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Tag: self-improvement

Back to Square One

Back to Square One

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Back to Square One--colored hopscotch squares on pavementDid you ever play hopscotch? We enjoy hopping through all those squares. However, we don’t enjoy having to go back to square one.

Back to square one means we must start over.

We made a mistake and have to begin again. Not fun in games. Not fun in relationships or work. Yet, no one is perfect. We all fail.

Back to the drawing board is a similar expression.

Back to square one can be a positive.

If we learn from our mistakes, we try not to repeat them. Instead, we take advantage of the opportunity to improve. Works well in games. Works well in relationships or jobs. We rise from the ashes of our mistakes.

A common saying encourages us. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

Jesus offers second chances.

Sometimes our failures are our fault and sometimes not. Either way, Jesus loves us and wants to give us a fresh start. Even when we feel like we can’t win for losing.

Jesus will always lead us in the right way to go. He will “guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:79 NIV).

Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion. Image by Abby Haukongo from Pixabay.

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Cut from a Different Cloth

Cut from a Different Cloth

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Cut from a Different Cloth--Scissors on solid blue and blue checked fabricsMy grandmother taught me to sew. We made most garments from one cloth. However, we cut some from a different cloth.

Literally, cut from a different cloth means garments made from different fabrics.

I made the top of one dress from velvet. The bottom was satin. Although unlike one another, the two cloths worked well together.

Figuratively, cut from a different cloth means people or objects differ.

We may vary in:

  • Personality
  • Culture
  • Interests
  • Backgrounds

Being cut from a different cloth can cause problems.

If we refuse to accept anyone unlike us, life becomes difficult.

Everyone suffers from:

  • Inability to get along
  • Lack of understanding
  • Poor support

Often, our differences matter little.

We may compromise or change our minds on:

  • Decorations
  • Menus
  • Entertainment

Other times, we must stand firm in our convictions.

We never want to waver on:

  • Eternal matters
  • Harmful behavior
  • Honesty

Whether cut from the same or a different cloth, let’s learn to get along.

  • Disagree in agreeable ways.
  • Respect one another.
  • Listen and learn.

“Show proper respect to everyone” (1 Peter 2:17 NIV).

Thanks to Darrin Jenkins for the suggestion.

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Hold Your Taters

Hold Your Taters

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Hold Your Taters--two small hands holding three potatoesWhen my brother was little, I often said, “Patience, Robbie, patience.” He once responded, “I hate that word!”

He might have preferred my saying, “Hold your taters.” Tater is slang for potato.

To hold your taters means to wait or be patient.

  • Don’t rush.
  • Take your time.

This expression is similar to:

All remind you to practice caution.

 If you move too quickly, you often end up in trouble.

To stay out of hot water, you need to:

  • Slow down.
  • Think before you act.

Hold your taters in all of life.

  • In work or play
  • Alone or with others

Hurrying or skipping one thing so you can begin another rarely works.

Instead:

  • Take a deep breath.
  • Complete step one before you take step two.

“It is dangerous and sinful to rush into the unknown” (Proverbs 19:2 TLB).

Thanks to Debbie Tapscott for the suggestion and to Karen Atwood for the photo.

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Copycat

Copycat

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Copycat-Cat reflected in a mirrorChildren and youth are great copycats. They see something they like and mimic it.

Copycat can be a noun, verb, or adjective. 

  1. A copycat is someone who imitates another person (noun).

They see how someone looks or acts and want to be just like them. I saw the perfect example when I served as a juvenile counselor. A young runaway returned from a northern city to his rural southern home. He walked into my office with

  • A new swagger
  • Hat cocked to the side of his head
  • The most exaggerated accent I had ever heard

  1. To copycat is the act of imitating (verb).

The young juvenile was funny but did no harm when he changed his dress and speech. He did hurt others when he followed in the footsteps of relatives who broke the law.

  1. Copycat also describes something or someone (adjective).

That young man displayed obvious copycat behavior. It was not his own but belonged to someone he admired.

We need to choose our role models carefully.

Imitating the right people typically keeps us on the straight and narrow. Following negative examples keeps us in hot water.

We are made in the image of God. May our lives reflect our Maker.

“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good” (1 John 1:11 NIV)

Thanks to Cindy Shoemaker for the suggestion. Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay.

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Red Herring

Red Herring

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Red Herring-school of fishFew of us like to discuss difficult issues. Instead, we turn attention from the facts with a red herring.

This expression refers to a distraction from crucial matters.

A red herring is a dried smoked fish. Smoking to preserve the herring creates its red color.

The Free Dictionary says the expression may have come from using the fish’s strong smell to distract hunting dogs from a trail.

It may also have come from a writer “who used the scent-laying image as a metaphor.” Mystery writers still give misleading clues about “who-done-it.”

Children frequently use a red herring.

They don’t want to:

  • Complete chores.
  • Work on school assignments.
  • Admit when they disobey.

Instead, they:

  • Complain about unfair rules.
  • Ask irrelevant questions.
  • Talk about another child’s behavior.

A red herring from adults causes much greater harm.

Like children, we distract attention from:

  • Responsibilities we want to avoid
  • Main issues
  • Poor choices

We focus away from our involvement in:

  • Abuse, neglect, or other criminal activity
  • Political misdeeds
  • Business errors

Rather than do what we should, we:

  • Blame innocent people.
  • Focus on unrelated issues.
  • Make self-centered decisions.

A red herring often misleads as well as distracts.

We don’t just chase rabbits. We deliberately point people in the wrong direction.

Enjoy novels with red herrings. Avoid red herrings in real life.

“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you’” (Matthew 24:4 NIV).

Thanks to Kay Emerick for the suggestion. Image by Hans from Pixabay.

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Close but No Cigar

Close but No Cigar

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Close but No Cigar--booths with Farris wheel in backgroundEvery summer of my childhood, I looked forward to a county fair. Several booths offered games with prizes. When I failed to win, the booth operator occasionally said, “Close but no cigar.”

Close but no cigar means almost, but not quite, successful.

That happens when we:

  • Barely miss the bull’s eye on a target
  • Almost win a contest
  • Make a close but incorrect answer

Years ago, cigars were a frequent prize.

The Free Dictionary says, “This expression comes from the old US custom of giving a cigar as a prize in fairground games of skill.”

Close but no cigar can encourage or discourage.

Some of us try again and try harder. Others give up in defeat.

Keep working toward worthwhile goals.

Don’t worry about what matters little. Trinkets from fairs rarely last. Focus on goals with eternal value.

Everyone falls short of perfection.

We miss the mark in life. For that reason, Jesus, the only perfect one, came to pay the price for our imperfections. Jesus offers life’s greatest prize, forgiveness for our sins and eternal life with Him.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 3:23; 6:23 NIV).

Thanks to Ann Klotz, Lindy Pierce, and Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion. Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.

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Fake It Till You Make It

Fake It Till You Make It

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Fake It Till You Make It--Little girl dressed in medical clothes with a pretend needle and magnifying glassHave you ever had to do a job you did not think you could do? Yet you had to do it. When that happens, you fake it till you make it.

When you fake it till you make it, you act like you know what you are doing.

You:

  • Act confident until you feel confident.
  • Imitate the skills of others until you learn the skills yourself.
  • Pretend you feel brave until you become brave.

You whistle past the graveyard until your fear disappears. The more optimistic you behave, the more optimistic you become.

You fake it till you make it to cheer yourself through tough times.

To survive, you act like a survivor. Although not always easy, it often helps.

Watch children play to learn this skill.

They pretend to be:

  • Famous singers and dancers
  • Sports champions
  • Doctors or teachers

They also imitate parents, best friends, and heroes. They learn competence by acting competent.

Fake it till you make it does not always work.

Some skills, feelings, or behaviors may exceed your abilities.

Choose wisely what to learn and who to imitate.

Learn well from those who teach you to live well.

“I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw” (Proverbs 24:32 NIV).

Thanks to Kathy Rouser for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

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Split Hairs

Split Hairs

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Split Hairs--top of head with teased hairDo you remember sky-high teased hairstyles? Or have you seen pictures of them? Can you imagine all the split hairs that caused? Worse damage occurs when we split hairs with our words.

When we split hairs, we fight about minor details that make no major difference.

We focus on the petty or unimportant.

This metaphor “was first recorded in the late 17th century,” according to The Free Dictionary.

Most of us have split a few hairs.

Yet why let anything that is neither here nor there steal our attention? No need to stress. No need to waste that time. If it will not matter six months from now, let it go.

Let’s focus on the worthy.

  • Do what needs to be done.
  • Forget what makes little or no difference.
  • Never let trivial matters get our goat.

A single hair should not overtake the rest of our body. Neither should one small detail overtake our minds, emotions, or relationships.

“Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” (2 Timothy 2:14 NIV).

Thanks to Tracy Crump for the suggestion and to Misty Durham for the photo.

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Bigger Fish to Fry

Bigger Fish to Fry

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Bigger Fish to Fry-red plate filled with fried fish and lemon slicesDo you prefer small fish piping hot from the grill or oven? Or do you enjoy bigger fish to fry?

For non-food decisions, go for bigger fish to fry.

Bigger fish to fry means more important matters to manage.

You deal with:

  • Major activities rather than minor
  • Emergencies rather than routine
  • Long lasting rather than brief

Bigger fish to fry does not mean never having fun.

Meaningful moments include:

  • Relaxing
  • Resting
  • Focusing on relationships

Personal accomplishments do not equal success.

  • Quality time with family is more important than awards.
  • Helping people in need matters more than promotions.
  • Investing in lives outlasts investing in stocks.

How you spend your time and money reveals what you value most.

  • Will it make a difference?
  • Does it have eternal worth?

Be sure bigger fish to fry are worth the effort.

Focusing only on self often leads to fishy situations. Focusing on God’s will and helping others keeps you on the right track. Jesus said to follow Him and become fishers of people. All people. Everywhere.

“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10 NIV).

Thanks to Lindy Pierce for the suggestion and to Terry Pennington, owner of Creekside Restaurant, for the photo.

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Lie Like a Rug

Lie Like a Rug

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Lie Like a Rug--Jumbled multicolored arrows with truth or lie on themMy dad loved to play with words. He would deliberately use the wrong word to give a sentence a totally new meaning. I’m sure some people thought he did not know better. However, he knew exactly what he was doing. Lie like a rug was one of his favorite expressions.

Lie like a rug is a pun, a usually funny play on words.

Puns use words that are alike or nearly alike but have different meanings. “Lie” can mean either to tell an untruth or to rest in a flat position. Lie like a rug combines those two meanings since a rug lies flat on a floor.

If we lie like a rug, we lie boldly and shamelessly.

Our untruth is no mistake. We deliberately lie. Sometimes we know that no one will believe us but lie anyway.

If we repeat an untruth often enough, we may persuade some people to believe.

We sound ridiculous. Yet repetition eventually convinces those unwilling to look at the evidence. If not convinced, they may choose not to confront us or face the truth.

Always weigh the evidence.

Take what sounds like a lie with a grain of salt. Search for truth and follow it.

“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:21 NIV).

Thanks to Melissa Henderson for the suggestion. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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