Freedom to Fail

If you have 11 minutes, Dave Ramsey talks about the subject of "failing" on Fox Business.

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

As a man, I was less concerned about raising a boy in today's culture than I was a girl. I think that's natural, but I'm still concerned about raising both.

I just finished reading Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Meg Meeker, M.D. Her "10 secrets" every father should know didn't reduce the amount of concern I have for raising my kids, it just helped me become better equipped to address them. This is why you should read this book if you have a daughter.

However, if you have a son who is or will be dating a girl, you should read this too. Why? Because as a responsible father, you have a responsibility of protecting the girls your son dates.

Conceptual Frameworks

Image by Fabiolo (pontedapedra) via Flickr

In my social circles, I have seen an interesting development. I'm sure many of you have experienced the same.

Older generations have a lower tolerance of government and a higher tolerance of church. Younger generations have a higher tolerance of government and a lower tolerance of church. This causes conflict.

There are inconsistencies in which people face issues as they move from one arena to another. Agreeing on a conceptual framework (or even a metaphor) to help work through the issues is a good first step.

What could happen if our political parties could agree on a framework to operate within?

Interestingness

I stumbled upon an endless interestingness. The page loads thumbnails of Flickr photos so you can just browse by placing your cursor at any edge of the page.

After looking at this, I started to think about another application I would like to see. After a quick search I couldn't find one. I haven't drilled down on details and not sure of it legitimacy. Here's the concept: I would like to see Pandora meet MySpace music.

I've heard several talented people's music on myspace pages who are aspiring artists. I don't usually browse for music, but only listen to what is served to me by friends or stumbles. That's one of the things I like about Pandora. I don't have to think about my playlist, it just serves it up.

Does this idea live anywhere on the web? If not, this is your opportunity to build it.

Post 500

This post marks a Pet Peeving milestone. It's post #500.

Multi-millionaires will tell you that the second million is a lot easier than the first. Perhaps the same logic can be applied to my next 500 posts. Blogging has become much easier for me since first starting in 2006. I will even confess that it's a little addictive now.

Perhaps blogging doesn't make me a good writer, but it certainly keeps from being worse. It also provides me an arena to practice self-discipline. It challenges me. It gives me a sense of achievement. It helps me keep awareness.

Thanks for reading and especially thanks for commenting. Your responses inspire and challenge me.

Here's to another 500 posts. I hope you'll stick around.

The elephant in my mind

Image via Wikipedia

Why do I blog?

The reasons have changed since I first started blogging but the main reason today is that I sometimes need to get the elephant out of my mind. If I don't acknowledge the elephant in the corner, it becomes distracting. Sometimes the elephant is related to work, sometimes it's not. The point is, blogging is just one of the ways to help me regain my focus throughout the day.

Prayer Lists for Physicians

Image via Wikipedia

My experience has been that prayer lists maintained by a church office list mostly people who are struggling with a physical ailment. I'd venture to say that 80% or more of most prayer lists contain those who are facing surgery or a long-term illness.

Most physicians I know believe in prayer and in several stories I have heard recently, they often find themselves depending on prayer for the well being of their patients.

Rather than just the church maintain a prayer list, imagine what it would do for a doctor's office to maintain a voluntary prayer list on behalf of their patients. Beyond the fact that Christians are to pray for each other, think of what it would do for the patient care. A few thoughts might be...grounds for providing documented success stories, instill confidence in patients' trust, make the practice stand out from others.

It would also be a great place for physicians to show humility and ask for prayer on cases that are a mystery. If you think it's a good idea, send this to your physician friends after you add your own 2 cents.

Being disrespected is your fault

Image via Wikipedia

As a leader you should give others a reason to respect you other than the fact you're their boss. As an employee you should give your leaders a reason to respect you for reason other than the fact you work for them.

As a parent, your children need reasons to respect you in addition to you simply being mom and dad. As a child, you need to be more than just a daughter or son.

As teacher, you need your students to respect you outside the classroom. As a student, you need your teachers to respect you beyond your grades.

As a friend, a husband, or wife, you need others to respect you as if they've never met you before.

If people don't respect you it might be because you think it's their fault.