michaelnichols.org

I Did The Laundry!

2011-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I began reading through the Bible today. In Genesis 1, as the story of the beginning of the world unfolds, God describes His creation six different times as “good”. When I read this I thought of Madison - She gets really excited when proudly presenting a new masterpiece she has colored for me. (I get pretty excited too - when showing Sarah that I did the laundry, washed the dishes, or made the bed.) It’s like God just stepped back to check out his new masterpiece.

Then He says it one last time – but it’s a little different this time. He says in verse 31 that it was “very good”. What changed? The only thing that changed between verse 25 and verse 31 is that man was created, which was apparently enough for God to upsize His admiration of His 6-day masterpiece to “very” good.

In verse 26 we catch a glimpse of perhaps the most compelling argument for why God was so enthralled with man. Man was created in the image of God. And not just in the image of God the Father, but the writer specifically alludes to the plurality of God – the Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit. Man was created in the image of God for community – for fellowship. Ironically, sociologists say Americans are the loneliest people in the world. It's been said that less than 10 percent of American men have one close friend. These are incredible assertions when you consider that we were created for meaningful relationship. Man was created to love and be loved.

I wonder if God still looks at His creation today and says, “Very good”. What are you doing to build and strengthen your relationship with this Creator God? What about your relationships with others in your life?

6 Things Your Life Plan Should Include

2010-12-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am reviewing my Life Plan as I do each week. I believe every person should have a Personal Life Plan that is reviewed and updated regularly. After all, if you don’t keep it updated, it will get outdated and boring. During my personal review today, I was reminded of 6 things that every Life Plan should include.

Personal Mission Statement. Your personal mission statement answers the questions: Why am I here? and What was I made to do that no one else can do the way that I can? One or two sentences are usually sufficient. For example, my personal mission is to glorify God in every area of my life, to live every moment of my life as a faithful steward, and to ensure that every person has the opportunity to receive a top-quality education from a profoundly Biblical worldview.
Objectives for accomplishing your personal mission. Think about what it will take to fulfill your personal mission and jot it down. I divided my objectives into three categories – spiritual, relational, and personal. These three categories envelope every area of my life, making the objectives manageable for me – if it’s not simple, I won’t keep up with it.
Foundational Principles. Over the past several years I have compiled a list of six foundational principles that guide my decisions and behavior. These six principles are non-negotiable for me. Develop your own list of 4-6 principles – this process will take some time, so keep the list handy as you are developing it so you revise it as often as necessary.
Good advice. Maintain a list of quotes that are directly related to your mission and life work. On your journey, you’ll encounter a few mentors who will occasionally share profound counsel or guidance with you. Write it down so you have it when you need it – ‘cause you’ll need it later.
Strengths, Personality, and/or Gifts profiles. Make time to discover your strengths, personality profile, or spiritual gifts. I encourage you to do all three, then make note of areas in which the three profiles overlap. These key areas will help you make intentional decisions for investing your time, energy, and resources.
Historical Timeline. Keep track of where you’ve been on your journey – successes, key decisions, achievements, what you’ve learned...you get the idea. These items will encourage you when you are down, help you with decision-making, and get you back on track when you get derailed by life.

Some have also included a “bucket list” in their Life Plan. You can set it up however you want – but I encourage you to include these six areas. Get started today. Grow on purpose!

How Much Money I've Got

2010-01-09T12:56:00.009-05:00

Each month I receive a statement from my bank that includes a summary of deposits and withdrawals. When I compare this statement to my records, nearly every month I find at least one discrepancy. As much as I hate to admit it, the bank is almost always right. Usually the problem is on my end - I entered some numbers wrong, lost a receipt, etc.

Regardless, I always find the mistake and correct it so I know how much money I've got. This morning, in order to "balance my checkbook" (which is really balancing debit cards these days), I had to click a "Reconcile" button. Call me crazy, but immediately I thought, Why is it called reconcile? So I looked up reconcile - it means to settle a dispute or to restore. When I correct the discrepancies in my bookeeping, I am restoring my account to the accuracy of the bank statement. How silly would it be for me to realize that there is a mistake and ignore it?! Or to find several mistakes, but only correct a couple of them? If I neglected the errors long enough, Sarah would attempt to use her debit card at Walmart and it would be declined. While this may be a creative way for our family to save money, she would not appreciate that.

Contemplating reconciliation (instead of balancing my account) this morning, I was reminded...

1. Similar to my bank statement, God's Word is the standard to which my thoughts and behavior should be reconciled. (Yes, I know bank statements are occasionally wrong, but don't mess up my blog!) What's your standard?

2. It is foolish to correct some of the errors without correcting them all. What errors are you ok with?

3. Neglecting to reconcile to God's standard, not only affects me but it will affect others. Whose life are you affecting by your unwillingness to reconcile?

How long has it been since you reconciled? Are trying to navigate life with an overdrafted spiritual bank account?

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Primal Creativity - Part 3 of 3

2010-01-07T07:00:00.003-05:00

Our current reality is a byproduct of the imaginations of those who have gone on before us. A man’s greatest assets are his ideas. Consequently, Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, suggests that the church ought to be the most creative group on the planet. We ought to be continually challenging the status quo, but all too often we’re guilty of defending it. Why do we struggle with this? Mark proposed that “it’s far easier to find something wrong with something new than to admit something is wrong with the old way of doing things.” Maintaining the status quo is quite simply poor stewardship.

Mark writes that we need fewer critics and more creators. We need fewer commentators and more inventors. We need fewer imitators and more dreamers. Success in any endeavor, he observed, is the byproduct of trying harder and trying longer. What you need is a vision from the heart of a compassionate God to your heart that captures your curiosity, harnesses every ounce of creativity in your soul, and consumes your energy every waking moment.

Check out Primal today and other titles from Mark Batterson. It’ll change the way you live.

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Primal Curiosity - Part 2 of 3

2010-01-05T07:00:00.004-05:00

Have you ever been reading along and then began skipping through a familiar passage or chapter that did not necessarily arrest your attention? I do this when I’m rereading a book, even occasionally as I read through Scripture. Why do we do this? Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, wonders if we are too easily satisfied with our study of Scripture or too easily dissatisfied with Scripture itself. Maybe that’s why we’re so infrequently astonished.

In Genesis 1, God himself was awed by His own creation. Incredible, isn’t it? Mark wrote that God’s “primal reaction was wonderment at His own work. It’s almost as if God said, ‘I outdid myself, if I say so myself.’ When we lose our sense of wonder, what we really lose is our soul”. Our lack of wonder or curiosity is really a lack of love for the things of God. I, too, have discovered that the goal of knowing the Bible isn’t Bible knowledge. The goal of knowing the Bible is knowing God. As we grow spiritually, we’ll speak less theoretically and more experientially because we’ll actually have something worth talking about.

Check out Primal today and other titles from Mark Batterson. It’ll change the way you think.

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Bin-oc-lee-ars?!

2009-12-29T18:16:00.010-05:00

Last night I stayed with my dad out at my parent's "farm" in Central Virginia - it's more like a retreat. The beautiful piece of property is bounded on one side for nearly a half mile by Mine Run Creek. A large pond sits near the center of the 47 acre property and all sorts of wildlife can be seen just about any time of day. My parents are constructing a building on the property, which will be part of a future counseling center on the property. So we sleep in a cramped outbuilding when we stay overnight. Fortunately, there is heat, a fridge, microwave, AT&T 3G, and Mountain Dew.

My dad "cons" me into going down to the property every chance he gets because he knows I enjoy construction. This week we've been priming and painting an aparment in the building.

Sarah and Madison drove down this morning to see the building and to hang out for a couple hours. While they were there, Papa showed them our crib and served them a gourmet lunch. While Madison was waiting for lunch to be served she said, I see the binoclears (bin-oc-lee-ars). I said, What? She repeated, I see the binoclears, pointing to the binoculars hanging on the wall. I thought it was funny so I made her say it again and recorded it. When she's 15 I'll replay it for her - teens love that stuff! ;)

This afternoon and this evening, I've thought about what she said several times - binoclears. It's pretty profound - binoculars clarify (or make more clear) objects that are very far away. Her "new word" reminded me of the vision that God has put in my heart. It often seems so very far away, yet God's Word serves as spiritual "binoclears" clarifying the future - one step at a time. Here, take a look!

I Got It.

2009-12-03T21:25:00.005-05:00

I have learned many life lessons from a four-year-old (although some were learned when she was one, two, and three).

I love Madison dearly. I am very supportive of her, treat her with respect, attempt to resolve her problems quickly, and teach her to take initiative and assume responsibility for her actions. Recently, I noticed that she is becoming more independent. A few days ago I tried to help her climb into the truck. She pulled her hand away and announced, “I got it!” Then as I tried to help her buckle the seatbelt she reminded me – “Dad, I got it!” One day we were riding in the car - she picked up my iPhone, entered my password, selected a program, and started using the application – followed by, “See dad, I got it.” Even as I am typing, Sarah is trying to help Madison with a mug of hot chocolate. Madison moved it away and assured her – “I got it!” (I don’t think Sarah was convinced.)

Madison’s newly found independence has caused me to rethink my own responses to God’s direction in my life. Though He always knows what is best for me, I occasionally pull away and insist, “I got it”. He generally lets me have my way until I realize His way was better. In these moments, I really don’t “got it”, yet in His love and mercy He is letting me grow to be more like Him. And I’m getting it.

Looking Foolish

2009-11-23T21:37:00.011-05:00

A few days ago my church-planter friend, TJ Ward, wrote in his blog that, “Faith is the willingness to look foolish.” TJ was reminding us that Noah looked foolish building an ark before any rain clouds showed up; David looked pretty foolish fighting a giant with a slingshot; Abraham felt foolish leaving his home to go to an unknown destination. He went on to say, “If we're ever going to accomplish anything BIG for God, we have to be willing to look foolish.”

Many things in which I have chosen to invest significant time and energy have looked foolish to many. Several years ago a well-respected Christian leader said to me, “Michael, you are often way ahead of people in your thinking. You should consider slowing down a little.” While I understand he may have been trying to save me some grief, what he was really saying was that I look foolish sometimes. My vision and passion isn’t always logically sensible.

What if we didn’t care about looking foolish to others? Would it change the way we approached life? Like TJ, I'm encouraged by the fact that even though Abraham wasn't given every detail of how God's plan would unfold, he still chose to believe (Genesis 15:6). Though circumstances often are uncertain or even seem foolish, still we can believe God because of His character - He's faithful, He's sovereign, and He's trustworthy. So I, too, am believing God for miracles every day – sometimes I’m gonna look a little foolish.

What is God asking you to do that might seem foolish to those around you?

For more thoughts on looking foolish, check out the book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, by Mark Batterson.

Solid.

2009-11-08T21:55:00.006-05:00

As I have traveled over the past few weeks, church leaders, educators, parents, and students alike have approached me to personally express their appreciation for the consistent, solid academic reputation of Bryan College. An administrator at a recent convention told me, “I’m so glad you are here – our students need Bryan College.”

Applications for Fall 2010 continue to run significantly ahead of last year. Acceptances are up as well. These indicators of growth would not be possible without highly-qualified professors continuously evaluating, redesigning, and facilitating strong curricula. The administration and faculty of Bryan College have made academic reliability a top priority.

Last week, Verle Ackerman, Treasurer of Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, grasped my hand and cautioned – “Don’t ever get tired of investing in the lives of people. “ I hope I never do. And I hope you don’t either. Live solid.

Two Thousand Miles Later

2009-10-02T13:38:00.006-04:00

I’ve just completed a week-long trip covering more than 2000 miles visiting schools in the Southeast and hanging out with hundreds of “future Bryan students”. I am more encouraged than ever before about the future of Bryan College.

While we enrolled a record number of total students this year, we have set goals for the coming year to increase new undergraduate student enrollment by 20%. We are already well on the way toward reaching our goals. On October 1, we kicked off a month-long Application Campaign to help us continue our momentum. This campaign capitalizes on our ongoing, strategic improvements in the Office of Admissions. Recently, our new online application went live resulting in an immediate surge in applications. To date, we have received 71% more applications than we had received at this point last year. I am proud of our Admissions team and am privileged to serve with them.

Because YOU are a significant contributor to the success of our enrollment efforts, I know you’ll want to hear more about our progress. In the coming days, I will be communicating more regularly with you.

This week, stop by our office and check out our NEW “Wall of Students”. We might even let you add a few students to the wall when you show up!

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

What are you afraid of?

2009-09-13T19:50:00.003-04:00

Every evening at approximately the same time I transition from my role as Madison’s dad to a member of her security detail. My job includes escorting her around the house to turn on lights before she enters a dark room. Madison is so fearful of the dark that she requires one nightlight in her room and one in the kitchen so she can see well enough to trek around the house in the middle of the night (which usually ends with her climbing into our bed).

To be fair to Madison, we all have fears. When I was a kid, I can remember having to take the trash out to the curb after dark followed by running like a scared girl back to the house so the boogey man couldn’t get me. While all of us have experienced fear, our fears are often misplaced or even unnecessary at all. For example, to dispel the darkness in our home, Madison could simply flip a light switch. Likewise, I’m fairly certain that there was no boogey man lurking in the bushes around my home when I was a kid.

I have found that many individuals maintain the status quo because they fear failure. Yet, this fear of failure is nearly always misplaced or unnecessary. In order to experience growth, we must be more afraid of missed opportunities than we are of failure. Mark Batterson suggested that life’s greatest memories are often discovered in the biggest challenges one faces. Instead of fearing these opportunities to grow, we should make a habit of doing what God is directing us to do through His Word regardless of our fears.

Don’t allow your fears to stunt your growth. Like my friends at Nike used to say, Just do it. When you have a few minutes, check out 1 John 4:18 and Philippians 4:13.

My Mess is my Message

2009-08-26T19:39:00.003-04:00

Certainly all of us have experienced difficult and hurtful circumstances and situations. While I firmly believe that none of us plan to end up in a mess, these times of deep hurt often result from our own poor judgment.
Several months ago, I participated in a public speaking workshop in Atlanta. During one of our sessions, Dr. Robert Rohm made this statement – My mess is my message. Hearing him admit some of his struggles was encouraging to me. The older I get and the more time I spend listening to people, I’ve found that nearly everyone has found themselves in a really big mess at one time or another.

Life is not a smooth process. Yet, each of us is responsible to deal with our mess, especially when the mess is of our own making. Whatever messes you’ve experienced have been allowed by a loving and gracious God to help you become a better person and mature you on your journey. The mess that you may be experiencing right now will one day become something that you may look back on as a life-changing, learning experience – you may even laugh about it. Dr. Rohm found that some of his deepest hurts and sorrows have become the very stories he has been able to share over and over to help people on their journey. I have found the same to be true in my life. While some of my messes are still very painful memories, as I share my mess, others have been able to relate to and learn from my hurt and the hurt I caused others.

Here is what I learned from Dr. Rohm:
1. Stay out of as many messes as possible.
2. Focus on making wise decisions.
3. When we do make a mess, or become part of one, let it become part of our message to others. No one wants to hear about how smart, great, or perfect we are. Yet, nearly everyone is willing to listen to our personal struggles and failures.

Let others know how your mess has become your message.

More Studds Needed!

2009-08-18T09:24:00.004-04:00

C. T. Studd was a well-known cricketer in England who later became a missionary. Although he lived from 1860 to 1931, I read a quote of his recently that challenges the perspective of many Christians and churches even today. He once stated that “Some want to live within the sound of the church bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” It’s easy for us to become so enthralled with what the church “has to offer” that we forget about what we really offer the world – the Gospel.

Mark Batterson said it this way – “If we are going to fulfill the ancient commission, we are going have to escape the confines of our beautifully-appointed sanctuaries to invade some hellholes with the light and love of Christ” Matthew 5:13-16. What do you think about this thought? – The more time we spend with Christians, the less time we will be able to spend with pre-Christians.

Just Like You.

2009-08-15T08:49:00.002-04:00

Being an only child, Madison has learned how to entertain herself by telling stories to herself as she acts them out. Usually her narratives involve a mother and daughter, teacher and student, etc. She’s learned how to be a good mommy and teacher – but she gets pretty bossy at times.

The other day I walked by her room and heard her tell her imaginary daughter, Honey, I need to finish my work and then I’ll play with you. To which the imaginary daughter replied, But mom, I really want to play now. Mommy Madison said, I can’t play with you right now, I have to finish my work. At this point I walked in the room and asked her, Madison who did you learn that from – then I braced for the answer. She said, Mommy and you – I want to be just like you guys. Yikes!

My mind raced – How can I use this as a teachable moment for her, but the lesson had already been taught. While Sarah and I spend an enormous amount of time with Madison and we love every minute of it, she often craves our undivided attention – play time.

What if God only gave us His undivided attention when He didn’t have anything more important to do?

Flat on the Floor

2009-08-05T15:52:00.003-04:00

Recently, we moved from Florida to Tennessee. When we moved out of our home in Florida and into our home in Tennessee many people were involved in helping load and unload the truck. (I am amazed that it only takes a quarter of the time to unload a moving truck as it does to load it.)

If you’re like me, whenever you move you wonder how many furniture or décor casualties there are going to be. Although we were very fortunate to have minimal damage, one of our casualties was an aging bedside table. A few days ago, as we were unpacking, I reattached the legs to the table and everything looked good – no apparent problems. Yet when I turned the table over to stand it up it wobbled for a few seconds and collapsed. The legs and brackets no longer supported the table. I eventually had to throw the table away.

This situation reminded of concept that Tom Messer shared with me a few years ago – He observed that there are four legs to the “Leadership Stool” - Accountability, Instruction, Relationships, and Example. All four “legs” are essential for the stool to be effective. A deficiency in any of the “legs” will render the stool not just ineffective, but useless.

Have you ever sat on a stool that has a missing or broken leg? If so, you probably ended up like my table – flat on the floor. Many of us have likely experienced a similar fate in our leadership experience –When our accountability, instruction, relationships, or example are lacking, our ability to influence or lead is largely diminished. Consequently, to be most effective we must regularly give adequate attention to each of these four areas.

Faith and Grapes

2009-08-01T10:54:00.004-04:00

We’ve all done it – stood in the aisle at the grocery store examining, squeezing, flicking…attempting to determine which fruit has the best chance at the longest shelf life. A few days ago I opened the refrigerator and saw a huge bowl of grapes sitting on the top shelf. They were there because Madison and Sarah particularly enjoy eating green, seedless grapes. I like them too – yet, after they’ve been there for a week or so, I don’t particularly enjoy the scavenger hunt that is required to sift through rotting grapes to find the last few edible ones. Occasionally, I get one in my mouth that looked ok, but tastes rotten!

In his book about pursuing God, Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson observed that when fruit is no longer ripening it’s rotting – if it’s not growing, it’s dying. Our faith is like that – faith that is not being developed and being fleshed out in our decisions and actions, is dying. There is no middle ground, no status quo in the faith life.

Let’s determine today to live a life of faith that is continually growing and is evidenced in our everyday decisions and actions! Isn’t that cool? You can learn something from a grape.

Take a few moments to check out James 2:19-26!

Don't Like Where You Are? - Here are two options...

2009-07-13T22:22:00.006-04:00

Should past experiences affect the way I live and what I am able to accomplish today?

Your answer is probably similar to mine – yes and no! While we should always be learning from the past, our upbringing and circumstantial experiences should not categorically dictate today’s success or failure. So cut loose from whatever is holding you back!

Mark Batterson, senior pastor of National Community Church, says it this way – If you don’t like your circumstances, you have two options – complain about them or make the most of them. I agree.

Successful people are constantly looking for desirable circumstances. If they can’t find them, they create them. They realize that God is in the circumstances, and He uses each situation for good – Romans 8:28. So…

Pursue a God-sized vision with passion. Do something that is doomed to fail unless God is in it. Faithfulness isn’t faithfulness without faith. (You might have to read that again.)
Be the best you can possibly be at every stage of your journey.
Along the way, consider innovative approaches. Say no to status quo!
Empower others to join you on the journey.
Enjoy the journey and celebrate progress!

2 Things That Will Fix Nearly Every Organizational Problem

2009-07-10T08:48:00.012-04:00

Having been involved in growing organizations since I was a teenager, I have always been intrigued by those things that either hinder growth or facilitate growth within an organization. I am frequently asked, “If you were in my situation and faced this issue, what would you do?” or “How can I begin growing again?” Rarely do I have enough information to answer on the spot. However, I usually tell them that I am convinced that there are primarily two things that affect organizational growth (or decline). Organizational problems are generally the byproduct of inadequate communication or structure (or both).

Communication problems often include: mission, vision, or core values that are not clearly understood by ALL constituents, inconsistent communication, conflicting messages, distrust, lack of respect, etc. I am sure you have experienced communication issues that you could add to the list.

Structural problems frequently involve: unclear policies and procedures, improperly positioned personnel, an outdated leadership or management paradigm, a stagnant organizational chart, etc. Again, there are many others.

I’ve observed that leaders who resolve communication and structural issues generally eliminate the majority of all problems within their organization and successfully lead their people to grow.

The same is true for individuals who desire to grow personally – Growing people develop a disciplined structure for life and learn to communicate effectively. It seems so simple - which is probably why these two areas are commonly neglected for “bigger problems” or “more pressing issues”.

What is important is that all of us 1) realize the need to address inadequate communication and structure and 2) develop a systematic plan for doing so. Then, grow on purpose!

Worship in the Bathroom

2009-07-06T08:34:00.007-04:00

Madison, our daughter, loves music. When she's in the car with me, she is in control of the radio. And she enjoys singing - no matter where she is and no matter who is listening. One of her favorite songs is Sweet, Sweet Sound by Sarah Reeves. Madison sings it almost continuously.

Some time ago, Madison decided she needed to use the restroom on the way out of church. So she took her mom with her. She danced through the lobby of the church singing softly to herself, “Hear the song of my life. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound!” (That’s my prayer for her too, by the way!) As she entered the bathroom, the acoustics were more than she could handle. She broke out in complete, uninhibited “worship” at the top of her lungs – “I raise this anthem high! Let it be a sweet, sweet sound!” Fortunately, Madison, Sarah, and Jesus were the only attendees of the worship service in the bathroom.

Thinking about Madison's worship experience challenged me to evaluate my worship – Am I able to worship with abandon like my daughter? Are you? Now, I’m going to look for a bathroom!

When You Need To Hit Restart...

2009-07-03T14:02:00.009-04:00

My parents were in town for a few days this past week. I've been sharing my blogging experience with my dad. I told him that I agree with a friend of mine who said recently, "I've found blogging to be an essential spiritual discipline for me. While I hope it encourages others, I continue do it because of the personal accountability it provides." The same has been true for me. While it does require work and critical thinking, I found that the time is well-spent.

Because he has been involved in ministry and organizational leadership for more than 30 years, I've been encouraging my dad to begin a blog. While we were discussing blogging yesterday, my sister was sitting nearby lamenting the fact that she was going to have to shut down her computer and lose everything that she had been working on for the last hour.

Immediately, I told my dad, There you go. Your first blog topic - When You Need To Hit Restart. (He obviously didn't start his blog yesterday so I stole the idea - Sorry Dad!) He pontificated for several minutes about how the Christian life offers daily opportunities to hit Restart. In God's eyes, we get more than forgiveness - we get the chance to push Restart. Total cleansing - a clean slate! (1 John 1:9) Wouldn't it be awesome if we would do the same for each other?! - forgive and allow the offender to have a fresh restart.

So, whenever you need to, go ahead, give it a try - Hit Restart. Don't worry about what you might have lost - there are worse things. Be thankful that you can start over.

Six Secrets of Great Teams

2009-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Jim Collins' book, Good to Great, profoundly impacted my life. But I've always wondered, Why use the bus illustration? On a bus the only person working is the driver - that doesn't seem fair! And even though Collins emphasizes figuring out where you want to go after all the right people are on the bus, the driver still has sole discretion as to whether you head there or not. (I think we've all worked for a boss like that.)

Several months ago, I came across a video of the Canadian rowing team. It's only a couple minutes long - watch it real quick. Within the first few seconds of watching the video I realized - This is it! This is a great illustration of team leadership!

Check out these six secrets of great teams:

Great teams overcome adversity. Winning back-to-back world championships, the Canadian team had the 2004 Olympic gold medal wrapped up - or did they? Out of nowhere, they fell apart finishing a dismal 5th. But, this setback made them more determined than ever. In 2008, just two months after this video was recorded, they were back on top. Sure it hurts when you fall short of your goals - but great teams work through it together and reemerge on top.
Great teams make it look easy. Champion rowing teams maintain a continuous, fluid motion. Their catches are clean and synchronized. They maintain consistent speed. How? There is a ton of practice behind the high-performing team. Teams that are destined for greatness do the work required to become great. They prepare so that on their worst day they can still win the gold! Read that sentence again - its a good one!
Great teams are always improving. As teams improve, they step up the load. They practice more. They continually evaluate performance. To have a great team, we must be getting better all the time.
Great teams avoid negativity. They don't talk about it - they don't even think about it. They don't use negative words. They don't place blame - they work together to make course corrections. They focus on the vision of winning and what's to get there.
Great teams follow the leader. Leaders of high performing teams are always challenging the team to improve. It's not easy, but teams that accept the challenge to win.
Great teams know that they can depend on the team. They know that when the race is on the line, their teammates are going to do what it takes to win.

What would you add to the list? Have you seen another illustration of great teamwork?

BONUS! I included the T-mobile video just for fun. It pumps me up every time I watch it!

5 Ways a Coach Can Help You

2009-05-05T20:32:00.000-04:00

When we talk about coaching, athletics immediately comes to mind. Yet coaching occurs in nearly every organizational venue – education, career, home, ministry, etc. A great coach tells you what you may not be prepared to hear, helps you see what you could not see, and can help you improve beyond what you ever thought you could be. Did you get that? – a coach can lead you beyond your dreams to reach your fullest potential. The ultimate goal of a coach is to lead others to succeed because they believe that every person has the potential to grow.

Daniel Harkavy, CEO of Building Champions, found that those who are involved in coaching others have learned that they can enjoy personal success by focusing on the success of others. Harkavy refers to these coaches as “coaching leaders”. Coaching leaders have made the success of others their own personal mission.

Coaching is seldom about how the coach would do it. Good coaches help teammates to identify for themselves what needs to been done to reach their full potential. Earlier this year I began working with Executive Coach Raymond Gleason at Building Champions. Raymond has identified five ways that a coach can help you...

Define your current reality. Ask questions like, What is my present situation? Where am I headed?
Clarify your vision and goals. Many people continually react to their current reality rather than living with purpose. A coach first leads you to define what success looks like so you can set goals toward achieving it.
Identify roadblocks to your vision. This requires that you acknowledge and address areas of comfort and familiarity that are commonly overlooked as barriers to your success.
Test your thinking, opinions, conclusions, and behavior. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut – doing the same things and thinking the same way while expecting different results.
Establish accountability. Ask yourself, Am I making progress? Am I growing? Am I accomplishing my vision? Many get off track because they confuse intent or busyness with progress.

Who are you allowing to coach you – to speak truth into your life on a regular basis?

Leadership is about helping people work together to accomplish more together than they could accomplish separately. Is your entire team working together? Are you coaching your team to grow personally? If you do, they’ll know you believe in them, appreciate them, and value them. And your life and work will be filled with purpose and meaning.

Structure is for boring people?!

2009-05-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

For much of my life, structure annoyed me. Rules, regulations, and policies often seemed “inconvenient” and slowed progress. My guiding philosophy became, “Rules were made to be broken”. Some may refer to my perspective as visionary or creative. However, many in the “real world” might call it maverick, disrespectful, even rebellious. Whatever you call it, I have since learned to appreciate and place high value on structure (some might say that I appreciate it a little too much now).

Communication and structure are two critical components of teamwork. Each of the four organizations I worked with over the past 20 years experienced significant growth by addressing communication and structure. Some needed to give more attention to communication while others needed to address deficiencies in structure.

In a recent meeting with a group of leaders, I asked, How does appropriate structure facilitate effective teamwork? Their responses were insightful:

1. Structure provides proper motivation by continually reminding the team that the goal is to accomplish the mission and vision of the institution.

2. Structure provides direction. People want to follow someone who knows where they are going. Each leader should be continuously working on where the team is going next.

3. Structure defines responsibilities. When team members understand their functions and those of their peers, they can more effectively deliver what’s expected.

4. Structure allows a team to track progress. Every team should celebrate progress often.

5. Structure builds community. As team members understand more about the team, they are better prepared to work together to achieve extraordinary success.

6. Structure develops future leaders. A friend of mine said recently, Real success is achieved when your successor is successful.

In order to enjoy dynamic teamwork and experience growth, teams must continually evaluate communication and structure.

3 Reasons You Should Have a Life Plan

2009-04-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

I believe every person should have a Life Plan that is reviewed and updated regularly. During my plan review recently, I noted 3 Reasons Why You Should Have a Life Plan. Your personal life plan can help you:

Understand yourself more fully. As you develop your plan, you will discover your strengths, personality profile, and/or spiritual gifts. Identifying the areas in which these three profiles overlap will help you make intentional decisions for investing your time, energy, and resources. You should also include non-negotiable foundational principles that guide your decisions and behavior.
Live with Purpose. Your plan should include a personal mission statement which answers the question: What was I made to do that no one else can do the way that I can? When we can clearly answer this question, life becomes more manageable, and we are able to live more intentionally.
Stay on Track. Have you ever become frustrated with your circumstances or realized that you no longer enjoy your job? As you regularly review and update your Personal Life Plan, it remains fresh and exciting. These regular reviews encourage you when you are down, help you with decision-making, and get you back on track when you get derailed by life.

For more detailed information about creating a Life Plan, see my previous post: 6 Things Your Life Plan Should Include. Get started today. Grow on purpose!

What is a Christian Liberal Arts Education?

2009-04-25T22:03:00.000-04:00

Because I work at a Christian liberal arts college, I am occasionally asked, What is a Christian Liberal Arts Education?

A Christian liberal arts education exclusively focuses on the development of the student in a safe environment which:

1. Enhances the faith of students. A Christian liberal arts education provides a framework – a Biblical worldview – to which the student can compare all knowledge acquired in the future. Students learn to recognize and manage personal strengths and weaknesses to allow them develop into a better person, friend, employee, or leader. This new knowledge guides the student to purposeful action – to serve God.

2. Allows students to learn creatively. Knowledge of many academic disciplines engenders a broad paradigm that constructs new ideas and improves understanding. By training students to more effectively organize concepts, a liberal arts education allows students to understand new information more easily, quickly, and comprehensively.

3. Teaches students to engage in critical thought. As students experience multifarious opportunities and consider diverse philosophies, a liberal arts education provides an intellectual map for an otherwise chaotic existence.

I love my work a with educators and students and approach it passionately because I believe that every student in the world should have the opportunity to receive a college education from a profoundly Biblical worldview.

What do you think?

What's on My iPhone?

2009-04-23T21:19:00.000-04:00

Recently, someone asked me about my top iPhone apps. I am a functional person so I typically don’t download a bunch of game and entertainment apps. I’m also cheap so I almost never buy an app. If it ain’t free, I probably don’t have it.

I do, however, get tons of mileage out of the preloaded iPhone apps:

Email – My most used app. I manage nearly all of my email through the email app. That way when I get in my office, the items left in my inbox are primarily projects that require more than a couple of minutes to complete.

Calendar – Second only to the email app, my calendar syncs with Microsoft Exchange so my iPhone and office computer are always synced. My assistant also has access to my calendar so she can manage and edit my calendar as necessary. Any task that requires more than a few minutes to complete gets scheduled on my calendar. The calendar keeps me on track all day. I’m chronic ADHD so I’ve had to learn to discipline myself this way.

Maps – I search for almost anything I’m looking for in the Maps app – you can find most any business in the app (with phone number and web address). People have tried to get me to use other food and entertainment locators, I’ve just never needed anything more than Maps (and I travel a lot).

Stocks – I keep track of mutual funds that I’ve invested in and manage in our personal IRA accounts. Although I’m not emotionally effected by fluctuations in the market, I like to keep up with it and track it in my personal financial software.

My most used downloaded apps:

USAToday – I like reading the news but want it in a simple, clean format. USAToday gives me Top Stories, Sports, and Money news. I prefer FoxNews but did not like their app and haven’t checked to see if they updated it recently. For more detailed sports info, I also use the ESPN mobile site – I can get more detailed info and options there. I’ve tried some sports apps but prefer the simpler news format.

Twitter – I use this when posting photo links and long tweets to Twitter. Most simple tweets I text to Twitter. I don’t follow a ton of people on Twitter because I pay attention to everyone I follow – those I’m really interested in I get text updates of their tweets (I have an unlimited text plan.) I’ve tried all kinds of Twitter/Social Network apps and ended up back with Twitter. It does everything I need.

Facebook – I have Facebook sync all my tweets automatically so I only get on Facebook to respond to a message or manage comments.

(Travel apps – I travel quite a bit so I use some proprietary apps to manage my reservations, points, rewards, etc. I use Hilton the most.)

YouVersion Bible – My favorite Bible app for reading – I’ve tried several others but YouVersion has nearly every Bible version and is easy to use, read, and search. If you are looking for study helps or tools, you won't find them on YouVersion.

Michael Hyatt has a great post on his site about his iPhone apps. Read the comments of his readers for more great ideas.
What are your favorite iPhone apps?

Three Secrets of a Great Teacher

2009-04-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week I watched a PGA Tour event on TV while working on some projects. Just before the event coverage began I caught the end of The Haney Project. The show features a celebrity that wants to improve their golf game under the direction of professional golf coach, Hank Haney.

Charles Barkley sought to conquer his quirky swing in the inaugural season. The show’s second season featured Ray Romano. In the new season that began this week, Haney’s latest pupil brings a very different set of challenges – Rush Limbaugh “knows” what all his problems are. Much of the airtime was filled with Rush explaining to Hank what he thought needed to be corrected. But what caught my attention was Haney’s remarkable ability to relate to and instruct very different students. In all three instances, three fundamental principles were evidenced by Haney…

Listen. This might seem counterintuitive – the coach listened to the student? A great teacher listens to the student before selecting a teaching method or attempting to teach. Why? Because every student learns differently. There are significant differences between the three “projects”. Charles’ quirky swing and his progress (or lack thereof) throughout the series might lead one to conclude that he might should consider a hobby other than golf; Romano’s sense of humor did not overshadow his intent dedication to improve his swing; and at first glance Limbaugh appears to be a hopeless “know-it-all” yet Haney listened and observed attentively before diagnosing the needs of each.
Make it fun. If you want to passionately learn something, you might as well have fun doing it. I have a personal preference – If I don’t think its fun, I’m not doing it. Since I give 100%+ to everything I do, it’s got to be fun. It’s obvious that Haney and the guys were having a blast – as a result they all made progress – even Charles!
Everybody needs a coach. Ray admitted that as he watched the interactions Haney and Barkley in season one, he realized that Haney was the golf coach for whom he had been searching for more than 20 years. Rush acknowledged in this week’s episode, “Even I, the great ‘El Rushbo’ (whatever that means), need a teacher.” Haney has learned that if he is going to be effective, he must be able to coach individuals with diverse personalities, backgrounds, and challenges.

Have you ever known a teacher who was a great listener? How do you make your work fun? Who is your coach?

Three Ways To Nail Your Next Presentation

2009-04-21T18:30:00.000-04:00

In March, I was awarded the President's Outstanding Presenter Award at the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers for a workshop that I co-presented with Dr. Ron White. I am convinced that Dr. White won the award and I was along for the ride - Thanks Ron! As a result of the recognition, I was asked this week to offer some advice in an article for those wanting to develop or enhance their presentation skills. Here are three things that will improve any professional presentation - they aren't rocket science, but they are occasionally overlooked:

Present a topic you know well. There are all kinds of reasons people make presentations – it’s part of their job, no one else volunteered, they were asked to make the presentation, etc. If you are considering a presentation, you should only consider presenting a topic that you know a lot about. If you must present a topic that is not well-known to you, consider a co-presenter that has expertise in the subject area. When my presentation does not go as planned, it is generally because I tackled a topic where I lack knowledge or data.
Present a topic that you are passionate about. Although you may have significant knowledge in a particular subject area, you should also ask, Am I passionate about this topic? If not, you may want to pass on the opportunity. After all, who wants to listen to someone speak about something they’re not excited about? I made a decision awhile back – If I’m not passionate about it, I’m not doing it – and I have tried to extend this to speaking opportunities and topics.
Attend a speakers boot camp or workshop. A few years ago, I attended a Speaker’s Boot Camp in Atlanta presented by Personality Insights. (Video) The training included topics such as: preparing a convincing presentation, speaking to a diverse audience, persuasion tips and techniques, etc. The feedback I received from expert presenters was invaluable. Attending this intense training proved to be one of the best presentation decisions I’ve ever made.
Practice.

What have you done to improve your presentations?

Two Things Leaders Do With Free Time.

2009-04-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

If you're a leader, more than likely you have a ton of freedom. And I've noticed that, when it comes to freedom, effective leaders do two things:

Leaders focus on areas where they have freedom. Leaders don't waste time on roadblocks, challenges, and naysayers. They don't focus on restrictions. They know that these areas suck valuable time, energy, passion, and momentum out of their life and work. Instead, they invest time and energy where they will achieve the maximum return on their investment.
Leaders give their freedom away. As a leader, you have the freedom to decide the people and projects that get your time and attention and the time and attention of your team. You have the freedom to craft and communicate vision. To set and manage priorities. To determine the strategies that will best position your team and organization. To make sound decisions for your life, career, and team. Yet, if you are making progress, you have chosen to give that freedom away - to family, to your organization, to your team, to friends, to charity or ministry. Leaders are unselfish. They profoundly believe that it's better to give away their freedom than it is to seek more freedom

When my daughter, Madison, was 4, her and I began to engage in relatively substantive conversations. One Saturday morning we were spending time together and stopped by one of our rental homes. Although she's pretty quick, it took her several visits to the home to figure out that we actually own more than one home. And that we own a home that we don't live in.

So she asked, Are we going to your other house? I told her that we were. She was quiet for a few seconds, then she asked, Is this house mine, too? Sure it is, I said. Everything that's mine is yours. She grinned from ear to ear as we stopped in front of the house.

Effective leaders communicate this to those that follow - Everything that's mine is yours! My time is yours. My mental energy is yours. My very freedom is yours. They selflessly invest - over and over, month after month, year after year.

What would you add to the list?

Talk is cheap...

2009-04-16T16:32:00.000-04:00

...but it pays well.

I occasionally have conversations with our team leaders about two critical components of teamwork – communication and structure. Recently, I had the opportunity to see effective communication at work…

One evening our office sent out a carefully crafted yet simple email to several thousand prospective students. Within hours, the students began responding to the email resulting in three straight days of record applications. I was reminded of several principles of communication that are critically important to any organization seeking to accomplish its mission.

1. Communicate regularly. If you are consistently providing your constituents valuable information, they’ll want to hear from you.

2. Communicate using multiple venues. Consider email, Twitter, Facebook, the web, phone calls, printed matter, mailing, etc. Certain individuals relate better to technological communication while others appreciate face-to-face interaction or phone calls.

3. Always have a call to action. Some believe that communication without a call to action is useless.

I love learning from our team. They are doing a great job with communication and its working! If you want to accomplish your mission, lead your team to communicate effectively. It works.

What's Wrong with Everybody?

2009-04-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

I’m really good at noticing when something’s wrong – especially when it’s something wrong with someone else. At times, we all are enamored with pointing out the missteps of others. Yet Mark Batterson, in his new book Primal, cautions that “before confronting what’s wrong in our culture, we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to repent of what wrong with us.” The problem, he found, is that we’re not as compassionate as we ought to be (I think we all can agree with him). The good news is that you can become part of the solution – but the solution “will require more than a face lift”. It will require a change of heart. This heart-change in its most primal form is not doing something for God. It’s receiving what He’s done for you with a heart of gratitude and reflecting it in your life in a way that brings others to Christ.

Primal challenges the reader to get back to the Scriptural basics:
1. To your first love, primal love
2. To primal curiosity like you had when you first experienced the awesomeness of God
3. To primal creativity that consumes every ounce of your energy - every waking moment.

Check out Primal today and other titles from Mark Batterson. It’ll change the way you love.

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

How Did I End Up HERE?

2009-04-13T21:13:00.000-04:00

A number of years ago, I purchased some property that needed significant renovation. The entire project took about five years to complete. During those five years, I made approximately 24,352 trips to Home Depot. Ok, I made that up – but it seemed like that many. It was so many trips that I could get in my truck, put my mind on auto-pilot, and eight minutes later be getting out of my truck and walking into Home Depot. It was a great system until one night Sarah and I were going out to eat. We left the house and eight minutes later…Home Depot parking lot. Before I realized what I had actually done, she “assured me” that we were NOT going to document trip #24,353 prior to our dinner date.

I unwittingly ended up at Home Depot that evening because I purposefully travelled that same route many times before. I simply became conditioned to end up there. Guess how I conquered my “illness” – I eventually sold the property. Do you think I went back to Home Depot to buy supplies for that place after I sold it? Not a chance.

My personal journey is very similar to my Home Depot experience. I often end up smack in the middle of something only to wonder, how did I end up here…again? Often it’s a place (or habit) to which that I had no intention of returning. I may have even made a pact to avoid it at all costs. (Sarah has made that pact about Home Depot – Lowes too, I think.)

The problem is that we don’t view ourselves as “dead” to the destructive habit or behavior. We keep going back because we’re alive to it. Romans 6 is awesome – I just read through it again. It tells us that the old man is dead. So have the funeral already! If you keep going back, you aren’t dead to it!

Here’s a contrasting thought – it was really my first thought when I was reminded about Home Depot this past week. What if I inadvertently found myself worshipping in the presence of an awesome God, simply because I’ve purposefully been there 24,352 times before?

For frequent updates, check back often or follow on Twitter and Facebook.

Just Plain Rude!

2009-04-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

I don't have to tell you that if you are going to effectively influence people - you must care for them and they must know you care. I generally struggle demonstrating my care for others. It's not that I don't care about people - in fact, I am a deeply compassionate person. I simply don't express my love well, if at all.

I recently observed four key characteristics of leaders who genuinely care for their teams: patience, kindness, loyalty, and vision. Patience and kindness don't come easy for me. Why? Again, it’s not because I don’t like people. I am intensely passionate. Consequently, I have difficulty with patience because I have not mastered an appropriate balance between patience and the urgency that my passion demands. Similarly, I struggle with kindness because kindness requires that I slow down long enough to think about those around me. But here's what I am learning – passion without patience is just plain rude! And who wants to go through life like that?!

Love is much more than emotion – pure passion won’t cut it. As a matter of fact, each of the four characteristics found in effective leaders - patience, kindness, loyalty, and vision. – require discipline that goes well beyond emotion. You can’t demonstrate love without significant discipline. So love without discipline is just plain rude!

6 Things I Learned from Critics

2009-04-07T20:44:00.000-04:00

I really don’t like to be criticized. A single criticism can ruin my entire day. I often wonder how someone so thin-skinned ended up in administration – and in educational administration.

Recently, I was thinking about criticism and about how often I am faced with criticism – daily! I realized that over the years I have benefited significantly from criticism. In fact, I am a better dad, a better husband, a better professional, a better leader… because of my interaction with critics.

Here are six things I have learned from critics:

1. Not all personal criticism is personal. I know. This statement sounds contradictory. But many personal attacks take place because the critic is dealing with his or her own problems. We are often unaware of the circumstances and deep hurt others are experiencing. Growing leaders take time to stop, listen, and experience the feelings of others.

2. A quick response is usually ill-advised. Although I’m working on improving my response to criticism, I occasionally react to criticism without much thought. I do better to say less rather than more. When I speak quickly to a critic, it is usually an emotional response that I regret later. I’m learning to keep quiet although it’s not easy.

3. Criticism helps me to become a better person and a better leader. Often the remarks cause me to look in the mirror, and occasionally I don’t like what I see. I have learned that I do not grow, my team does not grow, and the institution does not grow if everyone agrees with me all the time.

You may have noticed that occasionally I wear my emotions on my sleeve – criticism almost always hurts me. Believe it or not, sometimes the pain is more than I can handle. I have to turn criticism over to God, or it will consume my mind – and affect my productivity and ability to lead effectively. I am regularly reminded to stay close to God – 1 Thess 5.17.

Critics help refine me. They help me to be a better person, though the process is always painful.

4. Criticism keeps me from criticizing others. I know the pain of criticism. I know the hurt that comes when a critic comes after me with an unfounded accusation – or a founded accusation for that matter. I don’t like that pain – and I am reminded of this when I am tempted to criticize others.

5. Consider the source. Some people are just negative. I made a decision that I am not going to spend time with negative people… In Philippians 4, Paul writes – Rejoice in the Lord all the time. While some critics should be heard, many should not.

6. Sometimes the critic is right. Since I am a relatively sensitive guy, it’s painful to be criticized. But occasionally my pain is compounded by the fact that I needed the criticism – the criticism addresses an area where I need to grow. Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.

So criticize me, but don’t call me stupid. Criticism hurts. But criticism often presents an opportunity to grow.

When was the last time someone criticized you? How did it make you feel?

Everything that's mine is yours

2009-04-03T18:48:00.000-04:00

Recently, Madison and I were spending the morning together. We were running some errands and needed to stop by a rental home. She's been with me to the home a number of times before, and I have explained to her that dad and mom own this other home although we do not live in it.

As we turned into the subdivision she asked, Are we going to your other house? When I told her that we were she asked, Is this house mine, too? Sure it is, I responded. Everything that's mine is yours. A huge smile spread across her face as we pulled up in front of the house.

Almost immediately I thought - God owns everything. He created it all, for crying out loud! Yet throughout my journey I've often faced what appeared to be insurmountable odds, larger-than-life problems, deep hurt. It was in those times that I often turned to God and rhetorically questioned - That grace that you promised, is it mine for this problem too? Every time He smiled back, Sure it is - Everything that's mine is yours!

Take a few moments today to check out Psalm 50:10-12 and 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Balance is a Huge Mistake

2009-04-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

For several years, I served in an organization that was incredibly balanced in their approach to life, work, style, ministry – you name it. You’ve heard of core values – I think this organization had one core value – balance. Life was good - most people were happy.

After some time, I began to realize that this emphasis on holistic balance was actually stunting the personal growth of the individuals within the organization (and ultimately the growth of the organization).

Consider the enormous potential of your life and the collective potential of those with whom you serve. When you consider this potential, balance is a huge mistake.

Those who seek to maintain balance will achieve human-sized results. But I want to do things that can’t be explained apart from God. I get bored talking about what could be – I am expecting God to move in me and, consequently, to do something incredible through me and through those with whom I serve. Let's grow on purpose!

5 Simple Ways to Get More Done

2009-03-29T21:27:00.000-04:00

Let’s face it. Most of us occasionally struggle to get stuff done – particularly avoiding those tasks that really need to be completed. By the time we realize we’re behind, the problem or project has often become unmanageable!

Since I am primarily a task-oriented individual, accomplishing tasks and achieving goals is more natural for me than for those who are more people-oriented. Over the years, I have learned a number of principles that help me to more effectively accomplish tasks and reach goals.

1. Focus on achievable tasks. It is impractical for me to personally attempt tasks that require skills or experience that I do not possess. When you have an idea or responsibility beyond your expertise, consider delegating it to a more appropriate individual and empowering them to accomplish the task more effectively. Free yourself to focus your energy on the tasks that you can accomplish and are passionate about.

2. Prioritize. Once you identify the tasks that are achievable, prioritize them. Within an organization, it’s best to prioritize them according to the mission, vision, core values, and strategic plan of the organization. If the task doesn’t correspond with any of these, it is likely that it should be near the bottom of your “to do” list, if on the list at all.

3. Do the simplest tasks first. When prioritizing, consider completing the simplest tasks first. As you complete the simple tasks, you create momentum that encourages you and others around you. You will find that you have more energy and excitement about your work. As you gather momentum, others may also jump in to help because most people like to be involved in creating positive change.

4. Do your least favorite tasks early. It took me a while to figure this one out - I am still not always successful at it. Identify tasks and responsibilities on your list that are your least favorite and do them early. If you don’t, they’ll drain the life out of you. Getting them done and out of the way early allows you to passionately approach your other responsibilities.

5. Hard work and positive results facilitate a fun, casual work environment. Those that work with me have heard me repeat this over and over. When it’s time to work, work smart and work hard (in that order). When you do, you will greatly reduce your stress level and the anxiety of those around you.

What recommendations can you add to the list?

4 Things That Tick You Off

2009-03-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

My dad used to tell me – Son, I am sick and tired of you not listening to me. (I’m not sure why he talked to me this way, because I was a near-perfect kid.) He was never just “sick of it” or “just tired of it”. He was always sick and tired. Bill Cosby tells a story about the worst beating he ever got in his life – his mother said, "Well I am just sick," and he immediately added, "and tired."

My dad also used to tell us kids that he was “fed up” with the nonsense! We weren't exactly sure what “fed up” meant, but we knew he wanted us to quit whatever we were doing.

Today, while I was reminiscing on my adolescence, it occured to me that we should get fed up with some things –

Fed up with playing not to lose and start playing to win!
Fed up with status quo and start making a difference!
Fed up with making decisions based on comfort and convenience and start making decisions in light of eternity.
Fed up with sitting around talking about what we’re going to do and start doing it!

It's ok if you feel like my dad – a little fed up.