Never complain, never explain.  I absolutely loved the scene in Saving Private Ryan where the soldiers talk about griping. The scene includes:  “I don’t gripe to you, Reiben,” Miller explains. “I’m a captain. There’s a chain of command. Gripes go up, not down. Always up. You gripe to me. I gripe to my superior officer, so on, so on, and so on. I don’t gripe to you. I don’t gripe in front of you. You should know that, as a Ranger.”  Last week’s ask of you was to try to keep a glass half full perspective.  How did that go? How long were you able to keep that up?  Did it make you realize how much of your verbal conversation and your thoughts are negative, complaining, and destructive?  By the end of the week were you able to catch yourself and either cut it off or at least tone it down and try to direct it into a more constructive manner? I will use the phrase many times: control your thoughts and you control your actions.  This is absolutely key to moving your life to a new level. What got you here will absolutely NOT get you there. If you have to keep one lesson alive every day, this is probably a good one to remember. You must change if you want a better life, no matter how you define better. This Week’s Talk The Cratchits are finishing dinner. Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present watch the family enjoy their desert and an after-dinner punch. At this point, Scrooge suddenly displays some deep personal sensitivity and asks the Spirit “Tell me if Tiny Tim will live?” Following this there is a conversation that I will bring up below, but for now we encounter another case where Scrooge has to eat his words. The Spirit quotes back to him “If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population”. We see that our words can hang in space and come back to haunt us in many different ways. What if our own word echo around inside our head and becomes a part of us? Could it be that all the bitter, negative, destructive, condescending, judgmental things you say become a part of you? Another perspective is applying the laws of physics to our actions.  The law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction could mean that every time we hurt someone else that also pushes us down?  Could it be for all the ways you treat others poorly that you end up losing some piece of yourself?  I am not prone to quote scripture but this reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine who is very religious. He was pushing me about my use of profanity and brought up Matthew 15:35-37 “The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Imagine if in fact at our time of reconning we have to come face-to-face with all our words? Makes me want to chose my words, and actions, more carefully going forward.   This Week’s Assignment From the book, and many of the movies we hear/read: “I see a vacant seat”, replied the ghost, “In the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die.” “no, no,” said Scrooge. “Oh no, kind Spirit! Say he will be spared.” “If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, none other of my race” returned the Ghost, “will find him here.” I can’t be the only one who finds this scene incredibly powerful.  How do you feel during this scene? Are you thinking about poor Tiny Tim? Are you thinking about the Cratchits, their sadness and how they kept his crutch in the corner so that part of him is always present? Have you ever thought that if you could foresee the future, you would do something to positively affect it? Countless movies and books are written on this sort of theme.  I think of the book and the movie The Dead Zone. Also coming to mind are Final Destination and Next. If you have not seen these, then go watch them. They are good movies and on point for this lesson. We can, and do, create the future. Things don’t just happen to us. They happen because of us. Your assignment this week is to be conscious of what you are doing and what you want out of it. Then, consider if what you are doing (or not doing) is the best action you can take to accomplish or achieve that which you desire. Want to make more money? Simple- deliver more value. Want a better relationship? Be a better partner.  Want more free time? Stop doing things that waste your time. Once again remember the saying “what got you here, won’t get you there”. You, yes you, have to change if you want different results.  I will end with the saying: The best way to predict the future is to create it.  Go learn how to create yours. (This saying is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but my research indicates that is not correct.) See you next week…