THE SCORE DOESN'T MATTER

Do you know people that insist on keeping score? In life? In your job? In love? In everything? Let me ask you something. Who really cares what the score is? It really doesn't matter in the end. What matters is plain and simple. It is not whether the score says you have won but HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME.  And by game, I really mean life. In the end no one will remember what the score was but whether you committed everything you had, gave it your all and handled yourself with grace and dignity.  People who keep score are frequently burdened with insecurity and negativity. With those ugly things, they only hold themselves back and miss the beauty of the challenge of the game. They  don't learn from the game. They do not enjoy it. So do not get bogged down in the score. Enjoy the game.  Learn from it.  That way we all win.


KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

THE MIRROR

I thanked my dear friend Mush the other day for giving me such hope in life.  His response was beautiful and really made me think. He said "I am only a mirror reflecting what is in you." Wow. It made me think of something that my Mom used to tell us (and for which Kimi and I made many jokes at her expense.) Mom would say "If you don't have something pleasant to say, don't say anything at all.  The two really go together beautifully. The energy our comments and actions create are a reflection of us.  We can make our comments and actions positive, encouraging and beautiful rather than ugly, hurtful and negative.  When they are positive, they not only benefit the person to whom they are directed but us as well. They help maintain the positive energy necessary for a peaceful and happy life.  It all goes along with everything we have said about the importance of creating and surrounding ourselves in a positive environment that allows us to accomplish our goals.  While looking in the mirror is often a frightening experience for me, the image is so much better when I see my reflection combined with positivity, hope, love and joy! Make sense?

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

PAIN

I am reminded daily of pain. Pain I have. Pain my friends have. Pain can manifest itself in so many ways. We can have physical pain or we can have pain emotionally that we inflict on ourselves or that others inflict on us either intentionally or perhaps inadvertently. It takes a great deal of strength and courage to handle our pain in a positive manner and not to let it bring us down or, worse yet, destroy us.  It is not easy not to dwell on it and the positives that it can lead to are often so very difficult to see or comprehend. Let me say it again - IT TAKES STRENGTH AND COURAGE.

But we must strive to do it. We must surround ourselves with the kind of positive people and experiences that allow us to learn from our painful experiences and come out on the other side stronger, better and more positive people.  If we can find a way to endure the pain, we appreciate the good that we ultimately create so much more. We become stewards of our own happiness and, in the end, of the happiness we help others create. Talk about your pain. Share your pain. But do not dwell on it. Learn from it and appreciate how it will make you better. Because it will.

Keep Dreaming Out Loud!

-Trace

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Many of us make resolutions for the new year. When you make them this year, really make them count. Resolve to find a way to make a difference not only in your life, but in the lives of those around you. Also, resolve to make a difference in the lives of folks that you do not even know.  

You can accept this challenge and accomplish it by starting with yourself. Resolve to create for yourself a life filled with happiness, positivity and promise for your own future. It may not be easy or painless. Resolutions are supposed to challenge us.  But we come out on the other side an infinitely better and stronger person. Resolve to find a positive way to deal with and defeat the negatives that you will most assuredly encounter. 

Go back to the basics that we have talked about. Take baby steps and be patient, not only with yourself, but with those around you. Not only should we dream out loud, but we should resolve out loud! Just like when we share our dreams with others, when we share our resolutions with folks, we become accountable to them. Be happy. Please be happy. And for goodness sake,

KEEP DREAMING LOUD!

-Trace

Happy Holidays

All of us with Team Inspiration Texas want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season. It has been an incredible year for us all and we look forward to reaching out and helping many in the coming year. May your New Year be filled with positivity and hope!

KEEP DREAMING OUT LOUD!

-Trace

How do you define your Identity?

So how would you answer that question? Do you identify yourself in a manner that guarantees failure? I hope not but many of us do without even thinking about it. Think about your responses to Life. Doesn't the use of "I can't" pretty much seal the deal on failure? Take a moment to think about what you call yourself then refine that with by asking God what he calls you. We all need to work on correcting our own identity so that we can be what we are designed to be.

With a new year right around the corner, commit yourself to a new you...a positive new you by removing the obstacles that prevent you from being the real you. Take time to know your true identity....think about it, pray about it and refine it.

Now I must admit that after thinking about this over the weekend I was asked "How are you?" Sadly I replied "tired". Now I rationalized it because I had completed a very long run just a couple hours earlier but do I want my identity to be "I'm tired"? Absolutely not!! I am blessed would have been a better attempt at conveying my identity to others.

Know your identity and make sure it guarantees success.

Merry Christmas!!
Jim

LIVING

My Mom celebrated the 41st anniversary of her 39th birthday Friday. Or, as she likes to say it, 80 is the new 39. Today we threw her the first surprise birthday party that she has ever had. She epitomizes class, dignity and grace, traits that have been passed on to my incredible, beautiful sister, Kimi who, in all of her free time (he said sarcastically) organized this incredible soiree. I tried to pick one important lesson that Mom has taught me for my toast. If I shared them all, we would have been there until her 81st birthday so here is the one that I came up with.

I mean, here is a lady that since my Dad passed away over a decade ago has had her knees replaced, her shoulder done and has lost a staggering amount of weight. A year and a half ago her doctors told her that she had a cancerous spot on her arm that needed to be removed. No big deal. Then they said, oh, by the way, you have a heart condition. And, oh, by the way, you need bypass surgery. Oh, by the way, you are going to have complications which make you stay in the hospital for several months longer than planned. When she finally got home, she fell and had to get several stitches in her head. Why did she fall you ask? Because she was trying to do too much. As Nathan and Jim both observed: “How Sherer-like.”

The lesson in all of this is simple. But profound. We can exist. Or we can LIVE. When we exist, we are simply settling. When we live, WE THRIVE and life for us and for those around us is so much better. It is a choice. Choose to live.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Keep dreaming out loud!

-Trace