This is a simple blog.

It is full of simple sentences, simple posts, and simple ideas.

There's a reason why.

Things don't have to be complicated to work. In fact, the simplest answer is often the best.

• Need more uninterrupted work time? Get up earlier.
• Want to be and feel healthier? Eat nutritious whole foods and work out.
• Want to grow spiritually? Read your Bible.

Don't confuse simple with easy.

The most difficult things in the world are incredibly simple.

• Love your neighbor
• Control your tongue
• Put others first

Each idea is so simple it's encapsulated in three words. But each is so hard none of us nail them perfectly.

In a world of ever increasing complexity, your answers don't have to be.

Complexity is often the lazy man’s way out. He doesn’t want to discipline himself to keep digging, to keep thinking, and to get creative.

One is about minimizing effort, while the other is about minimizing clutter.

Think hard.

Remove clutter.

Keep it simple.

How you define success is critically important.

Focus on things within your control, not circumstances over which you have none.

Winning, for example, is something you have little control over. Other competitors and external factors could derail your chances.

You’ll be crushed if things don’t pan out. Worse still, you won’t reach your full potential. You’ll be focused on beating the next guy’s potential instead of your own.

Doing your absolute best, however, is fully within your control. You can do something about it.

Define success in these terms. Define it by your level of effort instead of a scoreboard.

Of course, effort means nothing if you haven’t prepared.

Make giving full effort to preparation part of your definition of success.

Redefine success to mean giving maximum effort every day to everything in your life—family, friends, work, training, helping others, etc.

Do this and you’ll walk away a winner no matter what the scoreboard says.