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Luke 14:11 – “For all those who exult themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exulted.”

Ego is the enemy. Don’t put yourself on a pedestal. Don’t be boastful. Even if you are as good as you think you are, if you tell everyone how great you are people will dislike you and talk behind your back. 

But if you are humble and good at what you do, people will see this too. They will speak kindly of you. You will not need to boast, because others will do it for you. 

Last night, Andrew Luck, 29 year old quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, prodigy, described as a once in a generation-type quarterback, announced his retirement. This was unexpected. It was shocking. It rocked the NFL’s world, especially the Colts’ front office and fan base.

Ultimately, Luck said that it was “the hardest decision” of his life. I believe it. Others described the genuine joy that he had when playing the game. Teammates and competitors spoke highly of not only his play, but his character and his attitude. Nearly everyone had nice things to say and wished him luck in his future endeavors.

That is, everyone except for some Colts’ fans…

As Andrew Luck was walking back to the locker room (during the preseason game, at the end of the half), he was greeting by a mix of cheering and booing. I’d like to think that most people were cheering, but gosh, it was hard not to hear the boos.

This man had sacrificed so much for his team. He sacrificed his health for this team…not just short-term, but long-term as well. He has the right to walk away (from a sport he loves, no less) and should not be criticized for it.

To boo somebody, while seeming innocent enough, is actually a terrible thing to do. Do you not think that Andrew has explored all options, trying to find a way to get back to the game he loves and to play with teammates that he considers friends? It took tremendous courage to do what he did. To give something up that he cares about at the young age of 29. He should be entering his football prime. He should be working on putting up Hall of Fame numbers. But all of that is gone now. He already has the mental anguish of his decision. For others to pile on top of that is not right. Talk about kicking someone when they’re down…

Before you boo someone next time, put yourself in their shoes. They’re already hurt and feeling bad. Don’t make the situation worse. What do you get out of booing? Do you gain any satisfaction from it? Does it make you feel better about yourself? If so, you should probably take a look in the mirror and start working on yourself…

Just because others boo doesn’t mean that you have to. Be better than that.

The more items we own, the less we value them. Think of the rich kid with every toy on the planet. Do you think he/she will even notice if one toy is missing? Probably not. Compare that to a poor child with only a handful of toys…if they lose one toy, they notice. It affects them much more. 

Taking this one step further, you can also relate this to friendships. Having fewer friends, but being closer with them, is better than having a lot of “friends” who you barely talk or hang out with, let alone really “know.”

Less is more. Do not focus on the quantity of what you have/don’t have, focus on the quality. Don’t aim to know a bunch of people on a surface-level, but have deep, meaningful relationships instead. 

Reduce what you purchase and what you consume. We are constantly bombarded with new gadgets, new information, and single serving/single use items. Reduce the amount of products and information that you consume for a simpler life. Examples of this: reduce your media consumption to focus on real-life interactions; reduce the amount of plastic water bottles that you use to help the planet (less energy to make the bottles, less pollution when getting rid of the bottles, less money to spend on the bottles).

Reuse what you already have or what you are purchasing. If you can reuse an item multiple times before discarding it, it will not only help your wallet, but will also help the environment. Example: Use a refillable water bottle that you can reuse over and over again.

Recycle what you can once you are done reusing it. Sometimes things break or it is time to discard them. When that time comes, try to recycle that product. Again, it goes back to energy production to make a product AND not polluting the world we know with more junk. If we keep making new things and only dispose of our old things via junk yards and landfills, eventually we will run out of space and ruin the earth. Examples: Donate clothes and toys to charity (even though you may have outgrown these items, it doesn’t mean that someone else can’t use them); recycle plastic bottles, cans, etc.

Parkinson’s Law says that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” What this means is that if you have one task to complete (like writing a term paper in college) and it is due in 4 weeks, you will take 4 weeks to complete this. But if you’re given 48 hours to complete it? Guess what…you’ll probably complete it in 48 hours and it be nearly as good of a paper. 

The reason I bring this up is because I feel that it relates to busy people and non-busy people. Busy people have a long To Do list and manage to complete it all in a day. They keep moving until it is done and don’t realize how tired they are until they sit down at night. Non-busy people have a shorter To Do list. They complete their list in the same amount of time as the busy people, but because they are not stimulated (not moving as much, not taking as much action), they have more time to focus on them being tired. 

Action leads to energy. Being busy leads to getting more done (being productive). If I don’t have anything to do and I don’t have any interests to pursue, I feel tired. But if I have a lot to do and many interests, I am able to get them done with all the energy I need, then am able to relax and sleep well. I think that you’ll find the same thing.

So which will you choose to be? Busy? Or not?