Good Ideas Aren’t Enough

November 28th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

Just having a good idea isn’t enough to make you successful. If that were enough, yours truly would have been wildly successful at the age of 6.  Unfortunately, success requires more than good ideas.

Truly good ideas, world-changing ideas, need to have a couple more things going for them:

The world has to be ready for them:

Do you think the world is really ready for a leprechaun-powered car (if they even existed)?  I don’t.  I’m not sure that the market would support any true initiative towards alternative fuels or mythical creatures.  But the market was ready for the iPhone when Apple introduced it.  The market was ready for Android phones.  Is the world ready for your ideas?

You have to work hard:

A good idea simply can’t succeed without a lot of hard work.  It takes work to fail the way to success.  It takes investments -  time, resources, and passion to truly bring life to a great idea.  Nothing truly worth accomplishing is not also worth the battle to get there.

Let’s step away from the leprechaun-powered cars for a moment.  Do you want to see an end to starvation or destitute poverty?  Do you want to make people smile?  Do you want to make it easier for people to self-publish?

Well, get ready for some work.  Sometimes I would prefer that ideas simply sprout and grow without effort.  But that’s not how the world works.  That’s not how it was designed.  So, let’s get out there and do the work to make the world a better place.

What are your passions?
What are your ideas?
Will you get out there and do something about them? 

 Good Ideas Arent Enough

What to Give for Christmas

November 25th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

If you’ve not already started, it’s time to think about Christmas. What you’ll get. What you’ll give. Where you’ll spend your time.

Especially in a time when it seems that jobs are paying less and stuff costs more, what we can’t buy may be depressing. It seems we can never spend enough to let people know how much we really love them.

But you have something much more valuable to offer than stuff. You can offer yourself. You are more valuable than anything you can buy. So, instead of offering trinkets and trash (it all ends up in the trash eventually), find ways to offer your time and your attention and your love and your faith.

  • Be present when you’re with people
  • Turn off the TV and play games
  • Take a vacation
  • Share a meal
  • Volunteer together
  • Go for a walk
  • Share stories about your childhood
  • Just listen and enjoy being with people.
  • Pray and worship together

Those are just a few of my suggestions. What ideas do you have?

 What to Give for Christmas

Giving Thanks

November 24th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

Today’s post is about you and the people you love. Who are you thankful for?

Most of the time when we think of giving thanks, we think of things. You know, iPods and running water and having nice houses. But what about people?

Many times the people we love bring more to our lives than the stuff that steals our attention. Why not take a minute to let the people who add value to your life know that they’re important to you?

Why not do it now?

 Giving Thanks

Where You Can Find God – Mini Post

October 28th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger 1 comment »

People look for God in all kinds of places.  Here’s just one uncommon place where you can find God.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:17-18

If we know that God is near to the brokenhearted, doesn’t it make sense that we might find him there? That, perhaps, by serving them and being part of God’s deliverance – actually being the answer to their prayers – we might see God more clearly?

 

 Where You Can Find God   Mini Post

Does Facebook Cheapen Your Relationships?

October 24th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

Have you ever wondered if Facebook cheapens your relationships? Seriously, have you thought about whether you’re building relationships or just serving some narcissistic need to feel informed, important, and connected? About whether you really care about people or are simply using social conventions to get ahead in life?

Note: If your approach to Facebook and other social media is just lead generation and selling stuff, you probably won’t care about the rest of this post. But if you value relationships and care about your friends and acquaintances as people, keep reading and then leave your opinions in the comments.

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I love Facebook.

I think Facebook (and social media in general) is great. It’s great that I have an easy way to keep up with my friends from high school and church and to meet new people. Sure, there are some things that just can’t be replaced – like being in the same place at the same time – but there are a lot of things that it does really well.

In many ways Facebook is like CRM for my friends and acquaintances. It’s how I can keep up with what’s going on in their lives (or at least what they share). It’s how I remember birthdays and anniversaries. It’s even how I often learn about prayer needs and social events.

And it requires so little effort. I love that.

» Read more: Does Facebook Cheapen Your Relationships?

Two Steps to Give Your Life More Meaning

October 20th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

Here are two super simple steps to give your life more meaning. If you’re looking for something more complex, so that you can feel better about yourself and not actually living a more meaningful life, keep looking.  But don’t worry –  just because they’re simple doesn’t mean they’re easy.

Practice them over and over in an iterative journey into more and more meaning.

Step 1: Figure out what devalues life and stop doing that.
Step 2: Figure out what adds value to life and do more of that.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat…

That’s it. Simple small changes practiced and compounded over time.

Bonus: Some things seem somewhat neutral. They don’t necessarily add value but they don’t necessarily devalue life. Think long and hard about putting those things in your life, because if you invest your life in things that don’t add value, you still end up devaluing your life’s potential.

Life is valuable. Make the most of it.

 Two Steps to Give Your Life More Meaning

Happy Anniversary, My Love

October 18th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

The Amazing Katherine:

You’re my favorite.  I love you more now than I did the day we were married.  Thank you for loving me and making these past three years the best in my life.

Happy anniversary!

 Happy Anniversary, My Love

 Happy Anniversary, My Love

Could a “Not to Do” List Change Your Life?

October 12th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

I’m sure that you’ve heard about a “to do” list but have you ever considered a “not to do” list? Seriously, a “not to do” list can change your life.

I suspect that many people don’t consider this but it’s as difficult to stop a negative habit as it is to start a positive habit. And it can be as easy to forget what we don’t want to do as it is to forget what we do want to do when life gets busy and priorities start piling up. It’s good to define what’s most important but sometimes we need a system to remind us of what isn’t important as much as we need a system to remind us what is.

Enter the “not to do” list.

I don’t remember where I first heard about the “not to do” list but I know it wasn’t my idea. That said, I’ve been using one for the last year or so and it can help me regain or retain my focus on what’s most important. It can help me make decisions about how I should (or shouldn’t) spend my time.

Here’s the “not to do” list that I came up with last year. I’m sure it’s not perfect but it’s served me well so far.

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How about you?

Do you use a “not to do” list?
Why or why not?

 Could a Not to Do List Change Your Life?

4 Steps to Maximum Effectiveness

October 10th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger No comments »

Welcome to Monday. No other day so reminds us of how difficult it can be to get it all done.  And, if you’re like me, it’s probably the one day you hope to be the most effective.  There are probably a zillion things on your desk all crying for your attention. People have been emailing and calling over the weekend. And, unless you cleared your desk before you left for the weekend, you probably have something left over from last week.

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So, how can you get it all done? How can you answer your email and fleece lemmings and chase gnomes and design leprechaun fashion and invest in your key relationships? » Read more: 4 Steps to Maximum Effectiveness

Fail Like a Baby to Succeed

October 7th, 2011 by Bryan Entzminger 2 comments »
Fail Like a Baby to Succeed is a guest post by Aaron Shaver (@shaversrazor), who blogs at aaronshaver.com.  I’ve known Aaron for several years and I think you’ll enjoy what he has to say.  Aaron’s a youth minister, an actor, a new father, and is really passionate about Jesus.  He and his Elaina wife live in Nashville, TN along with their new son.

My 16 month old son, Caius, went fully mobile about 4 months ago. Since he started walking, the adventure of being new parents has shifted gears for me and my wife. We’re now in constant panic/stealth mode. Baby-proofing the house is not enough when your child begins walking and, soon after, graduates to running. Lately, every room in our house suddenly seems to have “Death Trap Awaiting Your Child” marked over it. Needless to say, raising a fully mobile child has tested my reflexes and heightened my ninja/parenting senses.

My boy as also taught me a few things in his 16 months on this planet. Like, when he wants something, he will find a way to get it. And, the word “shame” is not in his vocabulary. Actually, a lot of words are not in his vocabulary…but for the sake this blog… » Read more: Fail Like a Baby to Succeed