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The Cycles and Seasons of Life—Guard Your Mind

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we began a series called The Cycles and Seasons of Life, and specifically, taking responsibility. This week we continue with guarding your mind. If you miss any of our Wisdom Notes, please go to the blog to read past newsletters.

Life is ever-changing and morphing from one day to the next. There are different phases and seasons that we go through. If we live wisely, we will have much to be thankful for and enjoy the journey each day. This does not mean that we will hike a smooth trail every day, but it does mean that we will be prepared for the rocks, limbs, washouts, and other obstacles that we encounter on our trek of life. If we are adequately prepared, then we will navigate life successfully.

One of the most important aspects of how successful you are in all areas of life is who and what you allow to influence you, especially what you allow permeating your mind.

You sometimes can accumulate a mixture of the people and situations of life, which, if not altered in some way, will assure that your future will be just about like your past. That could be either a positive or negative aspect of your future. Moving positively forward within your life does have its price, for each positive gain you make automatically produces a loss or a sacrifice in some other area of life.

With that understanding, even if you try to avoid it, you will be affected in a negative way by something each day. One of the great challenges of life is to have both the wisdom to recognize those sources of negativity, and the courage to cast them aside, if necessary. None of us would voluntarily drink a glass of deadly poison if we knew what it was, and yet each of us has friends, relatives, or business associates whose effect on us is just as deadly as the glass of poison.

The difference is that one form of poison kills instantly. Once consumed, the body recoils, weakens, and then all bodily functions cease. The other “poisons” that we receive from those we associate with kill hopes, ambitions, enthusiasm, and the thirst for achievement. The methods are different, but the ultimate result is the same. There is very little difference between one who has given up his life and one who has given up his hope.

There are those who will laugh or scoff at you when you read useful books, and yet there is little difference between those who cannot read and those who will not read—the result of both is ignorance.

There are those who will discourage you when you search for a better occupation or focus, and yet it is essential that you find your calling and purpose in life if true happiness is to be found. The interesting point here to note is that a calling and purpose does not have to be some grand or magnificent feat that changes the world. It can be small seemingly insignificant daily faithfulness that will change the life of someone in your world, maybe even your own.

There are those who will frown upon you if you set ambitious goals, and yet without goals, there can be no achievement. And without achievement, life will continue to be as it has been.

There are those who will gossip about you if you are doing well, and yet there can be no cause for rejoicing among those who are doing poorly.

There are those who will whine, cry, and try to guilt you if you take another trail in search of a better life, and yet you must sometimes turn away from those whose effect limits you—in spite of the tears and false guilt.

There are those who will hate you when you achieve an improved life, and yet there can be little happiness in poverty nor love between those who choose to endure it.

One of the disappointments of life is that friends will abandon you when you begin to change your life for the better, and yet those who remain behind will say, “You have forgotten us now that your life is improved.” You must flip this thinking upside down. It is those who accept their mediocrity who choose to “remain behind.”

When you do achieve a successful life in any or all aspects, it should be your desire to return to your earlier friends and embrace them in friendship and love, even if they did not treat you the same. It may be surprising, though, because of the jealousy among those who remain behind they will not be accepting of you. As harsh as it may sound, you have to realize their mindset is their choice, and you must keep moving forward, even when they choose not to.

As I am approaching 64 in a couple of months, I have come to realize that which you may also experience. It is often difficult to pause in the middle of your life for the purpose of sifting out the debris that you have collected throughout your years. If you are like most of us, you tend to accumulate and cling to ideas that limit your progress. You cherish friendships even though the friendships impede your personal growth. You allow yourself acquaintances whose conversation affects or destroys your attitude about life and people.

Sometimes you maintain business associates although those associates teach you immoral, illegal, or unethical practices. In the workplace, you may learn shortcuts for increasing profits while decreasing quality. In countless ways, you wander through life allowing people, their attitudes, and ideas to mold your character—people whose attitudes and ideas have brought themselves little progress, productivity, or happiness in life.

As unpopular as it may seem, you may be accumulating people, customs, attitudes, habits, opinions, and philosophies, which you very simply cannot afford to keep—if you seek honestly after an improved life. Friendships are indeed valuable, but so is the human life. And, it is foolish to fall short of your potential because you fear alienating a friend that may not be good for your long-term growth. I am in no way encouraging not treating others with kindness and love, but you have to be very careful of how much time you invest with those that are toxic to your life. The return on your investment may be devastating.

Here is an example of what I mean. You gather with a few business friends for lunch, which may be a common, everyday occurrence. If you are not careful, in one hour you satisfy your hunger for food, gossip, ridicule, and condemnation of those not present. You then repeat half-truths brought to you through hearsay. You find yourself complaining about government, politicians, management, coworkers, traffic, taxes, weather, and the “system,” while doing nothing to produce solutions and change for any of these situations. Even if the conversation does reveal solutions, you make no effort to communicate them to those who can possibly implement them, accepting things for the way they are.

If your attitudes, results, or happiness is to ever improve, you must exercise the painful discipline required for “weeding out” the garden of your life. Eating alone is better than mingling with those whose conversation is negative. Canceling the appointment is better than keeping the appointment with those whom will simply waste your time.

Changing the conversation is better than prolonging a conversation designed to degrade someone. Telling the whole, painful truth is better than a half-truth distorted to make yourself look or sound good. Saying “no” is better than saying “yes” to something you don’t want to do, or to someone you don’t want to be with. Being firm is better than being courteous to those whose caustic personality does not justify courtesy. The improvement of your personal circumstances means that you must learn to do what those who fail are simply not willing to do.

We have traveled a few paces on our journey this week, and there is much to consider. We will continue this trail in next week’s Wisdom Journal as we learn how to choose friends wisely, so don’t miss it. Encourage your friends and family to join us on our 5-day a week podcast: Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Advice for a Younger Generation

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In our previous Wisdom Note, we learned to accept responsibility using the phrase “The Buck Stops Here.” In this note, we will provide advice for a younger generation. If you miss any of our Wisdom Notes please go to the blog to catch previous installments.

In times like this, it seems like only one thing is on our mind. Right now, that is Covid-19. Our lives are on hold for the next couple of months, and this is something most of us are not comfortable with. It gives us time to pause and reflect on how short life really is and how important it is to live our positive legacy each day.

Since I will be 64 this summer, I am reaching the age where I have gained enough experience and wisdom to be able to understand certain truths about life. Our current crisis will be over eventually, and life will resume with some normalcy. Some of this advice may have to be delayed for a time, but not forever. If you learn the following truths while you are younger, they will help you to live the rich and satisfying life that we are designed to live at every age.

So whether you are 5 or 105, here is…

Advice for a Younger Generation

  1. When you are in your 20s through 50s, you won’t feel like you are that age. – Adults are just older children. When you get older, you won’t feel as old as you imagine you will. For the most part, you still feel exactly the way you feel right now, just a little wiser and more confident. I certainly find this to be very true. Don’t fear growing up. Look forward to it. It’s awesome.
  2. Bad things will happen to you and your friends. – Part of living and growing up is experiencing unexpected troubles in life. People lose jobs, get in car accidents, and sometimes die. The smartest and often hardest thing you can do in these kinds of situations is to be at peace and be filled with compassion. When bad things happen, you may feel like becoming angry. Instead choose to be wiser and more disciplined. Remember that emotional rage only makes matters worse. Also, remember that tragedies are rarely as bad as they seem, and even when they are, they give us an opportunity to grow stronger.
  3. Everyone can make a huge difference. – Making one person smile can change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but at least that person’s world. So, start small and start now.
  4. First impressions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. – Everyone and everything seems normal from a distance or at a glance. The 10th, 20th, or even the 50th impression is when you start to truly understand someone else for who that person truly is.
  5. Big results come when you narrow your focus. – Concentrate your efforts on smaller and smaller areas. In other words, niche down. When your efforts are diffused over a wide area, they won’t have much of an impact. So, focus on smaller areas, and your efforts will be felt more fully. It could take time for change to happen, but keep that focus narrow.
  6. Love yourself. Become your own priority. – Strive to be the “you” you want to be. Nourish your body, mind, and soul. Invest in self-improvement every day until you die.
  7. Sometimes you just have to go for it. – Put your uncertainty and fears aside for a second and ask yourself this, “If I try and I don’t get it right the first time, what will I have lost and what will I have gained?” The answer is, “You will have lost nothing but a little bit of your time while gaining an important lesson that will help you get it right the second or third time.” People rarely get it right the first time. The people who are successful are the ones who did not quit.
  8. In order to get, you have to give. – Supporting, guiding, and making contributions to other people is one of life’s greatest rewards. Everything you do comes back around.
  9. Not much is worth fighting about. – If you can avoid it, don’t fight. Step back from arguments with your spouse, family members, or neighbors. When you feel anger surging up, and you want to yell that vulgar remark on the tip of your tongue, just close your mouth and walk away. Let yourself calm down. You don’t have to be right or win an argument. It just doesn’t matter.
  10. Don’t try to impress everyone. – Purposely impressing people is an act that brings nothing but a momentary ego boost. Be real with people instead. Connect with fewer people on a level that is deeper and more profound.
  11. Keep having fun. – Fun is way underrated. With all of life’s responsibilities, fun will sometimes seem like an indulgence. It shouldn’t be. It should be a requirement. Make time for fun in the everyday pleasures of life. The real fun does not have to be expensive, and many times it is free.
  12. Keep it simple. – There is a world of magnificence hidden in simplicity. Pick the five most important things in your life now and focus on those things. Let the other stuff go. Stop the busyness and really enjoy what’s important to you.
  13. Little things stick with you. – So pay attention to them…Watching your child sleep. Preparing a meal with your family. Sharing a great laugh with an old friend. This is the stuff real life is made of.
  14. Less advice is often the best advice. – People don’t need lots of advice. They need to live. They need to see others that have lived well so they can learn from their lives. Your life stories, like the answers we give to long essay questions, are uniquely yours. We just need to be a beacon of hope for others. We all just need time to think, be, and breathe, and continue to explore the undirected journeys that will eventually help us find our direction.
  15. Manage your life. – Your situation and environment is ever-changing, so be careful not to confuse things that are urgent with things that are important.
  16. Manage your money. – Don’t buy stuff you don’t need. Don’t spend more than you make. Don’t let your money manage you.
  17. What you learn in school does matter. – While you may not use the specifics of every classroom lesson, every lesson does expand the core thought process of your mind. Over time, you will develop problem-solving skills that are universally applicable.
  18. Dreams will remain dreams forever if you don’t take action. – Don’t dream about it anymore. Start doing it. In 40 years from now, what is it that you will regret not having accomplished, appreciated, or attempted? Do it, appreciate it, and attempt it NOW!

God’s faithfulness in our lives is available with each new morning, regardless of your age. As Lamentations 3:22-24 states, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’”

As we ponder this advice for a younger generation, we realize that it is never too late to put this advice into practice, no matter your age. Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore the trails that will teach us that you always have a choice. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Six Reflection Points for Life’s Transitions

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As we head out on this trek, we soon come to a split on the trail and find it difficult knowing which would be the best path to take. One leads upward through sparse growth but probably leads to a beautiful view at the summit. The other trail leads us downward into the valley where there is lush growth and a river flowing through it. Which trail to take?

These are the decisions that we must make in life. Most of the time our decisions will not be choices of a good trail over a bad trail, but which path to take when both seem equally attractive in their own way. When we come to a split in the trails of life or such transition points, how do we make the most of the decision that we do choose?

Major life transitions – moving to a new city, becoming a parent, deciding when to retire – can be an exciting and invigorating part of life if we view it in that manner. Yet transitions, even happy ones, can also be stressful and bring up mixed feelings. For most of us, change brings uncertainty and a certain measure of fear. This is natural, but we cannot allow fear to prevent us from moving forward.

Moving from a rural community or farm into a big city with its excitement and challenges can be a bit overwhelming. The first few weeks after the move is usually much more difficult than anticipated. Similarly, no matter how exciting getting pregnant and having a child is, the magnitude of this life transition can be mind boggling. Although I don’t plan on retiring any time soon, even the thought of not working the majority of my time makes me realize what a transition that will be for me when it arrives.

The best way to prepare for major transitions is to take some time for self-reflection. Use the following trail guide for six ways to help you embrace change and make the most of your new life trail.

1. Recognize that transitions are hard because they can shake your sense of identity.

We naturally define ourselves in part by our surroundings. When these surroundings change, it can be disorienting. Getting married changes your identity from a single person to a partner. Having a child changes your sense of identity from wife or daughter to now being a mother also. A new job changes your identity or role at work.

For example, it is exciting to get a promotion at work, but the new position has more responsibility. You may like this, but as a manager, you no longer have the peer team with whom you were previously working. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed. You may worry, “Am I really equipped for this job? Maybe I was better off before.”

It will take some time for you to rebuild your sense of identity in your new role. As you become more comfortable in your new duties and with new colleagues, your work identity will be reestablished.

2. Being in transition is a wonderful opportunity for growth.

Take a look at the parts of yourself and your life that you most value and consider how you can bring those parts of yourself into your new role. Next, look at the areas of yourself that you’d like to make changes to. Perhaps you’ve been neglectful of some important area of your life, such as your body, mind, or soul. Transitions are an opportunity to begin practicing new habits and ways of interacting with yourself and others. Enjoy the transition for growth, even when it seems a bit painful.

3. Remind yourself why you chose to make the change.

As you start onto a new trail in life and are feeling a little lost during the transition, it can be easy to regret your decision. Why didn’t I just stay on the trail I was comfortable with? When doubt creeps in, and it will, review the reasons you made your decision…I made this career change to further my skills and better utilize my abilities. When you see the big picture, it helps you move from feeling overwhelmed to understanding that this is a temporary adjustment, and while it’s difficult now, you are willing to go through some uncertainty and discomfort for the long-term gain.

4. Recall other times in your life when you’ve successfully dealt with transitions.

This is not the first new trail that you are on. What helped you get through another period of transition in your life? Looking back, how do you feel about the past decisions you’ve made? What were you proud of, and what would you have done differently? Reflecting on your past can help you make good and better decisions as you move forward.

5. When you’re in transition, it’s easy to become overly focused on yourself.

It is all too easy to become consumed with ourselves. One way to shift your focus is to look at others who may need your help. If you’re at work, it may be a coworker who you notice is having a bad day. If you’re in an exercise class, reach out to another person that seems like he is having a hard time. Making an effort to support others helps you remember that everyone struggles at times and that human connection can be a powerful aid in helping get through it.

As Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi mentioned in Chapter 2 verses 3 & 4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

6. Part of what helps you feel secure in transition is having a support system.

Make an effort to stay connected. Keep in touch with your family, call up a friend who lives in the area you just moved to, volunteer or get involved in an organization, or ask a new coworker to join you for lunch. Find people who you can really talk to. Whether it’s a trusted friend or close family member, being able to share how you’re really feeling can be a tremendous source of strength for you.

As the writer of Hebrews put it in Chapter 1 verse 25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Now that we have explored the six reflection points of life, next we will explore the Trail of Opportunity.

How to Achieve Greater Results

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In today’s Wisdom Note, I will ask you, “Why do some people seem to have the ability to get things done — to get results — while others seem to continually spin their wheels?” This is an interesting point to ponder. Clearly, we all have the same amount of time each day. We all have skills and abilities in certain areas. We all have the potential to achieve in our lives in some area.

As we study individuals who seem to achieve more than an average person, there are some common traits that reveal themselves. So, the question arises, “How can you become a high-achiever?” If we desire to be high-achievers, then we need to emulate, not duplicate, those individuals who are. The result-getters have three common qualities or traits: great self-talk, great alliances, and great ability. The complexity of these three traits is part of the mix.

1. Great Self-Talk

Great self-talk is driven by a number of factors including:

  • Your personal experiences – positive and negative
  • Your environment
  • Your personal goals
  • The price that you are willing to pay for your success
  • Your personal desire to continually improve
  • Your minimal concern for what others say about you
  • The love that you have for yourself

Together these factors will create in you something that most of us would identify as passion.

The question is, though, “Can passion or drive be taught or acquired, or does it have to be innate?” Many believe that you have to be born with passion. I, on the contrary, do not believe this. There are too many examples today of people who are fanatical and passionate after they have become involved in an organization or movement.

Even the conversion experience within a religious organization shows that one can become passionate about his or her cause. This is proof to me that passion can be taught or learned. If you are not enjoying the results you need or desire, positive self-talk is the first step toward results. What the mind dwells on, the body acts on. Positive self-talk will lead to positivity in your life. Negative self-talk will lead to negativity. Keep in mind, what the mind dwells on, the body acts on.

2. Great Alliances

Great alliances appear in many forms: camaraderie, friendship, partnership, networks, collaborative activities, mastermind groups, and mentorships, depending on the situation. The relationships you enjoy will affect your self-talk and also your abilities. Great alliance relationships are the glue between the first and third steps to results.

Building great relationships comes naturally to some people; however, it is a skill that can also be taught and learned. Some individuals are more naturally shy, so building great relationships may be more difficult, but not impossible. In fact, if you are shy, you will probably build stronger relationships, but maybe with fewer people. You must develop the skills to seek out and establish positive, mutually beneficial relationships.

3. Great Ability

Great ability is more than the sum of one’s God-given talents. Ability is the collective body of your knowledge, skills, experiences, and talent synthesized through your self-talk. The relationships you build greatly affect your ability.

Your abilities come from your practical knowledge and experiences. No one ever knew how to drive a car upon leaving the womb. Similarly, few people knew how to effectively achieve abundant and positive results when they were in third grade. These skills were taught to them. Ability comes from gained knowledge, and skills are achieved as you teach yourself, talk positively to yourself, and form positive relationships with others — paid or reciprocal or through trial and error. Trial and error is costly and time-consuming. It is better to prepare ahead of time.

You can be a person of influence, a person of results. As a Christ follower, I know that if I do what I am capable of, then God will provide me with what I am not capable of.

Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.”

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Now that we have briefly looked at some common traits of individuals that consistently achieve high-performance results, let’s look at five practical tips that will have positive results instead of excuses for our daily trek.

· Right Things

Be accountable for doing the right things. This means the ethical execution of the activities that will actually support the goals you have chosen for yourself. For instance, if you are managing a team or leading a group or your family, you must model this skill by doing the right things yourself. You must then empower each person you are impacting to identify his or her own right things, and you must be willing to communicate about what’s working and what isn’t in an open, transparent way at all times.

· New Opportunities

Be accountable for managing your new opportunities. This means being willing to step away from things that are comfortable for you to make room for something that may be better. Yes, this is a risk, but it’s one that successful, results-driven people take because the return can be positive overall. Managing your opportunities takes time and practice. Sticking with old habits causes you to repeat many behaviors and initiatives that aren’t what you really want.

· Process

Be accountable for yourself when you hit an obstacle. It is inevitable that you will encounter adversity and setbacks when you pursue your goals. The question is “How will the adversities and setbacks affect you?” Will they keep you from making creative new approaches to attain your goal?

· Expectations

Be accountable for establishing the right expectations. The targets you set for yourself will have a huge impact on your actual achievement. How will you set the targets for yourself and those you impact? Will you set them based on old habits or what is possible? Will you set them too high, too low, or in the ideal zone where the goal is a healthy stretch?

· Relationships

Be accountable for your relationships and your contributions to them. The human touch in any relationship is the “lubricant” that makes communication possible and empowers individuals, groups, and organizations to accomplish great things. Without accountability for supporting and contributing to the relationship, there can be no true leadership, no effective implementation, and no result unless you are accountable for results.

So you need to “keep on keeping on,” as is referred to in Hebrews 10:35-36, “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee

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As we start on our trek today, picture with me sitting around a campfire sipping on a large mug of coffee. We hear the crackling of the firewood and watch the smoke wisp into the air until is no longer visible. The flames mesmerize us as they continually dance, reaching for the sky. As I sip another drink from my coffee it brings to mind how life is like brewing a good pot of coffee.

Each day of your life is part of your story. Just like the coffee we are drinking, life is fluid with people and events moving around us, much like the coffee swirls around in our mugs. You don’t know with certainty how your story will end, but the choices that you make each day and the attitude that you keep will certainly impact the outcome of your story. Today let us learn how to both create a great pot of coffee and how to create a great life story.

1. Buy fresh beans.

Always fill your life with fresh, pertinent learning and information. Don’t allow your knowledge and significance to become stale and outdated. You need to invest in yourself by improving your body, mind, and soul.

2. Keep coffee beans fresh.

Keep yourself relevant. Once you invest in self-improvement in any or all areas of life, continue using this information. Don’t stop improving. If it is knowledge, continue to stay fresh by updating yourself as it changes. If it is eating wholesome foods, don’t fall back into unhealthy habits. If it is exercise, continue to exercise regularly. If it is spiritual study and mediation, continue to learn. Stay fresh.

3. Choose good coffee.

Invest in good books and audio study programs, wholesome foods, good exercise equipment, and sound meditation and Bible study materials from wise individuals that live by what they teach. Choose quality over quantity.

4. Grind your own coffee.

Think and do for yourself. Don’t take shortcuts just for the sake of convenience. Don’t just take someone else’s conclusion as always right and true. Always compare it to what you know to be right and wise. Especially compare what you are learning with what the Bible says is correct. Using mentors is wise, but make sure you are using wise mentors. In eating and exercising, take the time to prepare properly for the maximum benefit. The church in Berea was commended for this in Acts 17:11, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.”

5. Use good water.

Even with good coffee beans, the flavor is best when it is brewed with filtered, purified water. Make sure that in all areas of life you are supplementing with pure thoughts and motives. As Zig Ziglar would say, “We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’ which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.” Always purify your thoughts for maximum benefit.

6. Avoid cheap filters.

Related to Rule #5, make sure you are using good filters in your life to avoid hampering your progress. I am not a proponent of watching or listening to most media outlets today. Regardless if they are conservative or liberal, they primarily spew sensational vomit at you to get you wound up and coming back for more. It is so easy to get worked up about those issues we have little or no control over. It will warp your mind, and take your focus off what is really important in life. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi Chapter 4 verses 8-9, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

7. Don’t skimp on the coffee.

When you are consuming what is good for you in body, mind, and soul, don’t skimp by thinking that there won’t be enough to last. Have an abundance mindset, not a scarcity mindset. I am not referring to money here but true wealth in all areas of life. Enjoy that which is good. In Jesus’s parable about the seed and various types of soil, He tells us about the good soil in Luke 8:15 saying, “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Be good soil, so you will produce a huge harvest.

8. Beware of the heat.

To brew an excellent cup of coffee, the water cannot be too cool nor should it be too hot. The ideal temperature for good coffee is 190°- 200°. In the same way, we will be at our best when we have some “heat and pressure” on us to succeed, but too much becomes detrimental and can damage us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Make sure that you keep in the correct heat zone for you, which may vary for different people.

9. Keep your equipment clean.

Stay pure and full of integrity. Don’t allow the temptations for shortcuts in life to damage you. You will only perform at your peak when you don’t have any baggage that is dragging you down, as it indicates in these verses.

Psalms 119:1, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”

Proverbs 2:7, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

In this note, we have learned the best way to brew an excellent pot of coffee and also learned how to become a more excellent individual. Use these tips to move forward into confidence and success in your life.