Authenticity

Posted on by davidwfelts

I noticed on the news this morning Hillary Clinton was in a small town diner handing food and drinks to the patrons there. She of course was dressed to the nines and really looked out of place in what she was doing.

The funny thing to me is how people in power doing these types of things must think it makes them look like they’re down to earth people and authentic. But when I see it all I do is roll my eyes and think, “Oh look, another photo op for the powerful.”

In this day and age in which we live, I think one of the biggest things missing is true and honest authenticity. And it’s permeated every area of our lives too. At work the boss tells you how much you’re appreciated when there is a group of people and then doesn’t have the time to even say hello as he passes you in a hallway. At home with your family, you do just enough to get by so you can feel good about yourself as you spend more time on yourself.

And don’t forget your friends, when you focus on what they can do for you instead of how you can help them succeed in life.

I’m reminded of the movie Remember the Titans where Coach Boone has been telling Coach Yoast that he may be a mean sucker, but he’s a mean sucker to every player on the team, not just some of them. He was authentic and real with every player, not just the ones he thought could handle it or were more important to him.

This is what we need in today’s society, men and women who are not afraid to tell it like it is, do whatever it takes to get the job done without caring how it affects them. And this is the bottom line I think, lack of authenticity is at its core selfishness and an unwillingness to be true for fear it will cause you to look weak. And if I’m not mistaken, it was Jesus who said, “Whenever I’m weak then He is strong.” He perfects us through weakness and being real, honest and authentic.

Let’s get out there and be real today!

Blogging…It’s Cheaper Than Therapy

Posted on by davidwfelts

What do you do when you’ve had one of those incredibly crappy days? You know the type; the days where it seems no matter what you did, it was just one huge mistake after another? In times past, I would find myself dialing my best friend’s number and talking with him about what was going on, But he died last year, leaving me to face these challenges all by myself now. And it’s not like I don’t have any other friends to talk to, because I do, and they’re good men too. It’s just I have never made the connection to any of them like I had with Terry, and I can honestly say my life is now much more difficult than it has ever been.

One thing I have found which helps me now is blogging. As I write out my thoughts to share with others, it forces me to think about what is actually going on, much like it did when Terry and I would talk. Most of the time by the end of my writing I’ve come up with the solution to my situation, or at the very least getting them out of my mind and onto the page allows them to vacate the real estate in my brain; freeing me to focus on the things which really matter.

Have you ever been to see a therapist? I have, and let me tell you even the cheapest ones will run you at the bare minimum a hundred bucks an hour. And unless you have great insurance which will pay for you to go, getting help can be very costly, very quick. But one thing’s for sure, we all need an outlet to release the stress and negative things which happen in our lives.

What is your outlet for stress release? Some people go to alcohol, sports, porn or any myriad of other things as a way of releasing the tensions of the day. But do these really help, or are they just masking the actual problem by dealing with its symptoms? It’s like this, you can knock down the cobwebs a spider creates, but unless you rid yourself of the spider, you will come back time and again to remove the pesky webbing. It’s the same in life too; if you find yourself facing the same problem time and again, then maybe you are not really fixing the problem, you’re only dealing with the symptoms.

As I said, blogging is what works for me, because in sharing my life; the good, bad and ugly, it forces me to see what is really going on and to make strides towards correcting the situations I face. Find a way to work through those things which are hindering you, and actually change the problem, not just the symptoms of the problem. Write me and let me know what works for you, I’d love to hear it.

You can reach me at david@davidwfelts.com

 

Your Heart is Good

Posted on by davidwfelts

I love to read.  I hope you do too because I’ve got a book to suggest for you.  It’s called Waking the Dead and is written by John Eldredge. Click here to order your copy from Amazon.

Your heart is good, did you know this?  Religion for years has tried to teach us our hearts are wicked and essentially no good, but in this book John destroys this lie we’ve been told for too many years.

It’s a quick read explaining what this Christian life is really about in better detail than any other book I’ve ever read.  

I love this passage from John’s book; “The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it.”

This sentence makes me feel there is hope for my life. I can’t explain to you how much you need this book, it could be one of the most important books you ever read.  Pick up your copy today!