SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

How You Talk to Yourself

We joke about people that we see talking to themselves. We make light of their mental stability. The real question is “How do you talk to yourself?”

We spend much of our life alone. Even if we are married or have kids. It may not seem like we are ever alone. Yet in truth we hang out in our own mind most of the day. We even go to bed together every night. The one person we talk to the most is ourselves.

With self-esteem issues rampant today. We need to be careful how we talk to ourselves. Looking in the mirror in the morning. Seeing the lines, spots and age. Wanting to look different, younger, thinner, prettier. Maybe you grew up being told or thinking you were fat or ugly. Into your mind your own voice starts to creep.

Driving to work, ever notice that you tell others off? You scream and yell with the windows closed. The driver that caused all your angst remains oblivious. Meanwhile you tell yourself what an idiot they are. Your day is already off to a great start. Blood pressure risen, pulse heightened all because of the way you were speaking, to yourself.

Feeding our mind and spirit words of encouragement can be transforming. Whether you spend a few minutes each day speaking affirmations to yourself in the mirror. Maybe it means listening to a motivational audio book on your commute. Perhaps taking the 30 day challenge with K-love can start a trend of positive thinking and in turn speaking.

Too many people dwell on the negative aspects of the world. They would rather spew hateful rhetoric than words of kindness. We must challenge the status quo. Speaking words of encouragement unto ourselves. Bless those that may curse you. By turning the other cheek in the mirror. We may event change the world starting with how we speak to ourselves. What words of kindness and inspiration do you speak into your own heart?

As a kid I read a lot, okay maybe excessively. I read the dictionary and the Encyclopedia for fun. Reading was my refuge from the world. I spent so hours reading about the tragedies of the world that my language turned bitter. Between the neglect and abandonment I felt, I began to use self loathing talk as a means to fit in or at least get by. Years went by and the way I talked about myself and to myself reflected in the way I treated others.

When you grow up feeling inadequate those feelings follow you. Used to being compared to the successes of others. Being told you were stupid, or should have never been born. A person can develop a failure mentality. They begin to despise who looks back at them in the mirror. They withhold emotions from others amidst their self-deprecating lifestyle.

Why We Must Possess in Order to Give

In order for one to truly give of oneself, we must possess control of oneself. “The fundamental issue is freedom. You must possess yourself in order to give yourself away.” We all like to give to others in the form of charity whether in time, talent or money. Once we obtain a clean heart then and only then can we give. This is not to say that we cannot give our weekends up or maybe an hour here or there volunteering. We can go to charity event after charity event and still be empty. Even if you give the shirt off your own back to someone in need that does not consist of true giving. We remain slaves to the world and everything in it. Rather than giving to those in need we will hoard things we don’t really use, like or even want. We look in our full closets and think we have nothing to wear. Meanwhile our brothers and sisters are out in the elements hungry and bare. He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much. – Lao Tzu Click To Tweet Sure we go to church on Sunday and tithe our ten percent. Does putting spare change in the basket somehow wash away our sin? We talk a good talk as we hide the lies we hold within. Thinking that if we ask forgiveness then it is okay to do it all over again. In fact we were all sold into a lie of sorts. No matter what the. deed no matter […]

Nine Ways to Not Suck as a Husband

Nine years ago today my life was changed forever in ways I never imagined. In order to put things into perspective, nine years ago today I was still a mess of a man. That day I married my best friend who in turn has attempted to clean the mess she married. Over the past nine years I have spent repairing the damage of the years prior to becoming a husband. My wife unknowingly has taught me lessons on being a man, better yet being a better man and husband that I thought I would share. A good husband is never the first to go to sleep at night or the last to awake in the morning. -Honore de Balzac Click To Tweet You see women in general believe when they marry a man they will be able to fix all that’s broken. Sometimes this is true, sometimes it will be a long journey similar to that of the Trail of Tears. “God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.”  ~ Max Lucado  Men meanwhile think that if they get married they can continue to be a kid just with bigger and better toys. This is probably what I thought nine years ago. Little did I know I needed fixing, better yet that I wanted to be fixed. 9 ways to Not Suck as a Husband Be Emotionally available – yes guys this means share your feelings and communicate with your spouse. You will be surprised how […]