BABIES DON’T KNOW THEY’RE BABIES

“I’m different.”

The entitled really think they deserve special treatment. They don’t think they should have to start at the bottom and work their way up. They think they are a cut above, a big cut above most others. They think they are on another level.

 

Now they don’t see it that way
They would tell you they are “hard workers.” They would tell you they don’t want something for nothing. They’ll tell you they have had to work for everything they have ever gotten. But they’re just talking. They don’t even understand the words they’re saying…just like babies.

 

They aren’t rotten, they’re just immature.

All babies are entitled. They are totally dependent on others and they expect to be taken care of, immediately! If you don’t they’ll let you know. They expect you to be at their beck and call. 

 

It makes sense because we brought them here…they didn’t ask to come. If we are responsible for getting them here…they expect us to do our job and take care of them!

 

But you are supposed to grow up!
Step by step, as you grow from being totally dependent on others to becoming totally independent on your own. The last piece of this journey is getting to where you support yourself…you make your own money! 

• It only makes sense because when you’re grown you want to make your own decisions about your life and it’s reasonable to expect you to pay for them.
• The feeling of entitlement dies when confronted with the real world of making your own income. The realities of earning your own way teaches you how the world works. 
• You learn your value is established by what you do. You realize no one has any sympathy for you because they have to earn their own way too…and no one has any sympathy for them either.

Step by step, entitlement disappears and maturity emerges…it’s called growing up. 

But until they have to earn their own way they’ll never understand…because inside, they think THEY are different. So be patient…you were a baby once too.

The #1 Reason to Forgive

You're not perfect and you need forgiveness too.  

You'll be making mistakes too. You haven’t been accused of living the perfect life have you? Then, you're also going to need those around you to cut you some slack. That's more likely to happen if you are forgiving of them.  

We hear a lot about being a country of second chances.  
Forget second chances. We all mess up so much that we're continually needing three, four, five, six, seven chances.

That's why in the Bible when they asked Jesus how many times he should forgive their neighbor, they asked 7 times and He said no, forgive them 70 times 7! It seems like they needed more than second chances back then too.

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  (Matthew 18:21-22)

So if you want to have great relationships for those around, you ease up. 
Give them some room to fail and when they do, forgive.  Don’t expect them to do the impossible.

That doesn't mean that if somebody does something terrible there doesn't need to be consequences. Even some times, severe consequences.  

 

However, that doesn't mean you need to hold it against them.  

You'll find this easier to do if you are someone who forgives yourself. You'll find the most rigid people are those who are unforgiving of themselves.

That’s not a good way to go through life.  
You'll always be dissatisfied, always expecting yourself to live up to a standard you have no hope of achieving.  

It's much easier to forgive yourself when you realize that God in heaven has already provided a plan of forgiveness for you. It’s available through his Son, Jesus Christ. If He will forgive, why wouldn’t you forgive yourself?

• To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;
  Daniel 9:8-10
• and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
  Luke 24:46-48 
• Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
  Acts 10:42-44
• to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’
  Acts 26:17-19
• In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
  Ephesians 1:6-8 

It's done.

It doesn’t you any good until you repent, ask for and accept that forgiveness, but He still has forgiven you. 

The sooner you realize that it might help you ease up a little bit on unrealistic expectations for yourself, your family, your kids, your coworkers, and your friends.  

That's the No. 1 reason to forgive others. Because you are not perfect either and God has provided forgiveness for you.

Planning Ahead

Always.

One thing you can be sure of whenever you build a house, it is going to cost you more than you expect.  

It’s not just you. Ever notice what happens every time the Pentagon submits their projections for building a plane or a new battleship.

The same happens when Congress authorizes building a new bridge or new highway project. By the time the projects are completed…SHOCK…cost overruns!

Things always take longer, cost more.
You could almost automatically add 30 percent on to the expected price of any house you might plan to build. It’s also a safe bet that you can take almost any project that you're starting, especially if it’s something you've never done before, and assume it’s going to take WAY more effort, way more cost of every kind than you expect. So don't be surprised once you get involved in a project and certainly don't stop just because you've got a cost or time overrun.  

Go after things you really want
Before you start anything, make sure that even if it goes over budget, costs more, in either time or money, it’s still going to be worth it. Be sure it’s that important to you. Otherwise don’t start.

Because if it's not that important, don’t even start the project because you're likely to spend time, spend money, and then decide not to finish it when it drags on and you lose interest. Terrible. What a waste.

So be smart, think ahead.
Take the time to LOOK before you LEAP. That’s why it’s called planning. It’s worth taking a little time to be sure you know what you’re getting into. You don’t want to over analyze things because then you might talk yourself out of some things you really want to do. All you need to do is…

Be prepared for things to cost more than you expect so you only pursue the things that really matter.

Winner's Book Club Selection of the Week: The 10 Rules of Sam Walton

The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results

WHAT ARE HIS “WINNER” CREDENTIALS?

From scratch, Sam Walton built the number one retail store in the world, Walmart. In the process he became the richest man in the world before he began dividing up his fortune among family members. He shared the wealth with his employees as well, with even company bus drivers becoming millionaires.

Set high expectations for everything you do.

That was always Sam Walton’s theme. Through a lifetime of incredible hard work he developed and refined the principles he used to win and grow his company and build the life he wanted for his family. In the last year of his life he wrote them down. Now you can discover and use his 10 Rules for yourself. They worked for him. They can work for you.

Amazon Editorial Review

As founder of Wal-Mart and its many successful divisions, Sam Walton reinvented the retailing industry through his singularity of focus, high expectations, and never-say-die attitude.

During his successful career, Sam Walton developed a list of what he considered the most important rules for entrepreneurial success. As far as he was concerned, there were ten key result areas that he considered pivotal to his own success.

Now, in The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results, author and former Wal-Mart employee Michael Bergdahl reveals these rules-and the stories behind them-to help you achieve success in both your professional and personal lives. Straightforward and to the point, this book offers valuable lessons that Walton himself followed, and taught, throughout his lifetime-from Rule #1: "Be passionately committed to achieving success" to Rule # 10: "Be different and challenge the status quo."

Whether you're an entrepreneur or an hourly paid employee, The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results will provide you with a blueprint for success that has proven itself time and again.

From the Inside Flap

Sam Walton was one of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time. He was also a self-made man. Starting from scratch, with a singularity of focus, he built Wal-Mart into the largest and most successful company in the world.

As a continuous learner, Walton was committed to constantly increasing his own knowledge. He challenged existing business theories and paradigms by developing and implementing a new set of rules and used this new information to build and improve every aspect of Wal-Mart. During his career, Walton—who associates respectfully referred to as "Mr. Sam"—developed a list of what he considered the most important rules for entrepreneurial success. As far as he was concerned, there were ten key result areas that he considered pivotal to his own success.

In The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results, author Michael Bergdahl offers you an insider's perspective of Mr. Sam's genius, by revealing the story behind the self-professed rules Walton embraced in order to become successful. Entwined in each of these rules are reoccurring themes of innovation, common sense, hard work, the power of positive thinking, and how to treat people.

With each chapter dedicated to one rule, you'll quickly discover how to:

• Motivate yourself and others to achieve your dreams
• Communicate with people and show that you care
• Appreciate and recognize people for their effort and results
• Listen to others and learn from their ideas
• Control expenses and save your way to prosperity
• Swim upstream, be different, and challenge thestatus quo...And much more

Each of Mr. Sam's ten rules is easily understandable and can be duplicated by anyone in both their professional and personal lives.