Don't Miss Out on the Journey

If you live in Pittsburgh, you have got to enjoy this great stretch of weather. Sunny and temperatures in the 60s every day. It is supposed to stay that way for the next week as well. This is what autumn should feel like. The leaves changing colors, pumpkins popping up everywhere, and Halloween ghouls and ghosts appearing in neighbors' yards. I'm ready for pumpkin coffee, bread, pie and cookies. I'm in the autumn spirit.

So you can imagine my surprise when I showed up at the Galleria mall South Hills and saw Santa's village already set up for visitation. On October 15th. I'm no Grinch, but I was just gearing up for fall, Halloween, and we haven't even finalized plans for Thanksgiving. I'm not raining on anyone's parade, but I wonder if we are often so busy looking down the road to enjoy today fully. Are we missing out on the beauty of today with our eyes seeking out what may come tomorrow?

I remember as a kid, I always wanted to be older. Whatever age I was, being older would be better, cooler, more fun. I never thought about how great it was to be right where I was. Now we are at the stage in life where we are celebrating grandchildren's birthdays. And I don't want them to get older. I want to freeze time right where it is and enjoy the kids just the way they are at this moment in time. I can't freeze time, but I can intentionally and purposefully live fully in the moment right where my feet are planted.

Don't miss out on the journey by rushing to your destination.

A Hand Up

Over the past three or four weeks, we have had the joy of traveling to visit our three grandchildren in North Carolina and California and celebrating a first and a third birthday. Because they live far away, we make an effort to see them every few months. The time between visits makes each new stage of development especially noticeable. It is amazing how quickly they progress from sitting still to creeping, crawling, walking, and then running.

Yet when I think back to raising my four sons, I remember that each step takes time. I am impressed by the patience my sons and daughters-in-law show as they guide their children through these stages of growth. It takes a great deal of grace. As the children learn to walk, they often toddle a few steps before falling. Their parents stay close, holding their hands and gently guiding them. It is beautiful to watch them help their children find their footing.

I wonder how different life would be if we showed that same grace to people at work, in our communities, and in our daily lives as they find their way. Most of us are simply doing our best to navigate life's ups and downs. We stumble, fall, and skin our knees along the way. The last thing we need is someone crushing our spirit or defining us by our failures. What we need is a helping hand, someone to lift us up, dust us off, and encourage us to try again.

Today, keep your eyes open for someone who needs that kind of encouragement. Offer a hand up, a gracious word, or the reassurance they need to keep going.

Start Your Day Right

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) was a minister and bestselling author best known for The Power of Positive Thinking, whose preaching and media work made him one of the most influential religious figures of mid-20th-century America. I re-read the book every year. It's a great reminder that our thought life greatly influences our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Below are some principles Dr. Peale espouses to start your day.

1. Start off with affirmations and positive thoughts

He repeatedly recommends replacing negative thoughts with positive ones each morning. Affirmations are central to his method: they "reshape your thought patterns" and build confidence.

2. Visualize yourself succeeding

Visualization is one technique many people use today. This is true of many high level athletes. This is presented as a daily discipline: "Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding."

3. Create inner peace before the day's demands

A peaceful mind, he argues, improves clarity and resilience. Peale stresses the importance of a peaceful mind. He recommends quiet moments, prayer, inspirational reading, and calming imagery to establish inner calm before engaging with the world.

4. Use prayer as a source of strength and guidance

Prayer is central to Dr. Peale's philosophy. He presents it as a practical tool for confidence, emotional steadiness, and problem-solving. Morning prayer is implied as part of the daily rhythm of drawing on spiritual strength.

Addition by Subtraction

Monday mornings can be difficult, especially when they are rainy and gray, and even more so when the first appointment on your calendar is with an oral surgeon to have two teeth extracted and an implant placed. That was how I began my day. Although it was an uncomfortable start to the week, one difficult hour in the dentist's chair brought long-term relief from the pain and infection caused by two bad teeth. I am grateful to my oral surgeon for removing them and relieving my pain.

Keep that in mind as you begin your workweek: serving someone well may simply mean easing their burden or taking a task off their plate. Sometimes the best way to lead is by taking away rather than adding more.

Helping by Taking Something Off Someone's Plate

Real support isn't always giving more; it's removing what weighs heavy. Lightening someone's load can be the most practical form of love. A small task lifted from another can feel like a mountain moved. Relief is often more valuable than advice.

Don't Ever Give Up

Jim Valvano was a successful college coach and broadcaster. Valvano is also remembered for an inspirational and memorable speech delivered at the 1993 ESPY Awards while terminally ill with cancer. His speech is a passionate reminder that life is meant to be lived with purpose, joy, and relentless determination. He urges people to embrace three daily practices: laugh, think, and be moved to tears, because they keep the heart awake to what matters. Even while battling cancer, he insists that the human spirit is stronger than any illness, declaring that disease can touch the body but never the mind, heart, or soul. At the center of his message is the line that became his legacy: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up." He calls people to keep fighting for their dreams, their relationships, and their lives, no matter the obstacles. His speech ends with a challenge to live fully and persist boldly, because perseverance is the path to hope, impact, and meaning.

Perseverance isn't flashy. It's steady. It's choosing, again today, to keep moving toward what matters even when the path feels slow or the progress feels small. Jimmy V's words remind us that hope becomes strength when you refuse to quit. Don't ever give up. Not on the work you're doing. Not on the people you're serving. Not on the prayers you're praying. Not on the quiet growth happening inside you.

Every step forward, even the ones no one sees, is shaping the future you're building. Stay faithful. Stay steady.