_____ happens. The world isn't fair. I wish it was, but it's not. So let's get over it. Quit looking for pity, sympathy, or a shoulder to cry on. Most important - stop sharing your problems with people who can't help you solve them. Quit wasting your time wallowing in your distress or having rambling conversations about all the people out to get you. It's not helping you get out. Obviously, there are times we need help, but in most cases, you don't need anyone's sympathy, you need a new attitude. The minute you start ... read more

Back in the days of only 3 TV channels, there were a handful of monster sized media ministries: Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, Rex Humbard, and Jimmy Swaggart topped the list early, with Pat Robertson and Robert Schuller coming in a bit later. Then, with the advent of religious TV networks, more started growing: Rod Parsley, Lester Sumrall, John Osteen, Fred Price, and others. Today, the leaders are ministries like Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Ken Copeland, Joyce Meyer, TD Jakes, and of course the networks like TBN and Daystar that give most of them their biggest platform. But now, in the wake of this recent financial crisis, the question becomes, will we see so many religious ministries of that size ever again? ... read more

I like to be nice. At the very least we should always be gracious. But I also discovered that many people I'm nice to aren't nice back. So I learned to be strong as well as being nice. Trying to keep everyone around you happy is an exercise in futility. It's like juggling too many balls. Your job isn't to make everyone happy. Your job is to be you. Not the "you" people necessarily want you to be - but the "you" that you really are. The genuine thing. It's not about being selfish or rude. It's about not being a doormat. You are important to God. You have value. You matter. Be nice, but be strong. ... read more

No. Absolutely not. Boundaries matter. One of the biggest threats to not reaching your goal is working without limits. The biggest disaster most people have is when they're given an unlimited budget, no deadline, or no expectations. I see it all the time in Hollywood, where a movie director has experienced success, so a studio gives him total freedom. Most of the time, that results in ... read more

The website UBERCEO reported recently on a Twitter post by Bank of America's CEO Ken Lewis asking for recommendations of a good prostitute in Salt Lake City. The only problem? It was a fake Ken Lewis Twitter account set up by someone trying to damage his reputation. Anyone can be hurt by this "social media identity theft" - especially if you're a non-profit, ministry, or church leader. There are so many fake Twitter accounts it's hard to keep track, and they can really damage perceptions of those followers who mistakenly think it's real. ... read more

Brad Lomenick has some really good advice on flowing between the five stages of creative development. His advice? Don't get stuck in one. Here's his ideas: "Taken in concert, these five stages can be healthy, important parts of growing any creative endeavor. Isolated and obsessed on, any one of these stages can cripple your best intentions. Focus on moving between them. ... read more

There's a great deal of skepticism out there about social media from both businesses and non-profits. Does it really add to the bottom line? Does it generate more customers or donors? Does it have an ROI? Admittedly, it's hard to define, but some new research by social media platform Wetpaint and digital media consultant Altimeter Group shows that companies with the most involvement in social media increased revenues by 18% in the last 12 months, while those with the least involvement decreased 6% during that same time. Here's a few interesting things to note from the study: ... read more