Winning Words 6/4/10
“People often say that motivation never lasts. Well, neither does bathing; that’s why we recommend it daily.” (Zig Zigler) I grew up in a time when a weekly bath was the custom. My aunt and uncle once rented a room to a young man who bathed daily. They considered raising his rent because of the extra water he used. However, ZZ’s quote has to do with motivation. It’s a challenge each day to wake up and motivate ourselves to do the day’s tasks. Perhaps these WWs are like a bath for you. ;-) Jack

FROM EM IN MICHIGAN: or sometimes it's like a cold shower Jack! which we sometimes all need - wake up!!! FROM JACK: One summer, as a student, I served a small church in Kelliher, Sascatchewan, Canada. I lived in a little one-room shed-like structure. The only bathing I did was in a wash tub with cold water.



FROM MT IN PENNSYLVANIA: They work for me! Thanks. FROM JACK: Is there a difference between a bath and a shower? MORE FROM MT: I think that a bath uses 2 to 3 times more water than a shower...but they
both get you clean! FROM JACK: How clean are you after sitting in scummy water?

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: The luxury, when I was growing up, was whenever we could be able to be the first kid in the metal tub in the middle of the room. But then thinking about motivation and preachers and realizing that maybe the water always has already been used, one person motivates the next and so forth, beginning with it was that Jesus is the original motivator and it is his body and blood that cleanses and starts us fresh again. FROM JACK: Baptism, from the beginning, has been a cleansing ceremony. Which causes me to wonder when the obsession with body cleansing began.

FROM EMT SINGS IN MICHIGAN: WW is definitely part of my morning routine that I need to do! BTW-- I thougt that whole thing re: the missed call at the Tigers game could be a good sermon. I suspect that it will be mentioned in lots of pulpits this weekend. FROM JACK: There are some Winning Words in that event. I hope to choose some for commentary.

FROM DM IN MICHIGAN: Geez, Jack I think you hit the head of the nail with this…at least for me lately. Motivation is like running water, when it flows everything is great but once it stops we get stagnate. FROM JACK: Your response got me to thinking.... What keeps us from stagnating? What motivates us? Different things for different people, but for me. Wanting to do a superior job is one thing. Another is competition. And still another is seeing a job that needs to be done and isn't being done.

FROM DB IN MICHIGAN: Did you grow up on a farm, or in the city? I remember one of my Grandmothers saying this too, when I was small.........admonishing my mother for bathing too often, that it wasn't good for the scalp or the skin.........the Germans say that, too. Did water cost more then? (re: the boarder) Was your aunt and uncle country/city dwellers? Since there wasn't air conditioning then, (I even remember those days.......small window units that took all day to cool off one room!)..........and people didn't bathe much, and
people typically had only two or three outfits..........was it common.......say, at church or in-line somewhere (close quarters) that one had to ignore the "aromas"? Sorry if I'm giving you the third-degree..........but I find this very interesting! I am considering sustainable energy to my studies and basically, the premise of being
"green" means using a lot less of what we typically enjoy and take for granted. You were born at the right time, Jack! You got to enjoy these things for at least a good portion of your life, and probably won't have to suffer lack of these things in your lifetime! Its a little frightening! I am finding that I have a difficult time breathing when the humidity goes up! (although, strangely I did okay in steam baths.....although I wasn't
walking about or working)..........maybe its the ozone-mix! I wonder if that means in the future, people will walk around with respirators on their faces? FROM JACK: WOW! I grew up in the city, and my aunt and uncle (frugal people) were city dwellers, too. During the Great Depression, everything was "expensive" if you didn't have money. Electric fans and the hand-held variety were the air conditioners. In the summer it was hot and usually muggy (humid), everywhere...home, work, church. Underarm odor problems were called, B.O., and showed up with sweat marks. Today there's more emphasis on health issues and environmental concerns. Each age has it's own issues. Tomorrow will have different concerns that we have today.

FROM ML IN ILLINOIS: i read winning words everyday while my bath is pouring. they are often the catalyst for my daydreams. FROM JACK: The blog is a catalytic converter, as we exchange thoughts.

FROM SG IN TAMPA: Thanks for sharing. Every day is a motivation to think outside of the box. FROM JACK: Each day is a challenge for me to present something that is thought provoking and encouraging to those who might check out WWs. It's like preaching a sermon in miniature. That's why I like the blog. It's an opportunity for feedback.

FROM DM IN MICHIGAN: My motivation is my faith, my family and my personal peace. The latter I find that was the hardest thing for me to get to. I have struggled with this almost my entire life. Anyways, I appreciate your WW’s on a daily basis sometimes they really are to close for comfort!!

FROM MO IN ILLINOIS: Ah, memories! Right, the weekly bath and hair washing...How did we ever survive??! My daughter's and g.daughter's daily hair shampooing and showering would be excessive indeed in the 30's and 40's...probably eve the fifties! My dermatologist says even now, not to shower more than two or three times a week, to keep the oils in you skin from drying! It seems to be sufficient...Maybe at our age, motivation to do things two or three times a week is also sufficient, tho most of us need more!! FROM JACK: Think of all the things that we call necessities today....things we didn't even dream about when we were growing up. In your spare time, you might make a list.