Monday Morning Thoughts on Follow Through 09/20/10

As I look at the clock, I can pretty much confirm that another weekend is in the books. Monday has arrived and it’s time for me to embrace the new week to make it just as amazing as my weekend. As usual I tried my best to enjoy the weekend to the fullest and think that I may have accomplished that task. It’s no surprise to me that by the time Sunday arrived, I was reflecting on how my weekend got to be so amazing. I do know that this weekend was another scorcher as when I originally sat down to write it was about 109 degrees Sunday evening and the sun had already gone down. Looking at the weather forecast right now, it seems like the heat just won’t disappear as the high today is projected to be 107 degrees.(I guess I am at my best with the heat turned up)

I think I have an idea of the elements that need to be present to make my weekends so amazing. As I look everything, I know that I have to have food, football, friends, and family in some form or fashion for my weekend to be amazing. It seems like a routine for me, but these are the things that make me happy. I am sure we all know the elements that need to be present to enjoy ourselves.

While I mention all the fun stuff that makes my weekends amazing, I can’t leave out the other things that bring clarity and substance to my life. This particular weekend was all about the men at our church and Sunday was actually Men’s Day. I can honestly say that walking into church at 7:30 in the morning and seeing a packed house where the majority of the people present were men was a great feeling. You couple that with message that we heard talking about what a man is and what a man should do. Further confirmation that my thoughts are headed in the right direction as just the other day I found myself writing this down what it means to be a man.

As I listened intently, there were several things in the message that caught my attention. Seven percent of the male population is in prison and 92% of the men in prison are fathers. These statistics right here made me realize yet again how important it is to always stand up and be a man in all situations. The speaker also brought out a very important point to understand how men and women are different. Men are very different from women as they respond to things on sight. For example think about something as simple as putting an item together that you picked up from Home Depot/Ikea; a man will look at the box to try and put together and a woman will read the instructions.

In listening to the rest of the message I heard a few other things that stuck out to me. If we think about it, men are more responsive when they see things. In terms of change a man will hear that he needs/should change, but most of the time will only do so when he sees something that makes him want to change.

Just hearing this message, I began to wrap my mind around what it means to be a man and thinking about follow through. If I know what means to be a man, but I don’t follow through with the appropriate actions, what does mean in my life? What does it say about me? What does your follow through say about you? What is it that causes a lack of follow through?

As you prepare to make your week amazing, there are a couple of things you may want to do as you move forward. Look around you and I am sure you will see a lot of yourself in the people you have around you. Remember that you are not striving to be the best just for you, but you are striving to be the best for those around you as well.

“In golf as in life it is the follow through that makes the difference.”

“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”

-Zig Ziglar

“I can give you a six-word formula for success: "Think things through - then follow through”

-Sir Walter Scott

“Those who are blessed with the most talent don't necessarily outperform everyone else. It's the people with follow-through who excel.”

-Mary Kay Ash

“In any situation, ask yourself: What strengths do I possess that can contribute towards accomplishing something in this situation? Then follow through.”