Larry Winget says it right. In his book “People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It!” he says that only the people who are on the edge are the ones who made history. Larry says: “In every area of life and business, the people on the edge are the ones who made history. No one who comes from the centrist position- that safe middle ground- ever really had much of an impact on society. It’s the people on the edge we all know and remember. Elvis and the Beatles: Musicians on the edge. Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali: artists on the edge. The United States of America would not exist if it weren’t for a handful of renegades. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were all edgy guys. Gandhi was on the edge.

Good or bad, right or wrong, it doesn’t matter. The people who change history are not the people who do safe things, take easy route, follow the status quo or say what everyone else says or try to make everyone happy. As I read his book it all made sense to me. There are people who refuse to take up challenges. Insists on staying in their comfort zones. Never willing to take risk and will defend the Status Quo to the death.

These are the same people who are timid, average, they are mediocre and these are the same people who will never experience success, as they never stretch themselves to the max. Winget says: “The multitudes live in the middle, living mediocre lives, thinking mediocre thoughts, doing mediocre things and achieving mediocre results. Their income falls in the median range. Their houses are in the median range. Their entire lives are median range mediocre and stuck deeply in the middle. Sadly, most don’t even recognize their predicament because everyone they know is stuck there in the middle with them.” This is amazingly true. One observation I have is that winners tend to find themselves in the company of winners. Losers are similarly in the company of losers. They share the same interest. Giving credence to the old but revised cliché that says: “Birds of the same feather they pooh... pooh... together.”

You and I need to live on the edge. Though we may be few we need to be. The edge is where people dare to defy their upbringing, their education, and their situation to become wildly happy, successful and prosperous in spite of themselves. The edge is the place you get to live once you stop lying to yourself and everyone else and squarely face where you are, and then decide to go to a better place. The edge is where the fun is, where the money is and where true self-satisfaction is.

The best part of living on the edge is that it isn’t crowded at all. Stay out of the crowd and be willing to take risks. Risk loving. Risk investing on books, tapes, seminars and develop a lifetime of learning. Risk trying extreme sports. Risk cultivating new friends. Risk taking up a new craft. Risk starting a business. Life is a gift from God and it is an adventure to be explored.

Have you ever seen a live frog? I don’t mean the kind you pin on a board in Biology class. What I mean is have you ever taken the time to look at it real up close? It’s so ugly isn’t it. Now it may remind you of somebody you know in the work place but that is not the point. The point of the live frog is that Zig Ziglar says, “If you need to wake up in the morning and eat a live frog, you wouldn’t want to look at that sucker for too long!”

That ugly live frog represents the one task you hate doing for that day. Get over it by getting through it. Work on it first thing in the morning and the rest of the day will be bright and sunny. The reason why procrastination happens is because many people see the live frog and then they keep it in the pond hoping it will go away. Work on some other tasks and meanwhile, the thought of that live frog sucks the energy away.

I have a thousand and one things to do every day. Invariably I would come across a particular task I’m not excited to work on. That is my ugly frog but believe me, I deal with it first thing. Regardless of what I feel, I just commit myself to doing it. Eat that live frog and the rest of the day would be a walk in the park. Here is what I have realized over the years. The most important tasks I can do each day are often the hardest and most complex. But I need to replace those “don’t-feel-like-doing-it” feelings that I know would degenerate into “why-not-just-do-it-later” urges with “deal-with-it-right-now” guided by a sense of “give-it-my-best-shot” effort and then enjoy the rewards and payoffs for completing these tasks.

Some people manage their time. I manage my tasks. I also manage my energy. There are essential tasks I need to stick to and then there are tasks that seem urgent but in reality are not important. Here is an interesting discovery. Most tasks seem to take the same amount of time to accomplish. But the few essential tasks that are done would add value to my success goals in life. Shelve these and I incur loss. Work on the non-essential tasks may give me the “feeling” of accomplishment, but at the end of the day, I would bring my tired body and wonder why I exerted so much effort and did so many things but feel like I did not accomplish much.

Rushing to go to “happy hour” is not essential. Spending time with the family for dinner is. Watching senseless reality shows is not essential. Reading books and surfing the net researching latest developments in relation to one’s work and expertise is. Jumping from one bar to another with “friends” is not essential. Sitting down, calling or writing a friend is.

Activities and accomplishments are not the same. But you start the day thinking about starting and finishing an important task would motivate you and help you overcome procrastination. “One of these days” becomes “None of these days.”

God has given all of us equal amount of time in a day but it all depends on how we use it wisely. Successful people are people who have the discipline to start on the most important task that is before them no matter how ugly that task seems. Just eat that live frog and don’t look at the sucker for a long time. You’ll end up accomplishing more and become happier in the process. Trust me. It works….now where is that frog….?

August 13 turned out to be a very bright and sunny day for us. I prayed for good weather. As early as 8AM people lined up the registration table and entered the halls of the SMX Convention Center.

We started the conference 15 minutes after 9. The speakers were awesome. Jowee and Mon of Team Manila wowed the audience with their presentation of designs and challenged the young people to pursue arts and cause social change in this country. Alex Lacson talked about loving and serving the country. Humble and gentlemanly as usual Lacson inspired the audience with his passion for changing the negative mindset of Filipinos on themselves and challenged the audience to become more positive and responsive to the call for progress in the country. Famous TV personality Dyan Castillejo is a natural. She got the entire audience laughing and moving and she led the one thousand plus people to a short workout. And Dr. Josette Biyo, the Iloilo educator with a planet named after her - made the audience laugh, made them cry but on its entirety made the audience inspired and proud of what Filipinos can achieve worldwide.

The entire activity went overtime but I did not have the heart to stop them while they were on the roll and the audience was savoring it in.

I left a huge chunk of my material unsaid and untaught. Perhaps these are meant for the next event.

But not wanting to shortchange my clients, I will present certain portions of the seminar that were not presented such as these. And if you want to take down notes this would be a good time.

THERE ARE 4 AREAS OF COMPETENCE:

CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE – You know that you know.

CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE – You know that you do not know.

UNCONSICOUS INCOMPETENCE – You don’t know that you don’t know.

UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE – You don’t need to know you know because you already know it.

But there is the most dangerous one:

UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE PLUS – You don’t know that you don’t know but everybody knows you don’t know – DUH!

THERE ARE 4 TYPES OF LEARNERS:

1. AN ACTIVITISTS – Prefers to learn by doing.

The person most likely to set up the computer out of the box and begin playing with it.

2. A REFLECTOR – Someone who likes to think about and learn from experience.

Before turning on the new PC, she thinks about how she used computers before.

3. A THEORIST – Someone who prefers to understand the theory of how something works by reading and researching. So he pores over the companion instruction manual first.

4. A PRAGMATIST – Someone who wants to know what something can do for you – it’s practical application. And so he or she will review the table of contents and go to the sections that apply most directly to what she wants to use the computer for.

AND THEN THERE ARE DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS:

1. Visual People – Some people learn best by visuals. They have to see how it is done.
2. Auditory People – Some people learn best by hearing and listening to instructions.
3. Kinesthetic People – Some people learn best by touching, handling.

The most effective learning involves a combination of all three.

Notes:

Not only do learners have preferred learning styles but teachers and trainers also have their own preferred teaching styles. And their styles tend to use the same style they have for learning.

LEARNING HAS NOT TAKEN PLACE UNTIL BEHAVIOR CHANGES.

LEARNING IS A PROCESS. TRAINING IS A PROCESS.

If I talk to my children only once a year about being good, I won’t get a good response. But constant communication and feedback ensure that my children can and probably will do better.

This is why the Bible says we are to constantly teach God’s Word to our children. It doesn’t stop.

That’s enough for today. Tired yet fulfilled. Body sore but happy.

This is always the feeling of someone who knows a day has been well spent.

Why is change hard? One would wonder.

SOCRATES says: "No man will change for the better until he sees the need for it."

Famous athlete and motivational speaker Dr. Ola Madsen sent me a material that is very interesting. Listen to this:

People who succeed perceive failure as feedback. They use this feedback to change their strategy and take action again. They repeat this process over and over till they get what they want.

Dr. Ola is right. I have met leaders who would never admit mistakes. They pass the blame all over the place. Pointing fingers at people, pointing fingers at circumstances and never looking at themselves in the mirror. These are people who have pre-determined in their minds that they will defend the status quo to the death.

Here are some questions to ponder:

• Why is it that so few people are willing to keep changing and taking action until they get what they want?
• Why do so many people quit along the way?
• Why do so many people even procrastinate in initiating action?

The reason is that while everybody desires to succeed, only a few are truly COMMITTED to their goals. People whose goals are nothing more than desires will only do whatever is within their comfort zone to achieve it. Beyond that, what they give themselves all kinds of excuses for not doing it.

Dr. Ola says:

5% of people are COMMITTED to succeed.

95% of people WISH, HOPE, WANT, LIKE TO succeed.

5% they make it a MUST to DO whatever it takes.

95% act within their comfort zone and give lots of excuses.

When a goal becomes a MUST we operate from a different mind-set.

I speak with HR people all the time. They say that change is difficult to achieve. It is actually not an organizational problem, it is a challenge that you and I need to face every day.

Do you know that there are 3 Certainties in Life:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Change

And most of us can handle the first 2 better than the 3rd one.

Sometimes I think that the only change people like is dirty diapers.

Change is impossible unless people believe it is possible.

Now here is what I have discovered.

The reason why change initiatives in organizations do not succeed most of the time is because you cannot rally people to change through a wonderfully prepared PowerPoint Presentation. People change only when they could FEEL the need to change. This is why knowledge alone cannot accomplish goals. People need to buy in to the idea that the change initiative will be for their own benefit.

It’s amazing to see that what a person knows in his or her head does not translate to action unless the felt need is there.

This is why most people I know talk about their personal relationship with Christ and when I listen to their testimonies, the new found knowledge is there but there is a great emotional expression in there as well.

So, are you equipped with the knowledge to change but more importantly, do you feel the necessity to change as well?

Attend Francis Kong’s one-day life changing seminar “SUCCESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE” on August 13, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center.

For registration and tickets, call Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc.
(632)687-2614 OR 0917-851.1115

Ticket Price:
GOLD PHP 3,477 + VAT
SILVER PHP 2,977 + VAT
BRONZE PHP 2,477 + VAT
ACADEME PHP 750 Net

For group rate, kindly call 687-2614.

As a sergeant in a parachute regiment, I took part in several night-time exercises. Once, I was seated next to a lieutenant fresh from jump school. He was quiet and looked a bit pale, so I struck up a conversation. "Scared, lieutenant?" I asked.

He replied, "No, just a bit apprehensive." I asked, "What's the difference?"

He replied, "That means I'm scared, but with a university education."

Nothing in life is to be feared, only to be understood. The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. We may not have talked about it a lot. But the topic on courage should be studied well.

Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against the apartheid in South Africa, is best known for enduring many years in prison. The following story of a single plane ride gives us some personal insight into how Mandela's courage was formed-and what it meant to those around him.

One day after his release from jail, Mandela and a friend were flying in a small plane. Suddenly, the propeller stopped turning. But Mandela remained so even-keeled that the other passengers calmed themselves by watching him until the plane landed safely. However, when they landed, Mandela said to his friend, "Man, I was scared up there."

The friend realized that in prison Mandela had found that "The more you pretend that you're not scared, the more not scared you become."

Mandela became courageous by taking one courageous step. And then another. Maybe this is the key for us to develop courage.Some one says: “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says . . . I'll try again tomorrow.”

So you have been given a promotions. Maybe you are challenged with a new assignment. Maybe this one is very familiar. You are asked to stand in front of people and make a presentation. And then you could feel it in your guts. There are butterflies in your stomach. That old familiar feeling comes. The feeling that you dread. It’s called fear. So how do you deal with it?

Have you ever wondered how and why bomb disposal experts are able to do their jobs? Do they have extra-ordinary courage that we mere mortals do not? Not necessarily. But the reason why they are courageous is simply because

They were trained to do bomb disposal. Once they gain the technical know]edge, skills, and competence in understanding how to disarm bombs, have little to fear of them. They are courageous in situations which would cause others great fear. Their fear is dissipated as a result of becoming competent.

You want to conquer fear in public speaking and doing presentations? Get trained in that area.

What's the Difference?

Ralph Waldo Emerson says: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

You need both strength and courage to succeed:

Credited to anonymity, this piece of material is so inpiring. Listen to this:

It takes strength to be certain,

It takes courage to have doubts.

It takes strength to fit in,

It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to share a friend's pain,

It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide your own pain,

It takes courage to show it and deal with it.

It takes strength to stand guard,

It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer,

It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to endure abuses,

It takes courage to stop them.

It takes strength to stand alone,

It takes courage to lean on a friend.

It takes strength to love,

It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive,

It takes courage to live.

God gives us the strength to be courageous when it comes to doing the right things for His Glory and so the question now is this: Are you strong and courageous enough. At the end of the day, growing a wishbone is not enough to succeed in life. Growing a backbone on top of it is the key.

Attend Francis Kong’s one-day life changing seminar “SUCCESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE” on August 13, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center. For registration and tickets call Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. 632-6872614 OR 09178511115

Curious, a man walked over, bought a paper, and checked the front page. What he saw was yesterday's paper.
The man said, "Hey, this is an old paper, where's the story about the big swindle?"

The newsboy ignored him and went on calling out, "Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled!"

Looks like the boy in our story’s got potential. Potential to be a crook that’s what.

There is no short cut to success and you cannot cheat your way to being successful long term.

Some people are looking for the “One Big Thing.” Make a lot of money then retire. These people are not achievers. They’re simply lazy.
Denis Waitley says: For the high achiever, it's natural to seek out challenging goals because he or she has an inner, intrinsic drive to succeed. And success doesn't mean pet rocks, get-rich-quick schemes, lotto jackpots or chain letters. High achievers are looking not to receive, but to contribute, to give. They're looking for problems that are personally satisfying to solve. Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffett, three of the wealthiest individuals in the world, eagerly go to work every day to face the challenge of solving a new and bigger problem. All could be playing Backgammon on a tropical island or two rounds of golf per day.

Since the accomplishment of a difficult task means more to the high achiever than any external motivation, it means that motivation will remain strong throughout his or her career. Think of how much stronger and more permanent such a motivation is compared to one that is extrinsic.

Suppose you choose a particular career because of the money. What happens when there's more money in doing something else? You're likely to abandon one path as soon as another possibility opens up, and eventually you'll find yourself wondering what you're really doing… maybe even who you really are.

Since there is no inner drive to stay on any particular path, the journey will be arduous, and motivation will tend to weaken whenever the external reward seems remote or out of sight. This is especially true with individuals who want a home business with high rewards and minimal risk.

Some people spend their entire lives wandering from one field to another, always looking for an easier way to find that pot of gold, never achieving a significant goal worthy of their inner potential.

I've met many people who fit this description. If they're in sales, they move from company to company, from industry to industry, for one product or service to another. They are very hard to keep on your hand held electronic address book or in your directory of contacts because they are always either coming or going or starting another new business of their own.

When that doesn't work, they get involved in sketchy enterprises, especially start-up-companies offering big, easy rewards, such as a wonder diet company where you can lose all the weight you want by eating anything you want and swallowing one amazing pill a day. They go from one Roman candle to another, from one "exciting opportunity" to another disappointment.

The problem is, money alone does not stimulate intrinsic motivation and therefore is a means, not an end. Money is like fuel for your car. It is not the destination. It is not the journey. It is only part of the transportation system. Make your "why" grab you by your very soul. You'll never be disappointed for very long. And you'll stay committed regardless of "stock market gyrations" or setbacks.

This week, find your unique "why" and pursue it with passion!
Discovering your unique why should be the purpose of your life. Letting your unique why serve others is what brings meaning to your life.

Billy Graham says “There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.” Guess what the Bible has to say: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.”

So don’t fall into the trap.

Reporters and city officials gathered at a Chicago railroad station one afternoon in 1953. The person they were meeting was the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner. A few minutes after the train came to a stop, a giant of a man - six feet four inches - with bushy hair and a large mustache stepped from the train. Cameras flashed. City officials approached him with hands outstretched. Various people began telling him how honored they were to meet him.

The man politely thanked them and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a moment. He quickly walked through the crowd until he reached the side of an elderly black woman who was struggling with two large suitcases. He picked up the bags and with a smile, escorted the woman to a bus. After helping her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. As he returned to the greeting party he apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The man was Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary doctor who had spent his life helping the poor in Africa. In response to Schweitzer's action, one member of the reception committee said with great admiration to the reporter standing next to him, "That's the first time I ever saw a sermon walking."

Now, have you ever seen a servant leader? Listen to this story.

During the American Revolution a group of exhausted soldiers were struggling to repair a wall of stone and dirt to protect them from enemy bullets.

One soldier was shouting instructions, but made no move to help the others. An officer in plain clothing happened to ride by, and asked the man why he wasn't helping.

"Sir," he retorted, "I am a corporal!"

The officer apologized, got down from his horse, and helped the soldiers himself. When the work was done, he turned to the corporal. "Mr. Corporal," he said, "next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander in chief, and I will come and help you again."

The corporal hadn't recognized General George Washington. Now that is a servant leader.

And now we go to a more sensitive question.

Have you ever seen a public servant?

I have. These are public officials who fall in line behind airport ticket counters, who would not take advantage of their pubic positions to gain special favors or to be treated differently and who know that what they do speak resoundingly louder than what they say.

These are the people who inspire us.

Underneath the greatness of a Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the service of a General George Washington and the meekness of the public official is the presence of humility. A rare quality we find in many of our leaders these days.

Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great” has reminded us that the key people who brought success to their business organizations showed a consistent pattern of humility and though they shy away from the public view they are always noticed because of the great things they do and the greatness they have.

Michel de Montaigne says: “Few men have been admired by their servants.”

Maybe because they ignore Jesus’ admonition that “He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

F. B. Meyer said: "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts." [1]

And isn’t Meyer so right?

Now this got me thinking.

Bus drivers have a vision. They set their goals and have it within their sights. They seem to run over anyone and anything just to reach their goal and in the process could even destroy lives in the process.

Do you know that many leaders in business organizations lead like bus drivers? They have their set goals. In fact they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. All the works that make consultants like me proud. But here is the problem. They run over everyone, including their own employees, crash through their closest and most loyal people in order to achieve their goals. Their slogan in life is: “The end justifies the mean-ness!” Some do this consciously. These are Machiavellian monsters adorned with the charm and grace of a serial killer doing their thing while others are even clueless that they are doing it. Are they successful? Perhaps but their success is not sustainable. What it takes is an inspiring leader who knows he cannot succeed alone. A humble servant-leader whose mission in job is not just to achieve goals but to make his people become better through the process.

No one creates success alone. To win in business, you must win with people. Running over people will only get you so far. To create true and lasting success you must nurture and invest in your people. Here are three essential ways to do this.

1. CONNECT WITH YOUR PEOPLE
Great leaders know they deal with people and people have feelings. Machines do not. The more you are connected with your people the more you learn about them and the more you know them. In my two-day leadership workshop seminar I offer an assessment tool. And 90% of the time the participants are stunned to realize that they have been working with the same people for years yet they do not know them that well.

2. CARE FOR YOUR PEOPLE
People hate the feeling of being used. Work in itself is extremely challenging but bearable if you and I are working for a leader we trust simply because we know he or she cares. Work becomes unbearable the moment we know that our leaders behave like jerks using us to accomplish his or her goals only to dispose us like a used piece of tissue. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said it all too well: People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. People are more engaged at work and will work at their highest potential when their leader cares about them.

3. CARRY YOUR PEOPLE THORUGH
Great leaders guide their people, work with their people and bear the burdens with them. When things go wrong great leaders carry the blame, owns the problem and accept responsibility. This carries tremendous impact on the people as they are inspired to carry their leaders through as well. Leaders who grab the credit from their people’s labor and blame their own people for mess up jobs are jerks and they are the main reason why good people leave organizations.

4. CREDIT YOUR PEOPLE WITH RECOGNITION
Very high on the list of reasons why good people leave is the fact that people feel they are not appreciated. Many leaders do not realize that something as simple as a personally written “thank you” note creates a strong and lasting impact on the recipient’s life.

Leadership is not just about what you do. It’s all about inspiring your people to be at their best, bringing out their best and giving their best and everyone in the organization benefits from it.

Leadership is not just about rules. Author Andy Stanley said, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” Rebellion does not necessary mean picket lines and work stoppage; disengagement from their work actually costs more.

Don’t drive your people like those jerks who drive their buses recklessly along EDSA and many of our highways. Inspire them, engage them and invite them on the bus with you and allow everyone to experience an amazing ride.

You know very well... “Do unto others... as if you were the others.”

You’re probably asking, “How can you control time in a 24/7 environment?”

Winners carry this secret with them all the time. They know that each man is given exactly 24 hours a day and it’s how time is spent or wasted that spells the difference between success, mediocrity or failure.

You can control your time. You choose how to "spend" your time and how much of your time to give to various activities. You'll never get more time than the 24 hours you’re given each day. But nobody can ever shortchange it but you.

Doesn’t it amaze you that the people who make the worst use of time may be the same ones who complain that there is never enough time.

Sociologists say that the most important currency for the 21^st century is time not money.

Therefore you make sure that you spend your time wisely.

This doesn’t mean you bury yourself in work and fail to maintain some semblance of sanity in our life, this simply means you spend time on things that will help you grow as a person and you stay away from activities that would hinder you from your success goals.

• When you spend more time watching pirated DVD movies than reading books you’re wasting your time.
• When you would rather be out with the boys (or the girls) than spend time with your family you are wasting time.
• When you gulp it down, shoot it up or snort it in you’re not only wasting your time you’re wasting your life.

Now may I make a suggestion?

Rather than thinking time management all the time, why not start thinking “Task Management?”

Prioritize tasks that add value towards achieving your lifetime success goals. Anything that does not accomplish this you discard and throw it into your wastebasket.

Leon Hansen composed this poem entitled “Take Some Time.”

Read the words carefully:

Take Some Time
by Leon Hansen

Take some time to smell the flowers.  As you walk the paths of life.

Take some time to ease the tensions.  From the challenges and the strife.

Take some time to hear the birds sing.  As they usher in the dawn.

Though the day be just emerging.  Too soon it will be gone.

Take some time to watch a sunrise.  Now and then a sunset too.

Just be sure that seeking pleasure.  Isn't all you ever do.

Take some time to count your blessings.  Though you feel they're not that great.

You will find they're more abundant.  Than you thought, at any rate.

Take some time to banish hatred.  When and where you can.

Just detest man's evil ways.  And not your fellow man.

Take some time to love your children.  Every moment you are free.

The benefits sure exceed.  A university degree.

Take some time to love your neighbor.  And even more important still,

Take some time to love yourself.  Or not many others will.

And if you don't like that image.  Of yourself that others see,

Take some time to make some changes,. Be the best that you can be.

Take some time to help another.  Who you think might need a hand.

You will find the satisfaction.  Leaves you feeling sort of grand.

Take some time to live by virtue.  In the best way that is known,

And respect the rights of others.  As equal to your own.

Take some time to just appreciate.  The fact that you are here,

And to know the risen Lord.  And to trust Him without fear.

If you do these things with diligence. You will eventually be glad.

If you don't attempt to do them. You may one day wish you had.

Although this no doubt could impose. Upon your time for seeking wealth,

There should be little question. That it could improve your health.

And though you might not be as wealthy. Nor drive so fine a car,

You'll find you will be richer. In other ways by far. [1]

Our time is in God’s Hands but He has empowered us to use it responsibly.

[1] By Leon Hansen , from A 6th Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul  Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen