As my new book Enjoy Greater Results with Less Effort * Build a Better You is being published, which builds on the Ten Bedrock Truths of my first book, Enjoy Your Journey – Ten Bedrock Truths to Improve Everything About You, I would like to look through the rearview mirror to reflect on how the Ten Bedrock Truths are needed now, and as impactful currently as at any time in history. We have endured much since 2010, but the last year has brought a tsunami of events that have touched all of us, but rocked the foundations of many.
My family possesses bookend examples when it comes to how they have been affected by the COVID-19 virus and the social policies of our world. For example:
- My younger son got COVID-19 from a co-worker and he thinks he may have had a slight fever one night.
- My cousin’s husband got COVID-19 and became very sick and ended up passing away at the end of November of 2020.
- My sister who works for county government in California had to go and support the county coroner’s office due to staffing needs and her county employee development plan was put on hold.
- I have friends and family who perform live music for a living. They have had to get creative with virtual performances just to get by.
- My wife and I read that longtime businesses, mostly restaurants, are closing and never opening up due to the lost revenue and new rules that affect how many customers they can serve due to seating restrictions imposed by the state.
The year 2020 ended with an astronomically contentious election that left our country chronically divided. A year ago, I would have never thought our country would be where it is today with prevalent racial divisions, the immense divides in political views, Big Tech’s control of what and how information is shared, and how media has us arguing with each other about things we can’t control anyway.
If we look at what so many people choose to post on social media, and how the major media shares their opinions (we have many examples of what not to do, or efforts that are not effective in building a better you), that do not make your world and the world for the people around you better, I think to myself: “The application of the Ten Bedrock Truths is needed now more than ever!”
When I look at the Graphic my younger son Brett created for my new book, the last figure is moving the load much more easily with the cart. The cart represents healthy relationships developed by implementing the Ten Bedrock Truths. These truths foster environments of trust and cooperation. The illustration represents the better information obtained and shared by the improved relationships and decision-making the Ten Bedrock Truths support, resulting in improved decisions by and for everyone. The graphic represents the cooperation of others that make positive decisions about your success, because of positive decisions you made about their success, first.
Multiply the load, and with it being on the cart, the effort is manageable moving a much larger load. With the confidence and results obtained, you now have the margin of time, money, and emotion to invest in others. Building a better you, also builds a better team, a better family, and a better community.
Easter was just a few weeks ago, and again I was reminded of the humility and servant mind Jesus had and demonstrated as He lived and led His ministry here on earth. May we be like Jesus the night He washed the disciples’ feet as an act of service and humility, since those are the characteristics needed to be “fishers of men.” May we not only demonstrate the best in ourselves, but also in the people around us, those we call family, friends, and neighbors.
I would like to end with the acronym HELP:
H – Offer a Hand Up
E – Experience God’s Love personally then share it with others
L – Love others because God loves you
P – People Need Your Love, just as you receive God’s love
Who wouldn’t benefit from a Hand Up including ourselves? It is important that we have an enduring standard on which to build healthy, effective relationships, and that standard is God’s example of giving love, seen dramatically and effectively in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
If you have a relationship with God, build on it. If you haven’t had that relationship, or it is struggling, find someone willing to mentor you in building a strong and healthy relationship with God. Once you experience God’s love then you can truly love yourself and share that love with others.
Be reminded that God loved us first and there is nothing we can do to cause God to not love us. Let us love others as God loves us, unconditionally!