I consider myself somewhat of a Louisville Cardinal college basketball fan. Today, the men's basketball team was defeated by Michigan State University in the ELITE 8, the East regional final match.
After the game, I thought about the loss all day... I watched the video recap on the NCAA app... I watched the ESPN analysis commentary... I watched the post game interviews and press conference footage... I even read the game summary and analysis in the local newspaper...
and after all of that... I was completely frustrated! I did not really see how the Cardinals lost the game... and I did NOT feel any better about the loss! I marinated in my misery and my hurt over the loss a little while longer... until it hit me...
I didn't really have a right... or even a reason... to feel that much pain over the result of this basketball game. I'm not a student at UofL... I don't work at the University, or at the University Hospital... for sure, I am not a player on that basketball team (I'm 5‘6", and I don't even shoot basketball!)...
So, why was I, a mere spectator, so hurt by the outcome of this game? Why was I placing so much of my own happiness on the success or failure of someone else?...
You know who had the right to be hurt by this loss? ...the players on the University of Louisville basketball team. You know who had that right?
Montrezl Harrell... Junior, and Power Forward on the team. He had the right to be hurt...
There is serious talk about moving on to the NBA for this Louisville big man. So, the heartbreaking loss today may very well mark the end of Harrell's college career...
Wayne Blackshear, Senior Shooting Guard and Small Forward for the Louisville Cardinals...
During the game, he suffered complications from Asthma. He had a bloody nose... and at the half, he was in the locker room, vomiting like nobody's business!
Blackshear played through the pain like an MVP, scoring 28 points, including 100% (12 for 12) from the foul line! He muscled through like a tank, absorbing those body shots, with an already weakened constitution, in order to take the ball inside and create critical plays for his teammates. Wayne Blackshear literally left it all out there on the court... and they still came up short...
He certainly had a right to feel hurt by the Cardinals' loss today!
But I... I certainly did not... I was merely a spectator.
Now, don't get me wrong...I will likely always be affected by the outcome of a game for the Louisville Cardinals! But, I was reminded of an important life lesson today...
When you play the game, you will win... and you will lose... guaranteed. But, the key is to play the game, to actually participate in the process. That is what gives you the chance to win at something... and it is what gives you the right to feel the pain or pleasure of your results.
I was at a Bible education conference today. One of the speakers said, when it comes to spiritual success, if you "stop moving, you die"... you may not always do the right thing, and you may not always do things right...
but keep moving! ...stay active!
So, whatever you do in life... Amway, Uber, Bible education work... whatever...
Keep Moving! ...Stay Active! ...Don't Just Sit There... Participate!
...because life is definitely NOT a spectator sport!
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The Only Thing We Have To Fear...
CLIMACOPHOBIA: fear of climbing...
BATHMOPHOBIA: fear of stairs or slopes...
I don't know which one she had, but one of my passengers tonight suffered from one of these extreme fears! She is simply terrified of climbing stairs!
Her name is Cheryl... As I was driving with Uber tonight, I picked up Cheryl from Norton Audubon Hospital on Poplar Level Road. She seemed quite nervous, and she wished that she could have remained in the hospital for the night... but no luck with that.
On the ride home, Cheryl and I talked about many things. However, as we got closer to her son's home (she is living with him and his wife), all of her thoughts turned to those stairs...
Cheryl began to explain her extreme fear of climbing and descending stairs. And her son lived above a pawn shop...
The stairs were made of wood... though they were stable enough, the stairs had no backing; and you could see between each step exactly how high you were...
This was not going to be easy...
As we got closer to home, Cheryl got more and more nervous. Her nervousness became real anxiety. And when she saw those stairs, Cheryl was on the verge of a bonafide nervous breakdown!
I wanted to help her up the stairs; I offered to do so, and she gladly accepted my offer. But, then her son came down the stairs to help Cheryl. And I could clearly see one of her challenges...
Cheryl was getting no love from her kids on this matter with the stairs! Her son told her to calm down. He grabbed her by the hand. And he proceeded to basically drag her along up the stairs to the first landing...
By that time, the daughter-in-law was loudly repeating "you're doin' this to yourself!"... her son was threatening to just pick her up and carry her the rest of the way... and Cheryl was petrified!
To be fair, I can understand the frustration of the children... they have to deal with this unusual fear every single day. But right at this moment... when Cheryl is standing there, frozen on the landing and wailing with terror... right at this moment, Cheryl did not need frustration. What she needed is understanding.
I asked the son to let me help her the rest of the way...
I wrapped my right arm around Cheryl's waist. I took her left hand into mine. And, with her right hand, Cheryl held tightly to the banister. I spoke calmly, and I said, "OK Cheryl, you ready? ...then, here we go."
Slowly we climbed together... one step... two steps... three steps... and so on. Eventually, we made it to the top. It was kind of weird, but immediately, Cheryl's body completely relaxed!
I put my arm around her shoulder, and I said, "you did it!" She hugged me and said, "WE did it! Thank you so much!"
The son offered me a tip... this time I did not accept. I just said, "no worries sir... glad to help"...
Some people say that fear is an illusion. Cheryl's daughter would say, "we are doing it to ourselves"...
We may or may not be doing it to ourselves... but fear is no illusion... it is an absolutely real thing!
And, just as it was the case with poor Cheryl, what we may need to conquer the fear is NOT for someone to say, "it's all in your head"...
What we may need is a little understanding... a little patience and support from someone who cares.
BATHMOPHOBIA: fear of stairs or slopes...
I don't know which one she had, but one of my passengers tonight suffered from one of these extreme fears! She is simply terrified of climbing stairs!
Her name is Cheryl... As I was driving with Uber tonight, I picked up Cheryl from Norton Audubon Hospital on Poplar Level Road. She seemed quite nervous, and she wished that she could have remained in the hospital for the night... but no luck with that.
On the ride home, Cheryl and I talked about many things. However, as we got closer to her son's home (she is living with him and his wife), all of her thoughts turned to those stairs...
Cheryl began to explain her extreme fear of climbing and descending stairs. And her son lived above a pawn shop...
The stairs were made of wood... though they were stable enough, the stairs had no backing; and you could see between each step exactly how high you were...
This was not going to be easy...
As we got closer to home, Cheryl got more and more nervous. Her nervousness became real anxiety. And when she saw those stairs, Cheryl was on the verge of a bonafide nervous breakdown!
I wanted to help her up the stairs; I offered to do so, and she gladly accepted my offer. But, then her son came down the stairs to help Cheryl. And I could clearly see one of her challenges...
Cheryl was getting no love from her kids on this matter with the stairs! Her son told her to calm down. He grabbed her by the hand. And he proceeded to basically drag her along up the stairs to the first landing...
By that time, the daughter-in-law was loudly repeating "you're doin' this to yourself!"... her son was threatening to just pick her up and carry her the rest of the way... and Cheryl was petrified!
To be fair, I can understand the frustration of the children... they have to deal with this unusual fear every single day. But right at this moment... when Cheryl is standing there, frozen on the landing and wailing with terror... right at this moment, Cheryl did not need frustration. What she needed is understanding.
I asked the son to let me help her the rest of the way...
I wrapped my right arm around Cheryl's waist. I took her left hand into mine. And, with her right hand, Cheryl held tightly to the banister. I spoke calmly, and I said, "OK Cheryl, you ready? ...then, here we go."
Slowly we climbed together... one step... two steps... three steps... and so on. Eventually, we made it to the top. It was kind of weird, but immediately, Cheryl's body completely relaxed!
I put my arm around her shoulder, and I said, "you did it!" She hugged me and said, "WE did it! Thank you so much!"
The son offered me a tip... this time I did not accept. I just said, "no worries sir... glad to help"...
Some people say that fear is an illusion. Cheryl's daughter would say, "we are doing it to ourselves"...
We may or may not be doing it to ourselves... but fear is no illusion... it is an absolutely real thing!
And, just as it was the case with poor Cheryl, what we may need to conquer the fear is NOT for someone to say, "it's all in your head"...
What we may need is a little understanding... a little patience and support from someone who cares.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
It Ain't a Pyramid, That's For Sure!
Recently, for tax purposes, I was reviewing our annual business records. Let me tell you about three people that I recruited into the Amway business about a year ago...
Tom did not want to build an Amway business, but he said that he wanted to support MY business. So, he registered for free, as a retail customer, at my Personal Retail Website. Over the past year, Tom never purchased a product. He never used a service. And he never referred any other person to be a customer.
How much money did I make to recruit Tom as a customer? ...Nothing ...Zero... Not One Cent.
And then there's Jeff...
Jeff WAS interested in becoming an Amway Independent Business Owner (so he said). I offered to accompany Jeff and his wife to one of the business conferences put on by successful business owners. I paid for their tickets... they were $135 a piece.
Jeff said that he was more interested in selling products, than in recruiting other people into business. So, I gave him several CDs focused on different selling techniques. And I gave him other helpful literature resources as well... I paid for all of them.
Over the past year, Jeff never sold any products. He never used any products for himself. And, true to his intentions, he never recruited any business partners.
How much money did Jeff earn this past year?
...Nothing.
How much did I make for recruiting Jeff?
...about -$450.00!
Now David was a little different...
I also paid for his ticket to a local seminar, and for other business resources too. And David never did sell a product, or recruit anyone. But, over the past year, he did use some of the products.
How much money did I make off of David?
...only about -$250.00 this time!
A pyramid scheme pays people to recruit others into the scheme...period. It does not matter whether the recruit sells anything or not... in a Pyramid, you make money when you recruit others into business.
In Amway, you will not earn any money to recruit others into business... ever... period. In fact, you will earn income ONLY when you sell products or services... to either your customers, or to your recruits and to their customers... that's it.
People say many things about Amway... And it is certainly not a perfect company...
But it is NOT a Pyramid, that's for sure.
Tom did not want to build an Amway business, but he said that he wanted to support MY business. So, he registered for free, as a retail customer, at my Personal Retail Website. Over the past year, Tom never purchased a product. He never used a service. And he never referred any other person to be a customer.
How much money did I make to recruit Tom as a customer? ...Nothing ...Zero... Not One Cent.
And then there's Jeff...
Jeff WAS interested in becoming an Amway Independent Business Owner (so he said). I offered to accompany Jeff and his wife to one of the business conferences put on by successful business owners. I paid for their tickets... they were $135 a piece.
Jeff said that he was more interested in selling products, than in recruiting other people into business. So, I gave him several CDs focused on different selling techniques. And I gave him other helpful literature resources as well... I paid for all of them.
Over the past year, Jeff never sold any products. He never used any products for himself. And, true to his intentions, he never recruited any business partners.
How much money did Jeff earn this past year?
...Nothing.
How much did I make for recruiting Jeff?
...about -$450.00!
Now David was a little different...
I also paid for his ticket to a local seminar, and for other business resources too. And David never did sell a product, or recruit anyone. But, over the past year, he did use some of the products.
How much money did I make off of David?
...only about -$250.00 this time!
A pyramid scheme pays people to recruit others into the scheme...period. It does not matter whether the recruit sells anything or not... in a Pyramid, you make money when you recruit others into business.
In Amway, you will not earn any money to recruit others into business... ever... period. In fact, you will earn income ONLY when you sell products or services... to either your customers, or to your recruits and to their customers... that's it.
Over the past year, I made absolutely no money on several of my recruits... in fact, I lost about $700.00!
People say many things about Amway... And it is certainly not a perfect company...
But it is NOT a Pyramid, that's for sure.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Life Happens... Are You Insured?
This is just a random plug for a colleague's new insurance service...
"Tony" Tytorrial Threets
Modern Woodmen of America
kznking98@yahoo.com
502-802-4646
Life, Health, & Disability Insurance,
and Retirement Planning
Listen, life happens! We want to be prepared financially. And we want to be covered outside of that...
Check him out!
"Tony" Tytorrial Threets
Modern Woodmen of America
kznking98@yahoo.com
502-802-4646
Life, Health, & Disability Insurance,
and Retirement Planning
Listen, life happens! We want to be prepared financially. And we want to be covered outside of that...
Check him out!
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