HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CONSCIENCE TODAY?

Voting Your Conscience - The Right Answer?

I've been pondering this concept of "voting your conscience" for a long time now. I am one who has been completely disgusted with the results of our national political process for many years now. As a nation we are allowing ourselves to be "hi-jacked" by an entire generation of political corruption masquerading as "progress" and "change". This progress and change are actually destroying our nation and the freedoms that we supposedly hold so dear.

Why is it happening?

Because very few of us are actually willing to study and learn the true principles that govern obtaining and maintaining true liberty and freedom in this world. This world and in fact our entire universe is governed by unchangeable principles or laws of nature that say, if you take this action, then this will always be the result. Those things are real. We cannot change them. The concept that there is no such thing as absolute truth, is one of the biggest falsehoods that has ever been perpetrated upon mankind. It is so misguided that it holds within itself the obvious truths of its own foolishness!

We can either learn to live in harmony with these true principles and bring great results upon ourselves or we can play with fire and loudly proclaim that they do not exist and that we can act any way that we want to and still get the results that we think will happen just because we say so. The only possible outcome of the second choice is a loss of our freedoms and our liberty.

So why this discussion on the eve of this election? Because I am still hearing so many of my friends loudly proclaiming that they are going to "vote their conscience" rather than vote for either of the two major candidates. Is that a legitimate, principle-based position to take? Many, many people think so. I happen to disagree.

Here's why.

At my age, I have had the distinct misfortune of living through two of the worst presidencies in the history of this country. Why were they so bad? Because they have managed to do more damage to the principles that this nation was founded on, which have produced an absolutely unprecedented amount of freedom at every level of society than ever before in the history of the earth. In their combined years in office they have introduced measures and violated powers that have set in motion forces that will ultimately destroy our nation and wipe true freedom from the face of the earth.

All of their misguided actions have been tolerated because they were done in the name of greater freedoms for one specific group or another or to protect us from ourselves. Both of these concepts are in direct violation of the true principles that govern real liberty.

Again, back to why I am so opposed to "voting your conscience"... Both of these presidents were handed the office because we had a major chunk of our voting population who were philosophically opposed to that candidate and would never vote for them. However they also didn't like the other major party opposing candidate either and couldn't "morally" bring themselves to vote for that one either.

Unfortunately both of these races were close enough that  when a large enough block of the potential supporters of the "lesser of two evils" candidate were distracted by the misguided notion of "voting their conscience" for a third party candidate who may have been a "morally" stronger person but who had no statistical chance of winning,...we effectively handed the most powerful office in the world to the worst possible person we could have put there.

I see that exact scenario developing again today.

Now anybody that knows me knows that morals are deeply important to me. What we must never fail to understand is that we must carefully watch ourselves to see that our "morals" are actually built upon a foundation of true principles and that they (our morals) actually bring about a correct result when we apply them. If when we follow our beliefs (morals) and they bring about a result that we really didn't want, then we must question whether we really acted upon a true principle or just upon our own personal belief system which, by its very nature, has the inherent potential to be flawed because we may not have taken the time to evaluate it properly.

If our "morals" lead us by default to place the person who is most dangerous to our freedoms into office because we pulled our vote away from the one candidate who had any chance of defeating them, then our "morals" and our "conscience" failed us!

The sad reality is that one of the two major party candidates WILL BE our next president, period...end of story. Like you, and almost everyone else I talk with, I am deeply disgusted with our choices.

In my never to be too humble opinion, one of them has a distinct agenda that will destroy this nation and the freedoms and liberties that its principles have created. The other, no matter how misguided and morally bankrupt they may be, at least believes that they are going to strengthen our nation.

That is a fundamental, philosophical difference that matters a tremendous amount to our future. 

The race is close enough that you can put the worst possible choice of the two into the most powerful office in the world by either voting directly for them or by "voting your conscience" for somebody who has no possible chance of winning and thereby drawing away your vote from the only person who could defeat them. It is as simple as that...period.

Now, I've got to address two critical arguments here.

First, the "lesser of two evils" - Many of my friends are attributing this comment to a certain person whom we all have a great deal of respect for. From everything I have been able to ascertain, this is a misquote. Besides that, I think I have made a reasonable argument to support that it is a principally flawed concept in the first place. Voting for the lesser of two evils still being a vote for evil, doesn't really hold water in the first place because many, many of our political choices boil down to that same scenario whether we know it or not.

The bigger answer lies in the real truth behind "voting your conscience".

The real place for exercising our "conscience" is in what we do in the next four years leading up to the next election. We as a nation should be working together to prepare a candidate who would be worthy of our vote because they actually understand the principles that govern true freedom and liberty. We also, if we truly have a conscience, should be doing everything that we can to educate ourselves, our friends and neighbors more on the true foundational principles of freedom and liberty.

Our founding fathers clearly stated that the freedoms and liberties that they put into motion for us could never be maintained by an ignorant people. Why? Because ignorance leads to selfishness, and selfishness opens you up to being manipulated by a more powerful group of people with an agenda that could destroy everyone's freedoms by deciet and false promises.

I hope you will ponder this thoughtfully and that it has an impact on what you do at the polls.

Besides that, I hope that you have an awesome day!

WHAT IS YOUR FAMILY'S LEGACY?

Within the last year I have attended the funerals of two of my Dad's brothers. Both of these have been wonderful men who, with their wives, have raised great families. Because we have lived several states away for nearly 30 years, our contact with the family has been rather sporadic. However, every time I get the opportunity to be with my cousins, (there are 24 of us) I am deeply impressed with the caliber of people who God has sent to this family!

All of us can trace our roots back to Edmund and Lucille Tapp and their ranch out north of Boise City, Oklahoma. Our memories of those times spent together as kids getting to know each other and forming lifelong friendships almost always go back to "The Ranch".  It is such a powerful memory that it seems like anytime we gather in Boise City, it almost always involves a trip back out to the ranch. It's like a time machine for us.

Why?

 Many of us, especially the older ones can remember many Christmases, Thanksgivings and summers spent there with Grandad, Grandma and each other. We rode horses, hiked the hills, and went on "cattle inspection" tours with Grandad in his trusty Scout to see the sights on this wonderful corner of our little world.

What was it about our experiences there that had such a lasting impact on so many of us?

While Grandad and Grandma might have had a few minor flaws, they were special people who did everything they could to create the foundations of something wonderful, and I believe potentially, very powerful there. They raised a family of 8 sons who have each turned out to be truly amazing men in their own rights. They also inspired in their 24 grandchildren a love for the land we live in and a driving sense of character that has created some truly amazing people as a personal legacy.

 Over the years, as I have visited with these cousins at various family functions, I never leave without feeling a deep sense of connection with them. In the last several years, this has grown within me to the point that I frequently ask myself the question, what amazing things could this family accomplish if we could all come together in a common purpose? The more I ponder that question, the more incredible that potential becomes!

That thinking process has inspired me to try to lead my own family in such a way so that we might build upon the foundation of the legacy that was handed to us and create something even greater with our generation. I have heard it described as having been born on third base and all that is left for us to do is to run home to accomplish something great!

All too often I see people who place no value on the legacy that they have been given. They live their lives without any real sense of purpose and when their lives are done they have either camped out on third base or even slipped backwards to second, first or even all the way back to the dugout!  They ultimately waste the legacy that was passed to them.

One of the driving, fundamental motivations in my life is to take this foundation that I have been given and to build upon it. I want to get better myself, to raise a great generation of offspring who are prepared to take this legacy to an even higher level, and to influence other people to begin to do the same with themselves and their families. I want to leave this world a better place for my having been here.

Almost our entire world seems to be so caught up in the struggle of just existing, that by far the largest percentage of us, end up settling for mediocrity in most areas of our lives, when, if we could just see it, excellence is actually available to us.

Over the last year I have begun having this discussion with some of my extended family and I am finding that I am not the only one sensing this. I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that I believe that God put our family together here on this earth, at this time, for a purpose! He has laid a foundation through our ancestors that would raise up a generation of people with the character and faith to go out and have such a positive impact on this world that this legacy will resonate throughout the next several hundred years!

Alone, I see each of us impacting the lives of some of those around us in significant ways. That is why I believe that together, the compounded effects of our efforts could be exponentially greater.

What could be the Tapp Family Legacy of this generation? Could we, together, have an even more profound effect on this world around us? Could we become a powerful force for good by combining our talents, gifts and efforts in a common cause?

 Too often when we try to find companions for our causes we have to go out searching among the community and the world around us. Why not start with this group of people who already share a common foundational bond?

I would like to have this discussion with more members of my family. I believe that we have a mission here. If we would band together around the right principles, and gather the ability to influence more and more people around us, then the power of who we are and what we stand for could begin to radiate out from this core group to influence hundreds and even thousands of people in this world. I believe that we could ultimately reach literally millions! This world could be a much better place with the right influences. Why not us?

Every time I stand on that lonely, windswept hillside in northwestern Oklahoma at the Garrett Cemetery looking out at the amazing group of people gathered there to celebrate another great life, and I ponder the paths of those already laid to rest there, I can't help but ask myself the question...What If...? What could We Together accomplish?

Anybody up for a challenge?

I put that challenge out there to my own family, but what about yours? What legacy have you been given? Are you consciously looking to improve upon it? Maybe the legacy you have been handed is not one that you are proud of. Who's going to break the cycle and start something new and wonderful? Why not you?

Tell me what you think!

Flying in a Bad Economy

A wealthy friend of mine recently taught me a great analogy that is really pertinent to our economic situation today!

He's also a private pilot and talked about how in pilot training one of the most critical lessons you have to learn is how to pull out of a stall. That's where your plane slows down to the point where the wings no longer create enough lift to hold it up and it starts to fall out of the sky.

The natural reaction for someone who doesn't understand the physics of flying is to pull back on the stick with all their might to try to get the nose of the plane to go back up. However that is exactly the wrong thing to do! It will result in a dangerous crash every time!

The real answer is to overcome your fear and push the stick forward to point your nose down so that you can begin diving to pick up enough speed to get the laws of aerodynamics working for you again!

Wow! How interesting that our natural reaction to a dangerous situation is to do exactly the wrong thing and make the situation a lot worse!

His analogy was that this is exactly the way that most people react to a bad economy.

We pull back on our financial stick. We quit spending our money and get ultra conservative with our finances and just try to wait it out. He said he wasn't advocating wasteful spending and not learning to be more wise with our money. But he was talking about our natural tendency to pull back or pull inward instead of shoving the stick forward and chasing the tremendous opportunity that a bad economy represents!

What??? Hmmm...

What is business all about? Filling a need that we find and being fairly compensated for it right? When do we find a greater need than in a bad economy???

His point was that people who understand wealth and finances find a way to fill THAT need and they prosper even in a bad economy!

They are busy shoving forward on that stick and gaining speed and momentum because they understand the true principles involved!

That really got my brain to churning! How about you?

Have a great day!!!

Kiyosaki's 3 Principles

Robert Kiyosaki a prominent author on success listed 3 things that were absolutely critical to achieving whatever is important to you!

#1 Long term vision. #2 Delayed gratification. #3 The power of compounding.

My observation proves to me that there is a 4th one that holds most of us back. So I'm adding #4 The power of association.

Simple sounding list right? The problem is that most of us don't take time to fully ponder the ramifications of each of those points and why it made this list!

Take long term vision for instance; It's pretty easy to look into the future and say "this is what I want to accomplish." But that's not long term vision. That's only daydreaming.

Long term vision goes way beyond that. It involves answering questions like, Why?, What's important in my life?, What do I want my life to stand for?, etc...

Long term vision means understanding that you are not going to accomplish anything worthwhile overnight. You need to develop the vision of where you are going so that you can keep getting back up and charging for your goal every time you get knocked down! Long term vision makes you unstoppable, regardless of critics, situations, or obstacles!

In the end, if you develop the endurance to succeed, you will find that the greater reward is not just what you achieved, but who you became in the process! There is something truly powerful in that!

Success key #2 Delayed gratification!

Boy has our society ever convenienced that one right out of us!

One of the biggest obstacles to success that I see today is the attitude that I will give it 3-6 months and see if it works!

Every "overnight success" is a result of 20 years of sacrifice, personal development and hard work! Success is always on the other side of inconvenience!

One of the reasons that success doesn't just "happen" is because it almost always requires personal development! If not, you would have succeeded already! Hmmm... there's that word "change" again!

So #1 You have to decide what you REALLY want! Then #2 We have to commit to pay the price, whatever it is, for as long as it takes until IT IS DONE! Then #3...

Kiyosaki's 3rd trait of successful people was that they utilize the power of compounding!

Hmmm...At first glance, I was thinking "compound interest".

But the more I have read and pondered on this subject, the more I came to understand that he is talking about the power of compounding your efforts!

Think about this; you can only succeed so far by helping one person. But if you can figure out a way to serve hundreds or even thousands of people, how much more successful could you be at whatever you are trying to achieve?

I need to look at my life and ask myself, how many people am I impacting on a daily basis? 0? 10? 25? 10K? If I'm only impacting a few and I'm doing a valuable work, how can I "Compound" the number of people I affect?

If you're not sure how, think about all of the new technology today! 20 years ago, there was no way I could have connected with as many of you as I do everyday now!

How could that apply to what's important to you?

Stewardship

Did you ever think about the word Stewardship?

I hadn't very much until I read a great book about finances lately.

We are given things with the trust that we will magnify and multiply them and use them for a good purpose. What are we doing with the gifts we've been given? Our time, talents, skills, money, life, family, positions, influence, etc...

If we don't show our gratitude by guarding, controlling, developing and increasing those resources, why should we ever expect to receive more of them?

I think that's what Stewardship means! When you're a good steward over what's been entrusted to you, you will be trusted with more!

What's interesting is that each of those areas have certain principles that govern them. The crazy thing is that way too often we try to live the principles of one area and expect them to automatically fix another area.

It doesn't work that way! We have to live the principles that govern what we are trying to fix!

Example; Just trying to live the principles that make us a good person doesn't mean we are living the principles that will fix our financial problems!

It's making me take a harder look at the things I've been given a stewardship over!

Think about it!

Double Standards

I was pondering the other day why some people have such interesting belief systems in place in their lives.

I end up in discussions frequently with people who hold some really strong opinions about some thing or another only to find out that, if they really thought about what they were saying, that idea is not consistent with everything else that they say they believe.

It's interesting how easy it is to hold different subjects to different standards in our lives.

It's the old "Double Standard" idea. Or maybe "Riding the Fence".

I guess what it really boils down to is a saying that I love from a guy I listen to alot named Tim Marks, "I'm not going to try to tell you what to believe, I'm just saying to make sure you know WHY you believe WHAT you do believe!"

Sometimes when we really get down and think about what our beliefs are on any given subject, we should ask ourselves why we believe that way?

For instance, if we think that doing a certain thing is right or wrong, let's stop and look at the logic behind what we're saying and see if it's consistent with everything else we believe in life? Or are we just following a crowd of some sort?

Think about alot of our hot political topics today. Much of our conflict arises because some of us want to apply a certain standard of reasoning in this situation and that one but not in the rest of our lives.

It's okay to do this or that but if we dress the situation in different clothes we'd never agree to it!

Often it's OK for one segment of the people to verbally attack another, but if the second group responds in a like manner, they are accused of bigotry, hatred or fear-mongering, etc.

So let's make sure we are applying the same standards to all of our beliefs.

Seeking for truth is a much more healthy way to live than to have our poor subconcious mind trying to figure out our double standards and keep them straight!

Think about the why behind your beliefs and always seek for truth. Your life will go much smoother!

Have an awesome day!

Over-Reacting!

Penny and I were discussing a book we've been reading this morning. As we talked, I realized that anther idea was coming into focus! I was doing some research yesterday on marriage and divorce and came across something again that just seems to keep popping up.

It's this idea that when we encounter something we perceive as wrong, our natural human tendency is to over-react and go way too far in the opposite direction! What we should really be doing is searching for the truth and what is right.

We will never solve the problem by over-reacting to it, only by finding truth and applying the right answer!

I'll give you come potentially controversial examples because they clearly illustrate the point. Which is again, that aligning ourselves with truth is the only solution that ever completely solves the problem.

So let's look at three different situations that clearly illustrate what I'm talking about, that we are all familiar with.

First, a typical sibling clash at home. Second, the proper relationship of a husband and a wife in a marriage. Third, slavery and discrimination. Or almost any other social issue that we routinely argue about today!

In almost all of these issues, you will find the majority of people completely polarized on one side of the issue or the other, rather than seeking the truth, which normally lies somewhere in between!

Let's look at the typical fight or argument between our kids at home and then see if we have actually "grown up" as we examine the other two!

Typically, at my house, when I hear an argument start to escalate or someone start to cry, it goes something like this:

Waaah, he hit me! (a wrong action) Why? I don't know. I didn't do ANYTHING! (not quite the whole truth)

To the other sibling: Why did you hit him? He hit me first! I did not! It was an accident! Yes you did! He hit me on purpose! I did not! You did too! You were trying to hurt me! (still following me or do you already have this memorized?)

What really happened (the truth): "A" accidentally bumps into "B" maybe causing some pain or other problem. (original wrong action) "B" reacts with anger and revenge and hits back (usually harder) causing a downward spiraling fight or argument (over-reaction). Where was the truth? Who cares? As long as I get satisfied.

The reality is that the truth and the solution that would have made all parties happy was somewhere in the middle!

What about the proper relationship between husbands and wives in a marriage?

For centuries and maybe even millenia, misguided men and even entire cultures have treated women as second class citizens and even worse sometimes. (definitely a wrong action) Today we have morphed right through the push to get women equal rights and fair treatment into many women trying to treat men as second class citizens and neanderthals (over-reaction).

The real truth and the solution that brings real happiness and successful marriages is somewhere in the middle.

How about slavery and discrimination? Touchy subject? It doesn't have to be if we seek for truth and what is right here too.

Many of us, whether black, brown, red, yellow, or white, have ancestors who were slaves at one time or another in history. (an absolute wrong) What happens all too often in our world today is that we way over-react and although we all enjoy political freedom, we tend to divide ourselves up in groups and look down our noses at each other still. (another over-reaction)

The truth and the right solution lies somewhere in the middle again!

When are we all going to grow up and stop acting like little children and start looking for and acting on true principles that will lead all of us to happiness and success as a country?

The only way for us to overcome these problems is for us to understand that true happiness only comes when we put ourselves in harmony with the true principles that govern this universe! The funny thing is you can even enjoy the happiness that comes from this harmony without consciously aligning yourself with a principle! A principle yields results when followed simply because it exists! Interesting!

Put yourself on a lifelong quest for truth and act accordingly and your life will be constantly moving in an upward direction! But choose to try to fight against the truth and life will be a constant downward spiral!

Have a great day!

Learners Inherit the Future!

Heard a quote that has great application today!

Wish I knew who originally said it. "In a time of drastic change, it's the learners who inherit the future!"

I think today would qualify as a time of drastic change! How many of us are being impacted by things that we feel like are out of our control?
I believe that whoever said this has a pretty good grip on the solution for us individually! How many of us are making learning a priority in our lives?

I'm not talking about just going back to school. All of the greatest wisdom of the ages is written down somewhere in books. Some of it can be tremendously dull and boring but there is a huge amount of interesting knowledge out there for the person who wants to better themselves!

All too often we look at economic change out there that threatens our current livelyhood as a real negative thing. I've learned that most of the time it is a great opportunity in disguise!

The only problem is that we have to be willing to learn new things and embrace change! With the incredible rate of technological advance that we have today, there are huge opportunities open to us that didn't exist even 6 months ago let alone when we got our original training!

Come along and join me in becoming one of those learners he was talking about!
Life is a great gift! Don't waste a minute of it!

Secret to Happiness

I've been reading a book lately on people skills, something I think we can all use some help with!

It's called, "How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing With People" by Les Giblin.

I found one of the most profound statements I've ever read! It was so simple that I almost passed right over it, but the more I thought about it the more I understood what it said.

It's from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find a good everywhere!"

The book calls it a "simple formula" for happiness!

"This deliberate looking for the good things in others has a miraculous effect upon ourselves. It takes our minds off ourselves. Makes us less self-conscious. Less self-righteous. More tolerant and understanding."

He Quotes a doctor who says, "That this simple technique has literally worked miracles in curing his readers of all sorts of worry, fears, and the depression."

"Several years ago a number of psychologists got together to see whether they could come up with some one simple rule that would help people live happier lives, with more peace of mind. They came up with a formula called SFF, which seemed to work miracles.

The letters stand for Stop Finding Fault."

"One of the sure earmarks of virtually all neurotic, unhappy people, they found, was that they were overly critical.

They deliberately looked for things to find fault with.

Yet, when they changed their attitude, and began looking for good things in people around them and in their circumstances, their own happiness greatly increased."

I thought that the author said this so clearly that I'd better just quote him. It's from the book; "How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing With People" by Les Giblin. This book definitely makes my "Recommended Reading List!"

Hope you have a great day! Remember to look for the good in it and your day will be great!

The Power of Self Respect

I've been doing some thinking about self-respect this morning.

In my opinion, there is way too much emphasis on self-esteem these days. Self-esteem ought to be a natural out-growth of self-respect instead of a cheap substitute for it. Self respect is far more valuble than self esteem.

Self esteem is artificial. It is the idea that you should feel confidence in yourself regardless of your behavior. It says you are special simply because you exist. It's a "don't judge me" concept.

Studies have shown that many of the criminals in our prison system have a very high level of self esteem. It's easy to have a high opinion of yourself if you don't see that your actions and level of responsibility are important.

Self-respect is like a fortress you build around your inner self, one block at a time! That fortress gives you strength and protection when the world throws challenges your way!

The building blocks of your fortress come from proving to yourself that you are a person worthy of your own respect!

That only comes from proving to yourself that you can make wise choices and take responsible action.

For instance, there is no way that you can respect yourself for choosing to do something that you know is wrong.

On the other hand, standing up and defending what is right and good even when it's unpopular takes strength and adds more blocks to your fortress quickly!

Your fortress doesn't have to be perfect to have value to you. All of us have weak spots in our character, they are just there to show us what more we need to work on!

Even if your fortress of self-respect is a shambles today, you can start rebuilding it right now one block at a time by starting to make one good decision at a time!

Self-respect comes from hundreds of little good decisions and acts of character and self-discipline all added together!

Have you ever had a hole blown in your fortress wall? I have! When you make a mistake of character in your life, what do you do?

Instead of walking away from your damaged fortress and giving up on it, start building again and focus on making your self-respect even stronger by fixing the problems that created the original weakness.

Think of the power that comes from being able to say, I had the courage to overcome a major obstacle in my life!

If you don't feel much respect for yourself, start today!

Go do something good, preferably for someone else, and lay the first block in your fortress of self-respect.

Figure out how to put another block in that wall every day!

You will find that other people can't take your self-respect from you if you have built it on the right principles.

That's far more valuable than the perceived picture of yourself that is self-esteem. This is real!

So do something today that adds value to the world!

Go make it an awesome day!