The Maxwell Daily Reader, by John C. Maxwell, has 365 “Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You — as stated on the cover. Since I’m in October now, I’m nearing the end of the book. It has been a great resource to improve my outlook on life.

Two recent entries have stood out to me and I thought I would share excerpts from those.

The October 16th entry was titled:

“CHOICES”

It begins, “Poet, critic, and dictionary writer Samuel Johnson observed, ‘He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts and multiply the grief which he purposed to remove.’ Most people want to change the world to improve their lives, but the world they need to change first is the one inside themselves.” (p. 316)

The second entry I enjoyed and learned from is from October 13th and was titled:

“FROM HERE EVERYTHING LOOKS DIFFERENT”.

It begins, “When it comes to winning with people, everything begins with the ability to think about people other than ourselves. People who remain self-centered and self-serving will always have a hard time getting along with others.” Then that daily entry gives three points to follow that will improve your ability to put others first:

1. “Get out of your ‘own little world‘.”— The book advises, “If you have a narrow view of people, go places you have never gone, meet the kinds of people you do not know, and do things you have not done before.”
2. “Check your ego at the door.” — That entry says, “An egotist can be described not as a person who thinks too much of himself, but as someone who thinks too little of other people…. The opposite of loving others is being self-centered. If your focus is always on yourself, you’ll never be able to build positive relationships.”
3. “Understand what brings fulfillment.” — “Ultimately the things that bring fulfillment involve others. A person who is entirely self-focused will always feel restless and hungry.” (p. 313)

That day’s entry ends with, “If you want to live a fulfilling life, you need healthy relationships. And to build those kinds of relationships, you need to get over yourself.” (p. 313)

If you are an introvert, it is very hard to put yourself out there where you have to push yourself toward others and try to get to know them on their level. You have to stop worrying about yourself and how you’re coming across, but instead, think of them and how you can make them feel more comfortable being around you. I’m working on it. It’s not easy but is very much worth the effort.

If you liked those ideas you can find John Maxwell’s book on Thrift Books, Christianbook.com, Walmart, Barnes & Nobles, and Amazon. Surprisingly one of the cheapest resources is Amazon — for a new book.

Do you know of a place you would like to go that you have never gone before, to meet the kinds of people you do not know, or do things you have never done before? If so, please share in the comments.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! 🙏🏻