Lead From Your Heart

Have you ever had a bad morning? You know, when their isn’t enough milk for the cereal and then there is no bread for toast? Then, the traffic on the way to work is slow and in my case I hit a red light on the only stop light in town.

Some days things seem to just pile up on top of you before you even open your office door. When you get to work it’s like you almost need a break but there your people are. Needing you and your leadership.

Many days the challenge for us is to get ourself out of the way so we can focus on what other people need. If we can do that we are able to serve and lead them more effectively.

Don’t base your leadership on what you may need or on how your day is going. Lead from your heart focused on the needs of others and your day will immediately begin to be better and so will the people you lead.

No Sailor Ever Distinguished Themselves On Calm Seas

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.

Look Your Dreams Right in the Eyes!

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.

Be Real

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.

Do Your Convictions Match Your Dreams?

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!