Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie-A Proverb Per Day Keeps Stinking Thinking At Bay

Exercising the Gratitude Muscle 🦃☕ Every November, we pull out the pumpkin pie, the family recipes, and—if we’re honest—the gratitude list.

But I’ve learned that gratitude isn’t meant to be seasonal. It’s not something we pull out like a casserole dish once a year. It’s more like a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets. The less we use it, the weaker it becomes.

Author Scott Savage compared gratitude to caffeine. Caffeine gives a quick boost—gratitude gives lasting strength. You can rely on caffeine to wake you up, but gratitude can lift you up.

Proverbs 15:15 “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”

A heart that practices daily gratitude doesn’t need a calendar reminder to be thankful. It feasts every day—on grace, growth, and goodness. So here’s a Thanksgiving challenge: Don’t stop giving thanks when the dishes are done. Start building your gratitude muscle every day after. Write down three things—big or small—you’re thankful for. Let’s make gratitude our daily workout, not our annual holiday.

Customer Success Code: Gratitude isn’t a caffeine rush; it’s a muscle that grows stronger every day you use it.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee with Ernie! This podcast is public, so feel free to share it.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee with Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new episodes Monday - Friday via Email.

📖 “A person who promises a gift but doesn’t give it is like clouds and wind that bring no rain.” Proverbs 25:14

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, said it best: “Just talking loud and saying nothing.”

Proverbs 25 reminds us: Don’t be the cloud that promises rain but delivers nothing. Let your words carry empathy, follow-through, and value.

Customer Success Code: "Empty promises are like thunder without rain. Love, follow-through, and empathy make your voice matter."

Proverbs 24:3–5 talks about building a house, but for this chapter, think of that “house” as your life’s journey, your daily walk, both personally and professionally. The life we live is the house we build and inhabit, the course we chart.

A house is built by wisdom, and it is established by understanding; by knowledge, the rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.” Proverbs 24:3-4 CSB

On a recent walk around the small Village where we live, I saw this sign in front of a dress shop:

“I spend all of my money on food, lattes, and clothes, and yet I’m still hungry, thirsty, and have nothing to wear.”

In 1999, I met Peter Drucker, a brief encounter that left a lasting imprint. I still remember one of his quotes from his talk to our group:

“I see no point in being the richest man in the cemetery.”

That line made me rethink my path. When I started my career, I used the wrong tools to guide me, measuring success by appearance instead of aligning with God’s Word. I was, in a way, like the dress shop quote, surrounded by things but still hungry.

Thanks for reading Marketplace Proverbs! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Thanks for reading Marketplace Proverbs! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 (ESV)

“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Paul “Bear” Bryant, University of Alabama Football Coach

Over the years, I’ve set many goals. Honestly, I’ve achieved far fewer than I intended—not because the goals were wrong, but because I lacked the will to prepare to accomplish them. I wrote some in journals and jotted others on scrap paper. But that’s where the journey ended—not in failure, but in abandonment due to lack of preparation.

Looking back, especially as I near birthday number 78, I realize something: much of the potential I had early in life was left untapped—not because I didn’t want to succeed, but because I didn’t consistently prepare for it. I’m learning that wanting something and working toward it are not the same.

Oddly, as a sales professional, I’ve always been a stickler for pre-call planning. I’d never waste my time—or a customer’s time—by going into a meeting unprepared. Having a clearly defined objective was always part of the process. Why? because I cared deeply about helping my customers thrive and prosper. When I prepared thoroughly, the goals were often met.

So here’s the painful question I had to ask myself: Do I take my career-level responsibilities more seriously than my dreams and God-given goals?

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! This post is public, so please share it!

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

“Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within. Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving, but where on earth can you find one? God-loyal people, living honest lives make it much easier for their children.” — Proverbs 20:5-7 MSG.

This passage relates “children” to the teams and customers we lead. Strong evidence of God-loyal behavior and genuine character earns us credibility, making customer success mastery easier for us and everyone in our sphere of influence.

Proverbs 20:5 reminds us that.

“Knowing what is right is like a deep well.”

A familiar farmer’s adage says,

“What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.”

This prompts a personal and professional question: What’s in our bucket?

What’s in Your Bucket?

The wellspring of our actions should reflect God-loyal values, good character, and a consistent effort to add value to others. Credibility isn’t a gift handed to us; it’s a victory we earn through consistency in our actions, decisions, and how we treat others.

Credibility grows when we give credit where it’s due rather than seeking the spotlight for ourselves. As leaders, teammates, or service providers, we earn the opportunity to draw from the well of credibility by demonstrating integrity every day.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Today’s Proverb reminds us that speed without wisdom leads to regret.

We reflect on the cost of impulsive decisions—and the peace that comes when we invite God into the process first.

“Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”Proverbs 19:2—NIV

If you’re facing a decision today—big or small—this one’s for you.

Customer Success Code: “Speed without wisdom is expensive. Pause, pray, and proceed with peace.”

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him. Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words. Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy. Do you want junk like that in your belly?”- Proverbs 18:6–8 — MSG

Gossip feels good in the moment—but it costs you more than you think.

In today’s episode, I share a personal story about how gossip once impacted my sales career and what I learned from it. If you’ve ever felt tempted to “bark” about your competitors or tear down others to build yourself up, this episode will bring both conviction and clarity.

Customer Success Code: "Gossip is cheap candy—sweet for a second, destructive for a season."

“Silver and gold are tested by flames of fire; our thoughts are tested by the Lord.” Proverbs 17:3 CEV

There’s a difference between being tested and being punished. Punishment looks backward; testing looks forward. Punishment condemns. Testing refines.

Just as silver and gold require intense heat to reveal their purity, God uses life’s pressures to refine our motives, attitudes, and reactions. Refinement isn’t about destruction, it’s about distinction. The impurities, known as dross rise to the surface so we can see what doesn’t belong and choose to release it.

In the marketplace, these refining fires come in many forms: the lost sale, the missed opportunity, the rejected proposal, the difficult customer or overlooked for a promotion. Each moment tests more than our skill; it tests our spirit.

When I think back over my career, the most valuable lessons didn’t come from awards or promotions, they came from the fires. Times when I was overlooked, misunderstood, or forced to start again. Looking back, those moments were classrooms disguised as crises

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! This post is public so feel free to share it.

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”—Proverbs 14:12

Not all decisions that feel right lead to significance. Some just lead to survival… and others lead to burnout.

In today’s episode of Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie™, we explore the modern-day “Moloch” that demands we sacrifice integrity to stay competitive—and how to follow God’s GPS instead.

Thank you for listening to Marketplace Proverbs and Coffee with Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this episode, we talk about the power of prayerful presentations, why I stopped trusting transactional phrasing, and how to let the Holy Spirit guide your communication.

Thanks for listening to Marketplace Proverbs & Coffee With Ernie! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.