So many people only want the easy, the good. If that’s all we ever got we likely would never appreciate what we do have. The rough times are what helps to shape us and reveal who we really are. The tough times are part of the journey.

Many times in the spring and summer you can see storms coming but other times, when the atmospheric conditions are just right, a storm can just pop up right on top of you. You may have to get some things inside or get them secured before the storms come and winds start to blow. Sometimes you may have a warning but other times the storm may happen without warning. Either way you have to act.

What happens though after that storm blows through and the sun comes back out? There is calm. There is a sense of peace. We appreciate and notice those things more after the storm passes.

Not everyone is able to handle themselves in times of crisis. Some will not handle the rough times because they can’t see the good that will come out of it or the calm that may come after it. Be a leader determined to navigate the rough times with a forward and positive outlook.

The tough times. The storms that blow into your life, planned or unplanned, will need to be faced head on but after they pass you will be better, more experienced and able to use what you went through and learned to be a more effective person and leader.

Lean into the storm. Appreciate the calm. They are both part of the journey and we lead through them both.

What dream are you chasing? Does it look menacing and intimidating as you look at it? It should and I hope it does otherwise it is not big enough.

We tend to make our dreams big but then at the first sign of conflict or struggle begin to scale them back and settle back into a comfortable reality.

Don’t do it! Chase your dream. Pursue your dream. Look your dream square in the eyes and go get it.

The purpose of life is not to arrive safely at the end of your journey. If you just look for the safe path you will be turning your back on a dream that is bigger than you are and you will settle for the status quo.

So hear you are with a decision to make. Pursue and chase that dream or turn and run away. If you run away you will be running away the rest of your life.

It’s time to pursue it.

Today as you live and lead be real, honest and consistent in every interaction that you have.

It has to be exhausting trying to be someone different for certain people in certain situations but people do it every day. Trying to be someone that you are not only leads to deception and mistrust. Your true self is your best self and is the best that you can offer. It won’t always be perfect but it will be real and transparent. We are always a work in progress.

Being real means using your unique gifts, talents and passions in every situation. You have them. Continue to use, trust and develop your talents. They were given to you for a reason. To help and serve others. If you’re not good at something that’s OK, don’t fake it. Someone else will be good at it. You don’t have to pretend you are good at something that you may not have the talents for and the phrase “fake it ’til you make it” won’t fool anybody.

Don’t try to be someone or something that you are not. People don’t need a fake, they need and want authenticity.

At the end of the day people want to know that you were true to your word and treated them with respect, dignity and you didn’t try to be something or someone that you were not.

So be real, authentic and true to who you are and the talents and gifts that you have all day today and every day. Living any other way is not in anyone’s best interest, including yours.

Be Blessed.

I read this recently in a writing by Pastor Rick Warren.

“Knowing what to do (knowledge), why to do it (perspective) and how to do it (skill) is worthless if you don’t have the conviction that will motivate you to actually do it!

The people who have made the greatest impact in the world, for good or evil, were the people with the strongest, deepest convictions. They weren’t necessarily the smartest, wealthiest, or best educated people, but their convictions moved them to move the world.”

So are you really convicted to make changes in 2022 or just giving lip service to change? The start of the new year brings with it thoughts of new dreams and potential changes for our lives but we all know how long those thoughts of change can last. In the book One Word the authors state that 87 percent of adults create new goals and resolutions for the new year. A lot is said and dreamed but by the end of January 50 percent of those dreams and changes will have failed. While it is not stated you can very well imagine that the number continues to rise as the days in the new year continue to fly by.

Life happens, reality sets in and what we thought may have been conviction was not conviction at all merely a hope for change. You may have the knowledge, the perspective and the skill but without true conviction change in 2022 will unfortunately not become a reality. You can do it. You can change. Your can dream dreams that become reality. My prayer for you is that your conviction will match your dreams and desire for change.

For some ideas and resources on helping you keep your convictions see a recent post on discovering your One Word and your Purpose Statement.

Thanks for reading.

Be Blessed!

So here we are. Another year about to be put to rest. Another trip around the sun. We will turn the page to 2022 in a matter of hours but have you taken time to truly reflect on what 2021 gave you and how you can prepare for the upcoming year? I want to briefly encourage you to stop and reflect on three different things as you prepare for your 2022.

Take a few moments and physically write down the blessings that you experienced in 2021. I preferred to write them down on paper but you can use an app in your phone. Just write them down as they come to you. They don’t have to be in any order but take time to experience and see how you have been blessed in 2021.

Our mind has a way of going to the negative, the “sucky” part of what may have happened to us but we need to replace that with our list of blessings and victories from 2021. Keep that list handy and revisit it as necessary as an encouragement so you can be reminded of all of the good that you experienced during this past year.

Go into 2022 with your “One Word”. This process has helped millions of people, including me, have more of a laser focus on becoming who they can become. Don’t set to-do goals. Set to-be goals. The stuff that you do will happen and be a result of who you become.

For more on this process and to get access to the book see this week’s Five Moments Newsletter.

We also recently recorded our annual One Word podcast on Beyond the Bench and you can listen to that here.

You may not have it on January 1, 2022 but that does not mean that you would wait a year. No matter when you start it I believe it can make a difference in what and how you experience 2022.

Please let me know if I can help you with this process. Take the first step.

Take your One Word a little bit further and develop your purpose statement. Life can come at you from many different directions and sometimes it feels like it comes at you like a tsunami and crashes in all at once. A purpose statement can help to keep you grounded and help you be reminded of your purpose and what you are on this earth to do and be.

As long as we are given breath on this earth we are here for a reason. We need to live each day on purpose, with a purpose and for a purpose. Having our purpose statement is a great way to live it that purpose in 2022.

Just like your One Word I would be happy to help you develop and put your purpose statement into words to help you experience 2022 in a more meaningful and focused way.

Doing these three exercises does not guarantee rainbows and dancing unicorns because that would be weird anyway. I do believe that we should all be in pursuit of being the best that we can be and become the most that we can become. Doing a few things to help us turn the page in to 2022 with a purpose can set us up to not only lead ourselves in a better way but ultimately lead others and help them become better versions of themselves as well in 2022.

I wish you a blessed close to 2021 and more blessings in 2022.