Bad Thought Therapy™

       "With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world" is a line taken from one of my favorite poems, Desiderata . It was written in 1927 by a lawyer, businessman, and poet named Max Ehrmann (1872-1945). This beautiful literary work is filled with the timeless wisdom you need to achieve greatness. It gives me pleasure to share it with you now because "Bad Thought Therapy" strives to help you discover the silver lining behind life's dark clouds.      What we become, say, and do begins with what is in our heads. The good news is that we have the power to control which thoughts dominate our minds and which ones to listen to and follow. Therefore, it is critical to "think" about the message we can salvage from a "mess"; the opportunities in the obstacles; the treasures in the trouble; and the purpose in the pain.      Each human being is born with the valuable gift and superpower of choice . It is up to an individu

  “The oldest, shortest words, 'yes' and 'no', are those which require the most thought. ” —Pythagoras (570 BC – 495 BC) Countless times, as a business owner, I have witnessed what happens when parents tell their children, “No”. While most understandably seem disappointed or sad, they generally respect their parents’ answer and walk away quietly. However, last week, a boy, who appeared to be around eight or nine years old, attempted to steal a book that his parents had refused to purchase. As he was leaving my business, I called out to him gently and asked him to return the book. For a moment, I thought he would because he stopped and looked into my eyes, however, instead he pivoted, and continued walking. Thankfully, when his mother saw that he was trying to put the book in a shopping bag, she returned it. That is when the boy completely lost control of his emotions; he cried, shouted, and stomped his feet. Eventually, the parents placated their son by buying another (

        Forgiveness is something that must be given and received by all human beings. We all make mistakes and need forgiveness. We all experience pain caused by others and we need to forgive them. Forgiveness is a spiritual endeavor that involves releasing negative thoughts and feelings associated with an offense. While it is usually not instant and automatic, forgiveness is a critical process for healing our thoughts and heart. It takes time and intentional effort. Therefore, we must choose to work through potentially dangerous emotions like anger, resentment, and revenge. These natural, human feelings are harmful if we don't work through them. When negative emotions dominate our lives, we lose peace, joy, love, and productivity. Furthermore, we become blind to the good that remains after loss and suffering.      Most people cannot forgive without faith in God. Letting Him be our personal judge and jury, removes the overwhelming burden of having to defend ourselves or fight for

      "Service Leads to Success in Business"         While owning a business is arduous at times, it is one of the most personally, civically, and financially rewarding endeavors you can pursue. However, the right "thoughts" about business is the key to enjoying long-term success. It is the only way that you can sustain and grow your business.      Here's a fact that most people don't hear often about entrepreneurship: there is really no such thing as "working for yourself". A business can only be impactful when its primary goal is to work hard for and SERVE others. The truth is that money from business comes as a result of genuinely caring for people. In order to supply what your prospective customers need and want, you must be willing to have a sincere mindset about empowering people with the best there is to offer.       Additionally, you must be flexible, humble, and respectful. Be open to listen to your customers. It's reasonable not to fo

            If gratitude was an ingredient in a cake, it would be the sugar. Without it, things wouldn’t be as sweet as they could be. You’d still have enough ingredients to make something edible, like bread, but life would feel like you’re merely existing instead of living to the fullest. There are 1, 440 minutes in a day. How much of that time have you used to think about what is good in your life instead of what’s bad. Have you focused on what you and others have done right rather than the wrong? Have you recalled what has been saved despite challenges or do you meditate on what has been lost? You create your own thoughts and gratitude is like medicine: it can heal a broken mind and heart. While growing up, there was always a messenger somewhere who told me to count my blessings and encouraged me to be thankful for whatever I had. Often, I was reminded that things could be worse. Today, I am intentional about focusing on what I have rather than what I don’t; I choose to meditate