Pretending

26 Seconds

Every little boy and girl plays Let’s Pretend.  And sometimes it continues into adult life. 

We pretend we don’t know certain facts or tendencies.

My long-time friend Harold once said to me: 

“What are you pretending 

not to know?”

Great question.  Had I listened to him back then I could have saved myself a lot of money and grief.  Thankfully, I saw the light and ended that relationship.

Are you pretending? 

Do you see the light?

What are you going to do about that?

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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Practice

25 Seconds

I once knew a marathon runner who never finished her races.  She never trained and never got better.

I knew a drummer who never made it out of his high school band.  He never went near the practice room and improved.

I knew a basketball all-star who got dropped by his college coach.  He never showed up and participated in the practice sessions.

We get better at what we practice

I write every day because I want to get better.

Great golfers hit golf balls every day because they want to get better.

Are you willing to practice whatever it is you want to do?

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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The Itch

32 Seconds

We build our lives, we plan, we go to that great university and get that coveted degree, we marry the perfect mate, or not, we get that perfect job, or not, and life increases to warp speed.

But the itch never goes away.

That ever present itch – it can drive us crazy.  It can keep us awake at night. 

Some itches are mild irritants.  Others are persistent.  They just never go away. 

Like the itch to …

 Go somewhere else

  Try something new

   Get a new job

    Get a degree

     Have babies

      Sing

       Write

        Create

Has the itch happened to you?

Some itches need scratching. 

P Michael Biggs

Up-Words Web Site

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Are You Well-Traveled

(Somewhere around 59 seconds to read)

Are you well traveled? 

Take a mental break and read this, thanks to my Facebook friend Patti Burch. 

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to some people I know.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have never been in Doubt. That's a sad place, and I try not to visit there.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older! :  

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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What Good Is Hope

25 seconds

Someone once put up a sign that said 

It may not be a strategy but hope often gets us out of bed each morning in search of our dreams.

With hope …

-We get back up to bat

     -We ask for the date

          -We write yet one more blog

-We sing one more song

     -We publish one more book

          -We call just to say “I love you”

 

-We go to work

-We talk things out

-We do life

Everything that is done in the world 

is done by hope

(Martin Luther)

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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Sports Teach

 20 Seconds

Have you ever considered the value of playing a team sport?

Look at this:

Playing a sport will …

-Teach you how to win honorably

- Teach you how to lose gracefully

-Teach you respect for authority

-Teach you to work with others

-Teach you to manage your time

-Teach you to stay out of trouble

And you may even learn to throw or catch.

(Borrowed from TWENTY THINGS A MOM SHOULD TELL HER SON)

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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What Dreamers See

17 Seconds

What do dreamers see?

I think George Bernard Shaw got an A for this one.

“You see things and you say, 'Why?'

But I dream things that never were;

and I say, ‘Why not?’"

We live in an age of dreamers and entrepreneurs, yet there is still room for one more.

There is room for you.

What do you see?

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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The Pit Crew

22 seconds

In auto racing the win depends a lot on the pit crew. 

The pit crew does the work needed to get the car and driver back in action.

And so with us.

Who is your pit crew?

Who supports you?

   Who listens to you?

      Who feeds you?

         Who inspires you?

            Who monitors your vitals?

               Who teaches you?

Who gets you back on the road?

Give thanks to your pit crew today.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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Creativity's Birthplace

31 Seconds

 Want to know where creativity is born?

It’s born in vulnerability. 

Vulnerability.

You faced the chance of being wrong, to be laughed at, to face ridicule, and to fall flat on your face simply because you dared to create.

You pressed publish

You built

You drew

You wrote

You sang

You spoke

You took a class

You asked for the interview

You submitted the documents

You stepped out, you created and you faced vulnerability.

Way to go!

I am so proud of you.

P Michael Biggs

www.up-words.net

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Say "Yes"

34 seconds

“Yes” is a good word; actually it is a great word.

Yes opens doors.

     Yes causes things to grow.

          Yes teaches us new skills.

Is “yes” sometimes painful?

Yes. 

And look at what we learn from those experiences. 

Does “yes” sometimes lead to foolish things?

Yes. 

And look how we grow in spite of the foolishness.

Stephen Colbert gave a commencement address at Knox College in 2006.  In that speech he added this.

“As long as you have the strength, say ‘yes’.”

Cynics say no.

People of action say “Yes”.

And you get to decide all of the “yeses” in your life.

P Michael Biggs

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A Prayer for Off Days

33 seconds

Some days I need to pray a prayer like this one.  It is from Anne Lamott in her new book Help Thanks Wow.

Hi God

I am just a mess.

It is all hopeless.

What else is new?

I would be sick of me, if I were you,

But miraculously you are not.

I know I have no control over other people’s lives,

and I hate this. 

Yet I believe that if I accept this and surrender,

you will meet me wherever I am.

Wow.  Can this be true? 

If so, how is this afternoon – say two-ish?

Thank you in advance for your company … and

Blessings.

You have never once let me down.

Amen.

Order Help Thanks Wow HERE

P Michael Biggs

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Following

23 Seconds

 I have a question for you and me.

Are the people we follow

going where we want to go?

I read between 25 & 50 books every year.  Where are they leading me?

I watch a few movies every year?  Where are they leading me?

Jim Rohn, motivational speaking giant, once said:  “We are the sum total of the five people we spend the most time with.” 

Where are your five people leading you? How are they influencing you?

A thought worth thinking about.

P Michael Biggs

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