Life is a Game of Tetris

Have you figured out the game of life yet?  It's similar to one of my personal favorites, Tetris, where you rush to place each piece as it descends from above before time expires.  That's how God works.  He plops game fragments into your life from the sky and you scramble to fit them in on your game board before you die.  The mavericks know you place the biggest pieces first and then fit the smaller ones the same way you load your camping equipment from big to small so it fits in your vehicle.  The game does get annoying when the adversary gets in your head.  He says, "fool, you can't do this.  There are too many game pieces.  Look how fast they're falling.  Give up.  Let someone else play.  You're not qualified."

God sent Jesus to help us out.  He makes the game so simple.  Jesus looks at the game board and says, "Wow; there's a lot of pieces falling from the sky but there aren't many players."  I know why.  Most of us give up when we lose.  We hate failure.  We don't want to die.  Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

Your perspective changes when you realize death is not the end of the game.  It's a necessary step to advance to the next level.  The temptation is to curse some of the pieces when they show up unexpectedly, like job losses, broken relationships, sickness or injury.  I admit I don't know why some players get cancer.  But I do know God has a plan.  I trust God gives us everything we need to advance.  We learn our best lessons from the most challenging game pieces.  We recognize patterns and get better as time passes, no matter how many mulligans we need.  Starting over is okay.  Every day is a new day.  Keep playing.  Life is a game of Tetris.  

Risk vs. Reward

Every choice you make has a risk/reward.  So does every choice you avoid or decide not to make.  Choose wisely.  Evaluate past decisions.  Don't be afraid.  Fear changes the equation.  It blinds you to the rewards.  It overemphasizes the risks.

The most important choice I make every morning is about love.  Loving my wife is easy.  Loving my adult children is easy.  But the choice to love my enemies is difficult.  The reward for loving them is peace of mind.  I understand the risk of not following Jesus when He says, "love your enemies."  Hatred is a sack of rocks strapped to your back.  I choose not to carry that sack or drag it behind me.  That's the only way I can keep up with Jesus when he says, "follow me."  I don't ever want to lose sight of Jesus because the grudges I'm grasping are weighing me down and I can't keep up.  Who cares if your enemies attack?  Remember what the risk of not loving them is verses the rewards of loving them.  It's summarized in this verse:  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ~ Matthew 5:12

Who Inspires You?

How long is your list of people who inspire you?  Have these people been on your list for a long time?  Are there any newcomers?  What is it about them that makes them so special?  I'm going to share two names at the top of my list:  my mother and my wife.  Here's why:

My Mother.  My mother is wise.  It's not the kind of wisdom you get from reading books.  It's a street smart kind of wisdom that comes from dealing with life's curve balls.  Mom is resilient.  She never gives up.  She never complains.  She sees the good in others.  She encourages me to be my best.  She cares.  She has a big heart.  Mom is the person you want on your side when your back is up against the wall and your world is falling apart.  She has unshakeable faith.

My Wife.  My wife is a kindred spirit of my mother.  It's as if God cloned my mother's heart and transplanted it into my bride of twenty-five years.  When God handed out blessings, I received a double dose.  No matter how badly I get beat up in the ring, my wife can look me straight in the eye and say, "everything's gonna to be okay.  You can go another round.  I'm right here with you."

Now it's your turn.  Who inspires you?  Why not give him or her a call today and let them know how they make you feel?  Have a great day.

We the People

It's only happened a little over a hundred times in our country.  We the people are doing today what our forefathers envisioned we would do every two years – vote.  The constitution is what defines us.  I find it amazing that the entire House of Representatives is up for a vote today.  And one third of the Senate.  There are no kings here.  The checks and balances in our government are in place to make sure the power remains with us, we the people.

There's only one way to make sure our voice is heard.  Vote.  I cast my ballot last Thursday, across the street from my wife's workplace.  We enjoyed a lunch date together at the local bowling alley before I voted.  There are so many places around the world where this isn't possible.  We are free.  We are the people who determine the direction our country will move.  Today is the day.  Stand up and be counted.

Personal Asset Allocation

In the business world, asset allocation is defined as an investment strategy that attempts to balance risk versus reward by adjusting the percentage of each asset in an investment portfolio according to the investor's risk tolerance, goals and investment time frame.  You can use the same strategy for your personal assets which include your health, your relationships and your free time.  The way you allocate your time investing in each category affects your personal dividends.  Here are some ideas to help you maximize your results:

1. Your health.  How much time are you allocating to this?  Are you cautious about your food choices?  When was the last time you visited your dentist?  If you have a high tolerance for risk, go ahead and ignore your doctor's advice.  There's a reason I go through my daily morning exercise routine – it's a wise investment.  There are both short and long term gains.  Commit yourself to a minimum daily contribution of exercise and healthy eating.  Increase your asset allocation as you see results.
2. Your relationships.  Low asset allocation in this category = low friendship returns.  It's the same as garbage in, garbage out.  Neglect your friends and they will forget you exist.  A wise investor digs deep and finds out what's important to his or her friends.  Some relationships are toxic.  Stay away from those who suck the life energy out of you.  Cultivate your relationships with your true friends and remember them when they're struggling.
3. Your free time.  This is a challenging category for me.  I'm striving to increase my asset allocation in this area of my life so I'm more in alignment with my loved ones.  The folks at my day job are helping me with my time off requests and I'm making progress.  Time is a precious resource.  One of the biggest highlights for me happened last week.  My wife and I met for a lunch date at a bowling alley near her work.  I was off but she was working.  It didn't stop there.  I surprised her with a home-made dinner of chicken fajitas barbecued on the grill when she came home.  Use your free time wisely and make the small moments count.

Business investing is all about tomorrow.  Personal investing is all about today.  Monitor your health, your relationships and your free time.  When it comes to your personal assets, choose to be an aggressive growth investor.  Please feel free to add your ideas in the comment section below.  I would love to hear about your personal asset allocation.  And if you find this story helpful, please share it with a friend.  Thanks for visiting.

Do You Have Enough Time?

How was that clock reset last night?  My wife shared a tidbit about Fall back and Spring forward this morning when I woke up.  "Heart attacks go up on Spring forward and go down on Fall back," she said, quoting from a news story.  I thought about it for a minute, knowing I had sixty extra minutes on the clock.  I think it's related to our own body rhythms.  I know how I feel when I go to bed too late or cut my sleep cycle short.  What it comes down to is this:  Do I have enough time?  If the answer is yes, it means I'm feeling pretty good about accomplishing everything on my to do list.   Here are some lessons I learned about managing the clock for anyone who feels they don't have enough time...

1. Don't cheat your sleep or your breaks.  When you sleep too little or skip your breaks, you're increasing your grogginess/grumpiness factor.  In the end, you get less done and you feel worse.  Your heart may even skip a beat because it's not getting enough rest.
2. Schedule time for fun.  This plays a big role in reducing stress in your life.  Your efficiency rate improves when you play at regular intervals.  The 808 in my name was a reminder I set years ago about my ideal use of time:  Work eighty days and then take eight off.  I'm not there yet but I'm still working on this strategy.
3. Ask yourself, Is what I'm doing right now the highest and best use of my time?  I love it that you're reading this story right now and I'm not trying to push you away.  In fact, I appreciate you taking the time to be here right now, especially if your my mother who I haven't seen since I moved to Iowa or my cousin who put someone to sleep and has an extra few minutes to check in.  Just make sure you monitor your indulgences so you have enough time to manage your day.

Here's one last fact to consider about time.  Everyone you know has the same amount of it.  Some use it wisely.  Some savor every precious moment.  And if you know someone that tends to waste time, please take an extra minute and send them a link to this blog.  I'll be happy to help your friend out.  Have a great day.

How Do You Make Others Feel?

November is here.  It's a time of reflection about the year as it draws to a close.  I count my blessings daily.  My family and friends are at the top of the list.  The measuring stick I rely on most to evaluate my relationships is this question:  How do I make others feel?  The question focuses not on my personal accomplishments or my own opinions about my abilities, but rather what others perceive about our relationship.  There's a line between confidence and arrogance.  The confident person isn't afraid to ask himself or herself how others feel when they interact.  The arrogant person doesn't care.

If you're struggling with your relationships or you have trouble inspiring others, ask yourself if you crossed the line in the sand and started caring about yourself more than you care about the people around you.  Ask yourself if you see through the person in front of you because someone more important stands in the distance.  Ask yourself if the person you just talked with feels better or worse because of what you said.

It's not too late to improve your relationships.  There are still sixty-one days remaining in the year.  Ask more questions when you're in a discussion.  Put the spotlight on others.  Develop better listening skills.  Show the people around you that you care about them.  They will never care about what you know unless they know you care.  That's the difference between confidence and arrogance.  Make this a November to remember.  Put your friends and family at the top of your list of blessings.  If you're reading this, you're already on the top of my list.  Happy November.