John Harrell's Blog, page 115

Desires

Do you want something? Do you really really want it? Plant the vision in your mind. Think about it all the time. Get emotionally excited about it, and then work for it. You will make it happen…

Control Freaks

Do you know any control freaks, or are you one yourself? You know the type of person I’m referring to. Everything has to be done their way or the highway.

Those types of people can be difficult to be around. Collaboration is typically the best way to get things accomplished. Listen to the control freaks ideas, but always go with what’s right…

Stories

Everyone has a story, but not everyone believes they have a story worth telling. Nothing could be further from the truth. Whatever you are going through, from family trouble to cancer and everything in between , your struggles can help others who are going through the same.

This is one of the reasons I love podcasting. Listening to people share their stories, giving hope to the broken, desperate hearts aligns perfectly with the theme of my podcast. The Determined People Podcast is spreading encouragement, strength and hope to a world in desperate need of it…

Why?

We live in a broken, imperfect world. Good and bad things happen to us. Rather than asking why they happened, ask what can I learn from this. We learn more from bad experiences than the good…

Give

We humans have a tendency to be selfish. It’s our default mechanism. We hold on tightly to our money and our time out of fear.

When we give, we get. This is true and I encourage you to test it. Even more remarkable, there is only one time in Scripture that God tells us to “test Him.” You can find it in Malachi 3:10.

Life is like a boomerang. When you throw the boomerang, it returns to you but picks up speed on the turn and comes back faster. What we give, we get…

Recognition

We live in a “look at me” culture. Being the center of attention has overtaken common sense in some cases. Do you remember the so-called “influencer” who videoed himself licking a public toilet bowl? He has no influence over me.

Focus on doing what’s right, being kind and compassionate without worrying about getting the attention. These characteristics never go out of style…

Comfortable

Many people talk about moving out of their comfort zone, but how many actually do it? That takes faith, wisdom, and discernment that you are on the right path.

If your motives are true, right and noble, you are going the right direction. And remember, growth only comes in the discomfort zone…

Quiet

There is something peaceful about early morning before the busyness of the day begins. We need quiet in our lives to clear our minds and our thoughts.

Quiet makes some people uncomfortable. They revel in the noise. I encourage you, if you are one of those people, learn to be comfortable in the quiet. The noise of the world will always be there waiting for you to return…

Ask!

Are you fulfilled in your life? If you answered yes, congratulations! But if your answer is no, you have the power to change your life.

A fulfilling life has nothing to do with money. It’s about service. Serving others changes you. There’s something magical and unexplainable about the feeling you get when you do something for someone who can never repay you.

If you aren’t getting all you want from life, ask for more. Then go do the work…

Dirt

The National Enquirer was founded in 1926 as a legitimate news source, but subscriptions didn’t take off until the late 1950’s when the publication morphed into a sensational tabloid. It seemed The Enquirer had found it’s niche.

Why is there an appetite for getting the dirt on famous people’s lives? They are just like you and me with families, friends, struggles, successes and heartache. Perhaps we like to focus on the lives of others so we don’t have to look at ourselves. Or maybe we empathize with their plight and realize, they are just like us.

Introspection is the difficult, but worthwhile way to go. Leave the lives of others alone, and keep the focus on building your life…