Confidently speaking...

"It's all about confidence--in the markets, in ourselves, in life," the reporter said.

As I sat channel-surfing the evening news, this statement caught my attention. I'm relatively new to working in the investment industry. But the past few weeks, it's been interesting to see how fear plays such a key role in the financial markets...and in our everyday lives.

Take public speaking, for example. Statistics show us that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. Seriously. But consider how much of our lives is determined by how well we speak and project confidence to others--in a job interview, on a first date, when talking to others about God?

The importance of confidence? HUGE!

One thing I've thought about lately is that in times of uncertainty, it's important to know what or who you can be confident in. What do you really know for sure? What (or who) can you really trust?

I love that the Bible speaks to our everyday needs and emotions. This past weekend, our pastor read this verse that I wish so many Christians, investors, women, men, teenagers really believed as true:

So do not throw away your confidence;

it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere

so that when you have done the will of God,

you will receive what he has promised.

(Hebrews 10:35-36)

God doesn't promise that life will be without problems or uncertainty. But He does promise to be there with us--to be the same, unchanging good, loving, gracious God every single moment of every single day. He promises that if we follow His word and walk in His will, we'll receive the benefits of what he's promised us.

Of all things to have confidence in, being confident in God and His promises sounds pretty good to me.

The truth about secrets

“My boyfriend thinks I love football. The truth? I don’t know the difference between a first down or a third down, the Raiders or the Patriots…and I don’t really care."

“I don't like my job. And I feel horrible even writing that when so many people would die to have what I have. It's a dream job...but it's not my dream."


"I'm in love with my best friend. I'm pretty sure she likes me, too, but she's into the whole 'the guy asks the girl out' kinda thing. I'm not afraid of commitment or even that our friendship will change. I'm afraid that she'd settle for me...that I may not be the kind of guy she deserves."


I stood in the middle of Hudson News at O'Hare reading secrets like this compiled in "Post Secret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives" by Frank Warren. I don't know the full backstory on the book, but it looks like the author may have just found some of the secrets--there was a mix of drawings on napkins, letters, e-mails. As I flipped through the pages, I felt like I was eavesdropping on other people's lives...but I was completely sucked in to the secrets of strangers.

Perhaps it was largely due to curiosity. But just flipping through that book, I thought about a few truths I know about secrets:

• We're more alike than we're different.
  
  What were most people's secrets about? Love. Family. Purpose. Friendship. Faith. As different as we are, most of us care most about the big things in our lives...and I think that's pretty cool.

• Writing a secret can be cathartic. But think carefully when you hit "send", "post" or mail that letter.
  
  I personally know that writing your thoughts can be empowering, rewarding, or even cathartic. Writing something down on paper or on screen makes your thoughts more real--they actually become tangible ink on paper, words on a screen. When you write, you are trying to make sense of your experience--capturing your ideas into words. However, I am also really glad that there are letters I haven't mailed, e-mails I haven't sent or blog posts I haven't published. I wonder how many of the contributors to Post Secret wish their secrets never saw the stands at Hudson News, Borders or your local library.

• If someone entrusts you with a secret, guard it carefully ...
  
  I just did a quick Bible search on the word "secret" and one of the references that stood out to me said, "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret" (Proverbs 11:13). Learning to be quiet or stop a gossip train isn't easy for everyone. But by being a good listener and guarding the secrets of others, you become a trusted friend/family member and ally.

• ... But the truth always comes out.
  
  This was something my Dad used to tell us while we were growing up--mainly to help us end major family dramas--like cheating at Candyland (you know who you are, middle sister!). But I think he was definitely right. Ultimately, God knows everything about all of us, so there aren't really any secrets. And from what I've seen, secrets--like motives--often surface in the real world, too. I think by teaching us this, my Dad was teaching us to live honest lives of integrity--to be who we said we were. It's been a good lesson to learn.

• Some secrets shouldn't be secret.
  
  When I flipped through the Post Secret book, I was a bit surprised that some of the entries were secrets. People wrote such beautiful things about how much they loved a spouse, children, parents, etc.--and I can only hope that those secrets were shared with the people who were so appreciated, respected or loved.

5 (more!) reasons why the Puyallup Fair makes me smile

1. Two words: elephant ears.

2. Adults wearing overalls in 2008.

I like overalls ... on children under 5. And at one point, I did wear them as a teen because they were trendy for some unknown reason (any other girls wear the cordoroy overalls in the '90s?). But I'll be real--they just don't look good on most adults. And if you are one of the few people in America that actually looks great in overalls, you would probably look a million times better in anything else (okay, maybe not Hammer pants). :)

3. Furry hats.

I don't know what it is. But at the fair, people are willing to spend actual cash money on tacky trashy things they would never ever buy anywhere else. Take furry hats, for example. I kept seeing posses of otherwise fashionable preteen girls wearing these tacky trashy furry hats.

It seriously looked like they were dressing up for Halloween as the creepy guy named "Mystery" (whose real name is probably something like Melvin) from VH1's "The Pick-up Artist" or hosting the most disturbing version of the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland.

[Sidenote: That movie must have been seriously made by people smoking crack. The girl eats mushrooms and pills and grows or shrinks? The caterpillar sings hypnotic songs with a smoke pipe that spells with pretty bright colors? Cats with creepy smiles appear out of nowhere and then suddenly disappear? Why did our parents let us watch this movie...? :) ]

4. The Gravitron

You may know that I love crazy rides and rollercoasters. But back in the day, I also loved the Gravitron--this fast spinning ride that lifts kids up in the air (without a booster seat, thank you very much!) and somehow makes it feel as if you weigh a million pounds when you try to lift up your arms or legs. Perhaps schools should have these rides on playgrounds to stop the obesity epidemic in America. It would be way cooler than vegetables. :)

5. The $400 blender

What cracks me up about this is not the blender itself. But how easily my Dad gets sucked into the vortex of logic that would compel someone to buy one.

"You can make really good smoothies and soup. All in one machine! And it's healthy, too!" he says, his eyes wide as he sips on some chocolate-strawberry concoction of goodness (healthy?).

And Mom will usually come back with, "When was the last time you actually made a smoothie? Or cooked some soup?"

"Maybe I would if I had that blender," he says.

"Or maybe with $400, we could buy a whole lot of Campbell's and some Jamba Juice," she smiles.

This ability to get sucked into a vortex of smooth salesmanship makes it difficult for my Dad to walk through Costco on sample day with a list or attend rummage sales and auctions without my Mom [ "This organ was only $100 and it was for a good cause!" he said. "But no one in our family plays the organ or ever wants to," she replies]. I love this family! :)

P.S. Here's the list from last year ... in case you missed it.