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Articles by Ronald Ross

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154 articles by Ronald Ross · showing 50

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By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Two Sad Reasons Many Live Boring and Insignificant Lives

There is great potential within you! Yet so many prefer to live only ordinary lives; to live as if each day has no importance and each year can pass without anything significant happening. Why are so many so content to live lives of quiet desperation? Two reasons: Why do so many people live lives of quiet desperation? First of all, most people do not actively seek meaning in life. They are content to let life happen to them rather than take the effort to make something meaningful out of each day or week or month.

Primary topic: Motivation

958 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 17

Make a List of Ten By Dr. Ron Ross Getting something done usually starts with a list. Wives make “honey-do-lists” for their husbands and “to-do” lists are a staple on every busy person’s desktop. Before you leave on your vacation you make a list of everything you want to take with you and a list of all the things you want to do while you’re away. Several weeks before Christmas comes you will make a list of the gifts you need to buy.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,038 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 10

Don’t Trust Dumb Luck By Dr. Ron Ross Are you lucky or unlucky? Do good things usually happen to you or are you a constant victim of trials and tribulations? Do you get the good breaks or are you always broke? If you want to be lucky then you might be interested to know that both lucky and unlucky people manifest certain characteristics. Lucky people pay attention to what is going on around them and stand ready to take advantage of situations as they happen. Unlucky people are narrowly focused and quickly lose concentration on anything really important.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,044 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.6: Persevere Power is Enhanced in Surrender

More often tha I care to admit, I have quit. I have walked off of jobs, terminated projects, and submitted to the realities of more than one broken business model. No doubt there were times when I quit too soon; if I would have persevered another day or week or month, I may have achieved my goals. And yes, I have read all the books and heard all the lectures about how I can have more confidence, conjure up more courage, and realize more success if I persevere. They tell me to wake up earlier, think clearer, toil harder, labor longer, and of course, work smarter.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,175 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 21

Fail Forward By Dr. Ron Ross You may be stuck in the mud because of some kind of failure. Perhaps you bet the family farm on a business idea and lost. Or maybe you lost an important client or you were recently fired from a good job. Maybe you have failed in a relationship that has you feeling the blues. Well join the human race! We have all failed at something sometime in our lives. Many have failed frequently. The real question is: which way did you fail, backwards or forwards?

Primary topic: Motivation

1,001 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Manners Matter 8

Impolite Children By Ron Ross The child sitting down the row from me in a dark movie theater needed to go to the bathroom. As he passed me in the darkness he stepped on my toe. He did the same thing on his way back. He never said, “Excuse me” or “I’m sorry!” He acted as if I was the problem because I was in his way. Why are so many children unruly and ill-mannered in public? I have the answer: Because the adults who are supposed to teach their children how to be polite have not taught them. Here are four possible reasons why parents fail to teach their children good manners.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,005 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Seven Stupid Things You Think About Yourself

Those stupid things you think about yourself pollute your mind, limit your achievements and corrupt your confidence. For some reason, the loudest voice you hear, the one that speaks with the most authority and does the most harm to you is not your mother’s voice, it is your own. Here are seven of the most popular stupid things people say about themselves.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,199 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

3.2 Protect Your Mind from Depravity

Do you watch those mystery documentaries where they take a crime and re-live it, then follow through to the capturing of the perpetrator, his/her trial and ultimate incarceration? We do. One especially gory episode we started to watch featured a variety of hideous acts that led to the brutal deaths of a whole family. Before the story got too far along I grabbed the remote control and shot it toward the TV with great vigor, pressing the OFF button.

Primary topic: Motivation

741 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Manners Matter 5

Foul Language By Ron Ross “Please leave your profanity outside!” was a sig I saw on the door of a local restaurant. Seems to me we shouldn’t need such a sign in a public place. However we do live in a society where course talk is commonplace. Television shows and movies are increasingly laced with profanity, often injected not to advance the story but to shock the audience. What’s with all the profanity now commonly used by all ages - children through senior citizens? Here are five observations about foul language and the world we live in:

Primary topic: Motivation

1,136 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 7

Work on List Three By Dr. Ron Ross Everyone keeps three silent lists deep within their heart. The first is a list of the things we’ve done for which we are ashamed. For some of us it’s a long list: people we’ve disappointed, friends we’ve hurt, selfish things we’ve done, words we shouldn’t have spoken, places we should not have gone, temptations we should have withstood, etc.

Primary topic: Motivation

959 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 18 Utopianism

We all search for a little heaven on earth, but so far, no one’s found it. We want to live in a place where we are safe, comfortable, and content, but it won’t be found on this planet.

Primary topic: Motivation

702 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

I’d quit my church if...

Flipping through the channels the other day I stopped briefly to watch a tattoo-covered “artist” rap about abusing women and hating cops while he grabbed his genitals to the fast beat of loud noise pretending to be music. His appearance was disgusting, the lyrics depraved, and his music was awful, but that’s not what upset me. What activated my indignation was what was hanging around the guy’s neck – a great big gold cross. Nothing the so-called artist said or did had anything to do with the meaning of this most sacred symbol of Christianity.

Primary topic: Motivation

996 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Enter the Friendship Zone and Have All the Friends You Want and Need

Loneliness ends when friendship begins, right? So, how do you go from all alone to all the friends you want and need? The solution, though not quick and easy, begins with you, within your own heart and mind. Here are five steps you must take to enter the friendship zone and create and maintain as many real friendships as you desire:

Primary topic: Motivation

972 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Texting Addiction – How bad is it? Part 1

She: “You hang up first.” He: “No, you hang up first!” She: “No, YOU hang up first.” If you are over 50 years old you might remember that little game teenagers played back in the 50s, 60s and 70s. A boyfriend would call his girlfriend, then after 45 minutes or maybe a couple of hours on the phone, one of their mothers would chide them into hanging up, and the game would begin. Back then parents got upset about the unending phone conversations, but no parent worried that their teenager was lonely because he or she spent too much time on the phone.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,019 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

The Top Ten Excuses for NOT Talking to Your Mate Part Two

Last week I began listing the Top Ten Most Common Excuses for NOT Talking to Your Mate. Here is a brief review of Excuses 10 – 6: Excuse # 10: The Smartphone. A text or phone call is allowed to interrupt anything. Excuse # 9: The job. For some, the dirty little secret is that one partner is happier at the office than at home so he or she seeks out projects to keep them at work. Excuse # 8: Exercise. Health is a good-enough excuse to avoid the difficult issues that arise between people who love each other.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,050 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Butterflies or Thorns?

Your life, like mine, is a series of interwoven relationships. Some are (were) wonderful, life-giving experiences and some are (were) absolutely horrible, but all worked together to make us who we are today.

Primary topic: Motivation

745 views4/5 (1)

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Can Solve Any Problem

“I suppose you think you’re problems are worse than mine, right? Well let me tell you something, pal – you don’t know anything about having problems until you’ve taken a good look at MY problems, so cut me a little slack here, OK?” Is that how you feel about your problems? Do you think no one else has ever faced what you face? Does it look like your problems are huge while everyone else’s insignificant? Here are five universal truths conce ing problems.

Primary topic: Motivation

908 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Garage Sale Tactics

“Garage Sale of Biblical Proportions” was the sign our neighbors (Jeff & Marie) erected to announce their garage sale last weekend. The wife and I figured this was a real can’t miss event, so we ambled over to see what goodies they had that we couldn’t live without. Fortunately, there was no treasure in their trash so we went home empty handed.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,085 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Have a Distinctive Way of Feeling

What you hate, love, fear, laugh at, cry about, or observe without sensation is determined by your own unique and wholly owned emotional structure. You and I could cheer for the same football team, yet experience it in a variety of ways. You could attend a concert with your best friend and each of you would be moved by a different song. Two girlfriends for life could watch the same sad movie and one would cry while the other would not. It’s because each of us places a different emotional value on every word spoken, every deed performed, and every event observed.

Primary topic: Motivation

608 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

2.4: Listen: How to Receive Advice

“Do not under any circumstances leave for Africa without sufficient funds raised to sustain you for at least three years.” That was the advice given me by a seasoned missionary as I considered taking my young family to Africa. It was good advice. We saw how good it was when we arrived in Lusaka Zambia and spent some time with a missionary couple who left for Africa before they had sufficient funds. We saw them struggle so were thankful we listened to the advice given us.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,270 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.3: A Purposeful Life Creates Perseverance Power

People without purpose are not living they are only existing. They are like a rudderless ship on a vast ocean driven hither and yon by the winds and tides. They wonder what the heck happened in the past while they wander aimlessly into the future. On the other hand, people with a purpose are established, focused and useful. Author and management expert Gary Hamel wrote, “A noble purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation and encourages perseverance.”

Primary topic: Motivation

1,036 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Four Cheap and Futile Ways to Acquire Confidence

Google "self-confidence" and you will get three-bazillion web pages that suggest a variety of ways for you to gain self-confidence. Some promise instant self-confidence if you do this or act like that.

Primary topic: Motivation

994 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Have More Courage Than You Realize

There are a large variety of spiders in Africa and all of them are quite scary. One weekend my wife had a close encounter with one of those large spiders – it was at least as large as a saucer. She was home alone with our two toddler children in our tiny house located about 11 miles into the bush from Lusaka, Zambia. She was more than alone as I was out of town and she had no vehicle, no telephone, no electricity and she was about a quarter of a mile from the nearest neighbor with no streetlights and no paved roads.

Primary topic: Motivation

688 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Are Here For a Reason

You were no accident. You’re not the descendent of an ape nor will you one day return to earth as a butterfly, a Billy goat, or a British Lord or Lady. You’re here at a specific time living in a specific place with a specific mission to accomplish. Your life has meaning – you are here for a reason. You already know this is true. Deep inside the depths of your soul you sense an ete al-ness, an awareness of destiny, a feeling that you really are somebody very unique in the 10,000 year history of humankind.

Primary topic: Motivation

2,004 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Are Specially Made!

The first and most provable difference between you and everyone else on the planet is that no one is constructed like you. Your body is different from anyone who has ever lived or will ever live – different on the inside and out. A whole new science called biometrics is dedicated to the physical differences within each human body. Biometrics refers to technologies that measure and analyze human body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, voice patterns, facial patterns, and hand measurements for authentication purposes.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,192 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Five Quick Steps to Stronger Self-Confidence

Awkward, shy, indecisive. Do those words describe you? Do you often interpret non critical comments as critical? Are you perpetually pessimistic about people, places and events? What you need is stronger self-confidence, a more honest sense of your own self-worth. Here are five quick steps you can take that if implemented over time will create within you a stronger self-confidence.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,108 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

4.3: Proceed Forward – Tests Your Theories

The first powered airplane took flight on December 17, 1903 on a wind-swept beach in North Carolina. Bicycle shop owner brothers Orville and Wilber Wright had long been testing theories of powered flight and on this day, their hard work paid off. Orville piloted the first flight that lasted only 12 seconds and covered a mere 130 feet, but their theory was proven. Powered flight was possible. Their success gave them the courage to take three more flights that day.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,022 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Your True Source of Confidence

What makes one person confident and another one insecure? Money makes some people think they are invincible. The idea is, the more money they have the more secure their life is. Remember Be ard Madoff? He "managed" millions of dollars for thousands of people who put their trust in money. When his elaborate Ponzi scheme was uncovered in 2008, he, and all of his investors lost it all.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,022 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 14

Put Your Best Face Forward By Dr. Ron Ross The first thing people notice about you is your face. Its expression tells others whether you are friend or foe, trustworthy or not, happy or sad, etc. It is the initial mode of nonverbal communication between you and other people. What does your face say? Your face tells others how you feel. Such emotions as joy, fear, surprise, disgust, irritableness, or anger are usually spread all over your face and are almost impossible to conceal.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,065 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Six Super-Duper Resources for Discovering Your Purpose for Living

The coffee table I built in wood-shop in the 11th grade has never wanted to be a ladder, dining room table or a boat. It has had one purpose in life, and has been quite content to be a coffee table. OK, I used it once or twice to stand on to change a light bulb, however that did not make it a ladder. But we humans are not inanimate objects like coffee tables or couches or clocks. Our individual purpose for living is more complex and many need help disce ing it.

Primary topic: Motivation

930 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.2: The Infinite Source of Your Perseverance Power

Terry Fox is a name millions of Canadians know well and Terry wasn’t even a hockey player – he was a runner – and he ran for miles and miles and miles – all with a prosthesis on his amputated leg. At the age of 18 Terry was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right knee and lost his right leg to cancer in 1977 but determined to live life with a purpose even after his amputation and the debilitating effects of chemotherapy.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,147 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

2.7 Prepare of Action – Count the Cost

Do you know the difference between price and cost? The terms “price” and “cost” can be confusing. The two terms are related, but quite different. The price is the amount you pay for a product or service. When you pay a price for something, the price represents the value of what you give up in order to purchase the product or service. The cost is the amount spent by the business to make the product or deliver the service. Let’s say you want to buy a candy bar.

Primary topic: Motivation

702 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

3.3: Protect Your Mind from Garbage

“Take out the garbage!” was a command my mother shouted at me when I was a kid. Today I stuff much of it down the garbage disposal; hit the “on” switch for a few seconds and it all goes down the drain. The rest I wrap tightly in a Walmart grocery bag, place it in the garbage can out back, and once a week a big truck comes by and hauls it all away. Why take out the garbage? Because it is not worth keeping and I don’t want it to rot, stink and spoil everything else in my refrigerator. Oh that we would do the same thing for our minds: take out the garbage, and for the same reasons.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,183 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Manners Matter 9

Table Manners By Ron Ross When you eat by yourself you may gobble your food like a hungry pig if you want because no one cares. But when you eat with someone else, and especially when you eat in public, table manners matter.

Primary topic: Motivation

835 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.0: Persevere Power - Introduction

Confidence does not come easy. Fear does, disappointment does, anger does, failure does; each with little or no effort. But confidence, courage, composure, or conquest does not. If it did, more people would display it in their daily lives. Because it takes effort, because it takes risk, because it takes guts to dig down deep within the soul to mine the very best you have to offer, very few ever feel or act poised and able to assert themselves.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,040 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Wiggle Out of the Mud! - 15

Get Rid of Impatience FAST! By Dr. Ron Ross Nearly every serious mistake I have made in my life (and I’ve made many) was the result of my restless desire for change and stimulation. My impatience has cost me good jobs, financial opportunities, professional advancement, and more. Most of us at one time or another have quit too soon, or jumped before we should have, or took a bite of pizza before it had cooled off. It’s because we want to see some action, measure progress, stop the pain, or start the venture.

Primary topic: Motivation

969 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

The Obituary of Mr. Common Sense

Today we mou the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,142 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.7: One Easy Thing You Can Do to Help You Persevere!

Do you have someone around you who whines about the sun when it’s hot and then when it is winter he/she complains about the cold? Do you have a friend or relative who dumps their problems on you but they never attempt to change the way they think, speak or act? Some people feel so bad about their miserable lives they go out of their way to make other people feel miserable. They shoot down new ideas, scoff at big goals, and snicker at grand dreams.

Primary topic: Motivation

969 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

4.1: Proceed Forward – Accept Responsibility

The airport departure lounge was crowded with family and friends bidding us farewell for a 3+ year commitment in Central Africa. I was only 25-years-old and had a wife and two children, had never travelled internationally and had little idea of what to expect upon our arrival in Africa. In short, I was scared. Before we boarded our plane our parents and friends gathered in a circle to pray for us. As we walked toward our gate they formed a line so we could give them each a farewell hug. My father was the last person in line.

Primary topic: Motivation

991 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How a Baby Changes People – Part 2

The innkeeper was changed from apathy to sympathy You probably know the story of the birth of Jesus, especially the part where “there was no place for them in the inn.” Though the Bible does not speak of an innkeeper, there must have been one. Someone had to tell Joseph the inn was full and then grant him permission to stay in the stable. The innkeeper had problems of his own and a business to run. His motel was full, the “no vacancy” sign was lit and he was tired. He was not conce ed with Joseph’s very pregnant wife.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,005 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How to Express Your Anger Without Getting Arrested - Part 1

My neighbor came charging across the street. His eyes bulged out, and his fists clenched as he came screaming into my yard, “Why the *&^%$ did you call the cops on me?” “Because you cannot keep your dogs from barking, and the entire neighborhood is fed up with it,” I said in as quiet a voice as I could, hoping to calm him down. It did not work. He kept yelling at me and threatened my life. From inside the house, my wife saw this was turning nasty, so she called the police. They arrived within minutes and calmed down the neighbor.

Primary topic: Motivation

870 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

How a Baby Changes People – Part 3

The wise men were changed from wanderers to worshippers. For the record, the wise men did not come to the manger, as is usually depicted in Christmas pageants, but the Bible does say that some time after the birth, they came to the home of Jesus. Their visit is a part of the birth of Jesus, so it is properly told and re-told during the Christmas season.

Primary topic: Motivation

975 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 17 - MATERIALISM

Materialism is a philosophical theory that matter is the only substance, and reality and everything else — thought, emotions, intellect, and existence — are explained in terms of physical phenomena on matter. Do not confuse materialism with stuff-ism — the constant acquisition of possessions — see # 9.

Primary topic: Motivation

954 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Part 2.1: Think - a Five-Step Process for Problem Solving

If you want to do something significant with your life, you are going to have to do some real thinking. The mission you have been given is too important to leave to irrational thoughts, emotion-filled guesswork or hasty judgments. Since you have been given a mission you also have the ability to fulfill that mission but before you do anything, THINK. Here is a five-step process for problem solving:

Primary topic: Motivation

964 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

4.5: Proceed Forward – Opens Doors

Another significant reason that proceeding forward gives you the 5000+ Advantage is that motion attracts help, and as you go through life, there will be times when help is what you need.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,134 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

You Don’t Have To Worry

Our nephew, an enlisted man in the Army, is heading to a dangerous part of the world for a second tour of duty. His parents and the rest of our family are justifiably conce ed for his safety. A businessman watches carefully as a strong competitor opens a business two blocks down the street. Grandma is going to the doctor for her health check-up next week and she is apprehensive about what may be found. Each scenario is an occasion for worry.

Primary topic: Motivation

936 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Anger Fever: How to Express Your Anger without Getting Arrested! – Part 4

The sixth and best way to deal with anger is to SPEAK OUT. Previously I discussed S – Supervise yourself, P – Ponder appropriate responses. Now the E, A and K in the work SPEAK! E - EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN HOW YOU FEEL. Explaining how you feel is far different than screaming a stream of epithets, or insulting everyone within earshot, or brooding for three days, or getting revenge on someone who hurt you.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,071 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

5.0 Five Questions to Ask Yourself When Thinking About Your Own Personal Success: Question 4: Which is most likely to help me succeed: to pull some other person down or help someone else succeed?

You know the answer: you help yourself most when you help others succeed. But the easier thing to do is pull everyone down, or at least to continue to hang with those who refuse to do anything positive or take any affirmative action to improve their lives.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,222 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 4 Aloof-ism and Excuse-ism

Two extremes can invade your thought process and cause you to lose your battle with self and others. One says, “I don’t care,” and the other says, “It’s not my fault.” Aloof-ism is a word I created that refers to the mental and emotional escape route for any personal responsibility revealed by the pronouncement, “I just don’t care.” When you are aloof, you are insensitive and self-absorbed with a cold-fish kind of personality. If you care not one whit what happens to the person next door or in the next neighborhood, or the people in the next country, you’re an aloof-ism practitioner.

Primary topic: Motivation

820 views

By Ronald RossRecently published1 topic

Five Levels of Friendships

Smarmy quotes about friendship posted on Facebook walls do nothing to clarify the meaning of this serious human yearning. Friendship is experienced on at least five levels. Passing friendship is the first level. The interesting person you sit next to on a long flight or the stranger who assists you in a moment of need would be passing friendships. After my freshman year in college I took a train from Julesburg, Colorado to Columbus, Nebraska.

Primary topic: Motivation

1,661 views

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