I was going through some old memos in my briefcase and came across a letter that I wrote to myself during a particular tough time in business back in 2007. I was leaving one firm and starting another; it was a time of stress in my life. I titled this letter “Flipping the Switch,” and I was going to be the only one that would ever read it. I wrote it so that I could read the words out loud, and that my spirit could hear the words. Before you say that’s crazy, in the New Testament, it says several times that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” The Bible also says that “whatever is in you in abundance will be spoken out of your mouth.” Therefore, I have always written notes to myself, and I am the only one that knows what they mean, but they all mean something special.

The term flipping the switch reminded me of how many changes we make in our life are done so when we decide to change our life. It is like walking from one room and turning the switch off, and walking into a new room and turning the light switch on. Like the light switch, there are just some areas in our life we need to walk away from and turn the light off, such as fear, anxiety and intimidation. In life, there are times we need to turn a new light on.

In all my understanding of God and the Bible, the thing I never see is God making these decisions for us. He always waits for us to make the move. Many times in my life, it would have been easier and simpler if God was making all the decisions, but as I understand it, he waits for us to make the decision and finally decide to make changes in our life. In our lives, we all know the lights we need to shut down and the ones we need to turn on.

In this letter to myself, I wrote the following 3 points: (1) be bold and be confident, (2) choose to stand up and be somebody, and (3) we are not endowed with a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Maybe this helps you as it helped me. KT

As you may know I am a big muscle car fan, and love the late ’60s vintage cars like Shelby, Boss, Super Sport, GTO, Vette, etc.

We have two terms we use regarding vintage hot rods. The first one is “all show and no go,” and this means the car looks good on the outside, but doesn’t have much of an engine. Basically, it looks great at a car show, but you would not want to try to outrun anything. The second term we use is “sleeper,” which is just the opposite of “all show and no go.” It describes a car that looks very average on the outside, but has a built engine and drivetrain on the inside. It is called a “sleeper” because people misjudge the car’s ability by the way it looks on the outside.

You know where I am going with this, right?

So, are you an “all show and no go” or a “sleeper.” I have met many people over the years from hotel brokers, CEOs, Congressmen to pastors. I can tell you that there is a very high percentage of people that are mostly show with very little go. They have limited depth and low character, but boy do they look the part on the outside. I have a friend of mine that sells hotels, and if you looked at him, you would think he is a low level manager at a retail store. He is what I would call a sleeper. Like a car, he eases up to the line and nobody even notices him; when he starts talking, everything changes. You stand there looking at this guy asking yourself who is he and how did he get that good. When this guy was speaking on a conference panel, all of the big shots around him were backslapping each other and making a real ego scene. Well, when the moderator asks my friend the first question and he started talking, there was hush in the room; I could see the eyes of all the big shots on the stage and everyone else in the room get completely focused on the friend of mine. By the end of the panel session, there was zero question in anyone’s mind as to who was “show” and who was “go” on the panel; the big shots were not backslapping each other as they walked quietly off the stage.

So again, do you just dress up on the outside really well, but leave the inside vulnerable? Who are you? This is tough question for anyone. Are you on the inside what you project to be on the outside?

I have a little tip for anyone interested: start your day with a cup of coffee and a little quiet time with God. Let God mold who you are on the inside before you go dress up the outside.

It is a really special, special thing to see a muscle car that is “show and go,” meaning that it is as good on the inside as it is on the outside. There are a lot of people in all walks of life that need help with their self-esteem, and there is a real need for great examples of people that know who they are and don’t try to be someone they are not. These people are in a position to help others become more of what God wants them to become. KT

One of the greatest days in your life is the day you decide that your life is your own– yours to change and yours to stop trying to be someone you are not. If you look closely at all the leaders, mentors and people you hold up as good examples, it is my guess that those people are all comfortable within their own skin, and they all have a healthy self-esteem.

There is a confidence and boldness that comes with knowing who you are and who you are not and being ok with the result. There have been many people that live their entire lives, having never resolved within themselves who they are. Many people have passed on with the music of life still in their hearts because they were afraid to let the world know who they are.

I watched an interview of a Marine that while on duty in Afghanistan, was shot in the face. I think they said he has had 50 surgeries to fix things as best they could. Is it still noticeable when you see him, absolutely. When people look at him, they see a grateful man that is perfectly bold in speaking and meeting people. When he talks, you do not see a person with cast down eyes, shy and embarrassed. He is so engaging and so bold that it is simply beautiful to watch him. He does not care what people think. What a hero and what an example.

I have met many people with physical flaws, impediments, and handicaps that are much bolder than people without any imperfections. It’s actually quite amazing to see the difference between people that are impaired in some fashion and the people that have no issues. I have seen men that seem to have all the class, skill education, looks, speech, and everything you could wish for, but still fall short in life because of low self-esteem.

The decision to finally step over the barrier and say this is who I am and I like it is one of the greatest moments a person can have. At that moment, the person has decided to live his or her own life without all the baggage they have been carrying around. Graveyards are full of people that never could step over that barrier and actually like who they are and anchor themselves in a healthy self-esteem.

Hopefully, if you are reading this blog you have no issues in this regard. If you do, just know that it is a very special and very freeing day when you decide that your life is your own and you stop letting everyone else have the control over you. KT

If you ever wonder what is the most valuable luxury in life, I am going to tell you. It is time itself. I wrote a similar blog post on this subject back in July, but I wanted to add a few things to it.

Ask anyone who is out of time or on the one yard line of life and they will tell you that the thing they want most is more time. It is not cars, houses, jobs, titles, things, money, love, promotions, etc. The thing they want the most is time.

If it is the most valuable thing in our life, why is it then the single greatest thing we take for granted?

There are two passages of scripture that best speak to this subject: Ephesians 5:15-17 and Ecclesiastes 5:19.

The first passage in Ephesians says, “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise, but as wise making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is”.

The second passage in Ecclesiastes says: “Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God”

Trust me when I tell you that this time in your life will pass, and once it does, you will never have it back again. The moments you share today will never happen again. Yes, I understand what it’s like to have small children: the days run together, and you think they will never be old enough to get out of diapers, dress themselves, get in high school, graduate high school, graduate college, settle down, and get married. I understand all this, and I have experienced this very thing.

Here is what I know to be true. As you hurry through these events, one day you will look up and ask yourself “where did the last 20 years go”?

My suggestion is to read the two passages of scripture out of your own Bible, and let the message penetrate your heart, soul and mind. There has never been a truer word spoken, and we should all pay attention because we can all recognize that time is precious. KT