Inspirational Articles

Lightening Your Load
A lecturer explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water? "

Answers called out ranged from 6 to 16 ounces.

The lecturer replied, "The weight doesn't matter. It depends entirely on how long you hold it.

For example, if I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. "

He continued, "That's the way it is with stress. If we carry our stress continuously, sooner or later, the burden becomes too heavy and we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. There will always be more work. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!" BACK

Duty, Honor & Country
Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn...

These are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.

They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. General Douglas McArthur BACK

The Tablecloth
The young pastor and his wife arrived in early October excited about their new assignment. But when they visited their new church, it was horribly run down. Nonetheless, they set a goal to have everything fixed in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard repairing pews, replastering walls and painting and by December 18^th, they were done.

The very next day, a driving rainstorm hit the area. After the storm broke, the pastor went to the church and discovered that the roof had leaked damaging a large area of the plaster wall in the sanctuary. He dejectedly cleaned up the mess and decided to postpone the Christmas Eve service. On the way home, he stopped into a second hand store to take his mind off recent events. One of the items he found was a striking handmade tablecloth with a cross embroidered in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the wall damage. He bought it and headed back to the church. On the way, it began to snow.

As he reached the church, he saw an older woman running to catch the bus but she miss it. He invited her to wait in the church until the next bus came. She sat in a pew and watched as the pastor climbed a ladder to hang the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. It looked beautiful and covered the entire damaged area.

"Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials "EBG" were crocheted into it. They were.

These initials were hers, she explained, and she had made this tablecloth many years ago in Austria. The woman explained that before World War II, she and her husband were wealthy and when the Nazis came, they were forced to flee. She boarded a train for Spain and her husband was to follow her the next week. The Nazis intercepted the train, she was arrested and sent to a labor camp. She never saw her husband or home again.

The pastor was touched by the story and offered to return the tablecloth to her. She kindly refused but welcomed his offer for a ride home on that cold and snowy night.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve! The church was full, the music and the spirit of worship were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, however, remained seated and staring at the tablecloth. He told the pastor it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago in Austria.

The pastor asked if he could take him for a little ride. They drove across town and stopped in front of an old brownstone walk-up. With effort, the pastor helped the old man climb the three stories to Apt 3G. When the apartment door opened, the long separated couple was reunited. They embraced and wept for joy.

The joyful outcome of the storm, the damaged wall and the tablecloth was to trigger a long deferred reunion. These weary travelers were given a wonderful gift, some may say a "miracle". Christmas is the season for gifts and miracles too. We give presents but just maybe we’ll see a miracle. He for which the season is named is the greatest gift and miracle of all. He waits only for you to acknowledge it. Inspired from a short story by Howard C. Schade. BACK

The Parking Space
A man was desperately circling the block looking for a parking space. He was late for an important meeting that could make or break his career. In frustration, he cried out, "God, if You find me a parking spot, I’ll mend my wicked ways. I’ll stop drinking, I’ll stop beating my wife, I’ll stop cheating on my taxes, I’ll......wait a minute! There’s a spot. Never mind."

How many times have you engaged God in a moment of helplessness or when you-know-what has hit the fan? The expression "There are no atheists in foxholes", came about because, to those facing certain death, God is real and unavoidable. At times when you are powerless to control events that swirl around you, clarity results.

But why reach a point of desperation before seeing what has been there all along? Is it because we actually believe that we control our own destiny? Can we really be "self made" as some men are described? If we can be self made, why do we often turn to "self help" books that are written by other people?

The answer to that question is that self reliant people settle for second best. Instead of taking advantage of a free offer to be all they were created to be, they limit themselves to those things that only a limited mind can imagine. While they desperately look for a parking space, the door to the universe awaits.

God is waiting for you to stop circling the block and take Him up on His offer. Why not drop the fruitless "I can do it myself" attitude and walk through the door to eternity? BACK

Eternal Truths

There’s hope. Moses started out as a basket case.
Some people are sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pew.
Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.
It is easier to preach ten sermons than to live one.
God didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.
When you reach your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.
God does not judge a person until dead. So why should you?
Some minds are like concrete: thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
We are called to be witnesses, not judges.
Forbidden fruits create many jams.
God loves everyone, but prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts".
God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.
If God is your co-pilot, swap seats.
The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. BACK

It's Not About You
Homeowner association managers exist to serve the needs of their clients. That being the case, how does service become leadership and how do actions bring about a positive result to those served?

Author Rick Warren in The Purpose-Driven Life, starts with a simple, yet profound statement: "It's not about you." Some 35 years earlier, Robert Greenleaf wrestled with similar issues. In the 1960s, he observed the great institutions of our country – businesses, governments, universities and churches – and noticed a disconnect between service and those being served.

The culmination of his soul searching was an essay entitled The Servant as Leader. "The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first," explained Greenleaf. "Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

He offered the following test to determine whether leaders are operating as servants first: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, and more likely themselves to become servants?

What does all of this have to do with the HOA industry? EVERYTHING!

Servant Leadership addresses two key issues that exist in homeowner associations - motive and intent. Motive often has its first thought toward "me", self-interest and expediency while intent, if misguided benevolence, may actually harm those served. How each of us approaches motive and intent are colored by genetics, upbringing, life experience, cultural and gender differences. So, what can we do? In a world where "what's in it for me?" rules, it’s unlikely that the resulting actions will effect positive change for those served.

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing again and again expecting a different result. Different outcomes require different approaches. The simple statement "to lead, serve first" points HOA managers in the proper direction.

When positive behavioral change is undertaken, it affects everyone around us, helping focus on true servant leadership. The true test of this change is whether our service results in the betterment of those being served.

The HOA management industry's ability to serve can only be manifested through participating board members, vendors and others – who are willing to check egos and personal agendas at the door and say, "What can I do to make this a more serving institution?" This requires enormous courage, vulnerability, discipline and sacrifice. Remember: "It's not about you".

Excerpts from article by Rolf Crocker - Community Association Banc BACK

Forgive & Forget
Basic human nature causes us all to offend others from time to time. Sometimes it’s done unintentionally while other times with malice and forethought. But regardless of intent, if we are to coexist in peace, making amends is essential. Here are seven "A’s" to go about it:

Address everyone involved. If your offense was perpetrated in a group setting, you should make amends to everyone that was there, both the target and the audience. The audience part is important because onlookers may not have been personally offended, but may carry the impression that you’re a jerk until you disabuse them of the notion.

Avoid if, but, and maybe. Don’t rationalize what you did. ("You made me mad"). Take responsibility for your actions.

Admit specifically. Say that you lost your temper, you misunderstood or whatever it was that triggered your inappropriate behavior.

Acknowledge the hurt. Admit that damage was done.

Accept the consequences. If there is something that needs to be restored (stolen, broken, etc.) restore it and pay the price.

Alter your behavior. Promise to do better in the future.

Ask for forgiveness. This may be the toughest part because you may not get the forgiveness you ask for. You can’t control the response but you can control your desire for it. Expect the worst and hope for the best. Accept whatever response you get. Either way, it doesn’t change your part of the process.

Forgiveness is a life changing event for those that forgive and for those that ask for it. We’re all guilty of offending our neighbor. Forgive, forget and be set free. BACK