John Harrell's Blog, page 132

Risky Business

We take risks every single day. For example, when we drive our car, we assume the risk that the other drivers will obey the law. If we have an accident, it doesn’t stop us from driving again.

God created each of us for a unique purpose. If we choose to not follow what’s been placed on our heart, we live an unfulfilled life full of frustrations.

Take a chance. Expect setbacks. Pursue your purpose with everything you have in you. You will succeed if you don’t quit, because God doesn’t lose. Ever…

Connection

My approach when I meet new people is to be unguarded and open. I accept others as they are and where they are in life. Through openness, I’m able to connect with people in a deeper, more meaningful way than just surface conversations.

People are carrying a lot of pain. They need connection and compassion, not judgment. We are in this life together. Be a bridge builder, not a destroyer…

Mistaken Identity

All of us have a past, and we have a list of missteps we have taken. Hopefully we have learned and grown from our mistakes, and we have changed. Yet, there will be people who still treat us like we are the same person we were. Let those people go. They don’t know you, nor do they want to know the real you…

Vision

A person with a vision for his future, combined with a deep drive to succeed will succeed. A person with no vision for their life will just drift…

Projection

Insecure people try to change us into someone they want us to be, rather than encouraging us to be the best version of ourselves we want to grow into. True change happens from within.

We are who we are. No one can take that from us…

Text Messages

Have you ever sent a text and not gotten a quick reply? Some people get upset when they don’t receive an immediate answer.

Don’t be one of those people. Be secure in knowing the other person might be busy in that moment, maybe their phone isn’t with them, or perhaps a short-term crisis just hit them and they aren’t able to reply.

Texting is for quick check-ins, not real communication. Speaking with the other person is communicating with them…

Time

Time waits for no one. Use every moment you have to make a difference…

Limitations

Other people like to set limitations on your life. The negative talk could come from a “friend,” a family member, or even your spouse! Do not allow their fear of living to stop you from pursuing your dreams.

God alone has authority over your life. He decides what limitations we might have, not other people…

Perspective

We celebrated Valentines Day a few days ago. Restaurants, florists and candy manufacturers got a healthy boost of cash flow, allowing them to survive until Easter and Mother’s Day. I believe if we care for someone, we should show them regularly. But before I start sounding like Ebenezer Scrooge, let’s take a look at where this big day comes from.

Saint Valentine was a 3rd century bishop who cared for Christians who were persecuted during the Roman Empire. He is associated with courtly love, and was martyred on February 14, 269 AD. We honor his memory on Valentines Day every year.

I want to encourage you to take a moment every day to show your loved ones that you care about them. Maybe it’s a quick phone call, a short note left where they can find it, or flowers for no reason at all. People need to know they are in your thoughts, and in your heart…

The Past

Have you ever made a mistake? That’s a loaded question, I know, because all of us have made mistakes. A better question is, what have you done with past mistakes? We can either learn from them, or be stuck in them.

When we learn from past errors, we change our behavior and we grow. Repeating old, unhealthy patterns usually leads to the same results. Change can be hard, I know, but change is required for different outcomes. Embrace the change and move forward. Be focused and be fearless.

One last point about past mistakes. Leave them in the past. You don’t live there anymore…