Inspiration

Time wasters abound just lately.

I am trying to inhale … exhale … and remember it’s God’s plan, not mine.

Let’s just say if you’re a contractor bidding on work on my house … and I rearrange my entire day to be there for the walkthrough … and you no-show with no phone call or anything … I might be unlikely to call you again.

This is but one example in my life.

So Godincidences. Yeah.

After about a month hiatus, I started seeing all these little signs and that word again. The same word every couple of days. Okay, hey, hi. I don’t know what you’re up to, Big Guy, but it’s something.

Oh yeah, it’s something.

Cue Switchfoot and some Earl Grey and some focus.

One of my mentors says,

“Be inspired. Be inspiring.”

I try to remind myself of that philosophy when I’m feeling scattered and distracted. When seemingly random opportunities keep changing my plan. And on days like today when I’m pretty sure there is ragweed pollen embedded deeply in my lungs. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Being in the health and wellness field, taking care of myself is actually part of my job. I giggle when I think about that. Working out, eating healthy, getting enough sleep … are all part of my job. That is so cool. How many times have I said this … put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others.

And I don’t call it a job – I have my own business. I’m sure some people think I don’t really have a job, though. Entrepreneurship is so far out of the mindset of some that you can tell they just don’t get it. The confused look on their face says it all.

Okay, fine, maybe I’ll hire you to work for me at some point? You are the CEO of your own life. More people should act like it.

I don’t know why it surprises me anymore, but every now and then it becomes startlingly clear how many people have an employee mindset. Don’t get me wrong, the world needs good employees. And I never say never to the possibility of taking on the right opportunity. In retrospect, even when I have been an employee I had an entrepreneurial mindset. The more enjoyable roles were those where I had more freedom to decide how things were done.

Don’t even get me started on an entitlement mindset.

Newsflash time. It is possible to love what you do for a living. And you do not have to be pigeonholed by whatever your college degree is. Or by not having a college degree.

Being inspiring? Also part of my job. So whatever it takes to make that happen … part of my job. Maintaining good mental and spiritual health … part of my job.

In order to be inspiring you need to be inspired. So I make sure I put forth the time and effort to get inspired. I don’t sit back and wait for it to happen. Other than the aforementioned taking care of myself … for me, getting inspired is reading (the bible, leadership books, random fiction and nonfiction, articles and blogs), writing, thinking / praying / listening, playing in the kitchen, figuring out what makes people tick, listening to music, playing music. Sorry, no arithmetic. You were thinking it, I know you were.

So here’s my thought for the day. When the world starts getting a little too loud and tries to pull you in fifty directions … tell it to talk to the hand and go get inspired.

Discernment

Do you believe everything you read?

I write this blog not as a source of scientific data, but to make you think, to make me think, and because I like to write.

A writer connection shared this thought, “Real writers don’t write for recognition. They don’t do it for fame, accolades, or notoriety. They do it because they cannot not write.” Thank you, Jeff Goins. Guilty as charged.

Most of the time I’m writing about theological and faith-based observations … however on the subject of scientific nerdiness …

I have been noticing a plethora of links on the social media to articles that look perfectly innocent and sciency. (That’s a real word, I’m sure of it.) But many of these posts have no basis whatsoever in scientific fact.

Most often I’m looking at nutrition-related articles, since nutrition is my business. I’ve been on the sales side, the engineering side, and the manufacturing side. I know a good clinical trial when I see it. So anything said in a blog-like post on a site with a URL along the lines of www.eatorganicordie.org, www.vegansrus.com, or www.monsantoisthedevil.net is not credible.

No offense to organic and vegan peeps. I eat some organic things. And while not vegan, I’m frequently vegetarian. (I eat a little poultry.) Just a personal choice. If you want to bring a steak over and throw it on my grill, have at it. Everyone should do their best to eat clean and healthy as much as possible. The exact dishes that constitutes is different for different people. And let’s face it, not everyone is going to go vegan. And not everyone has access to all-organic.

So I chuckle at the posts and comments on some of the social media. If I gave up everything people say you should NEVER eat … I think I’d be left with water, nuts, and twigs. I’m sure someone has a reason not to consume any of those, though, along with a sciency-looking blog post stating “facts” with no backup references.

I was in a discussion online the other day where someone was shrieking again about a particular ingredient being bad for you. I googled some stuff but didn’t really come up with sites other than www.youlldieifyoueatthis.org. So I asked for links and explained that I wasn’t finding anything scientific. “I have a food science background, so I like to dig into the details,” I said. The shrieker told me the exact phrase to google. Which was the exact phrase I had googled. J

Okay then.

Data available from credible research changes over time as we learn more. And sometimes data conflicts from study to study. That’s when we have to use the brain God gave us and dig into the assumptions and methods and so forth. And sometimes we have to act like a judge in a court of law and go with the preponderance of the evidence.

And sometimes we just don’t know.

So let’s remember … finding something on a page on the interwebs … does not necessarily make it true. Consider the data. Consider the source.

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.

 ~Romans 14:2-3