Thank You
Gratitude. Appreciation. Encouragement. Two words can go a long way. Two words can influence. Two words can make all the difference. Two words can bring a sense of humanity to any exchange. Thank you. Thank God. Thank People. Thank each other. Acknowledge your appreciation for someone's efforts. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your input. Thank you for being who you are in my life. Don't take these two words for granted.
Soul
soul (sōl/) ) noun
1. the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
2. the essence or embodiment of a specified quality.
There's a part of you that is immortal. It's inside of you. It's living. It's breathing. It's speaking. It's whispering ancestral chants. It's guiding you. It's that part God gave you when he created you in his image. It's your inner voice. It's your soul. You can't ignore it forever. You can't deny it. It's in your eyes. It's your voice. It's in the fabric of your being. I see it. I know you got soul.
Sweat Equity
Genesis 3:19 (KJV) In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
The fall of man is described in the third chapter of Genesis. Adam's disobedience caused the ground to be cursed. What was once easy became difficult and challenging. Disobedience has consequences, both seen and unseen. Truthfully, most of us don't value things until it costs us something. When we invest our own blood, sweat, and tears, we have a greater appreciation for it. We see it all the time. Rich kids blow through their inheritance. Kids break toys and devices because they don't see the value in it. They didn't pay the price. What do you deem valuable? What did you pay to get it? What have you paid for with sweat equity?
Safe Place
Where do you find comfort? Where is your safe place? We all need a place of solace. We all need a place where we can get away from it all. We need peace. Especially, when there is so much chaos in our lives. Find your peace. Find your safe place and if you don't have one, create a space where you can relax. Create your own haven.
Release
The totality of the human experience can be described on the spectrum of love and loss. We are blessed to experience love and often devastated by the loss of it. Sometimes, it seems like we experience more loss than love. Count it all joy. For every tear, there was a smile. For every moment that feels like you can't breathe, there was a moment that left you breathless. Love and loss are two sides of the same coin. Cherish the love. Release the loss. Let it go.
Resolve
We don't always know the answer. We don't always see the resolution because the problem appears to be bigger. We have a natural tendency to expect the worst and hope for the best. We are natural negative. We are jaded by our circumstances, but we can do better. We can resolve to do better, to think better, and to be better. We can resolve to see the positive. We can resolve to trust that things will work out for the best.
ROI
ROI measures the amount of return on an investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.
"So, what's in it for me?" Most people want to know if they give you something how it will benefit them. ROI is easy to calculate when you are talking about tangible investments. What about time? What about emotions? What about expectations? When we invest in people, we don't always see immediate results. We don't always reap the benefits of everything we sow into people's lives. It's ok. Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. Continue to live. Continue to grow. Continue to sow.