God Speaks Daily

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

This saying reminds me goals are important because it’s only through goals that we get an idea of where we’re going. Without goals we end up just moving around in circles.

Between a goal and the present are many roads. Many paths. Defining the path defines the skills we’ll need to step down the road.

I like to think of the steps along the road as stepping stones, where I step from one stone to another crossing a river or stream. This way as you step from one stone to another, at each step you get a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling of satisfaction because you’ve managed to move forward, hopefully without getting your feet wet.

Whether a short-term goal of maybe one or two steps, or a long-term goal where you’d have to navigate through a large forest with many steps, having goals and having an idea of the path that we take is important.

“If you cannot accept something, resignation is okay.”

This statement says resignation is the first step towards acceptance.

Over the years, I found myself obsessing on things that had happened in my life. (resentments). In some cases, I even found myself obsessing on things that might happen in my life. (preemptive resentments).

This saying helped me find a path towards acceptance in my life. It helped me understand because I’m powerless to do anything in some situations, I can do nothing.

In many situations where I was powerless yet unable to accept what was going on, resignation was a good alternative. I had a hard time saying, “I can accept it. I’m okay with it.” So instead I started telling myself “I can’t accept this, but I can’t do anything about it, so I’m not even going to try.”

As I did this intermediary step of resignation more and more, I began learning acceptance. I was able to just let go of these resentments very quickly.

As a result of resigning myself in situations I couldn’t control, I’ve become a more accepting person. Today I rarely need to use resignation to get to acceptance.

“If you take yourself seriously, you have a serious problem.”

A friend of mine first said this to me as a joke, but it’s always had a deeper meaning attached.

This saying reminds me to just be a relaxed person, it reminds me it’s not my job to impress people. It’s not my job to solve all problems. My job, my role is to live my life.

This also removes a lot of the sense of embarrassment, or expected embarrassment, because it removes the need for me to put on airs.

“In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. For years, I was smart. Today, I recommend pleasant.”

This quote from the play Harvey, with James Stewart, had a dramatic effect on my life.

If you’ve never seen the movie or the play, the movie is about Elwood P. Dodd, who is a pleasant individual who spends his life wandering around, inviting people to get to know him. He is without guile, without pretension, just an open and welcoming soul. He’s kind of like a 5-year-old.

It’s fascinating. Seeing the movie, I wished I could be out there in the world, inviting people to get to know me.

I’d spent years being smart, trying to impress people with knowledge, my brilliance, forcing myself on others, but sadly few were impressed.

The idea here is to just be open and friendly, To let people come closer and get to know me. As they get closer, they will see my skills, intelligence, my character, and appreciate me for who I am.

I heard this for the first time when I was starting IWantCollectibles.com. Based on this saying I decided to adopt the personality of a friendly, knowledgeable person who freely shared information.

At first it was an act, but over time I slowly became a friendly, knowledgeable person.

Today, I’m a friendly knowledgeable person who freely shares information and encouragement.

It’s a whole different life for me. I’m a better person, and the people I attract into my life are better too. Better people make for better times.

It’s better to be pleasant than smart.

“Reasons and purposes are retrospective.”

I used to I find myself trying to come up with something interesting to say and being locked up with indecision. I used to try to figure out what was happening while my life was unfolding. I used to get stuck projecting scenarios in my mind, and miss out on the opportunities I’d created in my life.

This saying reminds me to live in the now; to just go out and do it. If I see someone I want to meet, to just walk up and introduce myself. If I want to do something, do it and see what happens.

This saying also tells me to sit down and think about the results of my actions. Through the use of self-honesty and self-accountability, I can improve my life, and give myself credit for my successes. Looking back allows me to spot things I am doing well and areas where I need improvement.

This saying is not just about living in the moment, it’s about making future moments better.