Weekly Thought – April 28, 2026

Fred rarely allowed himself to wallow in the blahs. “There’s nothing wrong with me a little excitement wouldn’t cure.” And that excitement often came in later years with a phone call from friends, a visit, or preparation for his Fred in the Bed sessions. He refused to accept life as a dead end.

“I learned what it looks like to finish well as I watched Fred,” said one of the faithful Fred in the Bed folks. Each minute of life is a teachable moment.

Tired of Boredom

Boredom is the dry rot of our soul. It comes when we feel we’re not doing something worth the time. Or when what we are doing isn’t interesting, meaningful, or challenging. Boredom can also be the result of living life too efficiently and not effectively enough. When life becomes a series of habits and routines, our creative juice dry up and we prune up.

I remember hearing our children say to Mary Alice, “I am so bored — there’s nothing to do.” She generally offered a dish rag or a dust mop which generated a flurry of “let’s get out of here” activity. I usually said, “Well, what are you going to do about it?” We need to learn early on the solution to boredom is our responsibility, not that of others.

The pseudo-sophisticate who feigns boredom just to look suave wears me out. The danger of allowing ourselves to live in that mood is that melancholy waits at the door. We can spiral down by refusing to lift ourselves out of the emotional quagmire which grows out of constant boredom.

Here are three suggestions if you are bored:
1) Break up the repetitions of life. Sometimes the slightest alterations can create interest. When I was speaking constantly and a talk became routine, I would rearrange the points to pique my own interest and increase my concentration. Routine is necessary for efficiency, but life is more than efficiently managed time.
2) Add something to your life. Start a new activity, begin a new hobby, see the old things in a new way, cultivate a new friendship, do something specific for others each day. Don’t forget — the more bored you are, the less interesting you will be to others. As you add more dimension to your life, others will notice.
3) Take something bad out of your life. We all have junk that weighs us down and holds us back. For Fat Fred it is often those 20 pounds that pound away at me. The sedentary life is a doorway to boredom. Professional “goofing off” probably needs to go. Mary Alice and I spent a New Year’s Eve in Naples, Italy. Their custom is to throw everything they don’t want into the street so they don’t carry it into the next year. Bored? Try junking the junk.

Boredom is the sure sign of poor self-management and lack of personal responsibility.

This week carefully consider: 1) How do I respond to “I’m so bored.”? 2) When is the last time I felt bored? 3) Who needs some encouragement to take personal responsibility?

Words of Wisdom: “Bored? Try junking the junk.”

Wisdom from the Word: “When Jesus saw him lying there and when he realized that the man had been disabled a long time already, he said to him, ‘Do you want to become well?’” (John 5:6 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 21, 2026

Fred’s influence on others continues, even 5 years after his homegoing. “I find myself using his phrases and quoting his thoughts,” said JH. “He was so down to earth and the things he said just seem to fit in.”

Joy and Respect

Joy comes to those who can truthfully (yet humbly) know they deserve respect. We have an inner reading on our personal attributes which measure up. Feeling respect for oneself is somewhat like feeling we belong. Sadly, some people never feel the satisfaction of understanding their place in life. Some of this comes from never gaining self-respect.

Becoming respected begins with becoming respectable. Living life worthily is the way of joy and respect. Gandhi understood this.

Bill Glass, my friend who dedicated his life to prisoners, speaks often of the way the incarcerated think of themselves and others. Unfortunately, positive respect gets perverted into admiration for criminal behavior. He believes their path began with a lack of human respect. Most of them never understood respect is earned because of our human potential for being a contributing, loving person. And just as important, that we exercise self-restraint in preventing harm to others.

I always say service is the rent I pay for the space I occupy on this earth. Too often we measure worth in dollars. Respect doesn’t come through accumulation alone. For example, mothers who may have never made an outside dollar in their life but raise children well and hold their families together deserve great respect and honor. Some of those who deserve great respect earn the least. I think of teachers and preachers.

Once I talked to a retiring executive who said his lifetime ambition was to “leave a better team on the field than the one I joined.” He built a lifetime legacy. A boy scout told me they were trained to leave their campground cleaner than when they arrived. That is a tremendous way to develop respect for oneself and the organization. I love the story of the old man who donated his eye to a young man so after he was gone he knew the eye would go on seeing. Purposeful giving garners respect.

The wonderful thing about joyful respect is the opportunity to weigh ourselves daily as long as we live. If the scales show us a bit short, we can do something about it immediately. Those who show no interest in earning respect by making a contribution have very little joy and usually a lot of guilt.

This week think about: 1) What do I most respect about myself? 2) How am I paying my rent? 3) Who models respect most profoundly?

Words of Wisdom: “Purposeful giving garners respect.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will remain unfulfilled.” (Proverbs 10:28 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – March 31, 2026

Fred wrote for Leadership Journal from its inception. He created interest by choosing subjects which most avoided. He worked with Harold Myra, Paul Robbins, and Marshall Shelley for years as they brought cutting edge material to the marketplace. This week’s thought is excerpted from a 1984 article titled “Why Peacemakers Aren’t Popular.” In today’s environment, a word about peace is helpful.

Encouraging emails this week comment on the ongoing value of Fred’s thinking. “It could have been written last week” is a frequent expression. That is the benefit of principle-based work. “Only the illustrations change,” said Fred.

Have you been stretched by Fred’s words? Who else needs to know about the Weekly Thought? Help us expand the reach and deepen the impact of Fred’s lifework by sharing.

Making Peace

Nothing I know starts fights faster than the subject of peacemaking. In principle, of course, everyone is for it. But it’s amazing how defensive and hostile people get trying to make peace.

One of the reasons peacemaking isn’t popular is simply because some have a vested interest in conflict. We see this in union/management negotiations, and sadly, even in the church. I have seen leaders take up the “purification of the church” cause thinking they are defending God. Personally, I don’t think God needs help, especially from the hostile.

Peacemaking is an action springs out of the right attitude. Sure, we will have differences, but they shouldn’t create anger and separation. Mishandling differences just raises the emotional temperature. We aren’t supposed to be fever-makers, but peace-makers.

We don’t redeem situations by changing organizational structures. We redeem them by bringing in a different spirit – the spirit of Christ – even if it means we’ll lose. As difficult as this is for me personally, it’s still true.

The Spirit of Christ eliminates the inflammation and inflammatory.

It’s amazing with the nearly universal desire for peace, very few people are willing to pay the price it requires. Like the rest of the traits mentioned in the Beatitudes, peacemaking is admired as an ideal and ignored as a reality. Too many of us prefer power to peace.

What Christians must remember is power does not come by vanquishing others. Power doesn’t even come by defending the right causes or the purity of our theology. No, true power (and peace) come through humility and obedience. And that’s a price few are willing to pay.

Think about: 1) How interested am I in peacemaking? 2) What price am I paying for peace? 3) What do I “go to the wall” for?

Words of Wisdom: “Too many of us prefer power to peace.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:26 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – February 24, 2026

Fred believed in self-analysis, but not navel-gazing. He created templates for measurement. “I miss Fred,” wrote a BWF follower. “I often think, ‘what would Fred think about this?’” Interestingly, most people say, “How would Fred think, not what would Fred do?”

Self-Improvement: A Way of Life

When considering the possibilities of success, I measure myself in several categories:

1) Likes. What would I do if I didn’t need a paycheck?

2) Dislikes. What ideas, methods, people, and things do I dislike?

3) Reaction of others. Are people receptive to you and your goals? When you join a new group, how do the others react to your ideas?

4) Personality traits. It is critical to understand how you are wired. Are you quiet or talkative, big picture or detailed, interested in individuals or the big group, quick to make decisions or more contemplative? Find your constructive strengths and your destructive weaknesses – focus on one and bolster the other;

5) Mental capabilities. If you want to be a big frog in a big pond, you better be able to croak as loudly as the other frogs. Mental energy provides the fuel. Is your mind constantly active? Are you a constant learner? Have you continued studying since formal education ended?

6) Physical abilities. Some goals have a high physical price tag. How prepared are you to undertake such a task? Few people can go farther than their health will permit. A goal that costs physical or emotional health is foolish.

7) Patience. Sound progress is most always slow; therefore, patience is required. Gladstone said the key requirement of a great prime minister is patience – the second is patience, and the third is patience. How able are you to postpone gratification for the accomplishment of a greater goal?

8) Determination. In my opinion, this is the element which sets those who achieve goals and those who don’t. How many jobs have you started and left unfinished? The determined know there is always a way around obstacles.

9) Vision. This doesn’t mean just having a dream. Seeing others achieve seemingly impossible goals gives a pattern for personal accomplishment. Vision invigorates the work ethic; daydreaming just energizes the wish ethic. Vision means seeing and doing.

10) Character. the foundation of all success which consists of integrity, self-control, perseverance, and truth. And, I believe a proper spiritual outlook is the cement which holds a true, happy, and successful life together.

This week think about: 1) When did I last evaluate my goals using Fred’s 10 categories? 2) What does my life say to my family and my associates about character? 3) How real are my expectations?

Words of Wisdom: “Vision invigorates the work ethic: daydreaming energizes the wish ethic.”

Wisdom from the Word: “May he grant your heart’s desire; may he bring all your plans to pass! “ (Psalm 20:4 NET Bible)