A popular scripture in Matthew 22:39 says “…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. When this scripture is discussed, the focal part of the discussion is usually about loving your neighbor. Some do not notice the implied commandment to love thyself. If you do not love yourself, then loving your neighbor as yourself would not be a charitable action. There is immense power in loving yourself, and I will illustrate an easy way to bring this power into your life.   This way to

On the night before his 18th birthday, Alex strolled through the park lost in thought, and a mysterious stranger approached him. The man had an air of enigma about him, his eyes twinkling with a mix of mischief and excitement. He stopped in front of Alex, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "I have something special for you," the stranger said, reaching into his pocket. With a flourish, he produced a key—a key to a brand-new sports car, shining under the moonlight. Alex'

Does love exist? And if it does, can you prove it? And if you can prove it, can you force someone to give it? Or force someone to receive it? There are those who truly don't believe in love, but just because they've never experienced it, or don't feel it right now, it doesn't change the fact for those who have felt it that it's real and tangible. Have  you ever seen someone in another car at a stop light jamming away on their air guitar or their invisible microphone? Now the

I viewed an interesting show on television a while ago that involved individuals buying old, rundown homes, tearing them down almost completely to the studs, and then rebuilding them. While the process of tearing down and rebuilding is certainly an interesting one, what caught my attention was the attitude of one of the main presenters. Each episode would usually begin by showing two presenters entering a home they had purchased. The inside of the home would be shown, and the

We all find ourselves discouraged about where we are in life at different points. Life rarely turns out the way we expect it to. Choices, good or bad, lead us to different experiences and trajectories, and the actions of others certainly play a role in this reality as well. Whether we are comparing ourselves to others, or simply hard on ourselves, we frequently find ourselves searching for what is “missing”. Years ago, I got to a point where I felt that there was something br

What are some of your favorite childhood memories? What made them your favorite? I have come to realize that many of my favorite memories as a child are connected to food. I think the good memories came from the gathering of people, the events being celebrated, and the happy memories that tied it all together. One of these memories happened every week. My mom would get out the wheat grinder and start to grind wheat to begin the process of making bread. As a child I marveled

Driving up into the mountains to gather firewood for his family, a man realized that his new truck was stuck in the snow after he stopped at a potential site to find firewood. He tried to get it out, but the tires just spun. Knowing that someone would come looking for him if he didn’t get back soon, he decided to get the firewood ready and wait for them. He filled his truck with the firewood. As he waited, he decided to try again to see if he could get the truck out. This tim

I threw the phone at the couch in frustration. How could he? I only had one close friend that was going to my high school, and now he is switching high schools? I was already nervous to start high school, and now my closest friend wouldn’t be there. I felt betrayed and scared. Fast forward to my junior year of high school. I was in woodshop making a piano bench. Part of the process involved drilling holes into the legs of the piano bench. I would later fill the holes with woo

Fear lives inside us all. It is part of our existence, and it influences our decisions in many ways. Sadly though, it often keeps us from reaching our potential. It is understandable to be afraid of getting cancer, or of taking precautions to avoid a car accident, or deciding not to jump on a longboard down a canyon. Fear has a place in helping us stay safe and navigate our lives by avoiding some of the bad that may otherwise come.   However, to achieve some things, we must g

I’m not a scientist, but this question has always interested me, especially since I have often wondered why I don’t see air. I can see trees swaying, birds flying, planes overhead, and snow blowing, but I can’t see the actual air. Why not? When I look at the ocean, I see a clear line where the air stops and the water begins. When I am in water, I can see some things, but the water around makes it blurry.   One day, as I thought about the fish in the ocean and how things are b

Stephanie sat in the water shivering, both from the cold water and in anticipation of what she was about to do. It had been a fun summer of adventures for her and her family. There had been camping trips, amusement park adventures, exploring the zoo, and now a day at the lake. Her grandpa had bought a new boat and they had been having a great time riding the tube. Now there was an opportunity to try water skiing. As Stephanie sat in the water getting the water skis on, her mi

What does calm mean? At first thought calm means quiet, peaceful, and still. We often hear parents requesting that their children “calm down” or telling a co-worker who is upset about something to “calm down”. Those are applicable, but can calm look like something else? When we look up calm in the dictionary it states “calm is not feeling nervousness, anger, or other strong emotions. The absence of violent or confrontational activity within a place or group.” Interestingly, i

During a class in college, we talked about a subject that caught my attention - the fact that the brain can grow and change in physical structure. This fact was found by imaging the brains of London cab drivers. These drivers are required to memorize every street of London before they can become a driver. They study for four years before they take the test. Their brains were imaged before studying, during studying, and after taking the test. It was found that their hippocampu

“Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success…” ~John Keats Too often in life, we live in fear of failure. Something in life teaches us to be worried about how we look or are perceived by others. Something tells us that we aren’t worth much if we try and fail. The fear of failure controls us more powerfully when our vision is limited or narrow. We may never, for example, ask out the girl or boy of our dreams for fear that he or she says no. This level of fear comes because

Our mind and focus dictate a lot of what we see, feel, and experience in life. If my mind dwells on negative things, I tend to see, feel, and experience more negative things.   Working as an attorney, I get called by a fair amount of people that feel that they have been wronged or had their ‘rights’ violated. In today’s world, it is surprising to see how many people feel that a ‘right’ is violated simply when things don’t go their way. Many people that call for a consultation

Life is a complex journey, and each of us embarks on it from different starting points. Our initial circumstances, shaped by factors beyond our control, play a significant role in determining where we begin. Considerations such as the family we are born into, the neighborhood we grow up in, and our economic situation are influential elements that shape our early experiences. Despite the undeniable impact of these starting points on our lives, it is essential to recognize that

Welcome to March! March Madness is in full swing, and the NBA playoffs are right around the corner with the best coaches and players competing against each other from all over the country. As a basketball fan there is no better time of the year. As with any team sport, it is imperative to have a team 100% committed to the coach's game plan in order to have success. If even one player decides to be selfish and not follow the game plan the whole team suffers. So how do you deve

The world needs more kindness. The live-action Cinderella movie had the inspiring theme, “Have Courage and Be Kind”. That message struck me as profoundly important, and I pondered for a long while about what it meant to be kind. The first question I asked myself was if there was a difference between being nice and being kind. I believe that there is absolutely a difference between the two. An easy way to understand what it means to be kind is to think of the kindest person yo

“ Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations ” – Zig Ziglar My family and I had the opportunity to go to a friend’s cabin a few years ago. We were told it was not a very long drive to the turn off, followed by a few miles on a dirt road and we would reach the cabin. This sounded like a great opportunity and a fun time away with my family. We had packed up the trailer and had everything loaded when I finally received the GPS coordinates to the cabin. You can imagine

“Let’s get the facts straight.” “Just give me the facts.” “The facts of the matter are…” “Factual speaking…” “I’ve seen the facts.” “Face the facts.” “Your facts are wrong.” “My source is factual.” “Facts, facts, facts…” Many discussions in our current society begin or end with the term “facts” being thrown around, with one side trying to prove its point through the use of the “facts” they have. Yet, despite the high utilization rate of the term “facts”, it doesn’t seem to be