Make sure you take time to spend individual time with your spouse. Plan at least 1-2 trips per year away from the kids to enjoy each other. You don't want to be that older couple when you are empty nesters that have nothing to say to each other. You've seen those couple at restaurants, right? So make sure to make time to invest in your marriage and enjoy each other. It's the right thing to do and it models the way for your children to help make sure you have a healthy marriage.
The Bible clearly talks about not judging others. It is not your place to judge someone. Be careful as you get older not to judge, because as times change you may not understand the new ways, but you could miss out on getting to know an awesome person and a relationship that maybe God is trying to teach you something through. Watch your toungue because it it the doorway to a dark path if used the wrong way. So think before you speak, speak the truth in love, and hold your comments about someone to yourself. Focus on other's strengths and work to build them up. It's the right thing to do and it models the way for others. Watch having expectations. When you have expectations you have an idea of how things should be and when it doesn't turn out that way, you can be upset. Watch your expectations because just because someone does something a different way than how you do it, doesn't mean it's wrong it's just different. When you set expectations you can be let down versus allowing others to be themselves. Having expectations is really about you trying to control the situation, whether you fully understand that or not. Understand you can't be in control of everything, so give up control and let life just happen. After all it's the right thing to do and it models the way for others. Watch the sarcasm. If you have tendency to have a sarcastic sense of humor watch that because some people may not know how to take you. It could be that you may find it funny, but you could be offending others without even realizing it. Everyone has a different sense of humor, although some may parallel yours, be cautious not to offend others. For example, someone who says, "I'm not trying to be rude , but..." most likely whatever follows this phrase most would consider to be rude. Similarly, the sarcastic individual may give a nice compliment and then follow the compliment with a sarcastic comment . That sarcastic comment for many could negate the nice compliment given because they may not know how to take the sarcasm. Be genuine, be real, and look to see why you think the sarcasm is appropriate or what happened in your past for you to end up being sarcastic. At best, watch the sarcasm and only save it for those that know and understand you the most. After all it's the right thing to do and it models the way for others. Take your family to parades. Whether it be for Saint Patrick's a Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas or whatever they may have in your town, take your kids to the parade. It will show them that you all can have a great time together as a family and celebrate events together outside your home and not just around your dining room or kitchen table. It also gives you the opportunity to share history with your children. The family traditions you create and the memories you make will last a lifetime. It's the right thing to do and it models the way for others. "Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." Everybody has strengths, their unique combination of talents, knowledge, and skills. Strengths are the innate traits and abilities people use in their daily lives to complete their work, to relate with others, and to achieve their goals. Below are my top five strengths. How well do you think they describe me? When the boss is away, work hard like you would any other day. The best compliment you can give your manager is to do what you need to do, when they are away and even when you don't feel like it. It's the right thing to do and it models the way for others. Whenever your spouse is sick, like really sick, stay home and take care of her or him and your children. It will show them that you really care, and put you in a position to understand what they do every day and appreciate them for it. Taking care of the person you love and/or the people you love is the right thing to do and it models the way for others. If you've never taken a strength's finder or strengths assessment test I highly recommend it. I recently read a book StrengthsFinder 2.0 and took the online assessment. It was very insightful about how I'm wired and how I can best use my skill sets that I'm very good at already. It's an opportunity for you to see where your strengths are, instead of where your opportunities are. This is a theory from Donald O . Clifton , Ph.D. (1924-2003) along with Tom Rath and a team of scientists with the Gallup organization that by improving upon your strengths you can go further and become the best that you can be, versus the opportunity for you to be anything that you want to be, which just may not be true. By working on the strengths that you already have and then working in that field where your strengths would best be used, you can have a very fulfilling very rewarding and very impactful experience. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. It's a different way to look at yourself and at others, but I believe it is a better way in my opinion to be all that God designed you to be. And it models the way for others, especially those that work for you and those that look to to you. |
"Modeling the Way" BlogMark A. Watkins is a Region Sales Manager in the Midwest with Rollins, Inc. and strives to Model the Way as a Sales Leader, Teacher, Visionary, Innovator, Problem Solver, Coach and Mentor. Archives
August 2018
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