You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban
I love Josh Groban’s song You Raise Me Up
Give it a listen:
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.
Seed To Sow
Today’s insightful guest post comes from our friend Angi of peepsarecool fame. Angi and her husband Aaron have a beautiful daughter Anika. I’m her proud godfather.
Hey – Angi’s work friends – pass this around. She shares my thoughts with you, please share her insights with others!
Here’s Angi:
Today I put in an “old school” CD, and brought Anika to child care. It was Michael W. Smith’s Go West Young Man.
The song that I was blessed with was “Seed to Sow.” 1
I sang to Anika and then sang to myself on the way to the bus stop.
Compassion & Generosity
As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.
Monday I began a series entitled A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom. 
The first lesson the wise would teach us is Don’t Hold Grudges
The second lesson was Take Care Of Your Health.
Compassion Makes Sense
Compassion is more important than pleasure. Many people intentionally blind themselves to the needs of others. When I didn’t listen to my mom my mom would call it “selective listening.”
A Treasure Chest Of Wisdom – Don’t Hold Grudges
As I was approaching fifty years old I sought the wisdom of my elders. I sought out men and women older than I was to learn lessons on life that they had been learning.
I would ask: 
I know that you have spent your career with men and women older than yourself.
In that time you have listened and learned as they’ve talked about their lives and their values. You have gathered insights and wisdom from their successes and their failures.
This year I’m turning 50 and I’m starting to feel middle-aged.
I don’t know how old you are, but I know you’ve learned from those older than us.
Duck The Drama
There is never a shortage of drama.
There is always some fool who feels the need to “start something.”
Someone near you today filled with anger, impatience, and frustration from their weekend will probably spill it onto you. Avoid the obvious emotional reaction. Skip the “That was stupid” regret you’ll have later. Instead, duck the drama?
How?
Three Tips To Help You Duck The Drama
Lay Low – Don’t cause drama. It comes back to bite most people.
Take It Slow – Don’t jump to conclusions when people bring drama to you.
Say No! – Don’t repeat gossip.
Job Hunting? Discover The Magic Of These Skills – UPDATED
“I can’t get a job. I’ve looked everywhere!”
“They won’t call me back.”
“They just hate (fill in the blank)!”
Finding a job is difficult. I’m not certain what the answer is, but I do have some time-tested suggestions for teens and adults who want to step ahead in the marketplace:
Seven Communication Skills That We Need
7 Reasons To Avoid Giving Advice
In my fourth in a series on helping our child, lover or friend open up today we’re examining our tendency to give advice.
Maybe it’s just my problem,
Maybe I’m the only one reading these words who thinks “I know” better, who knows “what’s going on”, who can “see more clearly” than anyone else can, and who realized “what this is going to lead to”, but, probably not.
Parents, Lovers and Friends, Ask Questions!
Monday I warned you about 9 Consequences Of Not Listening.
Yesterday I introduced you to 8 Benefits Of Asking Questions Instead Of Demanding To Be Heard.
Today let me expand on those 8 benefits for parents, lovers and friends.
Note – While I color-coded for parents, lovers and friends, the suggestions are not exclusively for those groups.
Questions help us understand the problem from another perspective.
Parents – You’ll take a step back from your worry-place.
Lovers – You’ll maintain your commitment to togetherness.
Friends – You’ll contribute to the brainstorming.
8 Benefits of Asking Questions Instead of Demanding To Be Heard
When people listen, really listen, great things happen.
Displaying a warm and friendly disposition toward others is important, but in this generation we need much more.
Friendly smiles help other feel safer, but in this age many people experience a crisis of isolation. In order to overcome our sense of isolation we need people to listen, really listen to us.
How can we learn to be better listeners?
Recognizing our tendency to be “tellers” instead of listeners is one good way. Another is to really, truly admit that there are benefits of asking questions instead of giving answers. Not that we should not be telling people our opinions, but I believe it’s important to listen more than most people do.
6 Attitudes That Get In The Way Of Listening
In the past couple weeks I’ve found myself in several conflicts.
Sometimes it was clearly my fault, other times it was a miscommunication, and I’ve also been attacked by others.
Whether it’s listening to someone we’ve hurt, listening to someone explain their perspective, or listening to someone we’ve been hurt by, almost everyone I know agrees that we need to become better listeners.
Here are six helpful tips that I’m learning.
6 Attitudes That Get In The Way Of Listening:
