Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - December 31st

Until you run out of pages, there's still room to write an epic ending. ― Kevin Ngo

Tomorrow not only do we embark on a new year…we also embark on a new decade! 

As the author was reflecting on the last 10 years, she thought about the many things that have happened in her life.  Each experience she encountered lead her to the next event in her life.  When we look at each experience as the next stepping stone we must confront, we see each experience as an opportunity to move closer to accomplishing our dreams.

Flying back from Texas after visiting her family for the Christmas holidays, the author was reading a book and a thought popped into her mind.  If the Wright brothers had not dreamed and pushed passed the naysayers in life, there may not have been an airplane for her to fly to Texas in.  

Dreaming can be exciting and frustrating.  When a new dream is birthed in our hearts, we often tell other people because we are excited.  Many times, the people we tell about our dream think it will be impossible and often tell us they think it will never happen.  Remember that the dream was not birthed in them.  It was birthed in the reader and the reader is the one that will have to encounter each new experience, develop and grow as he/she moves towards accomplishing the dream. 

If you allow it, people will put their limitations on you. They will try to talk you out of your dreams. One of the best things I've ever learned is people don't determine our destiny, God does. People don't set the limits for our life. They may try to talk you out of it and tell you what you can't do, and I don't think you're that talented. It's because God didn't put the dream in them, he put the dream in you. – Joel Osteen

The author understands the above quote quite well.  She has a dream that she told a few friends about and it has become a joke.  People tell her that it will not happen and that she has to settle for something different.  However, after living through different experiences in 2019, she is determined not to settle and she is going to keep dreaming and believe that her prayers will be answered.  Recently, the author found this quote and it is her motto for 2020:

Why should you continue going after your dreams? Because seeing the look on the faces of the people who said you couldn’t… will be priceless. — Kevin Ngo

CHALLENGE: Take time to reflect on the last decade and evaluate how much you have changed and grown.  Then, dream about what you want the next decade to be like.  Write it down and remember to continually review.  If you tell anyone about your dream(s), make sure it is someone you trust and will encourage you.  Do not tell anyone that will not be supportive and will be a naysayer.  Dream BIG as we start a new decade!

Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEb1j2d8rM0

https://sermons.love/joel-osteen/3262-joel-osteen-counted-by-the-creator.html

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - December 24th

There is no growth without tension. – Andy Stanley

You can’t grow without something being torn down and built back up. – Andy Stanley

2019 has been a very challenging time for the author based on the experiences she encountered.  She is not complaining, but there are many questions she has about why things happened and she knows the likelihood of ever discovering “why” is very unlikely.

The author enjoys her new job, but it has been challenging because she is an organized individual and she is now working in a somewhat chaotic environment.  Additionally, the author works long hours getting to work very early and often times staying late. 

As the author was thinking about her 2020 goals, her new job, the limited time she has for working on personal goals, she started getting frustrated.  After visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial, she was challenged to think outside the box and do something different in 2020. 

Most of the readers have probably heard the statement “think outside the box”.  The author has heard it for years and even wrote about it.  However, she was challenged by the placard she read at the visitor center in regards to the Wright brothers and dreams, which helped her in creating her 2020 goals.

Listening to a leadership podcast by Andy Stanley, she heard him ask “When did you learn the most?”  Stanley’s perspective is that we learn the most when we go through a set of circumstances or season of life when we are challenged.  The challenge is difficult and most leaders know those difficulties provide them greater insight, better job skills and greater clarity on the other side of the challenge.  

The author knows this was her situation in 2019.  Through all of the challenges, she developed, grew and learned how to handle situations.  Reading books is helpful, but she knows that having to face life’s challenges taught her more than reading any book.  We learn more in our own experiences then reading about how someone lived through similar experiences. 

You are not going to grow as a leader without new challenges and embracing new opportunities. – Andy Stanley

When writing 2020 goals, focus on thinking outside the box, learning to embrace challenges and taking on new opportunities.  In those experiences, we learn and grow the most. 

CHALLENGE: What new challenges and opportunities are you going to take on in 2020?

Resource

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer

https://www.thefreshquotes.com/wright-brothers-quotes-with-images/

https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm

Listener Questions Answered – Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast - https://podbay.fm/podcast/290055666/e/1459483201

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - December 17th

The Wright brothers flew through the smoke screen of impossibility. -  Dorothea Brande

If birds can glide for long periods of time, then… why can't I? – Orville Wright

116 years ago today Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the world by gliding through the air like a bird in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. 

As the author was talking with friends about where to go for a road trip over Thanksgiving weekend, she had no idea the impact one person’s suggestion would have on her.  The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina about five hours from the author’s apartment.  When the author arrived at the national memorial, she saw an open field with a couple buildings in the middle of it, a boulder, a marble statue in the distance and a building that looked to be the visitor’s center.

Entering the visitor’s center, the author was taken through four years of Wright brother history as they experienced the ups and downs of dreaming to fly.  The author was educated on the Wright brothers’ life story, interesting facts about air flight and saw a replica of the plane that was used by the Wright brothers to make four flights on December 17, 1903 with the last flight traveling 852 feet and lasting 59 seconds.  One dream and one flight changed the world.  

The most impactful part of the visitor center for the author was a placard she saw: 

The Wright brothers accomplished their dream because they thought outside the box, were resilient and believed they could.

At the memorial, the additional features seen by the author were:

·       Buildings reconstructed to show what camp life was like in 1903. 

·       Large boulder was the location where the Wright brothers stood as they attempted the four flights. 

·       Marble statue in the distance was the memorial Congress dedicated in 1932 to this historical event. 

Next week, the author will discuss why this impacted her so much and how she wrote her 2020 goals like Wilbur and Orville Wright would have wanted her to.

CHALLENGE: Like the Wright brothers, how are you looking to change the world?  What goals are you establishing in 2020 to help you accomplish the dream?

Resource

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer

https://www.thefreshquotes.com/wright-brothers-quotes-with-images/

https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - December 10th

There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits. - Michael Phelps

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. - Helen Keller

Recently, the author was listening to Daily Hope, the daily podcast of Rick Warren, and he told the story of a submarine that sunk in the Newport News harbor in Virginia on its return voyage at the end of World War II.  The United States Coast Guard sent divers down to the sunken submarine to discover what happened and when the divers arrived, they heard a sailor inside tapping in Morse Code “Is there hope?”

They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. - Tom Bodett

Dream achievement is not easy and requires hard work, persistence, determination and patience.  There are many dreams the author has been working on/waiting on for more than 10 years.  Often times, frustration, despair, doubt and disappointment begin to set in for the author when she thinks about the fact that she has no control over accomplishing a dream and starts to lose hope.  During the waiting times, the author has learned it is important to keep pushing forward, focus on what she can do, help other people, be grateful for what she has and remain strong in hope that her dreams will come to fruition. 

CHALLENGE: As you prepare for 2020, what dreams have you been waiting a long time on?  What happened in 2019 that moved you closer to accomplishing those dreams?  Take those events as hope and encouragement to press toward making even more progress on your dreams in 2020.

Resource

·       http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DailyHopeWithRickWarrenPodcast/~5/gbmRotWao4E/2019-12-06_DailyHope_radicalis_broadcast_radical-hope_pt-1.mp3

·       https://pastorrick.com/where-do-i-find-real-hope/

·       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_JSEOKFuBg&t=40s

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - December 3rd

You've got to believe that God is in control of your life. It may be a tough time but you've got to believe that God has a reason for it and he's going to make everything good. - Joel Osteen

Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress, which means you get there a little at a time, not all at once. – marcandangel (http://www.marcandangel.com/2017/09/04/40-quotes-for-coping-with-things-you-cant-control/)

Throughout 2019, the author has written about different lessons learned based on experiences she encountered including an apartment fire and 25 months of unemployment.  Lessons she learned include:   

• Embrace Every Situation
• What is Really Essential in Life
• Stay Calm   
• Live Life to the Fullest
• Gratitude
• Resilience
• Patience/Character Development  

As the author wrote on November 12, 2019, life is a journey and we must embrace each situation as we encounter it.  Often times, the situations we encounter are not our choice and we do not have control over them.  Our choice is how we react to the situation and to have the mindset that we will outlast the situation/difficulty to overcome it.  

             

What we encounter may immediately look like a horrible situation, but it can turn out for our good and we are changing and growing through the situation. 

The circumstances we ask God to CHANGE are often the circumstances God is using to CHANGE US. - Mark Batterson

CHALLENGE: As 2019 is coming to an end, start working on your year-end review to determine what goals you accomplished, which goals you did not accomplish & why and what lessons you learned.  Start developing 2020 goals.   

Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLfbogV4rn0

https://andknowblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/11/when-god-cares-more-about-your-heart-than-your-circumstances/

http://www.marcandangel.com/2017/09/04/40-quotes-for-coping-with-things-you-cant-control/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - November 26th

Be Thankful - Poet Unknown

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,

for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who

are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,

and they can become your blessings.

CHALLENGE: Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!   

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - November 19th

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. – Anonymous

The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see. – Mary Davis

Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul. – Amy Collette

 Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. – Eileen Caddy

As the author talked about earlier this year, she learned gratitude through many experiences in her life through 25 months of unemployment and her apartment fire.  This definitely does not mean to be thankful for the situation such as an apartment fire, but we can be thankful for an outcome from the circumstance.  For example, having to move to a hotel for 33 days was inconvenient; however, the author did not lose anything during the fire and made amazing friends that the author is grateful for every day. 

The author found the following quote by Buddha, which she thought was very valuable, a great lesson and something to ponder during the Thanksgiving season: 

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

CHALLENGE: Make a list of at least 10 things that you are grateful for.  The author discovered that the attitude of gratitude often changes the perspective on life. 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - November 12th

When life steers you in a new direction. Just hold on tight and enjoy the...Ride. – Joseph David

Life is a journey. If you got everything you wanted all at once there would be no point of living. enjoy the ride, and in the end you'll see these 'set backs' as giant leaps forward, only you couldn't see the bigger picture in the moment. Remain calm, all is within reach; all you have to do is show up everyday, stay true to your path and you will surely find the treasure you seek. – Ritu Ghatourney

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. – Charles R. Swindoll

Life is a journey and it is always important to reflect on the highs and lows in a journey.  As we near the end of 2019, it is a great time to reflect on the year.

 

When the author started contemplating her year, she thought about her new job, which is definitely a high.  For her, she could have thought the apartment fire was a low.  However, she does not look at it that way.  The author believes that everything can work for her good.  From the fire, she has a freshly painted apartment and great friends she met while living at a hotel have brought about many laughs and an increased knowledge about the United States military.     

On Sunday, the author was listening to a pastor speak on this principle.  When something happens, it may seem like the worst experience in that moment, but we all know that hindsight is 20/20 and something good probably came from a perceived low in life.  It is important to reflect on the whole experience and not just one moment in time. 

As we wind down the year, look at the highs and lows.  Think about what may have been considered a low in life and find something amazing that came from the experience.  

CHALLENGE: Start thinking about the last year of your life.  What have you accomplished?  What obstacles did you overcome?   

Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUaFNmvG7J0

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - November 5th

Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. - Douglas MacArthur

We take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ― Cynthia Ozick

Last week, the author had the honor of attending a retirement ceremony of a friend at the Pentagon, which is an experience she will never forget.  

As the author listened to the Brigadier General that was retiring his friend, who was also a Brigadier General, it became very clear to the author that a soldier dedicates his/her life to our country. Additionally, the family dedicates their life to the country as well.  Sometimes that dedication is by choice such as in the case of a significant other or not by their choice as in the case of a child. 

These men and women who serve our great country often times miss their kids football games, baseball games, school plays, Christmases, etc.  They miss the opportunity to spend time with their families and their families miss that time with their serviceman/woman.  These families know that their serviceman/woman are called to do their duty and they support them the best they can. 

As we commemorate the men and women that have served this country on Monday for Veteran’s Day, take time to thank the serviceman/woman and also their families because they all have served. 

CHALLENGE:  Commemorate the men and women who have served this great country. 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - October 29th

When you set your mind to achieve something, you must allow yourself the opportunity to get it done. ― Tasha Hoggatt

You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice. - Bob Marley

When everything feels like an uphill battle, just think of the view from the top. – patmoorefoundation.com

Even when a breakthrough happens in our dreams, we will many times begin facing new challenges and new hills to climb almost immediately.  

When the author finally was offered a job, she thought it would be an easy process and start working quickly.  However, it took 87 days from when she was offered the job to actually start working.  During that time, the author had to remain patient and again had the opportunity to work on developing her character.  Through those trying days, she remained resilient and volunteered at the local USO. 

On September 3^rd, the author started her new job in the federal government not knowing exactly what she would be doing.  Through the first 2 months on the job, she has never done the same thing two days in a row.  Change has occurred regularly and she has had to be flexible and willing to change when needed.  Through the two months, she has been tested many times.  Each uphill battle has provided the author the opportunity to use resilience and the character she developed to remain calm and face each challenge as it arose.  

The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were perhaps to win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to be achieved. -  Samuel Smiles. Author Profession: Author. Nationality: Scottish.

Through the many experiences the author has encountered in 2019, she is learning to develop a mindset to overcome every battle that arises in a calm and peaceful way.

CHALLENGE:  Even when a breakthrough happens and more challenges arise, stay calm and keep fighting to accomplish your dreams. 

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - October 22nd

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. - John Quincy Adams

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it. - Arnold H. Glasow

Hope: Belief in a bright future. ― Lailah Gifty Akita

We are like trees; we must create new leaves, new directions in order to grow. – Anonymous

Over the last few weeks, Terri’s Tuesday Tip of the Week has covered resilience, patience and character development.  All of these traits are important as we strive toward our goals and dreams.  They are also important when we face trails and setbacks in life, like the author did.

When the author moved to Virginia, she continued working for the same company she was working for in Texas.  On July 31, 2017, she was laid off.  When she moved to Virginia, the author started getting involved in a church, volunteering and attending various other networking opportunities.  As any person looking for a job, the author started contacting her network and applying for jobs online.  To the author, she did not think it would be that difficult to find a job.  With a strong background in financial services, she thought it would be natural to be employed by a member of Congress she had worked with or on one of the Congressional committees that she had met with in her previous job.  However, every door she knocked on closed.  The author was confused.  Every other time she had searched for a job, it happened almost immediately.  However, that was not the case this time.  Over 550 resumes were sent out, seven phone interviews and four in-person interviews came of all those resumes.  Through all of this, the author had to hold on to her faith and questioned many times if she made the right decision to move to Virginia.  She thought about returning to Texas, but every time she prayed she had peace about staying.  After 25 months, the author finally found a job. 

Through this whole experience, the author regularly had to have resilience to keep applying for jobs, patience during the employment search and her character was developed as she had to remain calm and release control as she could only do so much.  Mama Flow (aka the author’s mother) was the person that the author talked to regularly.  She encouraged the author and when the author became frustrated or was ready to give up she would calm the author down.  Mama Flow challenged the author to step out of her box and try new things. 

It was a long 25 months being unemployed, but the author grew through the experience and developed resilience, patience and character. 

CHALLENGE:  Reflect on difficult times in your life when you have been resilient, patient and developed character through an experience.  Remember the difficult times that you overcame and be encouraged.

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - October 15th

Potential is not an endpoint but a capacity to grow and learn. -Eileen Kennedy-Moore

Patience is not just about waiting for something… it’s about how you wait, or your attitude while waiting. - Joyce Meyer

Hardships occur to build a person’s character. - Sahara Sanders, Gods’ Food

Last week, the author wrote about patience and what it is like when a seed is planted.  The seed does not sprout overnight and a new tree appear the next day.  It takes patience and time for the new plant to grow.  During this time, the farmer continues to water and fertilize the plant.

Just as a farmer develops a plant during the waiting season, the reader also can develop during the waiting season.  Based on the dream, the waiting season can be used for professional or personal development.  Also, it is a great time to clean out spaces to be prepared for the future.  Lastly, this time can be used for developing relationships. 

This time of patience also provides the opportunity for character development.  The reader can do everything they possible can and still not accomplish the dream they desire.  During the waiting season, the reader has to be resilient, have gratitude and be patient.  A decision has to be made during this time of character development.  Will they keep pushing toward their dream praying for a breakthrough or will they quit?  Trying times develop the reader’s character and just like a tree the reader develops great strength and roots during the growing season.  Character development will be beneficial when the dream comes to fruition. 

A tree that grows too quickly without developing deep roots falls over in the slightest wind.  Develop depth not shallowness of character. -  David Cuschieri

Where victims see adversity, extreme achievers see opportunity. — Robin Sharma

CHALLENGE:  What areas of character development are you working on during this season of life?

Resources

·       https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/27101/the-role-of-patience-in-goal-achievement

·       http://personalgrowthmap.com/blog/2009/01/05/what-is-character-development-anyway/

Terri's Tuesday Tip of the Week - October 8th

Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience. - George-Louis de Buffon

                              

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Patience…very few people enjoy waiting on something they want and often times people do not have the characteristic of patience.  However, it is an important part of life.  Recently, a gentleman in the author’s apartment complex has started telling her every time he sees her that she is being impatient “yet again”.  No, the author does not like to wait for slow elevators and often gets frustrated when she continually hits the close door button and the elevator doors do not close.  Most likely, the elevators are programmed to be slow for the safety of the residents, but for a task-oriented individual wasting time is not something the author enjoys. 

However, as the author was reading recently, a new perspective on patience came into her thinking.   

Think about a farmer.  He/she plants a seed and then waters it.  If he/she walks outside the next day, will a new plant have grown overnight?  No, it takes time and patience for the plant to take root and grow. 

Like a seed a farmer plants, we all have dreams that we want to see sprout and grow overnight.  However, most dreams often take longer than we would like and we often have to work harder than we expected to accomplish them.  With patience and hard work, the outcome is usually amazing!

While waiting, here is a great piece of advice from a Chinese Proverb:

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.

As the reader is learning to be patient, apply this important characteristic to other areas of life.  Learning patience may help stop the reader from doing something that could ruin their life.  

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success. – Brian Adams

Learning patience now will help the reader in the future when the dream comes to fruition!

CHALLENGE:  How can you apply the art of patience in working towards your goals and dreams this week?

Resources

·       https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/27101/the-role-of-patience-in-goal-achievement

·       https://www.purposefairy.com/75545/50-inspiring-quotes-on-patience-find-peace-of-mind/