Stretch Quote – Great Heights (George Chapman)
Be free all worthy spirits, and STRETCH yourselves, for greatness and for height.
George Chapman
We too easily nail our feet to the floor and our butts to the couch. We grow content with the ho-hum, everyday existence we have allowed to exist.
Getting off the couch and outside our comfort zones requires some stretching.
What are you waiting for? How would your world be different if you STRETCHED yourself to greater heights TODAY?
Stretch Quote – Thick Skin (Katharine Hepburn)
It would be a terrific innovation if you could get your mind to STRETCH a little further than the next wisecrack.
Katharine Hepburn
Words have the power to build up or destroy. While I wish I always had thick skin when someone wrongs me with their words, it’s not always so easy.
On the other hand, I’m sure I’ve said hurtful things to others, and this makes me sad.
Let’s commit today to speak life into those around us.
What words have impacted you recently? Tell me about it in the comments.
6 Types of Content That Will STRETCH Your Mind
When you think of the word “stretch,” what comes to mind?
Maybe you thought of physical exercise, which requires you to stretch your muscles. You might have thought about stretching toward your financial or career goals. Perhaps you even thought of a tall tale you heard recently, thinking, “That’s a stretch.”
You can stretch in many different ways, but the most important stretch takes place within your mind. Your mind is the source of your emotions, actions, and words. Therefore, it’s vital that you take good care of your mind by feeding it great content.
So what kind of content will help stretch your mind? These are the six most important types:
- Books. Choose books that will help you grow and become a better person and leader. It’s important to read books from a variety of perspectives and subjects. This will keep you fresh and prevent you from getting into a mental rut. You should include great fiction books (and even a few books that aren’t necessarily great, but entertaining) because you need to be inspired by great stories. (If you’re a person of faith, the Bible is the most important book you should be reading.)
- Podcasts. Podcasts are free and don’t necessarily require extra time. You can listen to them while you’re driving, exercising, or doing other activities. I listen to a wide variety of podcasts, including some just for fun. Don’t limit yourself to content focused on business or productivity. Be sure to listen to podcasts that are fun and enjoyable.
- Movies. Movies blend storytelling, moving images, and music to transport us into other worlds. Movies can also change your perspective and give you experiences you can’t get any other way. Movies can speak to your heart and mind while sharpening your creativity and leadership.
- Classes. Classes are a great way to increase your knowledge and skills in a specific area. Over the last couple of years I have taken courses on writing for large websites, self-publishing, online teaching, and business. Some of these were free but others were not. (I don’t think of training as an expense. It’s an investment.) Classes are a great way to get specialized knowledge and stay relevant in your field.
- Magazines. I subscribe to a few magazines related to business and creativity, but the danger of periodicals is that the content quickly goes out of date. I have moved almost exclusively to reading content online (rather than print magazines), but the print magazines I still read have a lot of value.
- Blogs. I subscribe to a few dozen newsletters and use the online service unroll.me to “roll them up” into one daily email digest. That way, I can skim through the content without having dozens of emails clog my inbox.Books. Choose books that will help you grow and become a better person and leader. It’s important to read books from a variety of perspectives and subjects. This will keep you fresh and prevent you from getting into a mental rut. You should include great fiction books (and even a few books that aren’t necessarily great, but entertaining) because you need to be inspired by great stories. (If you’re a person of faith, the Bible is the most important book you should be reading.)
The kind of content you put into your mind will determine your thoughts and actions. Make sure you’re reading, watching, and listening to great content every day.
I love this quote from James Allen’s classic book As a Man Thinketh:
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. . . . A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man’s. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
Who do you want to be, and where do you want to go? The answer will determine what to put in your mind. Earl Nightingale said it best in his classic work, The Strangest Secret: “We become what we think about.”
So what are you thinking about? The answer to that question will determine how much you stretch your mind and eventually determine the quality of your life.
Do you have a plan for reading and taking in other great content? What would happen if you scheduled just fifteen minutes a day for reading?
This post is adapted from the book The Artist’s Suitcase: 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey, available September 1st.
Bio: Kent Sanders writes about art, creativity, and productivity at KentSanders.net. He also teaches art, film, theology, and guitar at St. Louis Christian College in Florissant, Missouri.
Special thanks to Kent Sanders for guest posting here today. Please consider ordering his new book (The Artist’s Suitcase: 26 Essentials for the Creative Journey
Stretch Quote – Parenting (@DrTempleGrandin)
I think sometimes parents and teachers fail to STRETCH kids. My mother had a very good sense of how to STRETCH me just slightly outside my comfort zone.
Temple Grandin
As I think about this week’s STRETCH quote, I’m thankful for my parents. Both my Mom and Dad have STRETCHED me to become a better person. My Stretch nickname may have come from friends when I was going through my growth spurt late in high school, but I think the real stretching happened as a result of my parents encouragement, discipline, and accountability.
Thank you, Mom and Dad!
How did your parents STRETCH you outside your comfort zone? What are you doing to STRETCH your own children?
Stretch Quotes – Goals (Mary Kay Ash)
A good goal is like a strenuous exercise – it makes you STRETCH.
Mary Kay Ash
Do you have any goals that are making you stretch? Tell us about it in the comments.
Stretch Quote – Open Arms (Blaise Pascal)
It is good to be tired and wearied by the futile search after the true good, that we may STRETCH out our arms to the Redeemer.
Blaise Pascal
What are you searching for these days?
Stretch Quote – Comfort Zone (Les Brown)
If you put yourself in a position where you have to STRETCH outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness.
Les Brown
What are you doing to push the boundaries of your comfort zone?
The Inside Counts
What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
A few weeks ago, I was driving to meet one of my team members at a job site when something on the side of the road caught my eye. A large pile of green leaves formed a mountain in the front yard of one of the houses I was passing. As I approached the house, I noticed the leaves were actually still attached to branches which were still attached to the large trunk of a giant maple tree. The tree trunk had separated from the roots at the very base of the tree. The outside of the tree trunk looked like a normal maple tree, but the inside was filled with dark brown rotten wood. No wonder the tree fell over.
I wonder if the homeowners knew how unhealthy this tree really was. The green leaves and the bark on the outside of the trunk left travelers like myself the impression that the tree was healthy. In reality, the tree was rotting from the inside out.
The fallen tree had me thinking the rest of the way up to the job site.
Am I taking care of my insides? Or am I just faking it hoping everyone thinks I’m doing fine?
Many people dress to impress. We wine and dine. We spend like there is no tomorrow. And we put on a shell that doesn’t give bystanders a real picture of what is on the inside.
Self-examination and transparency with a few close confidants is required to give an honest assessment of what is really going on inside our skin. Are we filling our minds with things that honor God? Or are we filling our heads with trash? Are we feeding our hearts and souls with “nutrition”? Or are we consuming “junk food”?
These aren’t questions you can answer in the comments of a blog post. These are questions you must intentionally ponder.
When you arrive at your answer, you have a decision to make: What do you need to start doing to build a healthy inside? What do you need to stop doing to prevent further rotting inside? And what do you need to keep doing to stay on track and to build a life that honors God from the inside out?
These are the questions I leave you with today. Truly dwelling on these questions and your answers should keep you stretching.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Stretch Quote – People (Bryant H. McGill)
There are amazingly wonderful people in all walks of life; some familiar to us and others not. Stretch yourself and really get to know people. People are in many ways one of our greatest treasures.
Bryant H. McGill
How would your world change if you really got to know someone? Tell me about a person you have come to treasure. Leave your responses in the comments.
Are You Fully Committed To Achieving Your Goals?
I go to the gym on a daily basis. I’m there for an hour, and my workout routine typically includes 40 minutes of cardiovascular training and 20 minutes of strength training in the wellness center.
When my workout is done, I sometimes stop to look into the basketball gym before heading out for the rest of my day. There is always a group of guys playing basketball. I used to play with these guys. In fact, I was one of the original two founding members of the early morning basketball games. I’m pretty sure my friend, Joe, and I started playing over ten years ago. We would usually play once a week. Eventually, other guys started coming into the gym to play with us. Before we knew it, we had enough guys for a full court game. Then we added more and split into two games going on simultaneously.
I stopped playing several years ago when I sprained my ankle one too many times and my lower back “complained” too much about the pain caused by playing. It was a hard decision as I have always loved the game of basketball, but I needed to modify my workout routine to keep me healthy for running and for life.
Yesterday as I was leaving the gym, I looked through the window into the basketball gym just a little too long. The guys waved me in as they needed one more guy to even up the teams. Before I knew it, I was running full-court four-on-four basketball. Despite my running shoes and my rustiness, I was able to keep up and contribute to the game. After fifteen minutes of playing, it was time to head home so I could get ready for work.
When I arrived home to shower before work, I was floating. I’m pretty sure I was smiling ear to ear when I told Leanne I had done something crazy at the gym that morning.
If you look back to the first Ice Breaker of the year, you may remember I set a fitness goal for 2015. The goal was to dunk a basketball by the end of 2015. Since writing that post on in early January, I have discovered that achieving this goal is going to take a much bigger effort than I could have ever imagined. Besides adding a few pounds over the past few years, I have lost a lot of my explosive leg lifting strength as a result of focusing on running for so long. My first efforts to dunk earlier this year were embarrassing and enlightening. Dunking used to be pretty easy, but now it was next to impossible.
In March, I started adding consistent strength training to my morning workout routine. Once I started working on my legs, I could see how much work I had ahead of me. I am noticing improvement, but I still have a lot of leg strength to rebuild before my goal will be achieved.
As I ran back and forth on the basketball court yesterday, I tried to be careful not to turn my ankles as running shoes are not ideal for playing basketball. When I left the gym, I started to consider the possibility of purchasing a pair of basketball shoes. This would be an investment for sure.
Achieving our goals requires investment and sacrifice especially if they are stretch goals. Making the necessary investment into achieving your goal will help you cross the line from casual pursuit to all-out commitment. I’m guessing basketball shoes will cost $100. If I make this purchase, I will be making a statement. I will be telling myself and the rest of the world (for those who care) that I am serious about dunking a basketball again.
We can talk the talk, but it doesn’t mean anything unless we walk the talk.