Is it only the traditional male quality of being brave and strong? Or, is there an additional part of the definition that modern society needs now more than ever.

Are you also a good husband and father?

Do you, as an example, like to hide behind your role as the bread winner which thereby excuses you from all the other duties that are unfairly delegated to your wife? If that is your approach to being a husband and father, your sons will have a role model who prepares them for a future marriage destined for a train wreck.

Today’s modern woman deserves a partner who is a partner!

If not today, when?

At the age of 89, my dad lay dying in the hospital. The doctor told us that he had suffered a heart attack, his kidneys had failed and his lungs were filling with fluid. Being the oldest of six children, I was asked by my mother to break the news to him that he was dying.

We gathered around his bed and I told him all the facts. He reached out to hold our hands and said, “Well guys, what can I say?” As with a single voice, we all replied, “You said it with your life!” He had lead a very exemplary life, one which all his children try to emulate.

What are you saying with your life?  Is it worth emulating?

If not today, when?

 

 

There is no more intimate relationship than that between spouses. Ironically, the act of cheating creates great harm to both parties. This is always true because the offending party must live with the betrayal and its detrimental effect on self esteem.

Everything we do in this life always calls for this basic question: Do I feel better or worse about myself as a result of my recent action? If you have difficulty living with yourself, others may find it  difficult living with you also.

Trust is the glue of relationships. Once the glue is gone, the willingness to reconcile falls unfairly on the offended party.

A simple life is a happy life.

Keep it simple!

If not today, when?

 

Are you a good decision maker? Most of your present life situations are probably the result of the decisions you’ve made up to this point.

Do you weigh the pros and cons of a pending decision before you decide or do you merely act on impulse? Most decisions have consequences that can last a long time, maybe for the rest of your life. So, don’t make a decision without asking yourself what the long term effects could be.

Our decisions are like a series of building blocks piled on top of one another. Take a moment to evaluate your track record as a decision maker.

It is never too late to improve your decision making skills!

If not today, when?

 

Yesterday, we attended a football game between two high schools located in the inner city of Detroit.

We began conversing with an older man sitting near us. I told him that I loved these kids and that I know they have such a hard life that is very unfair in terms of their hope for the future. He said, “I agree, but they don’t know it yet. They will learn later on.”

Those kids don’t know how bad their life is. Do you know how good your life is?

Wake up!

If you have your health and access to good medical care, safe neighborhoods, food on the table and someone who loves you, you have it all!

If not today, when?

Why are you unhappy at work? Is it the boss, co-workers, the pay, the physical environment or are YOU the problem?

I think you must first look at yourself and what you bring to your job. Don’t carry your personal problems with you when you walk through the door each morning. Be  a positive person even if you don’t feel positive about your situation. In other words, “Fake it till you make it.”

Are you hesitant to leave your present job because you are afraid of change? That’s the wrong reason to stay. Fear cripples good decision making!

If this job is truly a dead end for you, look elsewhere. With the current strong economy, job opportunities abound!

Go for it!

If not today, when?

 

 

Words, like many other things in life, can be weaponized. Spoken in anger, they can become the most hurtful power on earth!

We’ve all done it in the course of our lives.

Hurtful words can fracture a relationship, sometimes beyond repair. So, what can we do about those relationships that are reparable?

I believe a spoken apology can be the first step on the road back to reconciliation. The offended party, however, may want and deserve more. To prove that your spoken apology is genuine, you must follow it up with tacit proof of your contrition.

Tacit proof must come in the form of consistent acceptable behavior and the commitment that you’ll never jeopardize this relationship again.

If not today, when?

 

Are you a good talker, but not a good doer? You’ve heard the saying, “He’s all talk and no action!”

Talk is the easy part. Action is an entirely different thing altogether.

If you promised to go back to school after dropping out, will you? I have found great joy by overcoming my fears and doing something I always talked about.

It was the 2005 Port Huron to Mackinac Island Yacht Race. The morning we were to depart, I was filled with anxiety. As it turned out, we were hit by a huge storm that tossed us around for eight relentless hours, but we survived. When crossing the finish line, I felt one of the greatest exhilarations of my life!

Will you live up to your words?

If not today, when?

Of the many things you might want to do, where does self improvement fit in your list of priorities?

My wife has a saying that I like very much. She says, “God is not done with us yet.” In other words, there is in each of us the need and the opportunity to become better people.

Two aspects of personal growth that are my priorities are kindness and gentleness. The harsh realities of life do not necessarily have to dictate how we treat loved ones,  friends or complete strangers.

On the contrary, I believe those of us who have received many of life’s blessings, must pass those blessings along to those who suffer.

It is never too late to deliberately improve the way you live your life!

If not today, when?

We know that parenting is necessary when our children are young. It doesn’t end, however, when they move out of the house.

Our next door neighbor had a little ceremony he performed each time one of his kids graduated from college. When they returned home from the graduation, they would find a car sitting in the driveway facing away from the house. It was his way of saying, “You are on your own now. Goodbye!”

If you are the parent you should be, you must be available to your children throughout your life.

Because their problems as adults are actually more serious than those of their childhood, they still need your example and counsel.

Be a good lifelong parent!

If not today, when?