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6 Easy Steps for Setting and Reaching Your Goals

– Mark Edward –

This time of year, guys talk about New Year’s Resolutions.

While they sound manly leaving our lips, many resolutions fall by the wayside on or about, February 7.

Or maybe January 7.

As leaders, the first person we must lead is ourselves.

We can’t effectively lead ourselves – until we know where we are headed. 


When we have a sense of where we headed, we take STEPS.

The best steps are taken — are those steps which lie within the framework of our GOALS.

In this short post, I’ll share with you an easy 6-step method for setting and reaching attainable goals.

One of my early business mentors (who was a woman, btw, and —  is one of the best leaders with whom I have ever served), would often tell me,

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#whoUR Nuggets for Your Arsenal

– Mark Edward –

With so much pressure to conform.

With so many lies from the media about how you “should” look.  How you “should” act.

With trying to survive in the American “comparison” war zone.

With a daily front seat to our “self” saturated world.

It’s good to know Who U R.

Who U R Really.

Here’s the Who U R passages we shared via the social media outlets, at 11:59 a.m. daily, for 40 days.

Enjoy the Recap.  It’s a quick easy read – mostly visuals.

Whether you are 18 or 38 – Keep building yourself up.  You gotta know Who U R.

Life is busy.  You don’t have to get one passage per day into your heart! But what if you got 1 passage per month into your spirit?  

In a year, you’d as 12 weapons to fight back with…

in a 5 years, 60 weapons to conquer with.

In 20 years, 240 weapons to win your battles.

Which one means the most to you?  Let us know:

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Cutting the Apron Strings

– Mark Edward –

When I’m not talking to you, I serve as a Claims Coach for one of the top auto insurers in the country.  

My Day Job.

Recently, I monitored a call that made me cringe  – yet at the same time, deeply saddened my Mentor’s heart.

On the other end was an outspoken, opinionated, and pushy mom — and her timid son.  The son was the Policy Holder.  And the vehicle owner.  Mom was not on the policy.

As the young man attempted to describe what happened in the loss, the poor kid couldn’t get a word in edge wise.

“Maybe he’s 18 or 19,” I thought.  And momma is just trying to educate her young son, a new driver, on the ins and outs of handing an accident.

I was wrong.

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ShorTTake: Get Your Hands Where They Belong

– Mark Edward –

 ShorTTake™

ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes.  Or less.

I talk with young men almost everyday who struggle with one temptation or another.  

As men, our first go-to thought when we hear the word “temptation” is sexual temptation.  

And yes – in our Always-Horny-Twenties, and into our Testosterone- Filled-Thirties we often do face sexual temptation here in the sex-saturated U.S. of A.

But what about other temptations? 

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Who You Really Are

– Mark Edward –

It has been my custom for many years to address the young men in my Mentoring Circle by calling them “godly young men.”

I’ve been known to grin and say, 

“Hey godly young man!”  “Hey godly young married man…”  “Hey godly young father of one… (two or three or four)…”

The greeting changes as they mature and step forward into their 30’s and 40’s.  But the heart and purpose behind it is the same.

Sometimes guys chuckle and mumble something like, “I don’t feel very godly today.” 

Often, they proceed to tell me of some recent stumble or failure – at least in their eyes.
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ShorTTake: Epic Fatherhood.

|  Mark Edward  |

 ShorTTake™

ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes.  Or less.

A friend of my family posted this crazy cool photo of himself, face painting with his kids this evening.

After a long and busy day at the office.  Actually, he has two businesses and two offices.

Yet he clearly demonstrated in the photo below, his Priorities in Action.  Love Gone Wild.  That Dad’s Matter.  

And they’ll never forget.

Dad’s – Don’t hide behind the laptop.

Don’t wash the car alone every time.

Get on the floor.

Play trucks.  Wear your Spider man suit.  Hold a Barbie.

Turn off your smart phone.  Yes.  Off.

Face Paint!

A Dad Face Painting!

Netflix Couch Potato Dads, God Shake Your Soul.

Wake Up America.

Hats off to this young father who, before he & his wife had their own, led my teen children in a Small Group, that helped shape their journeys forever.

Well Done Mr. Macy M.

– Mark Edward

Feel free to reply below or email us privately if you don’t want your mother stalking your personal business.  

We never share email addresses.

We won’t blow up your IN box.  We don’t air your dirty laundry.  Ever.

Copyright © 2015 by Mark Edward – All Rights Reserved

This article was first published on the site,  I’d Rather Talk ™

facebook logotwitter-bird-white-on-blue

What? Not following us on Social Media?  

We don’t clog up your feed.  We don’t tweet hourly.  We don’t care about Likes.  We don’t need more Followers for our ego.  We don’t post closeups of Shrimp Cocktail.  

Insights tastefully cybered to men.  Once in a while.

 

ShorTTake: Right Priorities

– Mark Edward –

 ShorTTake™

ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes.  Or less.

Happy 38th BD to The Kid on the Left.

Mark and Micah at Smith Wedding 1978

1978

I was approaching High School when my parents announced they had some “big news” for me.

So, we’re moving to Zimbabwe as missionaries?  My great-grandfather was an ax murderer?

My sainted mother has another secret entire family down in the Louisiana Bayou?

So what.

So I have 3 or 4 brothers or sisters I don’t know about.

Big deal.

Well, they had some news about brothers or sisters all right. One brother or one sister.

“You’re PREGnant?” I asked, in my most masculine voice.

Actually, I don’t think they used the word pregnant in the 70’s.

That was too sexual. Instead, they were “expecting.”

mark and micah 1980 maybe

 1980

I remember thinking to myself,

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Happy First Birthday

Guys, thanks for journeying with us this past year!

Many of you have been with us for several years now, prior to our web launch. It’s always my honor and joy.

Striving to improve in Helping Men Find Answers™.

Hoping to continue to help Enhance and Advance Your Legacy™.

 

 

Feel free to reply below or email us privately if you don’t want your mother stalking your personal business.  We never share email addresses.

We won’t blow up your IN box.  We don’t air your dirty laundry.  Ever.

Copyright © 2015 by Mark Edward – All Rights Reserved

This Birthday Wish was first published on the site,  I’d Rather Talk to You than Sleep™
facebook logo     twitter-bird-white-on-blue   instagram-logo

What? You’re not staying connected with us on FB, twitter, or IG?
Tastefully Sprinkled Insights for Men.

How I’ve Stayed Married. And Happy.

– Mark Edward –

She was my #wcw before there was a #wcw.

Before FB.  Before Twitter.  Before IG.  Before TikTok.  Before Bluetooth. Before there were 5 cell phones in my house.

With the internet.

I met her in a city where I never wanted to live. A city I swore to my road buddies I would never move to. Yet that’s where I found her.  Broken Arrow. 

People joke that they “married up.”

I don’t joke about it, because I know it’s true.

Um no.  That’s not us.

I’m not saying I’m not a good guy.

I’m just saying, she’s elite.

How have we stayed married 28 years?

And happy?

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ShorTTake: More STUFF – More Blessed?

| Mark Edward |

 ShorTTake™

In a hurry? ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes. Or less.

There is no question that we live in a material conscious, status conscious, consumer based society.  

Some churches teach the more stuff you have, the more faith you’ve exercised,  the more God has blessed you.

Who doesn’t like having nice things? 

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The 30-Day Psalm 119 Challenge

|  Mark Edward  |

Transparency Moment:  

As much as I love mentoring and being involved in the spiritual journeys of other men, I recently un-followed a young friend on Instagram.

My IG stream was deluged with selfies.  Constantly.  

Lots of them.  Every day.  

Sometimes, several times a day.

My new beard.

My new sunglasses.  

My cool shirt.

My shirtless shot. 

My abs.  

My new skinny jeans.  

Abs AND Skinny Jeans.  All in One Selfie.

My trimmed eyebrows.  

My bleached 3-day beard. 

My tanned ear lobes.  

My sand in my ear from the beach.  

My close up every one of my amazing facial features.

My. 

My, My.

My, My, My.

That Mop Bucket, Though…

Oh.

I forgot, “My Ankles.”

Seriously, was it really that bad?

Yes.  It was.

A picture of his ankles, bahaha.  I’m not making that up.

Standing in front of the mirror and thinking about how we appear is an integral part of our masculine identity.

It goes with the healthy maturing process of young men in their teens and twenties.

I get that.

I did it too (I once had abs like the dude a couple of pics up, but no smart phone with which to dazzle my girl friend).

But.

There is a balance.

There is a line we can cross where we become too self-absorbed.

In the “last days” the Word says men will be “lovers of self”.

Narcissism.

No where is that more evident than in the social media at large.

Question:

That is the question.

The answer is:

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How I’ve Survived Four Women. And a Girl Dog.

| Mark Edward |

In the spring of 1992, we received the news that we were expecting.  

Like most new parents-to-be, we were ecstatic.

I’m not sure why, but we knew we were going to have all boys.  We picked out several names.  

Only boy names.  

Photo Alert.  This Article has more pics than usual. Guys are visual.
Frappucino Alert:  Longer post than usual. You might wanna grab one.

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, May 1992.

We decided to take one last trip BK.

Before Kids.

Three months pregnant, we’re off to Niagara Falls.

BTW, vacation sex is the best sex.  Fathers-to-Be, don’t lose heart.

You can have sex while your wife is expecting. Well…up to a point.  It depends on the pregnancy.

More on that in an upcoming article.

Back to the story.

On November 11, 1992, at 11:19, and 8 lbs 11 ounces, we were surprised but delighted when a strong-willed strawberry-blond daughter stormed into the world.

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