Don't sell yourself short!

Today I was notified that my article "Ten Ways to Keep that Fire Burning" made it on the top 200 list of syndicated articles. I got excited until I went to the list and found out that it ranked 143 out of 200, only 57 from the bottom of the list. Not much of an accomplishment I thought.
Then I looked at how many articles were submitted and my tune changed again. Over 72,000! Now instead of being 57 from the bottom I was in front of over 71,857 other articles! Talk about a difference. I thought the bottom was just below me and boy was I wrong!

If I didn't see the other side of the statistics, I may have stopped writing altogether because it looked as though I didn't have a chance at all of being successful at it.

How many times do people measure success using the wrong ruler?
How many live a life of depression because of a false sense of self worth?
How many stop short of something because they think success is so far away?

If you think everyone else is making more money than you; did you know that if you have some spare change in your car ashtray or on your dresser you are wealthier than over 90% of all the people on earth? So quit comparing yourself to the 10% of the population and look how you fair over the real numbers and keep on growing.

Are you complaining about all the people you know that have a nicer and bigger home than you? Did you know that 2.6 million people live in their cars? If you compare your home to theirs you are doing pretty good now aren't you?

Your marriage not what it should be? 56% are unhealthy, it's not just yours. So lay down the attitude that it is only you and your marriage and seek council so you can stay in the 46 percentile.

Your teen doesn't communicate the way they used to? No it may not be that you are a slack parent, most teens go though stages where they think they are "All That" or don't need anyone telling them anything. Calm down, they will get though it. Just love them anyway and stop feeling like a failure and get some advice.

The bottom line is that there is always something we can look at that will make us look like failures but at the same time, there is also always something out there that will make us look and feel successful. God tells us in His word that there is nothing new under the sun that man will go through, and with Him all things are possible.

If God didn't think you still had a chance and were valuable, do you really think He would allow you to use up oxygen for no good reason? I don't think so... He would take you home.

But since you are still breathing and obviously still able to read, lets focus on all the great things we have going for us and share them with others to make them feel good as well.