“What to Call a “Dog”?”

I mentioned in my first blog that I felt like I had enough content to fill years and years of blog space. After 12 blog posts, I still feel the same way, but I’ve also discovered another interesting factoid.  I am really good with blog titles.

I am not bragging.  Several people have complimented my titles.   

“I love your titles.”

“Your titles are so creative.”

“Your titles always make me laugh.”

“I can’t wait for your next blog because your titles are genius.”

Ok.  Maybe I stretched the truth on these compliments just a little.  I don’t get many accolades on my writing.  Wait a minute.  They are not actually complimenting my writing, just the titles.

Now that I think about it, maybe what they are really saying is:

“Your content is really, really bad.”

“Please write something that compels me to read further than the title.”

“Take a creative writing class.  Please.”

Sounds like a cry for mercy.  Well, at least I have the keen ability to give a “Dog” of a post a cool name.  I can live with that.

James 4:6  “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

- What is your plan -

“Behavior Modification”

An interesting thing has happened since I started to blog 6 weeks ago.  Our supper conversations have changed.  Let me explain.

We eat together around the supper table as often as we can.  Normally, it is only Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday evenings since our youngest teenager is a gymnast and practices the other days; CHALK UP!  [sorry about the yell]  Our supper conversations are usually entertaining as we dig into our teenagers’ lives.  We would discuss especially intriguing behaviors from our ever-wise duo.

These entertaining exchanges sometimes yield great material for a blog.  They’ve caught on.  I’m busted.  It wasn’t really that hard for them to catch on to my method since my wife would say “that would make great blog” material.  

The result was an immediate change in behavior.  Now, we both use the threat of the blog to  invoke behavior modification.  The threat of public embarrassment is a very efficient tool in behavior management for teens.  It is truly amazing.  

“Do you really want to sleep past your alarm and get the bulldozer treatment?  That would be a funny blog post.” - result: teenager is out of bed before the second snooze.

“You seem to be avoiding your writing.  Your dad might write about that in his blog.” - result: teenager completes his paper on time.

I wrote about incentives and unintended outcomes in a previous blog.  This was another great example.  I had no idea that my writing could be an effective discipline tool.  Just another club in the golf bag of parenting.

Proverbs 22:6  “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”

- What is your plan? -

"First Blog, Ever"

Let’s jump right in.  The first thing you need to understand is that planning is overrated.  Planning is for the weak, the unimaginative and those who are overly risk averse.  Understand?  What?

Do you always need a plan?  I should be able to just start working.  If I put out more energy, then I get good results.  

Not having a plan allows me to never be behind or ahead.  I will never be over budget (what is a budget anyway).  I will always achieve the expected outcome.

The expectations of others… don’t matter because I don’t have a plan for them to develop expectations.

The absence of proper planning can be seen in all areas of life: Physical, Spiritual, Financial, Family, Social, Intellectual, and Career.  I’ve convinced myself that I can fill this blog space indefinitely with examples from my own life.  

Luke 14:28-30  “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see it he has enough money to complete it?  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ”

Maybe we can learn something together.

Disclaimers:

1.  I am a Christ follower and I see life from a Christian world view.  

2.  I am a husband and a father of two teenage boys.  They read this blog.

3.  My wife proofreads all my posts.

4.  I will take liberty with the subject matter covered in this blog.

Thanks for joining.

-What is your plan?-

P.S.  What’s with the Blog name?  “Six Bottles to Paris” is a reminder of a very successful plan.  Two other couples joined my wife and I on a train trip to Paris.  There were 6 adults and 6 bottles of wine - a perfect plan!