Dr. Blue Man

Economic Dichotomy

We live in a very interesting time-economically.  Dictionary.com defines dichotomy as “division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups”.  At this exact moment in time we have more Americans declaring personal bankruptcy than ever before.  The statistics are staggering.  One stat I read indicated that over 1.5 million people would declare personal bankruptcy this year and that figure is up 30-40% from last year.  Those “statistics” are even more sobering when you realize that they are your neighbors, friends, business associates, and relatives.  

At the same time, at this exact moment, one of the fastest growing minorities in America is millionaires, specifically home-based millionaires.  How can those two things simultaneously be true?

One of the big reasons for this is the further demise of the middle class.  It is disintegrating right before our eyes.  This brings up a question each of us must answer- which of those two groups do you want to be part of?

Hung by the Tongue

Some people just have a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.   It can be the beginning of the conversation.  It can come in the middle, other times it is the last thing said in a conversation.  Some call it being, “Hung by the Tongue!”

You and I see it everyday.  A state trooper pulled a man over for speeding on a deserted road. Since the road was clear and the weather fine, the trooper had indicated that he may not give the man a ticket, and let him off with a warning. He even complemented both the man and his wife for wearing their seatbelts. At that point the woman leaned over and said, “Well, officer, when you drive the speeds we do, you have to wear them.” That’s when the trooper wrote the ticket. Hung by the Tongue!

There is an ancient Japanese proverb that says, “A tongue three inches long can kill a man six feet tall.”

If you are continually being “hung by your tongue,” you can be “loosed from the noose” if you would just learn to engage your mind a little bit before you speak! Here’s the process: Think... then speak! I believe that we need to make our words sweet—just in case we have to eat them!

The words of your mouth are a creative force. They play a big part in predestining your future. Your words are the architects of your life. The tongue is like a tool. We need to use our tools of the present to build the future we desire.

You see, your future will someday be your present. Your present will someday be your past. You can chart the course of your future by your compass... your tongue. It will guide you like a rudder... into either troubled waters or a calm sea. But, don’t be misled... it WILL guide you.

If you can change what you think about, you can change what comes out of your mouth. What comes out of your mouth will someday be in your future.

The words you speak create an atmosphere. If you are going to have a meeting and you really pump it up and build it, what happens? People come with expectancy! They come excited. Your words have set the stage for success! One of the foundational revelations of a wise leader is to learn to control his or her words!

Remember, Samson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Way too many businesses, lives and relationships are destroyed with the same weapon.

Refuse to be... Hung by the Tongue

Prescribed by,

 

Integrity Is the Real Bottom Line

Is integrity important today? The dictionary defines integrity in terms of soundness of moral character, adherence to ethical principles and being unimpaired. Its Middle English root is related to integrate (to bring together as a whole) and integral (complete and whole). These references to wholeness rightly suggest that integrity affects all aspects of our lives, which is why it is like a healthy investment portfolio filled with blue chip stocks such as honesty, fairness and loyalty.

It seems to me that integrity that strengthens an inner value system is the real human bottom line. It means that you don’t base your decisions simply on being politically correct. You do what’s right, not what’s fashionable. You know that truth is absolute, not a device for manipulating others. And it’s not just in the major decisions that this quality is needed. 

Returning phone calls, showing up to meetings on time, paying your bills, are little things but complete integrity in little things is no little thing at all. As it has been said many times, “The devil is in the details” and “elephants don’t bite, but fleas do.” There are no degrees of integrity. You have it or you don’t. Being slightly dishonest may be a safe adventure for a time. But one day, inevitably, little details will be noticed and the piper will have to be paid. Your word is more valuable than a surety bond. What you are speaks so loudly no one can really hear what you say. If what you do matches what you say, your life will speak forcefully indeed. In people, we value honesty more than any other virtue. We expect it from our leaders. We must demand it from ourselves.