Tracks In The Dust

A Father's Advice About Learning the Mission of Life

Archive for the category “Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life”

12 Feb 2013

No Drama Zone

There are days when it isn’t welcome. The drama and urgency of others hits you square in the head. You just want to leave it alone, let it be something someone else needs to know, someone else needs to deal with.

It’s really not that you don’t care, close family and friends deserve the critical points that make up drama in their lives as much as anyone. We all have those moments, those days, those situations that put drama in our lives.

Sometimes it seems it is self inflicted – we can attract drama in our lives like a magnet. We even are unaware and unconscious about it coming and are surprised when the drama arrives. Things do go another direction than we expect, things find their ways into our lives that just make things so much more difficult than we are expecting, than we are wanting.

But there are times when our friends and family want to share drama. Even more unexpected than our own, it comes with the needs and wants of their expectations, which sometimes just.. aren’t… yours. You just can’t deal with it and you take a deep breath. Because after all it is a loved one… you have compassion for their plight. You understand your dilemma but it just isn’t something you can deal with at that time. Maybe some other day, but not today.

So then you feel like you don’t care. It tips the scales on the things you are dealing with at the moment, and makes it even worse in some ways because you want to be there for them. But it is that moment when you can not. It feels wrong.

As a person who cares about things (like most of us do), especially your family and close friends… it feels frustrating -yet is probably better for them that they know there are those points in the day, week, month. moment that it just has to be a… NO Drama Zone.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Compassion, critical points, deep breath, Definitions, Emotion, Family, family and friends, Friends, Happiness, Kindness, Listening, Opinion, Postive Thinking, Reality Check, Worry

08 Jan 2013

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Tending to Your Convictions

There are things that you want because you believe in them, and then there are those things you need driven because of your conviction.

Your convictions include your personal commitments, the core values you live by, or the things that truly motivate you. It’s more than what you simply believe ..I recently read this…“A belief is something you will argue about. A conviction is something you will die for!” – Howard Hendrick

I find that sometimes it is hard to center those convictions in your life. You know that they are there, you even have a past list of core things that you have fought for. But still there will be times when there are doldrums, sort of floating time like treading water it seems.

In those times it is good to turn back to the things you know about yourself. Those reasons that you have persevered to this moment. Pull up your spiritual bootstraps and point in a positive direction. It is just as simple to turn your back on that spiritual compass and let others tell you what you will believe. It is simple to become dependent on someone, or something. To get comfortable in the routine of familiar surroundings or patterns, making it easy to wait for another day…

But those things that motivate you that involve the genuine love, the core values of your being and spirit will allow you to chart a course ahead in a positive way – based on your convictions.

So now in the new year, reflect on your convictions (not just your beliefs) and know that you can make a difference in your own life, and in-turn make a difference in others. Don’t stand still and feel “done”, because you will never be done until your last days. Don’t let fear and uncertainty manage your convictions, you got to “let love in”.

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, Change, Conviction, Faith, Grace, Joy, life is precious, Self-Awareness, Sprituality

30 Dec 2012

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Our New Year’s Resolve

The new year is just around the corner. Every year it seems, it serves as a chance for people around the world mark a milestone on the path of their lives.

In reality the day after December 31st is just like any other day, but as the calendar changes to a new set of 365 days, it gives us pause to recall what we personally have accomplished with the year since the last calendar change. Some big victories perhaps. some big disappointments. It’s really about what we’ve done with them both that makes up where we are now.

When we were down, did we have the fortitude to plow though the adversity and make a difference in our lives? When things were going well, did we make efforts to grow and become better from it?

I tell my kids that even the small accomplishments could help lead to more. Never take for granted what you have and make sure you appreciate it – but take the next step to make the best of those. Accumulating small victories can truly be a richer experience than getting the bigger ones’.

So as the calendar turns, some will celebrate… but let’s hope we can all be accountable for what was good and what could have been better. Make sure you see the difference, reflect on it and build on what you can. Disappointment and sadness is surely ahead, but what you do when that happens will tell-the-tale on your new year.

“Resolutions” are the traditional thing to do at the beginning of each year… but resolve is stronger than “resolutions”. Resolve to be the genuine person you can be, fight adversity and take each moment as a milestone (not just midnight on December 31). Resolve to stay accountable to your values, resolve to stay strong through the tough times and build on the victories when they happen. Look for the opportunities to celebrate the new year each day as it comes.

Related Tracks-in-the-dust

Celebrate Milestones

Levels of Accountability

Finding a Purpose

Control Your State of Mind

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Change, Love, Memories, moments, New Year, New Year's Day, New Year's resolution, Reality Check, tracks in the dust, Who Are You

31 Oct 2012

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Imperfection is Perfect

As the song goes “that’s the way God planned it”.

It seems that perfection (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder. Imperfection is what makes things so right. Nothing is perfect- there are blemishes in nature, and humankind is far from it. So many strive for it, but the harder they work toward it the farther it seems.

So what about this imperfect life we live? Some of the rough parts are hidden, some of them are there for all to see. Some things are ugly, others are beautiful. There is not going to be a way to be perfect in everything. Only one man on Earth was and He died on the cross.

Today in the media, it seems there is always some story about a gaffe or mistake that fromcelebrity or politician doing or saying something. People put under the microscope of public media. Scrutinized for any mistake, or unexpected action not commonly fitting the in the “perfect form” we think we want. Awk! Like pictures of celebrities in regular every day circumstances, women celeb’s without their make up on (really?) or politicians making comments that don’t fit what we think they should be saying (especially for the opposition during election).

All this just appears to reinforce our expectations for what the media or some portion of the community wants to paint as “the standard” of perfection . It feels like a bad trend. It makes others feel inferior when they shouldn’t It sets the bar so high that others feel they cannot ever reach it.

Sadly, so many continue to live up to expectations of perfection they will be hard-pressed to ever achieve. They look for approval that never comes, and in their frustration they get angry or sad. Sometimes the emotion leads to violence or suicide. Other times it leads to depression and hopelessness.

We have to accept imperfection. God embraces it. We have to understand that in itself there is the beauty of uniqueness ( is that a word?). There is something that makes everyone and every thing worthwhile. If we put that under the microscope instead and rejoiced in it… relished its imperfection. Celebrate the exceptions.

So what can we look for in our striving for perfection? What do you believe? Do you believe?

Posted in Learning Lessons Along the Journey Of Life and tagged Acceptance, Advice, Beauty, Definitions, Emotion, God, Grace, Imperfection, life is precious, Perfection, Postive Thinking, Self-Awareness, tracks in the dust

15 Oct 2012

Being Significant

Just watching the recap of the Felix Baumgartner who just successfully landed after free-falling 24 miles down to the ground. It is pretty significant achievement. It really makes me think about what could be something significant I should be planning in my life.

But then I realize that not everyone is going to have the opportunity to do something hugely significant and record-breaking in their lives. I mean for many (most?) of us, life is an everyday thing that has highs and lows, good days and bad, easy days and hard days. The measure of a lot of what we are is contained in a small span of our version of 24 hours.

Not copping out I think, there are plenty of inspirational books and successful people who make videos about going for the golden ring. It’s not impossible. And I am not saying that we all shouldn’t focus on the prize. But we also have opportunities much closer to home. We all possess ways to be significant to others. To our family, friends and the people we meet every day. Sometimes that significance may not be obvious to you, other times to them. At least not at the time. It may not be complicated, or produce a some profound moment.

It feels like its more about sharing what you can offer with others, paving the way for the “possible’ – for some one who in turn may create new horizons for the future, or just pay it forward to someone who will begin a whole new direction in their lives. However subtle or small it may seem. Each of us are unique. We are significant in our own way. We don’t necessarily have to perform a world record free fall, or climb the highest mountain.

What you do could cause a chain reaction of other things to happen and you may never know it. You may see it later. You may not. The start of it all is to understand that God made each of us to be unique, and to make a difference in our lives for others. Take the opportunity to be significant.