Category: growth

I’m so grateful for the way God wired me. I literally can receive inspiration for a blog from anything. I was watching Squid Games on Netflix, episode 5. If you are watching the show, don’t read this post yet. 😂

In this episode, they are playing tug-a-war and one team is favored to win because they have 3 women on their team and an elderly man compared to the other team with all men. The elderly man assured them he had never lost a game of tug-a-war despite bigger opponents because it is all in the positioning of each player and team. The older gentleman gave them instructions on how to position themselves and other strategies to lean back for the first 30 seconds to tire out their opponent.

In addition to this, another guy on their team stepped up as a leader and suggested for them to take 3 steps forward which the team was nervous to do; however, those 3 steps helped them become victorious over their opponent.

While I’m not condoning the show, I’ve learned to find random life lessons in daily things in life. This episode showed me the importance of listening to wisdom from others, the power of teamwork, and the power of influence from a leader. If one person would not have listened or been on one accord with the team it could have cost them not only the game but their life.

Sometimes we aren’t the smartest person in the room, it’s okay to heed wisdom from others.

Share some wisdom you learned from someone else.

“Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.” Proverbs‬ ‭11:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I believe it was the girls’ group, Xscape that said, “What I need from you is understanding. How can we communicate if you don’t hear what I say?”

I’ve often said any type of a great relationship takes communication; however, they also take comprehension and understanding.

Storytime: I was texting someone a couple of weeks ago and from my text message I felt like they should have grasped what I was saying. I mean have y’all ever been there? Like you said what you said and in your head, it made complete sense, but once you communicated with the other person they heard or read something completely different? Maybe it is just me. ?

I thought I communicated very effectively in my personal and professional life. I’m sure I even listed “effective communication” on a past resume or two as a skillset. ??

However, sometimes what you are saying and what someone hears or interprets are two completely different things. So, it is important to clarify, read messages in context and ask additional questions if you are unsure because assuming something will have you looking cray-cray, especially when you are wrong.

While this situation stemmed from an experience in my personal life, I’ve seen where this has often happened in other situations as well, especially when people read the Bible. They will read one thing out of context and assume without asking God to help them understand what they are reading. The Bible even tells us don’t lean to our understanding and to acknowledge God.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Story-time: I was listening to a story a couple of weeks ago about someone who has a garden and there was one patch of an area in which they didn’t plant anything for their dogs to have an area to take care of their business.

The person’s goal was to stop grass from growing in this area.

To temporarily fix this situation they poured mulch over the grass, which worked temporarily until the grass grew through the mulch. So they added more mulch until the grass grew through that also. Eventually, the person became tired of the temporary fixes and grabbed their shovel and dug up all the mulch and the grass- which finally got to the root cause of their issue. They were finally able to stop the grass from growing.

Often time, we know there’s a root cause for a situation, but we only address a symptom instead of dealing with the issue in its entirety and become frustrated when the same problem arises. Dig deep, do the work, identify and address the root cause vs. slapping a band-aid on the situation. 

“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.”
Jeremiah‬ ‭30:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So usually, I am on my A-game, getting so many things done, crossing stuff off my list, and being a super overachiever. But to be honest, in this season, I am not feeling the motivation at all. Y’all ever been there or is it just me? ?

I’ll start working out, but then I also eat a cookie. ? I’ll start writing a book, but I’ll start watching a television show. I can’t figure out why I’m not in an overdriven mood right now – it’s like I’m on cruise control, but I want to get stuff done. ?

How do you push forward when you have limited motivation?

I’ve learned the best thing for me to do is to chunk my time, even if it is 15-minute increments. I’ll work for 15 minutes and then do something else to try to bring my mind back to focus. In addition to chunking my time, I’ll also ask God for grace to get certain tasks completed.

I’m not sure when I learned this concept about asking God for grace, but I’m so glad I did. I probably heard this concept in a sermon, so, thank you, Pastor. ? The scripture says, he gives us a measure of grace. So if God gives me grace so freely, I may as well take advantage of it and use it. Grace is free 99 to receive, so ask God for grace to get things done!

Question of the Day: What are some things you do when you feel unmotivated to get things done?

Scripture: “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

And

“Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” Hebrews‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬