one race is not elevated above another nor is one country more important than another.  The actions of one affects the other,  demonstrating the direct relationship we all share.  Money cannot prevent the rich from dying, military power cannot prevent war and economic strategies cannot prevent unemployment and downfall.  Yet, amidst the dark cloud that hangs over us there is always hope.  The desire of the human spirit to continue on despite adversity has been seen in others throughout time.  The belief that tomorrow will be a better day can be seen in the religious faith of billions of peoples from every culture.  We do not and will not give up.

As can be noted in Winston Churchill’s words, we should give into nothing but convictions of honour and good sense.  Sometimes “good sense” dictates that we take a step back and redefine our outlook, our goals, our path moving forward to ensure we are going in a proper direction.  Recessions are a means of providing that step back.  It is a correction of a path of the masses that allows mankind to see the error of hasty decisions and bad judgment.  As a whole humankind bears responsibility for our own situation.  There is no other planet in the universe that is filled with life and intelligence as is ours.  Yet we use our resources and intelligence for destruction rather than the promotion of life and peace.

Although we have been forced by the order of things to take a step back, we should excercise good sense in keeping our spirits alive for a brighter day and in making decisions.  We recently relocated our office back to our home because it made “good sense” to do so.  Rest assured, however, that in no way have we given up our desire to grow our business, to help others or to continue progressing in reaching our objectives.  It is my wish that our example will help fuel others to not give up in their goals and to stay focused on what is important to you.  Being successful sometimes means examining your own personal recession or determining whether the track you are on is leading you in the direction you desire.  If not, then it is time to change and redirect.  What makes “good sense” to you?

 

The Rider of the White Horse

Throughout most of history, true heroes and good guys have been associated with the color white.  In old westerns from the 1930′s, John Wayne always had a white hat and horse while the villians wore black.  The Lone Ranger also wore a white hat and rode a white horse.  Even in the Bible, in the book of Revelation, Jesus Christ is pictured as a warrior king and mounted on a valiant white horse.  Horses have almost always served as a symbol of warfare, especially in the Bible.  The color white represents purity and goodness, and has always been associated with a champion for others.  Thus, a rider of a white horse is one who cannot be beaten, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

What color horse do you ride?  In our own personal life and that of our families, are we the rider of the white horse?  Despite the economic challenges that face many today, how we choose to live, feel, think and act in the face of pressure will determine whether or not we will be successful in achieving our goals.  Sometimes these challenges may seem to have the upper hand and can be overwhelming.  However, if we learn to think and act like a champion, our success is imminent because we will refuse to be beaten, we will refuse to give up and we will refuse the negative thinking and complaining of life so prominent today.  How you succeed in life and deal with its challenges is in your hands.  Casting blame elsewhere is not a responsible act.

Are you the Rider of the White Horse in you own life? Your success depends on it!

 

Has Religion Been A Positive Force For The Success of Mankind?

If there has ever been a touchy subject matter, religion is probably it.  Why is that?  Individual beliefs are what guide each of us and direct us in our life.  They make up the core of our being, and when those beliefs are threatened most people become defensive.  We do not want to accept the idea that what makes us who we are could be wrong.  Yet, not everyone can be right.

Without doubt each of us feels that our religion, our religious concepts and beliefs are correct.  Many even give way to the thought that all religions lead to the same God;  different roads leading to the same destination.  If that were the case, then why so much dissension among religions?  This brings me to my topic for today.

Let me first establish the fact that I am a religious individual.  I profess Christianity, believe in God, accept the Bible as the only divinely inspired book among religious books.  That being said, I also respect the beliefs of others, whether I agree with them or not.

In a general sense, has religion been a positive promoter or force for the overall success of mankind?  Some might readily say yes.  Most religions teach that it is wrong to murder, that we should love our families and our children, we should love our neighbor and promote peace among fellow humans.  The commonalities between them, however, seem to stop there.  The concept of God or a Higher Power is very different.  Among the approximate 9000 religions of the world, the majority will profess to be among the 5 main religions: Islam, Christianity, Hindu, Judaism, Buddhism.

When we look at the overwhelming evidence of what is occurring in the world, has religion helped mankind be successful in obtaining peace and in upholding the very things we mentioned above?  Any clear thinking person would have to say no.  Wars have not decreased, but increased due to religious indifference.  The rising divorce rate and child abuse cases, even among clergy, continues to grow despite the “belief” that it is wrong.  The masses want their political leaders to be moral while they continue to have the freedom to be immoral.

What makes religion a failure, in this respect, is that religion could have the power to stand up and fight for what is correct.  Instead most have used the name of God and the influence they wield over mankind to line their own pockets and create bedfellows with political entities.  Instead of promoting real peace, they have promoted war by supporting nations in their petty conflicts.  Quite often in such wars the religious clergy have spurred on their members to get involved even allowing members of the same religion to kill each other.  During World War II, the worst of all wars, Catholics were killing Catholics and Protestants killing Protestants.  Oppression among mankind has existed, mostly in part, because of the destructive force of religion.

In today’s society this bloodshed continues.  Christendom, that is nations professing Christianity, are fighting and killing Muslims.  Muslim are killing Christians.  Jews and Muslims war with each other while Hindus and Muslims exchange blows.  Even on a smaller scale, there are tribes of African nations who want the death of their fellow man simply because he is of another tribe.  The war in Rwanda between the Hutus and the Tutsis is evidence of this.  A war that was also spurred by the Catholic priests.

Religion, as a whole, has not served for the benefit of mankind.  One can imagine what goes through the mind of our Creator as He sees what mankind is doing to themselves.  Certainly he will hold those promoting evil things in His name accountable, including religion.

While success in life certainly depends on being a moral person and having a faith in God that is unbreakable, being part of a religion that supports the killing of others, the tolerance of immoral conduct and the greediness it displays with its members cannot be good for anyone.  True religion exists if we take the time to look for it.  It is the one promoting and experiencing success among its members.  John 13:34, 35

 

6 S.I.M.P.L.E. Steps To Better Time Management

I, like most people, am not very good at managing my time.  Everyday seems to pass by rather quickly and I wonder what it is I accomplished for the day. I seem to mis-calculate the time it takes to accomplish certain tasks and goals.  Do you have the same dilemma and challenge?  Due to the request I received recently from a friend and a client, I have decided to create a S.I.M.P.L.E. Formula for Time Management.  Below I have created the formula that I plan to use myself to improve how I utilize my day.  You can use it, too.  Let me know how well it works.

S – Start Planning the Day Before I have read articles of others and this is quite often listed as the very first step in managing our time.  Spend some time the night before and plan your day in advance before you go to bed.  Include not just work related items but personal ones as well.  I have tried this and it seems to work when I take the time to do it.  I make a list of the things I need to do the next day.  I do not write them in any particular order.  I just write them as I think of things I need to do.  Arranging them comes later.  I usually do this just before going to bed.  I have found that it helps me sleep easier because my mind is not racing about the things that need to be done or how I am gong to do them.

I – Itemize Your List Once I make my list, I then itemize them in a couple of ways.  First I determine which items are more important than others and which need to be accomplished sooner.  Will the task I am identifying require more than one day to accomplish?  If so, then I determine which part of that task needs to be accomplished and allot a time period for getting it done.  I find that if I give myself a specific time frame to accomplish something, then subconsciously I work towards a deadline.  That enables me to focus on it and complete it.  In any event, itemizing tasks by order of importance and placing them within a scheduled time frame allows me to stick to those tasks with less confusion as to what it is I should be doing and thus getting things done.

M – Make Yourself Stick To The Schedule This is a difficult part of the process.  As we begin our calendar of activities, there will always be things to distract us, especially if we work with other individuals.  When I was a sales manager I wanted to be available to my agents.  I did not want to be the kind of manager that was not caring or not open to allowing them to discuss things of importance to them.  At the same time I learned that their crisis was not always my emergency, even though they felt it should be so.  I learned that if I stick to what I have assigned myself there seemed to be time for other matters as well. Sometimes, other individuals just need to learn to be responsible for their own actions and duties at work and allow us to do the same.  By respecting ourselves and our own schedule, we not only teach others to respect it, but to respect the time they should set for themselves to accomplish goals.  Sticking to our schedule is truly a benefit to all and we will discover that things get accomplished.

P – Practice Delegating Tasks and Assignments An effective manager of time recognizes that our use of time in certain areas is truly wasted.  There are some tasks that others could accomplish for us and thus allowing us to focus on those things of more importance.  It might be useful to allow our children to wash the dishes or gather up the dirty clothes.  It could improve work related assignments by sharing them with others who are capable of doing them.  It also helps build character in others when we demonstrate a trust in their ability to do something normally performed by us.  No doubt there will be those in the workplace who simply view this as a passing of the buck or more workload for them.  However, if we treat individuals respectfully, demonstrating our confidence in their abilities, they will be more readily open to helping out for the benefit of everyone.  Are there tasks at work or at home that can be delegated to other employees or other family members?  Can we train someone else to take on a role or responsibility normally performed by us?  Why not consider it and share the work load?

L – Look At The End Result With A Positive Outlook Sometimes we look at tasks with such a negative light that we linger about starting them, much less finishing them.  However, if we change our attitude and look at the end result with a positive attitude and a sense of accomplishment, we will be more likely to not only complete the task but get it done sooner than expected and with a greater quality of work.  Too many times we view our assignments with a sense of dread and this affects not only when we start, but how quickly we finish and the quality in which the work was done.  Yet, when we change our attitude towards assignments and we mentally see and end result, we accomplish things much more quickly and we improve in our ability to do it.  In addition to this, a positive attitude is contagious and can lend to a much friendlier work environment or family atmosphere over time.

E – Eat the Elephant How do you eat an elephant?  The answer is SIMPLE – One Bite At The Time! Sometimes we have what appears to be so much on our plate that we dread even trying to eat the meal.  However, if we realize that tasks take time and accept it, then as we accomplish things little by little, we see the success of the overall picture.  Try not to look at the entire task at hand.  Rather, focus on the little tasks involved and work to accomplish and finish each little task.  There is an old expression that Rome was not built in a day.  Some things that require large amounts of effort, time, will power, determination, research, etc., can be completed if we focus on all the little tasks that make up a part of the whole.  so not spend time looking at the elephant.  Just take the bites you are able and in time the elephant will be eaten.

Everyone is looking for ways to get things done.  There are hundreds, even thousands, of suggestions about how to manage our time.  Sometimes we may even have to give up on something we want to do if it does not fall into our list of priorities.  One thing I will add, however, is that we need to schedule time for ourselves and time to relax and have fun.  If we go through life without emotional and physical reinforcement, life will not be worth living.

I hope these S.I.M.P.L.E. suggestions help.  Let me know what you think and be sure to get a copy of my book, Success Is S.I.M.P.L.E., available in electronic and paperback format.

Have a GREAT day and remember…Keep It SIMPLE!

 

Dirt Under The Fingernails?

Dirt under the fingernails is not an attractive sight.  Recently a friend complained that I had dirt under my fingernails and it was gross.  Well what they failed to understand was that I had cleaned my fingernails the best that I could.  They had been dirty for several reasons.  I had been doing some work in the yard, coupled with some construction work and I changed the alternator on a friend’s van.  After all of those tasks, it was rather difficult getting all the dirt from under my nails.

While it is certainly unattractive, it should not be automatically counted against a person.  Some people have those types of professions in which it requires their hands to get dirty.  Others are not afraid of hard work around their house or in helping someone else.  The complaint, however, made me realize that we are far too critical of other people when most of the time there is no cause to be critical.  Considering today’s economic climate, some people would be happy to have dirt under their fingernails because it would mean they had a job.

I value everyone but especially those who are not afraid of a little hard work.  Just because we obtain some success in our life does not give us the right to look down on others or pass judgment based on their appearance.  Would we want someone else doing that to us?  Of course not.  Some people gained their success by getting their hands dirty and their is nothing wrong with that.  So….

Go ahead….get your hands dirty.  Do some hard work.  It will make you feel better.  So what if someone else doesn’t like it.  It doesn’t bother me!  Have a great day!

 

Success Lesson From The Oldest Male Holocaust Survivor

Leopold Engleitner of Austria was born in 1905 and is still alive.  In fact, he is the oldest male survivor of the Holocaust.  Engleitner began to study the Bible very thoroughly in the 1930′s and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1932.  As a result, he eventually went to a Nazi prison camp for his beliefs because Jehovah’s Witnesses were hated by the Nazi’s.  The difference between the Jewish perscecution and the persecution of Jehovah’s Wintesses is that the Witnesses were given the opportunity to leave the prison camps if they signed a document renouncing their faith and declared support for the Nazi Party.  The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses refused including Leopold Engleitner.

Engleitner suffered terrible persecution, as did the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other prisoners of the Nazi Regime.  At one point he was beaten and kicked until his testicals were crushed making it unable for him to ever have children.  He was told by the Nazi’s that he would die in the prison camps but he refused such ideas because of his faith in God.  At his lowest point he weighed 62 lbs from starvation that was forced upon him by the Nazi’s.  Yet, he survived.

Why did the Nazi’s and Hitler hate Jehovah’s Witnesses so?  Because of their faith and beliefs.  They have a strong belief in the Kingdom of God as Jesus taught and refuse to take up a political position contrary to that Kingdom.  They also refuse to take up arms in any way to kill another individual.  Hitler felt that the teaching of a greater Government under Christ’s rule, a peaceful government, was a much greater threat to him than the threat of any Allied forces.  Jehovah’s Witnesses also spoke out publicly against the persecution of the Nazi’s and showed no fear in threat of force or death.  Hitler’s goal was to not only wipe out Jehovah’s Witnesses, as he also wanted to do with the Jews, but to break their faith in the process.  His attempt failed miserably.  Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses endured persecution and hardship, and for some even death,  as a choice over denouncing their faith.  Among them was Leopold Engleitner of Austria.  He will soon be 104, while Hitler’s body rots in some unmarked grave.

Engleitner is the subject of a documentary entitled Unbroken Will.  It recounts his life and the atrocities that he faced under the Nazi Regime along with millions of other individuals.  He is currently on a tour of the United States sharing his story and life experiences.  His determination to live and to survive and his STRONG faith in the Creator are an example for us to follow.  I especially find it faith strengthening because I, too, am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

You can learn more about Brother Engleitner at the following links.

http://cbs2.com/video/?id=102822@kcbs.dayport.com

http://www.rammerstorfer.cc/english/index.htm