Tag Archives: success

Successful Ones

Posted on by

P1330116 compressedSuccessful people get help.

The middle class has a notion that we must make our own way, buck to it, put our nose to the grindstone, and never quit.

But Keith Ferrazzi of Never Eat Alone, tells of his startling observation as a teen and young adult (he had grown up in the working class), that those in the professional heights lived a much different approach. They ‘found one another jobs, invested time and money in one anothers ideas, made sure their kids got help getting into the best schools, got the right internships, and ultimately the best jobs.’

He realized at that time and throughout his years at Harvard Business School, the incredible power in relationships, incredible power of generosity and reciprocity, and that success is all about working with people, and not against them, and that none of us can get anywhere on our own or by ourselves.

All of which, was a very different way of thinking than the working class he had grown up in, where the prevailing mind-set is, ‘figure it out yourself.’

There are many different ways of seeing the world, and different mind-sets about how it is supposed to work.

But what if our ‘its supposed to be this way’ is a figment of our culture and class and raising? What if there are other ways ‘that things work’?

What if a lot of our thinking is narrow and condemning? Do we lack generosity of thought, or are we able to get behind others, say hearty ‘yes and amen’ to the dreams of those around us. Or do we punch  holes and get our knickers in a knot just thinking about somebody who might not have to work the same way or put up with things like we have.

When in Uganda I notice a prevailing hatred for the upper level leaders in Uganda. Riddled through the attitudes and the comments of most of the people was a complete lack of respect or regard for those in leadership. And in that hatred they were condemning their own lives, keeping themselves small, ensuring till the bitter end a pride of poverty and glory of less-than.

We read in Psalm 106:24-25 a bit of the same, and how the Israelites despised the pleasant land.

“Then they despised the pleasant land;
they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and did not obey the Lord.”

Of the same story we read in Numbers 13, ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.’ and in that same chapter we read that the cluster of grapes was so large that it had to be carried on a pole between two men.

An incredibly rich land. A prosperous land. A bountiful land.

But the people were afraid, and they grumbled, and refused to believe, and as the Psalmist recounts, the sin of the people was that they despised the pleasant land. They gave over their an incredible inheritance for the opportunity to continue walking in the desert for 40 years until they had all died.

The Message puts it this way:

‘They went on to reject the Blessed Land,
didn’t believe a word of what God promised.
They found fault with the life they had
and turned a deaf ear to God’s voice.’

How often do our mindsets have us doing the same thing. And with much pride to boot.

The Israelites had been slaves for so long, that they couldn’t find it in themselves to take back the land, to acquire the bounty there just waiting for them, couldn’t enter into prosperity or a different way of life than the slavery they had been used to.

It was about them. They took their eyes off the Lord, turned a deaf ear to his voice, and shored up their insecurities, as their pride wouldn’t let them take on something that came as a gift.

With themselves at the center of the equation, the great bounty didn’t fit who they were, and so they rejected it.

Only when God is at the center can we find our lives redefined, and only then can we accept a life that does not reflect us, but reflects him.

A land of bounty.

The successful, the ones who inhabit the pleasant lands, know they need help, they know they cannot get anywhere on their own.

Uncomfortable Constraint

Posted on by

adventure and privilegeOff to Uganda, you are reading this as I’ve arrived, been received at the airport by David and taken to he and his wife’s home. I’ve had a nights rest at their home (they’ve given me their bed to sleep in), and I am off to buy medicines in Kampala with Mildred today.

And constraint is all around.

The work of coming and traveling and ministering in Uganda is all about constraint. And in fact, on my last trip here, I made a list of all the constraints upon a person, that I might alert any who want to do a trip to really count the cost, seeing if they are really up for it.

For instance, in Canada we are used to our space around us. We are used to sitting in a vehicle with room for our legs and with room for our arms. In Uganda it is much different. The taxi service is more like that feeling of camping in a very cramped campsite.

My legs have no space in these vehicles. I am fairly long-legged and I must sit with a slight rotation to my hips and back in order to fit (and even then my knees are jammed into the seat in front of me). On either side are my traveling companions, some I know, most I do not. Regardless, we get used to our hips and legs in close quarters and the skin of our arms stuck together in the heat. And though the journeys are any number of hours in length, and there are no bathroom stops nor pauses to stretch, we give no sigh of disdain or contempt.

We have entered into another persons home and we will make no complaint.

My luggage is sparse. And I have ensured it is no heavier than I can carry myself. Constraint of time and space as well as energy and strength, ensures I don’t overdo my luggage, and in the consequence make a fool of myself.

The surest way to be ashamed in a developing nation, is to pack too much.

The roads are rutted, graveled and sometimes soggy from recent rains. And suitcases on wheels are a joke in the crowded city of Kampala. If you can’t carry it, don’t bring it. Constraint saves us.

The boda-boda rides (motorcycles) prove the same. Imagine your gear and suitcases strapped onto a boda-boda along with you and a driver. Imagine it, and you will ensure you do not overdo it. Constraint saves us.

The habits of minimalism do one well when in Africa. Well thought out planning and execution alongside frank consideration are must-haves. Last trip I took three pairs of socks, and didn’t put one pair on once. Silly. This time I’ve taken one pair, and very small and thin at that.

In service to the people there, my days are not my own. But years of child-raising has prepared me well; constraint on my person is certainly not unknown! Fact is, I am simply honored to be their guest, and at their disposal. “What shall we do today? Here are my thoughts and ideas, but really, you tell me.”

We somehow believe that when we enter into the most important works of our lives that we will be freer, that we will be with less responsibility and more expression. And while some of this is true, in actual fact, the greater the work, the greater the constraint upon ones person, time, stamina, and responsibility.

The CEO of a company does not carry less, but more. The president of an organization does not have it easier, but tougher. The Leader of a nation deals with more and therefore has less. The one who ministers to many can only do so as constraint is embraced and welcomed and given over to.

For instance, praying over fifty, one-hundred, two-hundred people as they come one by one, lined up and waiting… Is not about more. It is about less. How much are we willing to pour out? How much of ourselves will we give over.

The greatest works of our lives require constraint, and discipline and responsibility.

Another way of saying the identical thing – enter into constraint, discipline and increased responsibility, and your life will ooze of great works.

p.s.

The Bible speaks over and over again of the little that we can bring in order for much to come of it. Nowhere does God say, ‘Come to me and I will make you great’.

Rather, it is, ‘Lose your life and you will find it’.

‘The one who is last will be first’.

Leaders are those who have determined to put their lives in service to others, be it through non-profit service, business, politics, or community involvement. They walk a hard road, without complaint and without murmur, and with much constraint.

God bless our leaders.

Words

Posted on by

Make our Words countWe live in language.

What we say reveals who we are, and what we say determines who we are.

It is by our words that our lives are determined.

The book Tribal Leadership chronicles the study findings of many many individuals; marking the various ways of speaking within stages of our lives.

One group speaks about how ‘life sucks’. Another moans about ‘my life sucks’. Still another lives in ‘I am great’. While others experience ‘life is great’.

It is telling. Language does indeed create our realities. Our words matter.

A lot.

“Death and life are in the power of thetongue”
Proverbs 18:21

“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
George Orwell

“The limits of our language mean the limits of my world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

Yet how often are we flippant with our words; thinking the things we say really don’t make any difference…

Maybe we just don’t care.

The single most thing you can do to change your life is to change your language; change the way you speak and your life changes.

Our words reveal our expectations, and our words determine our results.

What we sow we reap. Giving voice to all that is wrong… gets us more of what is wrong.

Giving voice to all that is right… gets us more of what is right.

Which would you rather have?

Live to Win

Posted on by

Life is a test

Presuming that something matters,

Each test gauges our progress,

Ensures our movement, pace and process.

Tests are for us,

And tests are for instructors.

“How might we advance this person?”

“Is this person ready for promotion?”

It doesn’t matter the size of the test,

The importance of the test,

All of life is a test.

Will we give it our best shot,

Or will we cry foul?

From day one I’ve told my kids,

“Govern yourself or I will govern you.”

“Control yourself or I will control you. Which would you rather have?”

A test,

How will you do?

Will you take the challenge,

Or cry foul?

With equal opportunity for success,

All of us can prove ourselves in some way.

Life is in fact begging us to prove ourselves.

The gifts and talent that are inherent in you,

Must follow their own sequence in the releasing,

Their own path revealed.

Is the challenge taken,

Are the gifts revealed,

Or do we cry foul?

A sky-scraper must be preceded by a very large hole and substantial foundation,

That bridge across the large river takes years of infrastructure being built,

Can the company last the digging,

Can the workers stand the years?

In each of our own lives, we are the company, we are the worker,

Can we stand the heat.

Or will we cry foul?

Heat endured strengthens our stamina,

Veins come out as gold,

Dross is burned away,

Our resilience is established,

Our inner muscles of heart and soul refined and polished.

Will we endure the test,

Or cry foul?

Tested and proven to handle some,

We are given more,

Tested and proven to handle more,

We are given much.

Tests of attitude,

Courage,

Fortitude,

Stamina of heart and mind, soul and spirit,

Will we be moved, stretched, strengthened,

Or cry foul?

Can we be trusted,

Are we up for challenges,

Do we live to win or to simply get by.

Capturing God’s Heart – Promotion – Volume 8

Posted on by

The book of Daniel is rich in wisdom and modeling of how to walk in integrity, how to focus and hold our ground, how to honor others, and most of all, how to advance through the Kingdom of God.

In the first chapter of Daniel we find Daniel holding his ground. He and three of his friends had been among the Israelite captives taken into exile to Babylon.

They were to be served the food from the King’s own table. But we read Daniel’s resolution in Daniel 1:8-15

“But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the King.” Daniel 1:8

Continue reading →

100 Percent

Posted on by

P1260776 compressedI am amazed at the audacity of some. Actually, the audacity of one.

The audacity that believes oneself the gatekeeper, the manager, the owner of another’s calling or dream or vision.

This picture that I’ve now embarked upon, of preaching and praying in Africa, was given to me some 30 years ago.

The preparation time: … 30 years

And I find myself in Africa with a particular individual, whom I’ve only known for four months, believing he is the boss, the manager of this gifting, the gatekeeper so to speak.

He is making (or trying to make) the decisions, calling the shots, and somehow all of a sudden I am on HIS team. Wow, how did that happen?!

What is so astounding, is he has no clue how ignorant he is being. Not the slightest clue.

I find this absolutely shocking. An arrogance of incredible proportions, I am stunned and without words.

Except, that along the way and during the latter half of my preparation years. There were those at home who imagined themselves the same.

The same arrogance, just slightly more refined and professional, and hidden.

It is an incredible evil.

Something must be said about this kind of thing. Not because I’ve found it in Africa, but because it is symptomatic around the world.

There is always someone who supposes him or herself the ultimate boss. Setting themselves up as the gatekeeper, the one to go through, the one to approve or not.

And we, like sheep, give them the say. We turn over the authority of our lives to the arrogant and ill-informed and puffed up.

We can  always spot them. They are the ones who ask no questions. Who do not seek to understand the bigger picture of our lives. They simply dictate, from their own best knowledge.

The one at home I invited time and again to check out what I was doing. Come to hear me at this place. Send another to find out when I am hosting this or that. Find out what you want, check it out, check me out.

It NEVER happened. Not once.

But still pronouncements of doom were given. Great threats and stories of bogey-men.

Arrogance – profound arrogance.

Not a stitch of those predictions have come true, not a one.

Bottom line is this: When we give our lives over to the opinions and ‘advice’ of those who fancy themselves the gatekeepers, we participate in the undoing of our lives.

We become party to the problem.

I’ll never forget years back now, speaking to a gentleman who worked at the Dream Center in L.A. about his work feeding the homeless, and of callings of the Lord.

He said this, “Your dream is yours, the vision given to you is yours to carry. It does not belong to any other, and no one else will carry it for you.”

True, succinct, profound.

We must carry the weight and responsibility and authority of the visions and callings given to us. Or quite simply we are not worthy of stepping into that very thing.

Whatever your vision or dream or calling, that thing in the back of your mind you’ve always thought of doing,

Protect it,

Nurture it,

Invest in it,

Cooperate with it,

And never, never, ever give it away.

It is yours 100%

Dancing

Posted on by

P1180368 compressedPulled back and forth between what is pressing and immediate to the long-term big picture of things, can be a bit of a trick.

As individuals we are often and naturally wired one way or the other.

We may be good at big-picture long term thinking but lousy with day-to-day immediacy’s.

Or we are good at the details of living but never really think about what any of it might mean in the big scope of things.

Thing is, we need both of these abilities. And both of these can be cultivated.

We need to be able to face our day-to-day and the immediate details of life and work and home and family.

Visions don’t happen unless we put some ground-work into place.

We also need to be able to step back, widen out the camera lens so to speak, and see ‘the point’ of what we are doing, how we are spending our time, and where our efforts are going; what is the map of our lives.

Ground-work means nothing without a larger scope of understanding.

Last week I was confronted by an immediate and traumatic need that required I  bring some stability and sameness into a situation. All of a sudden there was nothing else that needed attention but a very ‘in my face’ need.

It took a few days of my life, and extended in small ways throughout this past week. With that week’s time revealing that some details of my days will in fact be changed from here on out.

At the same time, the week went by and perspective opened up once more and long range vision cried for some attention.

Life often feels this incredible mix of all that is imminent and pressing contrasting with the much bigger point of everything.

It is not either / or

It is both / and

One day I am dealing with a crisis that demanded every ounce of my being to enter in and engage and simply ‘be’ in the pain, adding what comfort I could, and within a few days I am considering this years trips to Africa, and am reminded by texts and emails and phone calls that there is a much bigger world than my little pocket of crisis.

That world I am also to engage, bringing what I can to the table; being fully present.

The crisis of mental illness / the task of extending deep spiritual freedom to nations

Extending deep spiritual freedom to nations / the immediacy of being a single Mom

We all have conundrums and dichotomies that must be faced.

I’ve found, that the farther into leadership and influence one goes, the larger the dichotomies become, and the more humility is necessary to walk it.

It takes enormous focus and discipline of ‘setting oneself aside’, our fears and inadequacies and self-doubts and what doesn’t make sense, to in fact step into bigger pictures.

The farther one goes into influence, the less and less it is about us.

Our lives becoming one of service means…

We mustn’t be distracted by our stuff

It’s not about us!

Fancy that

So we walk faithfully with our days. The days that have us with a microscope gazing at our imminent and personal realities, and then the days that have us engaged with something that is far, far bigger than ourselves.

The camera lens zooms in, the camera lens zooms out.

Big picture, then the details, big picture, then the details…

Hmmm, sounds like a dance to me!