Meaningful Mondays

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain. Arthur C. Brooks once said, “Kindness and warm-heartedness are the antivenom for the poisonous contempt coursing through the veins of our political discourse.” Just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to be disagreeable.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr. “You don’t have to wait for the rainbow to enjoy the rain.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf“ "Love is the ‘why’ of the leaders that can bring America back together, and of all of us in our families and communities.” — Arthur C. Brooks

"The Enemy of Thriving is Arriving." – Lee Brower "Live life deliberately- no finish lines." – Lee Brower "Knowing your 'So That' will inspire others to find their own 'So That'. “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F. Kennedy

We have God-given rights which bring with them obligations, which, when properly honored, become opportunities. An indigenous elder of Cherokee descent, Stan Rushworth, reminded us of the difference between a Western settler mindset of "I have rights" and an indigenous mindset of "I have obligations." Instead of thinking, 'My rights entitle me,' what if we choose to think that we are born with obligations— not rights —to serve past, present, and future generations?

"Positivity attracts courage, solutions, and people who lift us higher. Who you believe yourself to be is who you become." — Lee Brower “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” — Napoleon Hill “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” — Denis Waitley

Here is a hint- it is not your decisions! "Character is the ability to carry out a worthwhile decision long after the decision has passed." "Our thoughts determine our actions, our actions determine our habits, our habits determine our character, and our character determines our eternal destiny." - David O. McKay

"Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet." — Bob Marley “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” — Chinese Proverb "If you deeply lean into gratitude, the mental 'light' it produces makes it harder for negativity to fully occupy your awareness." — Lee Brower "Negativity is simply the absence of gratitude." — Lee Brower

"Recreational Anxiety feels like motion, but it is just emotion with no direction." And it's silently training our children —and us — to be reactive rather than reflective. Distracted, not discerning. Noisy, instead of noticing. biPas™ is your internal circuit breaker. It reconnects you to clarity, calmness, courage, and control. Outwitting the Devil, by Napoleon Hill. Going BIG so that we can go BIG'R. When we go BIG Begin In Gratitude), it allows us to create even big'r "R"ipples

Do you want to be in more control of yourself each day, each hour, each moment? Would you like to build new neural pathways- mental shortcuts that bypass (biPas™) the reactive brain? “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” —Viktor E. Frankl “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” —William James

The Belief Switch Can you imagine living in a world where the only satisfaction you got was from blaming and complaining? “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences..." -- Dr. Rick Hansen MRI studies show that the more you complain, the more those neural pathways deepen— until your brain defaults to that behavior. It shrinks your prefrontal cortex—your center for logic, reason, and problem solving. It literally makes you less equipped to find solutions. What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic dopamine production? "Gratitude opens the heart. Self-belief turns the key." -- Lee Brower "Self-belief is gratitude in motion." -- Lee Brower

"Communication isn't about what you say. Communication is the response you get." "Anytime you use something that is 'true' to deceive, mislead, or be self-serving, it is a lie, not the TRUTH." If people walk away confused, hurt, or misled- even if what we said was technically true- we failed as leaders (communicators).

"A reliable system turns guilt-driven ‘yeses’ into purpose-driven ‘no’s." - Lee Brower "Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not." - Cal Newport, Deep Work. "94% of all failures are the result of the system." - W. Edwards Deming When you say "yes" to something, what are you saying "no" to?

“Can I begin this day with the intentionality, confidence, and courage to say no—even to the very important—so that I can accomplish the essential yeses that move me closer to my most meaningful future?” “This next year doesn’t have to be my best yet…it GETS to be.” “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard… Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” —Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz "Don’t just look back with gratitude. Look forward with expectant gratitude. Say no to the noise— So you can say 'yes' to what truly matters."

“The first job of a leader—at work or at home—is to inspire trust. You don’t manage people—you model trust, extend it, and grow together." - Stephen M. R. Covey “Trust is the one trait that consistently boosts happiness at every age.” — Research by Utrecht University, 2025 “Trust doesn’t follow leadership. Trust is leadership.” - Lee Brower In Th'River, we believe in flow—in letting trust move through us, not just to us.

“You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everything.” - John C. Maxwell "Did my choices today reveal what I say matters most?" - Lee Brower “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” - Stephen R. Covey "We don't drift into meaning. We don't stumble into legacy. We choose our way there--one moment, one choice at a time." - Lee Brower

But here’s the thing—character doesn’t just show up in heroic moments. It shows up in keeping your word… even when it’s inconvenient and even when it is only to you. Character is the ability to carry out a worthwhile decision once the emotion of making that decision has passed.

"A new identity doesn't erase the past. It reclaims the future." - Lee Brower "I am not what I used to be, not what I ought to be, and not what I am going to be, but I am thankful I am not what I used to be." - Coach John Wooden

The image was fake. The "bias" was real. The truth was different. "Bias is like a weed. It starts out small. But left to its own, it grows deep, spreads wide, and quietly chokes out better thoughts." — Lee Brower "We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are." — Anaïs Nin (our perspective is often colored by internal bias- unless we pause and we pivot.) "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." — Stephen Hawking "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung ( e.g. biPas™-- pausing to recognize and redirect unconscious bias.) "What is not named cannot be transformed." — Dr. Edith Eger, Holocaust survivor and psychologist. (Supports making 'Standby Moment' an asset, not just an anecdote.)

"Small choices make big ripples." "What would your future self say about that choice?" "Just this once" leads to convenience. "No matter what" leads to conviction. Conviction leads to character. “It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98%.” — Clayton Christensen

Mothers are the nurturers of the world. “Motherhood isn’t just about biology. It’s a calling to nurture, to comfort, to notice someone else’s need and do something about it.” The Ripple of a "mother-hearted" life doesn’t ask, “Are you mine?” It simply says, “You matter.”