Building a Clubhouse and The Importance of Working as a Team

What does building a clubhouse have to do with teamwork?  It has everything to do with teamwork unless you are building it on your own.

Building anything takes a lot of hard work.  You have to make the plans, get the materials, find the necessary tools and then spend time putting everything together.  Having some help from family and friends can get the project done quickly and easily.  However, there is something very important that is needed from start to finish if you are working with other people.  Do you have an idea what that very important thing is?  If you said TEAMWORK, you are correct!  Working together towards a common goal can be fun and rewarding and it makes the job easier.

So let’s take a look at 3 children who discovered the importance of teamwork.  Their names are John, Mary and Peter.  John lives on a farm with his sister Mary and Peter lives down the road on the edge of town.  They spend all summer playing in the woods surrounding the farm and along the creek.  They love being outside all day every day but when bad weather comes along, they are stuck inside.  This summer they decided to build a clubhouse.

It was exciting to share ideas and make plans.  There was lots of old wood and skids in a big barn on the farm and all sorts of tools available.  They decided on putting the clubhouse in a small open area with a big tree just behind the barn.  The tree would provide shelter and they could put up a tree swing to play on.  Everything was perfect!

They spend a whole day gathering wood, nails, screws and tools.  There was even an old window and door in the barn they could use.  They brought everything to the site where they would build the clubhouse and covered it with a tarp so they could start working the next day.

John, Mary and Peter got up early the next day and went to the work site.  They started putting some skids together for the floor and a frame for the sides.  Things were going well and then John picked up the window and started to nail it into the frame at the side of the playhouse.  Mary yelled for him to stop because she thought the window should be at the back, not the side.  Then Peter said he thought the window should be at the front beside the door.  John put the window done and all 3 argued about where the window should go.  This ended badly and all 3 started back to their homes, leaving the materials in a heap on the ground.  The clubhouse didn’t get built that summer.

 So what happened?  John, Peter and Mary couldn’t agree on where to put the window.  Each of them had a different idea and nobody wanted to talk about it or try and work together on a plan. 

Teamwork is very important if you want to have a good end result.  We all have great ideas and we all should make our opinions heard but if we can’t reach an agreement that works for everyone, nobody wins and we all lose.  Sometimes we have to agree to disagree and try new things instead of just doing what we want.  If 3 people want the same result but want to do it in 3 ways, it will never work. 

When you are working on any type of project, look at all the options and then try something different.  All through life, we have to work with other people and we can learn a lot from each other.  We really don’t know everything, even if we think we do.  We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses.  Our strengths may be another person’s weakness and we can help them in many ways.  Our weaknesses may be another person’s strengths and they can help us learn something.

When people work together as a team, they are strong and have power.  When people don’t work together they are weak and have little or no power.  Always remember the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall”.  Do you believe this is true?

Being thankful during the coronavirus

Without doubt, the world is dealing with a serious problem.  The coronavirus has caused havoc everywhere.  People are sick and dying, businesses are closed, money is tight.  Social distancing has become a new way of life and it isn’t easy.  How can we be thankful during this difficult time?

Focusing on our problems keeps us stuck in negative thinking and this will never have a positive outcome.  This pandemic may last for weeks or even months but it WILL pass.  We need to focus on things that will bring us through this tragedy and give us hope for the future.  We have the power to make our own choices.  We can allow our fears to take control of our lives and expect the worst or we can have a positive perspective and think about everything that is good in our lives.

This virus is a terrible thing and we need to use common sense and be careful in everything we do.  We certainly don’t want to get sick and we need to take all necessary precautions (washing hands, social distancing, staying home as much as possible) to avoid this from happening.  However, it is comforting to know that most people who get sick are recovering from the illness.

It is always important to be thankful for all the good things in our lives but especially now so we don’t lose our hope and joy.  Make a list of the things you are thankful for and post it on your fridge or somewhere that is visible so you can be reminded.  Here are some things to get you started:

• Our families – start building closer relationships
• Our friends – connect daily with them by phone, email or social media
• Our health – stay indoors as much as possible, exercise, take daily walks using social distancing, eat healthy and of course wash your hands often!
• Our houses, food to eat and clean water to drink – think about all the people in the world who are homeless and don’t have these advantages
• Our health care workers and everyone who is selflessly doing essential jobs to keep us safe and healthy
• Our governments who are doing their best to contain this virus and help families with their finances.

What can you add to this list?

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Family traditions

Most families have some kind of family traditions that they celebrate at certain times of year or even every day.

• a festive meal at Christmas followed by singing carols and opening presents
• a family gathering at church for an Easter celebration
• a backyard barbeque for a summer birthday
• an annual vacation to a favourite campground
• reading stories at bedtime

Traditions form the foundation of our families and remind us that we are part of something other than ourselves.  They bring families together and give us the chance to celebrate things that really matter in life.  Traditions allow time for creating lasting memories and honouring past generations by sharing stories, beliefs and values.

It is important that we use every opportunity to follow old traditions and create new ones.  They shape our personality and help us develop a positive sense of belonging.  Taking the effort to keep traditions alive is time well spent.  Research shows that families who spend time together have stronger connections and experience fewer emotional and behavioural problems.

If you don’t have any family traditions, why not start some right now.  Traditions are important for keeping families together and helping us bond with those we love.

Are you competing with people or against people?

The world is always pressuring us to compete against others and that winning is the most important thing.  How does this affect us?  Does it make us better or does it make us feel like failures?  Competition is a good thing, it allows us to measure ourselves with others and see where we need to improve.  The problem is we are competing against people and not with people.   Society is obsessed with winning and leads us to believe that if we lose, we are failures and have no value.

The fact is we can’t all win; someone has to lose but this does not make us a loser or a failure.  Competing with others should be a time to enjoy being with others who have the same interests, share ideas and celebrate with the person who does win.  Competition can be a good learning tool that will help us measure how we are doing and let us become a better version of ourselves.

Social media especially makes us feel bad because it always points out the people who are the most beautiful, the most successful, the most powerful;  the people who have it all and have everything we want.  Sadly most of these people are also the most miserable because money and power does not make people happy and it really doesn’t really measure success.  In my opinion, success is achieved when you feel that you have done everything in your power to be the best person you can be and you are satisfied with your life.

When someone wins a game and the rest lose, everyone loses.  However, when someone wins and everyone supports each other, everyone wins.  Instead of competing against others, try competing with them to achieve your goals.  Be a positive influence and show others the importance of working together to become stronger and smarter.

Winning doesn’t always mean being first.  Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.  Bonnie Blair

A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.  Larry Bird

Competing at the highest level is not about winning.  It’s about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people and heart.  Winning is the result.  Joe Torre

Turn your New Year’s Resolutions into Goals

What is a resolution?  The dictionary describes it with various terms:  a firm decision, solving a problem, finding solutions, improvements, a formal statement, a firmness of purpose, etc.   All these things may be good, but they are basically thoughts and not actions.  They are the beginnings of what could be great endings.  Everything starts with a thought but something needs to be done with those life-changing thoughts or they will never become reality.

This is the problem with making New Year Resolutions.  We start off the year with all sorts of ideas and plans which is really great but then we get bored, impatient or frustrated and we give up.  Life gets in the way and we keep on with our bad habits, struggling and feeling like we have failed until the next year rolls around.  Then we try again.

Change doesn’t come easily.  It takes patience, perseverance and planning.  Instead of just resolving to do something, we need to turn our resolutions into realistic goals that we can work towards.  The most important step in making change is writing down your thoughts.  Just leaving thoughts floating around in your head will rarely accomplish anything.

• write down all your amazing ideas and thoughts
• circle the 1-3 most important things you want to accomplish in the next year; don’t try to do too much or you will soon become stressed and not be able to keep going
• set up a plan to accomplish those things, breaking them down into small steps than can be easily be done every day or week
• every day, check off what you have done in order to accomplish your goals
• if you don’t succeed that day, don’t beat yourself up, just promise yourself you will do it the next day
• keep going even when you feel frustrated or defeated
• celebrate small victories as you go along
• get family and friends involved so they can encourage and support you
• review your goals and make necessary revisions if something is not working properly

If you stick to a WRITTEN PLAN, you sill soon seen some positive changes happening.  Be patient, be persistent and you will be victorious!

 

Don’t let your past weigh you down

Past regrets are a heavy burden.  They can weigh you down and destroy any chance of having a happy, fruitful life.  Don’t allow the past to hold you back and keep you from moving forward in life.  Forgive people for hurting you, loving them is far more important than holding grudges about something that is over and done with.  And stop worrying about the future; most of the things we worry about never happen anyway.  Regret and worry just rob us of the joy and peace that we could be experiencing today.  When things are difficult, love harder, encourage others and be supportive.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24

I AM SICK OF POLITICS!

I try not to listen to the news because it rarely is about anything good, especially when politics are the topic.  This week was no exception.  I heard Prime Minister Trudeau apologizing for something he should NEVER have apologized for because he really did nothing wrong.  He dressed up in fun and I could see nothing ‘racist’ about his behaviour.  Every year tons of people, including myself, dress up for Halloween, painting their faces black, white, yellow, purple, green and various other colours to become their favourite hero, an actor or someone famous.  Are these people being racist?  What about people who make movies and dress up to play the part of another nationality?  Racism?  What about kids who just like to dress up when they play to have fun?  Racism?  Come on people.  If you were hurt by these pics, then you have some very serious identity issues.

Racism is wrong.  Hatred is wrong.  Evil is wrong.  We see real examples of racism every day and we need to address the real problems, not waste time on non-issues like this.  Nobody should ever hurt another human being for any reason.  We should all work hard to lift each other up with our words and actions and when we fail, we should apologize.

These photos were conveniently dug up to make Trudeau look bad just before an election.  The person who did this has way to much time on their hands and if they truly care about racism, they should be spending their time with organizations that actually work hard to help people in these situations.

Instead of saying someone is “running for election“, they should more aptly say that they are “running around trying to find something bad to say about the other parties“.  I am really sick of listening to parties running each other down and digging up stuff in their past.   We can look into almost anyone’s past and find something to make them look bad if we try hard enough.  We all do things we are not proud of, but unless they are affecting the people around us in our present life, they are not worth addressing.  Purposely destroying another human being is wrong and this is just as bad as racism.

Politics should be about different parties that consist of people with integrity and honesty, bringing the best leader possible in front of the country.   Parties should be spending their time researching ways to benefit the country and how they can make things better instead of looking for garbage that is destructive.  Leaders should be telling us what they can do for us and not what the other party can’t!

The world is in sad shape and we need responsible leaders.  Where are they?  I am still looking……….

WHO is teaching your children?

As our children grow, they learn from everyone and everything around them.  They see and hear all sorts of things that catch their attention and they will try to imitate many of them.  When they are seeing and hearing positive things, it is a good thing and this will have a positive effect on their lives.  However, many of the things they hear and see are not very positive and could have a devastating effect on their lives.

Parents should be the main teacher for their children and be providing them with a positive example to follow.  However,  many parents today do not spend a lot of time with their children due to a busy schedule or lack of awareness in how to parent a child properly, and their children are left to finding guidance in other ways.  This could be from other family members or friends who may or may not be the best teachers.  Some children are left a lot in the hands of the TV or Media babysitter, who will certainly teach your children to be selfish, disrespectful, greedy and to expect the world to give them whatever they desire.  Is this the kind of child you want??  Is this the kind of child the world needs??  Of course not!!

We need to teach our children to be kind, loving and to respect other people so they will become responsible and confident adults.  Children want to communicate with their parents and to spend time with them.   If we are too busy to teach our children, they will learn from someone or something else.

So, WHO is teaching your children?

Countdown to Christmas! Do you have all your gifts ready?

Christmas is only 2 days away.  Do you have all your gifts ready?  I don’t mean those shiny, expensive things wrapped and sitting under the tree.  I mean all the important things like:

• the gift of love for your family and friends
• the gift of forgiveness for everyone you know, NOT just those who are nice to you
• the gift of sharing everything you have with others
• the gift of compassion for those who are in a dark, unhappy place
• the gift of time to spend with others, creating awesome new memories
• the gift of serving by doing something helpful for someone else
• the gift of conversation and taking time to sit and listen

These gifts don’t put a dent in your finances but they are worth far more than anything money can buy.  Life can be full of happiness when you show love to others through your actions.  Spread joy around this year by searching inside for those wonderful gifts you already have and share them with your loved ones.

Which child feels more loved?

This is a story about 2 little girls called Sarah and Sally.  Their parents love both of them dearly but one of them doesn’t feel very loved.  After reading this story, you can decide which one I am talking about.

Sarah is 9 years old and is a very easy-going child.  She is bright and attentive and likes to help the rest of the family.  Sally is 8 years old and is a very active and curious child.  She is always trying new things and gets very frustrated when they don’t work out as she expected.

Here is an example of what happens on a school morning.  Mom calls both of the girls to get up and get dressed.  In about 10 minutes, Sarah comes downstairs all dressed and ready to go.  Her mom butters her toast and asks if her sister is up.  “No, I haven’t heard her moving around yet”, Sarah replies.

Mom has to leave for work soon, so she runs upstairs to Sally’s room.  “Sally get up now.  You are going to be late again!”  Sally sits up in bed and rubs her eyes.  10 minutes later, she drags herself to the kitchen table.   ‘My goodness Sally!  Did you sleep in your clothes?  Why can’t you look neat and tidy like your sister.  Go upstairs now and put on a clean blouse.  And hurry up or you won’t have time for breakfast!”

Finally Sally comes down looking fairly nice, grabs a piece of toast and sits down.  “Sally, put on your shoes while you are eating.  The school bus will be here in a few minutes.  Your sister is already waiting on the porch.”

Which sister do you think left the house feeling loved?

It is pretty obvious.  The mother feels frustrated at her one child and rightly so.  But a little patience and encouragement would have helped the situation a lot better and created a positive environment for the children and the mother.  Comparing children is a really bad idea and it will create bad feelings between them.  All children are different and should be treated with respect.

What could the mother have done that would have had better results?

• Instead of yelling at the child who has difficulty getting up, mom could have just come into her room and gently woke her up with a “Good morning, see you downstairs in a few minutes.”
• Instead of getting angry with the rumpled clothing, mom could have said, “I think your blouse needs to be washed, it looks a bit dirty.   Why don’t you drop it in the clothes hamper and run up to your room and grab a clean one from your closet”.
• Instead of pointing out that her (perfect) sister Sarah was all ready and waiting for the bus, mom could have said, “Can you quickly put on your shoes while eating your toast and then join your sister on the porch, please?”

It is difficult to watch what we say to our children, especially when we feel tired and stressed.  However, our words can have a terrible effect on our children if we aren’t careful and we can get stuck in a habit of negatively talking all the time.

Developing a habit of positive self-talk takes a lot of time and patience but it will benefit everyone around us: our families, our children, our friends and even ourselves.