Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
“All battles are first won or lost in the mind.” (Joan of Arc)
đ Click here to listen to the 2-minute audio of today’s email about our daily commute.
The American commute is getting longer and longer.
According to a Washington Post article, the average American spends a total of 52 minutes commuting to and from work each day.
An elderly carpenter told his employer of his plans to leave the business and start a life of leisure with his wife and extended family.
He would miss the money, but the time was right and he was ready to hang up his hammer. His boss was disappointed as the carpenter had been a loyal and diligent worker for many years, so he was sad to see him go.
Today in America, we celebrate Thanksgiving.
Maybe you love it because youâll sit on the couch all day watching football, or stuff yourself full of yummy foods, or get a game plan for Black Friday shopping or spend time with family.
My dad was a throwback to a different time. A different era. He could fix anything. Build anything. Seemingly do anything.
He had been a fire fighter, police officer, truck driver, elected official, army vet, and Hillsdale College maintenance worker.
He was featured in the top lawn and garden tractor magazine (he was so excited that he was finally a centerfold model). He also got more than half a million views on Facebook for his customized John Deere lawn mower/fire truck. In all, he built 5 custom tractors that have seen their fair share of parades.
“Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical and a good cook. But the law allows only one wife.”I hit the jackpot. My wife is all of those. However, I am also like most husbands in that I think I am always right.
She puts up with my delusions and still loves me.
She knows how to pick her battles and doesn’t protest every silly thing I say or decision I make. If she did, she’d constantly have a picket sign in her hand marching around the sidewalk in front of our house.
However, a few years ago, she memorably put her foot down and didn’t let me get away with making a silly decision. It was the best thing she could have done because the results of that decision have been life-altering.
Emily Chapman Richards is the vice president of Show Hope, an organization whose mission is to care for orphans and reduce barriers to adoption. Show Hope was founded by Emilyâs parents Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. If those names sound familiar, it is because her mother is a New York Times Best-Selling author and her father is a 5-time Grammy Award Winning recording artist.
Born and raised in Franklin, TN, Emily has enjoyed watching Show Hope grow from a dream in her parentsâ heart to an organization that has helped thousands of children come to know the love of a family. Emily met her husband, Tanner, on a blind date at a local Starbucks. Married in 2008, Tanner and Emily are the proud parents to three beautiful ladiesâEiley, Della, and Verity.
After earning her BA in International Studies and Religion from Baylor University (â07), Emily continued her education while living abroad, graduating from Queenâs University Belfast (â12) with a Masters of Theology. Emily enjoys traveling and talking theology over a cup of coffee. She is a visionary and a dreamer, and has long remained a passionate advocate for adoption and orphan care efforts.
In todayâs episode, we discuss:
Everyone has a chance to be a hero to someone. You donât even have to be dead to be a hero. With Memorial Day approaching, it got me to thinking about those in my life that I have looked up to as heroes. Unfortunately, holidays like Memorial Day and funerals seem to be the only times that we really stop and think about the impact that someone had on our lives. These are the times that we remember, or better yet, celebrate their life and their lasting legacy on those that they touched.
âIn the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately your own responsibility.â âEleanor Roosevelt
The decisions we make today goes a long way toward determining our future.  Our choices lead to actions and actions lead to consequences. Sometimes good.  Sometimes bad.