Category Archives: Life

Some things you just don’t need to start

Life

There are things in life you just don’t ever need to start. When you start some things, you may not be able to stop.

In an earlier bog post, I spoke about having limits in our life and knowing when enough is enough. I used a silly example (eating Cheetos) as a metaphor for serious life issues. . It could also be Fritos which is my personal temptation. Ha. You buy a bag of whatever and you say to yourself; I am just going to eat a few. You eat a few and then eat a few more and before you know it, half the bag is gone. Then you say well, I might as well finish them off, so you eat the whole bag. And before knowing it, you have consumed 4k calories in one sitting because enough was not enough? Ha

Sex, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gambling, overeating etc. are things that start as a choice and can easily overtake your life. Take gambling as example. I have never been able to understand how a person can become addicted to gambling. There you are, losing money, but you are incapable of walking away. The reason I can’t imagine it is simple. I never started it. It could be eating, drugs alcohol or even speeding. The point is there are certain things you just don’t need to start.

I have a dear friend that is addicted to weight and exercise. It literally consumes this person and It is destroying their life, but they are incapable of stopping. It is like a lot of things, you say I will drink this, try that, experiment with such and such just a little and you quickly find out that the more you do it, the more you want it. One more time is never enough.

Andy Stanley had a bible series titled “guardrails” that was one of the best biblical series I have ever heard. His point was to establish guardrails in advance to keep you from going off the road of life. In blog posts before I have used the Navy Seals as an example. I was in the Navy and watched (from far away) those guys train. I am telling you, there is simply no other group on the planet as lethal as the Navy Seals. The question is, what is the first thing they do when they are dropped into the enemy zone. The answer, exactly what they already trained to do before they got there. It should be that way in our life, that we decide our answers and response way before we get there. If you wait until you get there before you decide, there is a very good chance you will not make the right decision. Additionally, the ramifications of those bad decisions could very well effect those around you that you love. KT

If you could fast forward, would you do it

Career, Family, Life

When I look at 2020 (so far) I am reminded of the movie Click, with Adam Sandler. The movie (while maybe not intended) had a very powerful message. Be there today. In 2020 the country has experienced some things that have shaken our nation to the core.

I spoke with a friend of mine in New Orleans and we had this conversation regarding hotel real estate in the last 90 days. He tells me that on top of everything else, that hurricane Cristobal is heading straight for New Orleans this Sunday.

So, my point is that if there was ever a period (like in the movie) we would like to fast forward through, it may be the balance of 2020. Ha. The truth is we are going get through this together. The economy (not the tech companies) has been handed a set of circumstances (COVID) no one knows how to handle because no one imagined it could have happened. Except for the beach markets, the hotel industry and most all other commercial industries are holding their breath on what could likely be a very difficult financial year.

In the middle of all that has happened this year, we have been blessed with our third granddaughter and when I hold her, I promise to myself that I will preserver as best I can so she will have a better life. While I don’t know, I suspect that is what the 418,000 United States service men and service women who died fighting in WWII also thought. We all need to leave it better than when we found it and raise our families so they can make it better for the next generation. KT

Enough is sometimes never enough

Career, Life

120 years ago, the two richest men in America battled it out, for the number one slot. John D Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were vastly more wealthy than any of the tech moguls today. John D was worth at his peak, 300 billion in today’s dollars. Andrew Carnegie was worth at his peak between 350 and 375 billion.

To put that in perspective, depending on stock value, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are considered the two wealthiest people in the world. Bezos at 116 billion and Gates at 100 billion. That means that Rockefeller and Carnegie were worth three rimes what Bezos and Gates are worth.

But that still wasn’t enough for either one of them. The title is “enough is sometimes never enough.” Rockefeller and Carnegie fought like dogs to destroy the other and were vehement enemies. You ask, “they had so much money, why couldn’t they be satisfied with enough.” That is the point. Sometimes, not every time, enough is not enough. These two men fought, strived, battled and probably lost sleep and years of joy over what? Who was going to be the richest?

When you look at sex, drugs, alcohol, smoking, weight, food, exercise etc. you can see what I mean. When you start down that road, it is common to think, just a little more, and that will be enough. I will use a silly example, so I don’t have to get into the real important issues mentioned above. Let say you like Cheetos. You buy a big bag and carry it over to your chair while you watch TV. You say to yourself; I am just going to eat a few. Well, you eat a few and then eat a few more and before you know it, half the bag is gone. Then you say well, I might as well finish them off, so you eat the whole bag. You just wolfed down 4k calories in one sitting because enough was not enough? Ha

In life we need to set boundaries in everything we do. There needs to be a stopping point. Forrest Gump started out running down the driveway and ended a few months later, running across America. Ha. That is not what we do in real life. If you are a runner, everyone knows you decide before you start, how far you will run that day. No runner just goes out and runs until he gets tired. No one.

The point is, in the real issues of life, find satisfaction in enough. You will find that people with the most joy, best sleep and greatest satisfaction are the ones you said, enough is enough. KT

Rooms in our homes and life

Life

We all have areas and rooms in our homes that we see every day and every day we just walk by them. Last night we were getting ready for bed and I had to go down the hall to our kitchen. We have a seldom used step down living room in the middle of our house that has arched windows with ceiling heights around 20 feet. This room is only used when we have large gatherings and holidays etc.

So, last night I was walking by that room and just paused to really look at it. It was dark outside, and the moon light was shining just right through those arched windows and the room looked beautiful. My favorite movie of all time is White Christmas with Bing Crosby and in the movie, the old lodge had arched windows very similar to those in our house. While I was looking at that room last night, I thought about White Christmas and how that time circa was simpler and the problems of the world (seemed) less significant. I just took a moment looking at that room with a new focus and appreciation.

I also thought about the rooms (some are hidden) in our lives that we see every day and every day we just walk by. Some of those rooms hold good memories and some of those rooms hold unpleasant memories and secrets. I have found It is important in our life to settle the rooms with unpleasant memories and secrets. If we don’t, one day we will be walking through the rooms of our life and won’t have the option but to stop and resolve it. Many people think that just ignoring the problem will make it go away, but this practice seldom resolves the issues. Look at the rooms in your life and choose to get them straightened up and cleaned out.

Last night (in my mind) I named that room in our house, the White Christmas room because it creates such good memories for me with all my family being there during a joyous holiday season. Hopefully you will also have rooms in your house/life that bring to mind good memories and joyous times. KT

Learning about life

Career, Life

Charlie Jones tells this story of his son coming home and telling his dad he wanted to start selling greeting cards, door to door in their neighborhood. His son asked him if he would teach him how to sell.

Sure enough, Charlie sits him down and began to teach him what to say and how to respond to the customer’s questions etc. He tells his son to go outside and come up and knock on the door and do a practice run with his dad. The little boy gets his sales materials together and goes outside ready to do the practice pitch in front of his dad. He was so innocent and sweet as he walked to the front door expecting his dad to kneel and be so supportive while he fumbles through the pitch.

He knocked on the front door and his dad opens it and looks down at his son and says, “what do YOU want?” The little boy is shocked by the abrupt voice of his dad and tries to answer. His dad just slams the door in in his face. Of course, the little boy starts bawling. The dad’s wife comes running to in the room and starts asking him why he was being so mean to their son.

The dad replies “I am just getting him ready for a little living. He needs to know that everyone will not be gentle, accepting and kind. He needs to understand how to handle discouragement and adversity and keep on going”

The little boy stopped crying and knocked on the door again and the dad explained what he trying to teach him. That afternoon the little boy went out and sold five orders of greeting cards and did not get discouraged when some people were rude and said no.

That story tells a lot about real life. Many people get discouraged quickly and quit. History is full of people that if they had quit, they never would have invented some of the greatest inventions of all time. Tenacity is often overlooked as one of the most important attributes of life. You show me a person who doesn’t quit easy and I will show you a person accomplishing things in their life. KT