When I Say Yes and God Says No

I’m not a very humble man, I like things my own way.
I push and drive and work real hard to make the path I lay.
I include God in my thoughts and plans, cause I know it should be so;
But oftentimes I’ve fought with him, when I said yes and God said no.
I want to do what’s right I say, but you really make it hard,
I’m doing all the work and yet you’re holding all the cards
One would think you’d filled me in; and not let me get this low
I hang on by fingernails, when I say yes and you say no.

I continue arguing as I wander down dark paths
The obstacles before me, look like large and dangerous wraths
They obstruct my chosen course and cause me to move slow
I feel all alone and lost when I say yes and God says no

Finally now I’ve reached the end of my rocky path through life
I kneel before thee lord and ask why you caused me all this strife?
The plan I made was easier, I knew the way to go
If only you’d agreed with me and just said yes instead of no

God reached down and stood me up; then caused the sun to rise
Upon the dark and rocky road I took to reach the heaven’s skies
My son come stand here next to me, the road will clearly show
My purpose for rejecting you, when you said yes, why I said no

I stared in awe, the path I set led straight to danger’s gate;
The impairing obstacles saved me from a lost and fallen state
I thank thee lord for this great gift, for the wisdom I now know
It’s a gift that he has given us, when we say yes and he says no

Caleb Love

I’m not gunna lie, I’m kind of proud of this video. It is the first one I have edited all by myself ever. So don’t judge me.

The Bucket Filled with Holes

I have a holey bucket and I fill it full each day
I need to get its contents to my neighbors down the way
But by the time I get to them my bucket’s nearly dry
I see my meager offering and I almost start to cry

I try so hard to share my gift, I lift the heavy load
I seek to quench the thirst of friends along the dusty road
I’ll fill my bucket to the brim; run fast, and will not rest
Yet still I have such small return; so few whose lives I’ve blessed

Some days I get discouraged and I shake my fist in hate
At this stupid holey bucket that keeps ruining my fate
As I travel back the rocky path, I’ll hang my head unproud
Why fill a holey bucket? I will ask myself aloud

But rain or snow, sleet or shine I know at journey’s end
My Master will be waiting there to greet me as a friend
My Master owns the well I use, he helps me every day
He knows my bucket’s holey but he fills it anyway

One day I asked him quietly, why do you let me go?
My bucket’s almost useless, and my welfare effort’s slow
If only I could serve you with a bucket that was whole
I’d help so many people; I could play a useful role

He smiled at me and nodded, yes your bucket won’t behave
But that holey bucket’s holy for it’s you I want to save
Keep striving with your mind and heart and in the end you’ll see
Your bucket has helped others and you’ll have become like me

Caleb Love

Silent Stories

The cone of shame is what is known in organizational behavior as an “Observable Artifact”. Stories do not have to be told through people. They can be made manifest through inanimate objects, like the christian cross, Hilter’s swastika, or in this case, the cone of shame. They take on life and meaning themselves that create social norms people will follow. The cone of shame is a representation of power among the dogs. The artifact itself gives or takes away the power of individuals within the group.

Stories Empower Leaders

Aladdin wants to become a prince to date the Sultan’s daughter. The genie uses a variety of strategies to make this happen. Sure he uses his magic, but many of the things he does in the clip have nothing to do with magic. He starts a variety of rumors and stories about the great things Aladdin has done. These stories enforce his position. Executives,  Kings, even Gang members use the principle of story telling to give themselves power. The more heroic and successful or in the gang member’s case, the more illegal acts he follows through with the more credibility he has for the future. People will be less likely to challenge his decisions.

]]> http://calebsthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/cone-of-shame/feed/ 0 caleblove http://calebsthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/awesome-mans-guide-to-awesomeness/ http://calebsthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/awesome-mans-guide-to-awesomeness/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:36:33 +0000 caleblove http://calebsthoughts.wordpress.com/?p=159 ]]> Chapter 26: Public Speaking

ok, if you didn’t get it the first time watch this one and see:

If you haven’t guessed the key lies in Mr. Rogers closet. In every episode he ever did Mr. Rogers had the same routine. When he walked into his house he took off his outside shoes and his jacket and then switched it with a sweater. Then at the end of the show he would walk over and put them back on the shelf. He did that for over 20 years. Now how does that relate to us?

Well, routines are critical for the success of accomplishing goals and reaching our potential. If we get into the habit of doing the same task every day or every week, eventually we no longer have to put energy into thinking about it. If I consistently run every morning at six thirty, it becomes a habit, I don’t think about forcing myself out of bed, or trying to inspire myself about the need to lose weight or be healthy, my brainpower can be used for other things. Running at six thirty is simply something you do. It becomes second nature… This applies to every aspect of our lives.

I recently have undergone a complete organization overhaul. Others may not have to be this extreme but for us ADHDer’s without routines our life is a giant hide and go seek game. The day starts out like this: “where did I put my keys?…” “I swear I just set them down”…. “Awesome, I found my keys…but now where did my wallet just go?”… “Oh, man! I forgot to wash my clothes last week! Nothing like wearing the same pair of underwear two days in a row” Whether it be making sure your closet and your dressing habits are the same every day, placing your keys and wallet in the same location, or completing any of your other goals, consistency brings results. So then what are the principles to building routines?

1. DO YOUR OWN THING: We read books and take Franklin Covey manuals to try to keep us organized… the problem is… those plans often don’t work for us because each of us have our own hang ups and our own way of learning. Feel free to investigate all sorts of plans, experiment, and in the end do use the system that is most comfortable for your needs.

2. HAVE A PURPOSE: Clearly identify why you want something to become a routine. If you have no purpose behind your actions then there will be little commitment to stick with it.

3. IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HANG UPS: Each one of us has little things that keep us from becoming successful in developing habits. For example, let’s say I want to get into the habit of going running each morning; well, I know that if my room is cold it becomes extremely hard for me to get out of my bed, I also know that I have an uncanny ability to turn my alarm off in my sleep, that if the alarm is too annoying I automatically shut it off without being fully awake, and I can sometimes be extremely groggy and forget about what I am doing. Knowing these factors leads me to my third step.

4. BUILD SAFETY NETS: Once you identify what those hang ups are you build a support for yourself. In the example above I would: make sure my room is warm enough before bed, I set my alarm clock across the room so that I have to get out of bed, I make sure the alarm is a song I like and that I make sure to get plenty of rest the night before.

5. BE PATIENT: Habits don’t form over night. It will take at least three weeks of consistent follow through for them to really stick. Even then, it may take a while before you see results from following these habits. You may feel discouraged and think the habit you are developing is the wrong one… be patient and see what happens. I know there are other aspects to routines but I think this is a good enough start that it will help you on your way to achieving order in your life and accomplishing your goals through routines.

This is our second attempt. We will continue to get better. I liked it though.

This is the first YouTube video we created for interview a leader. It is a little rough around the edges and I could definetly use an acting lesson or two but heck… give me a break… we’ll get it right… Besides they didn’t choose me for my acting skills.. . it was for my looks.

1. What would the hymns sound like if we actually really did follow the instructions they have in the corner of each page… you know… the ones that tell you how to sing the song: “with vigor”, “rejoicing”, “with humility”…(what do those words sound like?)

2. Who branded cherrios as the staple food to give children during sacrament meeting?

3. What would happen if I started clapping after one of the talks?…. would others join in out of habit?

4.  Endanamjeezcristamen is an interesting word

5. Is it a requirement before becoming a church leader to practice the “serious pensive face”?… (don’t read this and think I’m weird… watch any bishop, stake president, or his councilors next sunday and you’ll see what I’m talking about)

6. Why can’t church pues have more space between them… my legs keep falling asleep.

7. Does every person that gets engaged have to get up during fast and testamony meeting and show off they’re engaged and how thankful they are for Jason or Rebecca or Joey and how excited they are to go to the temple to be married to them in a few weeks… (This may just bother me because I am an old bitter single guy… but I compare it to me going over to samalia or another starving country in Africa and saying in front of them how thankful I am for all the food I have, and that I am so glad to go home and stuff myself with candybars, cake and icecream.) It wasn’t fast Sunday this week but it still popped into my head…

Well… like I said I didn’t take my medicine today and this is getting boring so ignore what I said when I said… these are the ideas that occured to me during sacrament meeting and replace it with… these are the thoughts that occurred to me the first five minutes of sacrament meeting today.