Wisdom

Success is not random. It's not a matter of it being your "good luck" year. Success is about planning and being clear about what you want to achieve in life. Set a clear vision. If you want success bad enough, there are no limits to what you are capable of achieving.  Clarity is critical. After all, you cannot hit a target that you don't have. Are you trying to lose weight? Well, how much weight would you like to lose? Are you trying to earn more money? How much money would you like to earn specifically, and by when? Put…

When you look in the mirror, what do you see. Do you see a person who was successful in the past and things are going downhill? Do you see a healthier version of yourself who is productive and financially in control? What does that person in the mirror do with his or her time daily? How does that person allocate resources to achieve his or her dreams?  When I was a kid, I was out on the streets of Fort Worth with my mom asking people for money to buy food. We lived in a motel called the South Oaks…

It’s easy to think that you have nothing going on and that nothing significant happens daily. It’s easy to overlook the interactions and conversations that you have regularly, thinking that there is nothing special going on.  My mom always said “God works in mysterious ways” and I certainly believe that he does. Back in 2007, I found myself at a Starbucks in Abilene Texas showing my pastor a business plan when a woman walked up and introduced herself as “Suzy.” She said that she liked what I was doing and wanted to show me something that was going to change…

He is a young man from gun-slinging Texas He was just a boy when a car hit him and broke his right arm He knew not the stability of having one home As his mother took him from motel to motel after an eviction This did not break his spirit In fact, he learned to appreciate the things that he had His father was not present for the important things His father was not present ever for that matter As a result, he defined himself as a man He also found strength unlike anything he had ever known He often…

Sometimes we get into situations that seem hopeless. These negative circumstances feel as if they have absolute dominion over our lives and they will not change. Have you ever felt powerless and stuck? So stuck that no matter what you do, you can’t change anything about your circumstances and pain and tears and despair are the only result? These circumstances are like the squares on a chessboard. You are required to move across the squares on the board to get to where you are going in life. What about the chess pieces? Who is moving the pieces?  I have no…

Events are going to take place no matter what. It’s something that none of us can stop. Some of these events will present clear obstacles. When presented with an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity.  I was diagnosed with Lymphoma Cancer in 2009. My doctor told me that treatment would be long and tough. Treatment destroyed my health. I remember how I lost my job because I just did not have the endurance to carry through. Slowly things went from bad to worse. I ended up standing in line at the homeless shelter to get my meals. My electricity was…

Have you ever been out to dinner with a group of people and had that one person who always talks about their "glory days"? They focus on past achievements and highlights from a while back. To those people, it is obvious that their best days are behind them. Have you ever experienced a conversation with a person like that? Have you ever known a person who likes to relive the pain of the past? All they talk about are their disappointments, mistakes, and everything terrible that happened to them. They dwell in pain that happened years ago and that pain…

I feel no defeat There is victory in my soul There is the flame of a winner That consumes me whole I will pace like a champion All circumstances overcome  I’m not defeated by my past but I am proud of where I am from With a heart of gold I will pursue my dreams I know I can’t do it alone So I work on a team Christ is my partner; there is nothing impossible with his power I shall live a fulfilling life through him every day and hour Terrance Thomas

Think for a moment. What kinds of things have you said to yourself lately? When I was a child I remember seeing my mother repeatedly going to prison and doing drugs. My mother would talk about getting arrested every day. She also would follow up her discussion with actions like parole violations that resulted in warrants for her arrest. What you say becomes your reality.  Your life goes in the direction of your words. If you complain and augment the things you hate in life, you will get more of them. Some people send their life the wrong way with…

Pain is something that we all try to avoid. There is typically a major disconnect that we have when it comes to pain. It’s something that is usually interpreted as bad or negative.  Sometimes our habits, attitudes, and even the people in our lives hold us back from being the best person that God intended for us to be. These habits, attitudes, and people may have been in your life for a seriously long time and you find yourself not wanting to do what it takes to remove them from your life. You have simply learned to live with them. …