Design Your Own Luck–Introduction

I once read an article that claimed Bill Gates was “destined for greatness.” The writer stated Gates had the right parents, the right connections, the right bank account, and the right hometown, therefore poor Bill couldn’t help but become a multi-billionaire. Not only did this writer emphasize that geography and genetics gave Bill the silver spoon, he implied, in effect, that those who are not well born, well connected, or well off were practically doomed to live a life of drudgery. Bill was just one of the lucky ones, right?

Is life just a big game of chance? Is it true that some are destined for greatness while others are left to flounder through life? There is no doubt that geography and genetics are important factors in obtaining success. Being born in the United States, for instance, is something one doesn’t choose, but contributes greatly toward our chances of success and happiness. So, perhaps our place of birth could be considered a “lucky break.” On the other hand, many born in this country fail miserably at life. Yes, some are offered more breaks than others, but the secret to success is not the quantity of opportunities, but learning how to respond to them. Or, better yet, how to plan them.

So, what’s luck got to do with it? When someone quipped that the Dodgers were having a lucky year, then-manager Branch Rickey replied, “Luck is the residue of design.” In other words, luck can be planned.

There are basically two types of luck: that which we have no control over, and that which we can control. Or design.

Using the principles and elements of graphic design, this blog series will assist us as we develop an action strategy to design our own luck.

For the purpose of this series, the definition of success is “achieving a desired goal.” You may have many desired goals. Great! I know I do. And these principles can be applied to every aspect of life—finances, family, and faith.

Principles of Design:

Emphasis—Focusing on the Goal
Balance—Building the Best Foundation
Contrast—Standing Out from the Crowd
Unity—Forging the Right Relationships
Movement—Getting from Here to There
Pattern—Formatting the Game Plan
Rhythm—Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!

Elements of Design:

Space—Recognizing Your Potential
Shape—Identifying Your Personality
Form—Structuring Your Style
Texture—Releasing Your Creativity
Intensity—Increasing Your Passion for Excellence
Color—Monitoring Your Attitude
Line—Working within Your Boundaries

I look forward to this series and hope everyone will participate by posting suggestions and comments.

Have a blessed day, and Happy New Year!

Purpose Day

Today is the fifth day of Kwanzaa–Nia, which, in Swahili, means “Purpose.” I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with Kwanzaa, but the “happy holidays” controversy got me curious about other celebrations going on around me besides Christmas, so I read a bit about it. Without going into great detail, each day of Kwanzaa has a principle on which to meditate and act upon.

It’s appropriate that today, just two days before a new year, has been designated as Purpose Day. The meaning of the verb form of purpose is to set as an aim, intention, or goal for oneself; to resolve. For Kwanzaa, Purpose Day involves community purpose as well as self:

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

My personal purpose day involves completing my resolution plan of attack, so, in effect, I’ll be joining in with others who spend the day focusing on their purpose. And focusing on our purpose is key as we ponder our goals for the coming year.

For us to be successful, every day will be purpose day because each daily task should lead toward an ultimate result. Without that end in mind, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to stay motivated and implement the day-to-day habits that will be required to attain our goals.

For example, if my goal is to lose weight, my daily routine must include healthy eating and exercise. If I’m not reminded daily of my purpose–goal, intent, resolve–behind these changes of habit, it will be all too easy to slip back into my comfort zone and continue making the same poor choices that got me to this size in the first place.

In the past, I’ve blogged several series–one on non-fiction writing, another on perking up prose, etc., and I’ve been contemplating what should be my next blog series. Today I’ve decided. I once conducted a workshop called “Design Your Own Luck,” which is essentially a goal-setting series. I began compiling those notes into what will hopefully someday become a book. I’ll post the overview tomorrow, and then, Lord willing, on New Year’s Day, we’ll get going on the series.

Spend a little time today considering your purpose. Ask God what His purpose for you is.

Have a blessed day!

Bowl Me Over

Happy Birthday Today to:

President Andrew Johnson (born in 1808)
President Woodrow Wilson (born in 1856)
The state of Texas (attained statehood in 1845)
and…

The Bowling Ball (invented in 1862)

Actually, archaeologists have discovered evidence of bowling paraphernalia in the tomb of an Ancient Egyptian youth, buried in somewhere around 5200 B.C., so I don’t understand the whole thing about the bowling ball being invented in 1862.

In other bowling ball history that pre-dates its invention, early Americans used wooden balls, mostly constructed from oak. Some digging in Polynesia revealed in that ancient culture, stones were rolled at pins from a distance of 60 feet–the same distance from the foul line to the head pin in today’s modern bowling alleys. So, while some things change, some remain the same.

I poked around the Internet, attempting to discover more information about the bowling ball, but the only thing I found was that it was invented on December 29, 1862. No site I browsed mentioned by whom, where, or what constituted the “invention” of an item that had obviously been in use in some form or fashion for thousands of years. And the source quoted most often by the sites I viewed was “Useless Facts.”

None of that really matters, of course, except that bowling has a connection to my own birth. I was nearly born in a bowling alley, so I was interested in the birth of the bowling ball.

From what I remember, my dad was rolling the series of a lifetime. The first two games were in the mid-to-upper 200s, and his team was preparing to begin game #3 when my mother had a labor pain. Just one. I wasn’t the first child, so she felt she could handle a bit of labor while watching dad’s final game of the night. She’d wanted a little girl born in June, and it was approaching 11 p.m. on the 30th, so she knew I’d better hurry up if her wishes were to come true. Of course, they didn’t have ultrasounds back in those days, so the whole girl/boy thing was yet to be revealed to her, and her doctor was pretty adamant that she would deliver a little boy firecracker. They probably argued about it for months.

So, there we were…waiting. The woman sitting next to my mother, however, was not so content as mom to have me hang out (or rather, in) while dad finished his match. I mean, who wants to risk having to deliver a baby? In a bowling alley? Against mom’s wishes, this woman made her way to the floor and insisted that dad give up potentially the best series of his life and take mom to the hospital. A compromise came about: dad would bowl out game #3 alone, then we would leave.

The guys in charge moved Dad to two lanes, far from the action, and he finished his series. His score? 112. Oh, and I wasn’t born for nearly 4 more hours. Yeah, the great series bombed, and I’ve been blamed for it for the past 45 years. Sorry, Dad!

Website Updates

Since combining my web site & blog into one location, I’ve been working to upload content and articles from my previous site that many found helpful. You can find the items I’ve uploaded so far by clicking on the Links & Pages link on the header of each page. A drop down box will list the pages of this site. Last night I uploaded a number of articles as well as the complete Bible lesson series for the book of Esther.

Please check back, as I’ll be uploading other items as time permits.

Reading the Bible in 2007

Thanks for those who posted comments about our goals for the upcoming year. Sheryl said she’d read The Daily Bible, which I’m looking forward to doing beginning Monday. (I had accidentally referred to it as The One Year Bible, but she’s right–I went and looked at the cover. My poor brain is still on ham & fudge overload!)

Also, Cindi mentioned that she got her kids (now grown like mine ) The Bible Experience. I hadn’t heard of it, so looked it up. It’s put out by Zondervan, a long-trusted publisher of Christian materials. The Bible Experience is a dramatic audio presentation of the Bible. I may have to pick up a copy for my daughter with her 6+-hour drives back and forth to college.

I’ve found several on-line daily Bible reading sites. There are many different schedules ranging from chronological to daily readings that include a variety of passages each day–from Old Testament history, the way of wisdom writings (Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.), a portion of the prophets, and a New Testament reading as well. If you’re interested in checking out some of these schedules, just Google “read through Bible” and you’ll get a large number of responses. Here is one from HeartLight that has several choices of reading schedules. I’m considering posting a daily Bible reading schedule on my blog each day.

Of course the simplest method is just to pick up the Bible and start reading, but I usually get bogged down somewhere in the middle of Numbers! I’m glad to have a Bible-buddy this year. At least until he leaves for college! But I’m hoping by mid-August, I should be in the habit and will look forward to my daily time in the Word that I’ll keep it up without being prodded or reminded.

I hope everyone has a blessed day!

It’s that Time…

Okay, let’s hear ‘em! It’s time again to put our resolutions down on paper, post them into cyberspace, or record them in some method so we can refer back to them from time to time and check our progress. Those who’ve studied this sort of thing claim that having a written record of goals will increase the odds of attaining them by a tremendous percentage, so if you haven’t written them down before, try that this year.

Two of mine are in the top 10 list of Americans each year–lose weight; get organized. I usually throw “become more spiritual” and “write more” into the mix, too. This week, I’ve been working on a plan of attack for each goal, rather than just jotting down a non-specific broad hope. Experts indicate that this will also increase my odds of attaining the goals. When I get the plan laid out, I’ll post it so y’all can check up on me. And anyone who wishes to share their goals for the coming year is welcome to post them. We can encourage each other!
The coming year, as each year preceding it, will bring about changes. The big change for 2007 for me is that I will enter the empty nest stage of life. My son graduates from high school in May and has been accepted at a Christian university about 75 miles from home. An hour & a half drive isn’t bad considering my daughter chose an out-of-state school.

Speaking of goal-setting…my son plans to study pre-optometry, and my daughter is in a pre-med program and hopes to become a pediatrician. Very good aspirations for their educational and career goals. The three of us have also committed to read the Bible through this year. I bought them each a One Year Bible (published by Harvest House) that has the Bible laid out in chronological order with a built-in daily commentary. We’re excited about this and plan to do our daily reading together whenever we’re all home.

I hope everyone has a blessed day!

Okay, let’s hear ‘em! It’s time again to put our resolutions down on paper, post them into cyberspace, or record them in some method so we can refer back to them from time to time and check our progress. Those who’ve studied this sort of thing claim that having a written record of goals will increase the odds of attaining them by a tremendous percentage, so if you haven’t written them down before, try that this year.

Two of mine are in the top 10 list of Americans each year–lose weight; get organized. I usually throw “become more spiritual” and “write more” into the mix, too. This week, I’ve been working on a plan of attack for each goal, rather than just jotting down a non-specific broad hope. Experts indicate that this will also increase my odds of attaining the goals. When I get the plan laid out, I’ll post it so y’all can check up on me. And anyone who wishes to share their goals for the coming year is welcome to post them. We can encourage each other!
The coming year, as each year preceding it, will bring about changes. The big change for 2007 for me is that I will enter the empty nest stage of life. My son graduates from high school in May and has been accepted at a Christian university about 75 miles from home. An hour & a half drive isn’t bad considering my daughter chose an out-of-state school.

Speaking of goal-setting…my son plans to study pre-optometry, and my daughter is in a pre-med program and hopes to become a pediatrician. Very good aspirations for their educational and career goals. The three of us have also committed to read the Bible through this year. I bought them each a One Year Bible (published by Harvest House) that has the Bible laid out in chronological order with a built-in daily commentary. We’re excited about this and plan to do our daily reading together whenever we’re all home.

I hope everyone has a blessed day!

‘Twas the Day After Christmas

Here’s a little poem, just for fun, written by that world-famous poet, “Unknown.”

Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the house,
Every creature was hurtin’ even the mouse.

The toys were all broken, their batteries dead;
Santa passed out, with some ice on his head.

Wrapping and ribbons just covered the floor,
While upstairs the family continued to snore.

And I in my T-shirt, new Reeboks and jeans,
Entered into the kitchen and started to clean.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the sink to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the curtains, and threw up the sash.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a little white truck, with an over-sized mirror.

The driver was smiling, so lively and grand;
The patch on his jacket said “U.S. POSTMAN.”

With a handful of bills, he grinned like a fox.
Then quickly he stuffed them into our mailbox.

Bill after bill, after bill, they still came.
Whistling and shouting he called them by name:

“Now Dillard’s, now Broadway’s, now Penny’s and Sears
Here’s Robinson’s, Levitz’s and Target’s and Mervyn’s.

To the tip or your limit, every store, every mall,
Now chargeaway-chargeaway-chargeaway all!”

He whooped and he whistled as he finished his work.
He filled up the box, and then turned with a jerk.

He sprang to his truck and he drove down the road,
Driving much faster with just half a load.

Then I heard him exclaim with great holiday cheer,
“ENJOY WHAT YOU BOUGHT…
YOU’ll BE PAYING ALL YEAR!”

Christmas Q & A

Was Jesus really born on December 25?

Probably not. Most historians believe Jesus was born in the spring or even very late summer. The Romans usually waited until after harvest time to conduct the census, and some scholars believe Jesus was born near the end of September. Since the shepherds were out in the fields at night, the weather would have been warm.

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?

The ancient Norse people suffered through long winters and looked forward to winter solstice (usually around December 22) –the time where the days began to lengthen–as a promise of spring. They burned a “yule log,” which burned for about 12 days, and each spark represented the hope of new birth come spring–piglets, lambs, calves, etc. The Romans also celebrated winter solstice, and many of their pagan rituals concerned the church as many Christians participated in the pagan festivities. Therefore, Pope Julius I chose to create a Christian holiday during the mid-winter holiday season and selected December 25 as a day to celebrate the birth of Christ. The initial holiday was called “The Feast of the Nativity.”

Was the new Christmas holiday an overnight success?

Hardly! In fact, some Christians protested and Christmas was even outlawed in some areas because the Bible doesn’t state the birthdate of Jesus. It wasn’t declared a national holiday in the United States until 1870. Christmas gained popularity as a family centered holiday through the writings of Washington Irving and Charles Dickens.

So, should Christians celebrate Christmas?

The birth of Christ is certainly a biblical subject, and the angels, shepherds, and wise men celebrated Christ’s birth. Romans 14 tells Christians to celebrate days if their conscience allows it; if not, don’t. In other words, this is up to the individual. If one wishes to celebrate, then do so, but don’t force your opinion upon others. If not, then don’t, but don’t condemn those who choose to do so. Personally, I celebrate Christmas but understand that the exact date of Jesus birth isn’t the real issue, but rather the fact that God graciously gave us the gift of His Son, and that Jesus came to earth to die and rise again so that we can hope of an eternal life in heaven.

I want to wish all my friends & blog readers a very blessed and merry Christmas!

My Blog Has Moved!

Now my blog is hosted directly on my domain:
http://www.lindafulkerson.com

Please stop by & visit!

Today’s post is titled: Christmas Q & A and tells a little history behind our modern Christmas holiday. I hope everyone has a very blessed and merry Christmas!