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Mark Eastman

You Have More Control Than You Think 

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Take Control

It’s Up to You to Take Control

We like being in control of our lives, but most people feel like they aren’t. I contend that we all have more control than we think we do.  

it starts with you to taking control

Control doesn’t mean you control everything that happens. It means you confidently move forward with your goals and priorities, understanding that there are things that happen that are beyond your control. 

This means that you are clear about who you are and what you want. It requires you to take intentional action.  

You have the superpower of choice, but you have to use it. 

This control starts with being aware that this is possible and understanding what it is and how to get it. Then you have to decide you want control and take intentional action to get it. 

Here are 11 small intentional actions that will help you get control: 

  1. Clarify your core values and beliefs – Chasing other people’s dreams will pull you in a million different directions. Taking control of your life requires you to be clear on what you want. 
  1. Identify internal vs. external motivations – Internal motivators come from within – those dreams that fill you with passion and purpose. They’re determined by your own values and goals.  External motivators come from outside of yourself. They refer to the goals and expectations set by your parents, partners, friends, or community. They can also be standards set by society that you feel pressure to live up to. 
  1. Create a vision – Visualization fills your mind with a picture of what you want your life to become. 
  1. Believe that you can: Overcome limiting beliefs – Most people have an internal dialogue. Many times, this thinking comes from an earlier part of your life. It’s that voice of a parent who didn’t give you enough praise, or that kid in school who was always waiting for you to mess up. 
  1. Take personal responsibility – Regaining control of your life means finding the balance between what you can and cannot control and taking responsibility for the things you are responsible for.  
  1. Let go of what you can’t control – God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference. 
  1. Respond instead of reacting – You can’t control everything. But you can control how you respond. Don’t react to situations without thinking first.  
  1. Unpack emotional triggers – Self-awareness will help you manage your emotional reactions. When you know your fears and identify situations that make you feel anxious you will be better prepared to control them. 
  1. Make a plan of action – Many people get stuck talking about their dreams and never do anything about them. Often we’re waiting to feel inspired. The truth is, inspiration comes through action. 
  1. Implement a daily routine – Daily planning helps you get and stay focused on what matters to you the most. It helps keep you on track, removing opportunities for getting caught up in unimportant tasks.  
  1. Know when to take a break – Control doesn’t mean cramming in as many tasks as possible in one day. You need to create a balance that works for you.  

Implementing these eleven things will help you take control of your life and business.  

It’s up to you to take control! 

Over the past few months, I’ve written a lot about taking control of your life and business. Here are some of those posts:  

If you would like help finding solutions for taking control of your life and business schedule a free 30-minute coaching consultation.  

Don’t Build Your Life on Sand

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Build on a Solid Foundation

The past several weeks we’ve been going through the Sermon on the Mount. We discussed the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), the importance of listening to God (Matthew 5:17-20), doing things for the right reason (Matthew 6:5-15), choosing the right treasures (Matthew 6:19-24), and focusing on the right thing first (Matthew 7:1-12).

This week’s message is about the difference between wise and foolish builders.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-29)

From a builder’s perspective, I can really connect with this week’s message. It’s important to know the benefits of building things well and the cost of building poorly. The Scripture above explains this well.

When things are built well they are damaged less in storms.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be storms. It doesn’t mean there won’t be any damage. It’s about coming through the storm with something to repair. In verse 25, it says, “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall…” It can be repaired.

Jesus is the foundation we should build our lives on. He is the solid rock. If we build our lives on Jesus, we can make it through whatever storms life throws at us.

Don’t be foolish and build your life on the sand. Be wise and build your life on the solid foundation of Jesus.

Be Prepared for the Changing Seasons

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And How This Can Affect Your Home Maintenance

Sometimes the changing seasons can be quick and serious. The weather here has been a bit of a roller coaster ride over the past several weeks. We’ve had temperatures ranging from below zero to seventy. Some of these swings have happened within days.

It’s currently seventeen degrees on midday Friday as I’m writing this. It’s predicted to be in the upper sixties by Monday. On the other side of this extreme, we had a low temperature of five degrees below zero this past Wednesday.

When the temperature gets down into single digits there is the concern of freezing water lines. This can lead to broken pipes and water damage. With proper preparation and planning these problems can be reduced.

This is where a home maintenance plan comes in.

Too often we get busy with life and forget to prepare for seasonal changes when it comes to our homes. We are creatures of habit. We perform our daily routines of coming and going and rarely bother to look around. Unless a doorknob falls off in our hand, or there’s no hot water for our shower, or the sink gets stopped up, or the AC doesn’t work, or any number of other problems occur, we just go through life without giving any thought to the maintenance of our homes.

Maintenance isn’t going to prevent every big problem from happening, but it decreases the likelihood. Having a scheduled maintenance plan will also help you find the needed repairs before they become major.

Having an intentional plan is important, but it won’t work if you don’t use it.

With everything else going on in life, how can we remember one more thing? We don’t have to if we have a scheduled plan. First, you need to decide if home maintenance is important enough for you to bother with. If you’re okay dealing with big problems, then don’t worry about maintenance. You’ll know that the pipes are frozen when you don’t have water at the faucet or there’s water spraying out of the broken pipe.

Because I live in an old family home that was built in 1916, there are still areas that have no insulation. It so happens that one of those areas is where the plumbing is. This means that part of my maintenance plan includes – stacking bales of hay along the north wall of the house and having a thermostat-controlled heat lamp in the crawlspace. The point of this is that if I don’t remember to take the precautions and the weather gets cold, I’ll more likely than not, have frozen pipes. That’s why this is part of my home maintenance plan.

Routine maintenance is a good way to minimize costly disruptions.

Seasons happen every year and are a natural part of life. Each season presents different weather conditions and temperatures which affect your home in varying ways. Combining a calendar and a seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist helps minimize bigger problems. This plan is broken down into monthly, quarterly, and annually by season.

Just like it’s cold right now—but expected to fifty degrees warmer in a few days—the seasons are the same way. It will be Spring before you know it and there are things that will need to be done.

Get your free Home Maintenance Plan and start taking care of your home maintenance today.

Focus on Your Plank First

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It’s More Important Than Someone Else’s Sawdust

In Matthew 7:1-5, Jesus tells us that we will be judged the way we judge others. He says that we should focus on our own mistakes and shortcomings first, not others’.

When it comes right down to it, we have no control over what others do. We can only control ourselves. Pointing out other people’s mistakes and failures is often done as a way of taking our attention off our own weaknesses.

Our focus should be on our own planks.

This doesn’t mean that we should turn a blind eye to someone doing something wrong. It means we should be clear on what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we do it.

To help us with this Jesus goes on in Matthew 7:7-12 to tell us what to do.

He says to, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

This is how we get our priorities in the right order. It’s about aligning our thoughts and desires with His. It’s about going to God first and asking for His guidance and direction.

We are to help others, not judge them. This can only happen when we are focused on God first.

Judgement is for God … not us.

We need to focus on God and our own planks, not other people’s sawdust.

It’s Never Too Late to Learn

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You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

You’ve probably heard the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks“. This means that it is very difficult to teach someone new skills or change someone’s habits, especially when they’re older. This phrase is often used to express the challenges of altering deeply rooted behaviors or learning new concepts. It is not typically about actual dogs, rather it reflects human experiences concerning change. 

We’ve been talking about how to build a better construction business and the tools and systems to make that possible. The importance of knowing who you are and your core values. This can seem like a lot of work. Especially with the limited time available in the construction industry.

Younger construction companies get a rude awakening when they find out how much they didn’t know about running a business.

I thought I knew everything I needed to when I started my construction business over forty years ago. Boy was I wrong!

I got to a point where what I thought I knew … I didn’t. I gave up and accepted that this mess-of-a-life was just the way things were. I needed to accept it and just continue through the rut. And I did, until I was smacked upside the head.

This event changed my life.

There were nudges that I became aware of before the accident that were a part of this change. I was listening to talk radio programs that were speaking to what I was feeling. These included things like Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Donald Miller, Andy Andrews, etc.

These guys seemed to have figured out how to get out of the rut and I was intrigued. One of the things these guys all had in common was…

The importance of reading.

I had never been a reader up to that point in my life. I saw it as something that required time that I didn’t have. But after the accident, I felt as though I had been given a second chance. Listening to them and what they were sharing resonated with me.

It’s like they knew what I was going through and had a way out of the rut. And the way out was learning. And a big part of learning is reading. It was clear to me. If I wanted things to change I needed to learn, and learning required me making a decision to do it.

Before then I had given up on learning. Learning was for kids in school. As an adult there wasn’t anything else that I needed to know. Boy, was I mistaken!

I’ve learned more since I decided to read than ever before. Learning is something that should never come to an end as long as we are still alive.

Learning is a choice!

Learning will lead to a better business and a better life.

Don’t become an old dog. It’s never too late to learn. If you would like to learn how to BUILD a better business and life for yourself, schedule consultation to get started.

What Do You Treasure?

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This is a Choice

What is treasure? Treasure is something that is valuable. This means different things to different people.

Treasure is often thought of as monetary. Like gold and jewels hidden by pirates or on their sunken ship. They can also be things that hold value that aren’t monetary. For example, it might be something from your childhood that triggers fond memories. Or a person that is loved and valued. Or maybe it’s a place that sparks feelings that you treasure.

A treasure can be any or all these things.

Your treasures are the things that are important and valuable to you.

In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus tells us to be careful about what we chose our treasures to be. Treasures that are of this world are not eternal. They will only last for a limited time. If our focus is on worldly treasures, we forfeit the eternal ones.

He concludes this point by telling us we can’t serve two masters. We will hate one and love the other.

We need to be clear on what is the most important thing to us.

Jesus does not tell us that earthly treasures are bad. Or that our money and possessions are unimportant. We are called to be good stewards.

It’s about prioritizing and putting the most important thing at the top. In verse 24, we’re told that we can’t serve two masters. We need to align our priorities with God’s.

Last week we discussed doing things for the right reason and how the world turns things upside down. We can choose to make our treasures worldly or heavenly.

What is most important to you?

It can be hard to separate worldly from heavenly.  After Jesus concludes telling us what kinds of treasures to store up, He goes on in verse 25 and tells us not to worry.

This is the peace that comes with having our treasures prioritized the same as God’s.

Pick the right treasure and make the right choice.

There is a Limit to How Much You Can Put on a Calendar

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This Isn’t the Same for a List

Last week’s post was about using lists and calendars for making plans. We talked about how your planning is up to you, but if you do nothing … nothing will get done. You can have the best laid plans, but life happens.

You can choose to do no planning and just take things as they come. This haphazard process gives control of your life to others. Or you can plan with so much detail that when things do happen that aren’t part of your plans, everything falls apart. Flexible rigidity is where planning and change can work together.

Calendars and lists are two separate things with two separate purposes.

A list is a place to keep track of things so that you don’t forget them. It’s a good place to prioritize tasks. Lists can be on paper or on the computer. I prefer lists on my computer. I find it easier to modify than paper. Not to mention that I always have my tablet and phone close by. Using OneNote for lists allows me to easily move things up or down in importance as situations change. I can also check things off when they’re done.

I break big goals down into smaller, first next step things. Then I move the small, first next step things to this week’s list and then from that list to today’s list. After doing this from a variety of different lists I now have a list of things that I want to do today to stay on track.

Okay, now we have a list of things to do. If time wasn’t a factor, we could just start going down the list in order…

But time is limited.  

This is where the calendar and a clock come into play.

Like lists, I can choose what I put on my calendar and when I schedule it. The difference is the limited time. I can’t be in two places doing two different things at the same time.

A lot of people view a calendar the same way they view a budget. It’s restrictive and restraining. I, on the other hand, see both as freeing. The same way a budget gives you control over your money; a calendar gives you control of your time. There is a limited amount of time, and you need to spend it wisely.

If you take care of the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves. It is a choice.

My calendar is on my computer for the same reasons that my lists are. It makes it easy to move things around and I always have it close by.

A good example of the ease and simplicity of rescheduling something on my computer calendar happened this morning. I had a meeting scheduled with a concrete contractor this morning at 11:00. The job site was 30 minutes away, so I had travel time scheduled at 10:30. I expected the meeting to take 30 minutes. So, I scheduled travel time back to the office at 11:00.

I got a text from the contractor at 9:40 AM. He was waiting on concrete to be delivered on the project he was working on. He needed to move our meeting to tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

With three simple drags and drops, the travel and meeting were rescheduled. I know that this can be done with an eraser and a pencil on a paper calendar, but it’s not as simple.

One thing I like most about a computer calendar over a paper one is the audible reminders. Granted, sometimes these can be a pest, but isn’t that the point? If we don’t want to be bothered … why even put it on a calendar or a list in the first place?

Ultimately, all of this is a choice. You have the power to control your own life.

Lists and calendars are two different things that can work together. You can put as many things as you want on a list. This isn’t the same for a calendar.

You just need to figure out what works for you and do it. This comes down to being intentional and taking action. It isn’t going to be perfect, but if you keep working on it, it will get better.

If you are feeling lost with your lists and calendar and would like to talk more about how I do it you can schedule a consulting call here.

Do Everything for the Right Reason

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This Includes When You Pray

We’re continuing through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This week we are learning how to pray (Matthew 6:1-15). One of the first things we’re told is how not to do it. We are not to pray for show. He tells us to pray for the right reasons.  He gives us an example of this in verses 9-13, also known as The Lord’s Prayer.

Prayer is something that can be seen as weak or needy. But when it comes right down to it … aren’t we all a little weak and needy? We don’t like to admit this. This is not what the world expects. The world has turned things upside down (verses 5-8).

This upside down was true when Jesus was teaching and is still true today.

Several years ago, Tim Tebow became a polarizing figure because of his praying openly. His act of kneeling on one knee in prayer with his head bowed and one arm resting on his other knee became known as “Tebowing”.

There was a lot of pushback from the media. Some people didn’t think this kind of open expression of communicating with God should be displayed.

Often good people of faith and followers of Christ can get sucked into worldly ways. Look at the Sadducees and Pharisees. They had gotten so focused on the law that was from God that they lost touch with God.

If this action was done as some form of exhibition to become popular, it would have been wrong. But Tim’s actions then and now are consistent with him doing this for the right reasons.

All of us need to battle losing sight of God and doing things for the wrong reasons.

Life can and will be hard at times. In the movie, Unsung Hero, we see a real-life example of this:

In 1991, the Smallbone family moved from Australia to Nashville, Tennessee, in pursuit of a new beginning. David and his wife, Helen, uproot their lives and six children seeking refuge in Nashville after the collapse of David’s music company in Australia following a $500,000 loss from one concert booking.

As the family settles into their new home they encounter numerous challenges, including financial struggles and the daunting task of starting over in a foreign country. Despite the uncertainty, Helen’s unwavering faith and David’s determination propel them forward, instilling hope and resilience in their children.

Three of the Smallbone siblings, Joel, Luke, and Rebecca, develop their musical talents and navigate the competitive music industry. Joel and Luke eventually form the duo For King & Country, while Rebecca (St. James) embarks on a successful career as a Christian recording artist.

In the movie, the father, David, becomes upset and distraught as he is trying to provide for his family. This struggle escalates to the point of losing his temper and saying some very hurtful things. Feeling like a failure, he then hides out in bed for a period of time.

Ultimately, he gains the courage to apologize to the family. In his apology he says,

“I lost sight of what it’s all about.”

This happens to all of us, but we can reduce the chance if we remember to do everything we do for the right reason.

How to Organize Your Daily Plans

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Getting Your “To Do” List and Calendar to Work Together 

As is normal, early in a new year there is a lot of focus on being better organized. Looking for new ways to get more done. This has been a topic that has come up in several conversations over the past few weeks. At the same time, there can be a sense of despair, knowing that you’ve been trying to be better organized over and over without much success.  

We all have way more on our to do lists than there is time to get them done. The days come to an end and there’s still things that need to be done and we feel like we’ve failed. 

Last week, we discussed the importance of taking the first next step. It’s about breaking big, overwhelming things down into small, manageable pieces.  

Ultimately, it’s not going to get done if you don’t do something. 

I know this feeling of wanting to do more and not having enough time to do it all. Then we beat ourselves up, frustrated that we didn’t get more done. 

The question is … what are you going to do to change this? 

I don’t know what you’re going to do, but here’s what I do. 

I have a long, long list of things that I want to do. This list covers big dreams I want to do someday like: remodeling and adding on to our home, keeping my truck in “like-new” condition, having a lifted 4×4 project truck, owning properties, having a second home in the mountains. Keep in mind that when these big things are broken down into more detailed lists, each list is pretty big.  

Then there are the lists of everyday work and life. Like spiritual, family, vocation, financial, personal, church, community. Just like the someday lists, these lists are made of more detailed lists. 

How am I ever going to get everything done? 

For me the lists are great. It helps me to keep track of the things I want to do so I don’t forget something. This, however, does not get them done.  

To get them done, I have to do something. But what do I do first? How do I know which things are the most important? 

The answer to this question comes down to choice. You can choose what is the most important to you. This is where I align my thoughts with God’s. What is it He has put me here to do? 

Now that I have a prioritized list, this still doesn’t mean there’s enough time to get everything done. We are limited in the amount of time we have. 

For me, this is where the calendar comes in. People that see my calendar are shocked at how full it is, the detail, and the color. 

I take things from the to do list and plug them into the calendar. I estimate the time I think it will take and schedule accordingly. Sure, things don’t take exactly the time scheduled, but it’s a place to start.  

This is where being flexibly rigid comes in. This is the act of organizing the most important things around the unpredictability of life. 

Next week, we’ll go deeper into the details of how my list and calendar work together. 

You Have Heard It Said

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But Are You Really Listening?

The past several weeks has been excerpts of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus started speaking to this big crowd of people from the mountain side. He started with The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) and things to do if we want to be blessed. Last week was about being salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) and how this makes the world better.

This week, Jesus tells us He is the fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17-20). He tells us that He has not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

The group of people He was speaking to was big enough that He had to go up on the side of a mountain so that everyone could hear him. Of course, His twelve closest disciples were there, but there were many more than just these twelve. There would have been many followers in different places along their journey.  

There would have also been a variety of other people who weren’t followers. There would have been church leaders, sinners, zealots, tax collectors, and people who were curious about what this man, Jesus, was saying.

The problem was that each was hearing from their own perspective. They most likely had preconceived opinions and weren’t really listening.

This is often what we do. We hear without listening.

There is a difference between hearing and listening.

We often interchange the words “hearing” and “listening” and mistake them for the meaning the same thing. Although there are similarities, they are significantly different. One being more active, requiring effort, and the other being involuntary and natural.

Hearing is a passive, physical act that requires one sense and has to do with the perception of sound. It does not rely on concentration. Hearing is like collecting data; we hear sounds and words all day long, even if we are not paying attention to them.

Listening revolves around actively paying attention to the words and sounds that you hear to absorb their meaning and develop an emotional response. Merriam-Webster defines it as…

Listening is “to hear something with thoughtful attention.”

Listening is a mental, active process that requires multiple senses. Listening is a voluntary act, meaning that an individual can choose whether or not to listen. If you choose to listen, then it is an active process. You can hear sounds and words without having to listen or focus on what you are hearing. Hearing without listening is an example of the common phrase “in one ear and out the other”

Too many of the people hearing Jesus’ message were hearing but not listening. They came with preconceived ideas about who He was and what His message was.

They weren’t listening with their hearts.

We need to listen to Jesus and to others with an open heart.

Even when we listen to what others are saying, it doesn’t mean that it’s truth. We need to listen to things through a Biblical filter to determine if what we’re hearing is the truth.

Open your heart and listen to what you hear.