Author: markoach

Anyone who has spent time in the business world has been exposed to multiple approaches to generating and maintaining motivation: motivational books, speeches, clinics, programs, etc.  Along with the particular approach comes an assumption that it is a good thing to be motivated.  The more important question is: for what should I be motivated? Often … Continue reading Real Contentment / Satisfacción real

There is one holiday in the year specifically dedicated to giving thanks, at least by the name, Thanksgiving.  It’s relatively easy to come up with a few motives for thanksgiving once a year: my family, good health, “this time with you all”, etc.  But what happens when a crisis strikes?  What if I don’t feel … Continue reading What I do when I’m not feeling thankful / Lo que hago cuando no me siento agradecido

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who believes she should move to a new home that would be closer to her work place.  She has a good list of reasons: fuel economy, less chance of a traffic ticket, convenience of less travel time, and others.  The reasons make sense.  So, is moving to a … Continue reading Needs vs. Wants / Necesidades vs. Deseos

Opening the door to our apartment we encountered glass on the floor, a broken window.  Our first thoughts were that a rock broke window or that burglars broke in, but this was the 12th floor.  Then we looked at the stove: a charred pot and the remains of plastic bottles.  The neighbors had smelled the … Continue reading Appearances can be… / Las Apariencias pueden ser…

One day it’s 70º, and I am enjoying the daffodils and tulips coming out.  The next morning there are several inches of snow on the ground, the same afternoon the snow is gone and I can go for a bike ride.   The next day it rains all day and I have to change my plans.  … Continue reading Snow in Spring? / ¿Nieve en primavera?

Don’t rest from work, work from rest.  Work is a good thing; effective work is better.  Effective work that meets a worthwhile goal is best.  Effective work meeting the purpose for which God has made you brings joy and fulfillment.  Most of us have been taught to work hard and seek success.  Mike Breen in … Continue reading Don’t Rest from Work…

Today I was looking at my journal from 31 years ago.  We were in Venezuela feeling that God had called us there, but our visas were not being approved.  So, we were told that we should be ready to go somewhere else.  There were about 10 couples on our team, all with the same response: … Continue reading What would a map of your life look like? / ¿Cómo será un mapa de tu vida?

Worry is debilitating.  It’s exhausting, sap’s energy.  It robs us of our clear thinking when we most need clarity.  But how do you get rid of it? My brother, Kurt, and I have had several conversations about worry in recent months, and he has a good perspective on it.  He’s president of a media company … Continue reading Worry is… / La preocupación es…

It was a week before Christmas and mud was everywhere, ten feet deep, filling the first floor of every house in Ramón Brazón, just outside of Caracas, Venezuela.  It was not the disaster of the coast, where thousands died and many more left homeless.   But there was little joy the week before Christmas. This week … Continue reading Suffering to Joy to Generosity / Sufrimiento a Gozo a Generosidad

My parents died when I was 23 years old, Mom of cancer, Dad of a heart attack two months later.  Devastated, I searched for meaning.  There are no definitive answers to the “Why” questions that emerge from most events like these.  But I did discover a purpose in this:  that God is the:  “Father of compassion … Continue reading River of Comfort / Rio de Consuelo