The Doug Ellingsworth Blog

First Things First!

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on January 23, 2017

So, what went wrong in the Garden of Eden? Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and ruined it for the rest of us, right?

Well, sorta but not exactly.

Read Genesis chapter one and you will see that, before God ever created Man, He designed him to be in charge. Your grandmother’s King James Bible called it taking dominion. Adam was to be the keeper of the garden. He was the boss of all the animals. Keep reading in Genesis and you will see that God even gave Adam the job of naming each animal.

God wanted Adam to know that he, Adam, was in charge of what went on in the garden.

Leadership

It’s Your Brain’s Fault!

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on January 18, 2017

Okay, I let you get through the last of the Christmas dinner leftovers and the first set of New Year resolution failures. Now it’s time to get back to the daily grind of just slugging it out.

All those books and online courses that promise to make you more productive and help you reach your life goals? They’re the same old set of common sense principles that have always made people successful gussied up to look like you can make it happen without breaking a sweat. The bottom line is: dreams only come true when sufficient labor is applied to them. Change only occurs when more force is applied to it than to the status quo.

So, put the book back on the shelf, log out of that how-to website, put your work clothes on, and get back to work.

Family/Leadership

Leadership At Christmas

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on December 27, 2016

face-skeptical-1527130-1279x878 Christmas thoughts are usually more about egg nog and reindeer than leadership, but my mind spun in a different direction today. Although the subject may not be be mentioned in any carols of the season, it does fit because it’s about life’s priorities and our attention to them.

How is it that we stress leadership development, but never develop as leaders?

Most leadership programs emphasize identifying your essential values: those things which give meaning to your life and work. Nearly every time, family and relationships come out among the top three or four values leaders identify.

Many companies pride themselves on being family-oriented. They boast of taking care of their own, of creating a work environment that enhances growth and openness and honesty.

Living

The More Things Change, The More They Don’t

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on November 30, 2016

12642811_1714813228805890_2769386515659496840_n When Hillary Clinton conceded to Donald Trump, the collective sigh of relief from conservatives blew a wind of hope all across our nation. Not because so many of us feel that Mr. Trump is the last great hope for America, but because we believe that re-electing the radical liberal machine would have been the last nail in its coffin.

I must admit that this election took me by surprise. I fully expected the Democrat Express, fueled by propagandists posing as journalists, to glide into the station ahead of the Trump Train, loaded with all the baggage those same media elites kept piling on it.

Leadership

Election Night (Morning) Observations

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on November 10, 2016

Finally, it’s over. Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States.

I was one of the millions waiting up till the wee hours of the morning to see who would win. Here are a couple of observations.

When Trump and his family first walked into the hall after Hillary’s concession had been announced, their procession seemed a little Egyptian pharaohish at the beginning. The Donald walking slowly in front, the family lagging several feet behind as if they were afraid they didn’t have permission to be there. But once they got down the stairs and on the stage, all that changed.

Leadership

Where Leadership Begins

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on October 28, 2016

It had been one intense day after another. David’s health was not improving despite every effort to revive him. One of Solomon’s half-brothers had taken advantage of David’s condition, and tried to pry the kingdom from his frail fingers. Only a last minute intervention by the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba foiled his plot. David, lucid enough to realize he had to act, ordered Nathan to anoint Solomon to take his place as King. As the news spread, the people rejoiced with such fervor that I Kings chapter one says that all their noise rent the Earth.

Solomon had been given the throne, but now it was time for him to establish his kingdom.

Living

The Language Of Losers

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 27, 2016

Words mean things. Words affect us.

While we never notice the process, our brains filter every word that we speak or hear, and adjusts our mind to comply with what it’s being told. If your brain hears “you dummy!” often enough, it assumes that it’s true, so it lowers your internal expectations to that level. And when you mess up, your mind scolds you for even thinking that you could get it right in the first place. You are a dummy, remember? And dummies always mess things up.

If you are one of those who mock that concept by saying something cute like “I’m gonna think myself seven feet tall and good looking,” then carry on. I won’t waste time trying to convince you.

But what we hear does influence us — especially if those words are spoken by someone important to us.

Living/Ministry

To Harness The Wind

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 22, 2016

You can’t outsmart the wind.

A surgeon can take your heart out of your chest, tinker with it a while, stick it back in, staple you up, and in a couple of days you’re back in your living room showing pictures to your friends on Facebook.

But no one can outsmart the wind.

We’ve sent men to the moon, we’ve grown corn in the desert, and we can turn our porch light on and off while cruising in the Caribbean.

But we can’t outsmart the wind.

Leadership

A Little Help For Those Who Probably Don’t Want It

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on September 13, 2016

You would think that, with all the money they earn, these sports stars using their fame to sway public opinion could buy a clue. But then, the executives running those leagues aren’t showing us much but an abundance of arrogance themselves.

So, let me see if I can help.

Tip Number One: You don’t get respect for your cause by disrespecting someone else’s. Your freedom to earn millions of dollars playing a game — did you catch that — PLAYING A GAME was paid for with the blood of men who all we have left of are the memories that are embodied in that flag that you refuse to salute. And the police officers you criticize? They’re the guys who keep the thugs out of your mansions and custom rides, fanatic fans off your back, and the moms of those dead soldiers you disrespect off your neck.

Family

Being The Parent Your Child Deserves

by Doug Ellingsworth @https://twitter.com/DEllingsworth on August 18, 2016

Nothing is more important than our children, so it makes sense that nothing ignites a good argument quite like a discussion on parenting methods.

I heard a psychologist say that parents shouldn’t try to make their children be like them. She thought it better to just let the kids become themselves. That sounds good, but nature and biology disagree and they had a pretty good head start. By the time the child is walking and talking and able to obey simple commands, he’s already developed some of dad’s mannerisms — and there are a bunch more stirring around in that gene pool waiting for their turn to shine.

I think the expert meant well and was encouraging parents to nurture each child’s individuality, but her presentation was a bit vague and too broad. But if that was indeed her intended message, she was right. Each child is one-of-a-kind and should be guided and appreciated for who they are.