Mitch Carnell

Thankful Thursday – Ben Guerry

Mitch — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:01:46 +0000

On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for my young friend, Ben Guerry. I have known Ben all of his life and have watched him grow into an intelligent, thoughtful, talented and creative young man. He is now a student at Clemson, too bad not Furman, but everyone is allowed one bad choice. This past summer he served an internship at the First Baptist Church of Clemson. I listened to the recording and was impressed with his ease and comfort with the text and with speaking. I have no idea what his final vocational choice will be, but the church would be greatly served by someone of his ability, honesty and intellectual curiosity. Ben has enjoyed growing up in a home filled with love for him, love of God and a heart for all of humanity. Ben gives me hope for the future of our nation, for our young people and for the church. Thank you, Ben.

Thankful Thursday is a special day to choose someone that you are thankful for and let her or him know what she or he means to your life. Send a note, make a telephone call or send an E-mail. You will be glad that you did.

Building Lasting Relationships

Mitch — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:19:43 +0000

All of life is relationships. Without a doubt the greatest destructive factor in any interpersonal relationship is a lack of trustworthiness. There is no way to dress it up.People who lie, shade the truth or tell only a half truth not only reveal a total lack of self-respect but demonstrate a lack of respect for other people as well. Trust is a cornerstone of any meaningful relationship. If you do not trust me there is no firm ground on which to build. The Bible calls this building your house on solid rock. In the story of the three little pigs, it is the house built of bricks. Lasting interpersonal relationships need both a firm foundation and solid building materials.

Protect Integrity – Key 52

Mitch — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:31:55 +0000

Your integrity is the most important thing you have. Protect it at all costs. When it is gone, it is almost impossible to retrieve. It is who you are. It goes before you and follows after you. You are the message. Your integrity is a precious possession. It takes a lifetime to develop and nurture, but only an instant to lose it. Remember it is far easier to maintain your integrity than it is to reclaim it. My father often said to me, “Son I can’t leave you much money, but I will leave you a name that you can be proud of.” He was right on both counts. I have never had to be ashamed of who I am or whose son I am. My fervent prayer is that my son and daughter will be able to say the same thing. A good name is a far better heritage than money. More money would be nice, but it pales in comparison to a good name. “The supreme quality for leadership is unguestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Dwight David Eisenhower

Thankful Thursday – The Rev. Paul Pridgen Jr.

Mitch — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:29:08 +0000

On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for my friend and mentor the Rev. Paul Pridgen Jr. Paul grew up the son of a well known fundamentalist preacher. He is proud of his father and all that he accomplished, but Paul has explored a different path and has influenced so many people. He helped found the Baptist/Catholic Dialogue and as pastor of the First Baptist Church of North Charleston brought needed health services into his church for the surrounding community. He is a tireless worker in fostering better racial relations. He continues to strive for the improvement of his city and county. Most of all he is a voice of reason in a climate of angry voices. Paul is respected by all who know him. He and his wonderful wife, Millie, make an unbeatable team. I am proud and thankful to call Paul Pridgen my friend. My only regret is that I didn’t get to know him long before I did.

Thankful Thursday is an opportunity to select someone who is meaningful in your life and tell him or her. Make a telephone call, send a card, send an E-mail or pay him or her a visit. You will be glad that you did. It is an easy way to say thank you. All of life is relationships. Appreciate those who have contributed to your life and pass the blessings forward.

Thankful Thursday – Suzanne Smith

Mitch — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:53:30 +0000

Today on this Thankful Thursday and every day I am thankful for my daughter, Suzanne. She has a birthday on Monday. I can still see us coming back from our walks which started out as tricycle rides on Rittner Drive in Baton Rouge. As we returned home I was carrying both Suzanne and the tricycle. Beelzebub, a ferocious dog, who lived around the corner, had driven us away with his fierce barking. We arrived in Charleston the day before her birthday and on her birthday we followed up an ad to get her a new kitten. Of course, there was the day that she and her mother picked up our brand new car from the dealership and Suzanne came to get me at work. She wrecked the car at Wesley drive. Thankfully she was not hurt. The car was a different story. She discovered her calling at USC in the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Program and is having a wonderful career first with Holiday Inns and now with the Marriott at Vanderbilt in Nashville. We have had wonderful trips to Ireland, the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, the Norman Rockwell Museum, etc. She is also the mother of my first grandson, Christopher. I know that every father is proud of his daughter and I am no exception. I have a daughter who picks out the scrawniest Christmas tree because,”Daddy, no one else will buy it and it will be left here.” She has a heart that reaches out to everyone and I would not have it any other way. Happy birthday, Suzanne. Your Dad.

Thankful Thursday is a day to celebrate the contributions that someone has made to your life. Let her or him know how thankful you are. Send a card, make a telephone call or send an E-mail. Don’t let the day go by without doing it. You will be glad that you said thank you.

Embrace Risks – Key 51

Mitch — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:38:57 +0000

Nothing ventured; nothing gained. Take a chance. Push your boundaries. What do you have to lose? Get out of your box. Turn questions around. Put yourself in situations where your only option is to learn and grow. You will not learn or grow in your cozy den watching television. Ethel Barrymore said, “You must learn day by day, year by year to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about – the more you have left when anything happens.” She is right, but I would say that the more you practice these things, the greater your rewards resulting in a life well lived. When people come to the end of their earthly journey, the most frequent laments are about things they did not do not the things they did do. Let today be a day of new adventures both mentally and literally.

Thankful Thursday – Joyce Murray

Mitch — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:49:24 +0000

Joyce and I have been friends for so long that I dare not tell you the number of years; however, we were classmates at Furman University. After graduation we did not see each other again until I moved to Charleston and became close friends with her late husband Bennett. Joyce has a great sense of humor and a beautiful singing voice. She sings in the choir at First Baptist Church where she is an eighth generation member of the church. One of the hallmarks of our friendship is built on the respect we have for one another. Joyce and I don’t always agree on matters of politics and religious dogma, but that does not matter. She and Bennett were rocks when my wife died and she welcomed Carol with open arms and an open heart. I am thankful today for my friend, Joyce Murray. Yesterday was her birthday. If you missed it, call her up and sing to her.

Thankful Thursday is a day to select someone that you are thankful for and let him or her know it. Send a note or telephone her or him. You will be glad you did. It is not hard. Just say, I am thankful that you are part of my life.

What Have I Done Today?

Mitch — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:31:17 +0000

What have I done today that moves me toward my goal? This vital question should be uppermost in your mind. It will help you focus on what you are actually doing to move yourself forward. Notice the wording,”What have I done.” It puts the emphasis where it should be. It is not what has someone else done to help me. It is not who is to blame for my current situation.

What means exactly what; be specific. It is asking for specific steps that you took, not steps you thought about taking and not those you wished you had taken. Today means the preceding twenty-four hours or at least those you were awake. Toward is an important direction. We often take many steps that move us away from our goal. We sabotage ourselves. We daydream. We waste time. We are negative. We play the blame game or we play the victim role

None of this matters if you are not specific about your goal or goals. What do you want to achieve? Make it specific. You must be able to measure it. Make it reasonable. It must be possible given your resources of time, money, and abilities. It must be time oriented. It must provide a reasonable challenge. If it is too difficult or too easy you will stop working toward it. I must also be important to you. If you don’t care then what difference does it make?

This question jumped out at me years ago in remarks made by former University of Alabama and Kentucky football coach Bill Curry. It goes right to the heart of the matter. Do not let a day go by without asking yourself this question and spending some quality time answering it honestly. What you did or did not do yesterday does not matter. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not arrived. What you plan to do tomorrow does not matter. You may or may not do it. We all know about good intentions. It is today that matters.

Polish Your Image

Mitch — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:57:43 +0000

In economic down times such as these you need every edge you can get to position yourself as the right person for the right job at the right time. When times are tough, it is time to return to the basics, to the tried and true. People want to feel comfortable with you. In times such as these employers are less willing to take a chance. Manage your image. Everything counts. Remember that you are always on stage. Someone is always watching. You are always communicating. Make certain that you communicate the message that you intend to send. If it is possible to misunderstand what you say or do, someone will.

Be well groomed – hair, fingernails, shoes, crisp appearance.

Be polite. Put the other person at ease.

Be attentive. Maintain eye contact with the other person.

Listen actively. Do not fake it. Listening is key.

Scrub your language. Use absolutely no profanity.

Adjust your attitude. Be positive and enthusiastic – not cocky.

Be early. If you are late, you are dead.

Be prepared to answer and ask questions.

Be honest and tactful.

Under no circumstances criticize your previous employer.

Practice your handshake. It should be firm, but no death grip.

Send a thank you note after an interview.

Empathize – Key 50

Mitch — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:18:50 +0000

How do we know how we would behave under the same circumstances? Put yourself in the other person’s position before you condemn or ridicule. Feel his or her pain. Share his or her joy. It is easy to judge when we are not involved. We can never know what is going on inside another person. We do not know what his or her world is like. Be kinder than necessary because everyone is struggling with some problem. Do not say that you know how she or he feels because you do not. You may have had similar circumstances, but you are not the same. It is often easier to empathize with pain than it is for joy. Envy often gets in the way of our pleasure about someone else’s joy. Resist envy. You can truly feel joy for someone else.