Be Present

Last week, I wrote about the past and the future. This MMM is about the present. Are you truly present? 

We live in a world that constantly pulls us somewhere else. The next meeting. The next notification. The next problem to solve. Even when we are physically in the room, our minds are often already on what’s next, certainly our phones are.

Life happens in the present. The conversation in front of you. The client with the problem. The family member telling you about their day. A friend who needs your attention. Being present is a choice. It means putting the phone down. Closing the laptop. Listening with intent. It means giving someone the gift of your undivided attention.

When we are present, we build trust and we create opportunities!

Don’t just show up this week, be present.

Growth & Grace

 

If someone were to ask if you feel like you have grown over time, how would you answer? Are you different than you were six months ago or even a year ago?  Most of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer or even more generous. So why do we look at others and judge, or assume, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know what they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith knowing they too will learn and grow in time. 

How are you improving overtime? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?

Unwritten...

 

Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

                    ~ Lyrics from “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

 

The past is useful.  We can learn from it, be proud of it and reminisce about it, but IT IS the past, and it cannot be changed.  Often, we spend too much time in the past, reminiscing, second guessing, and replaying history. We cannot re-write the past. We can only author our future.  Like the lyrics from the song above, today is where your book begins.  In another part of the same song, it refers to a “blank page before you”, each and every day is a blank page, an opportunity to write the future, an opportunity to impact what happens today.  Those opportunities do not exist regarding past events. They do exist for today and tomorrow.  The days, minutes, and hours which are yet to happen are blank pages.  The rest is still unwritten...

Leadership Is Responsibility

 

All the effective leaders I have encountered – both those I worked with and those I merely watched – knew four simple things: a leader is someone who has followers; popularity is not leadership, results are; leaders are highly visible, they set examples; leadership is not rank, privilege, titles, or money, it is responsibility. Effective leaders delegate, but they do not delegate the one thing that will set the standards. They do it.

 

Point: Don’t expect to retain the respect of your employees if you completely delegate the central function of your enterprise, whether it is healing patients or selling bonds.

 

Today’s MMM was taken entirely from the thoughts of Peter Drucker in the book, “The Leader of the Future”.

The past is the past…

Knowledge of the past can be useful.  We can learn from it, be proud of it, and reminisce about it.  But it is the past, and it cannot be changed.  Often, we spend too much time in the past.  We cannot re-write the past; we can only author our future.  Each and every day is a blank page, an opportunity to write the future, a chance to impact what happens next.  Those opportunities do not exist regarding past events.  They do exist for today and tomorrow.  The days, minutes and hours which are yet to happen, are blank pages in your book of life. Enjoy the quote below…

 “The best way to predict the future is create it.”

-          Abraham Lincoln

Vision

My son grew up playing in-line roller hockey.  When he was young, and I was helping coach his team, it was hard to get kids to understand that by the time they got to the puck it will have moved.  The key is to skate to where the puck is going to be!

Have Vision.  Anticipate!  Vision is a key to leadership.  Good leaders can see and anticipate where the puck is headed.  Having vision means seeing the big picture, anticipating the future, planning ahead.  Vision is not easy; consider some of these failures to anticipate the future….

 “Groups with Guitars are on their way out.”

                    Decca Records, turning down the Beatles, 1962

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”

                    Ken Olson, President Digital Corporation 1977

“I don’t need bodyguards.”

                    Jimmy Hoffa – One month before his disappearance

We may not miss out on foresight of such magnitude as these examples, but we need to try and see around the corner.  On a daily basis try to anticipate problems, foresee the implication of choices, and think ahead about the impact of changes in the world around you. 

 Have vision…Skate to where the puck is going to be.

Wet Blanket Feeling

Four months into the pandemic and I have had enough.  We are just now seeing it peak here in Texas and I am so over it.  I feel like there is this wet blanket hanging over all of us.  It is depressing us in ways that we are unaware of and, making it worse, there is no end in sight. It is clouding our future plans and hampering decision making.  The negative impact on our outlook and mental health is something we have never dealt with before.  Sure, we are putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward.  We are adapting and surviving. But, I feel like it is just hanging over us and weighing on us more than we know. 

Early in the pandemic one MMM was about the fact that it is okay to not be okay.  As the pandemic drags on and hangs over us, we need to be reminded of that.  There is a reason we may not feel motivated.  There are days we will be in a funk.  Until the COVID-19 wet blanket is gone we will not feel totally normal. 

We must peek out from under the blanket and take positive steps.  Don’t be suffocated by the circumstances.  We don’t know when, but there will be an end to this, and we will get there! 

Brokenness

We are all broken.  Don’t believe those who want you to think that they are perfect; no one is. We are all human…we have sins, shames, regrets and dark sides. However, we do not have to act like we are broken. Don’t let the baggage of your past weigh down your journey to future.  We just need to be aware of it, own it, and move on.  You are the only one who knows your baggage and can control how you react to it. Life is all about how we learn, grow and move forward.  Don’t let others control how you see yourself.  We are each uniquely made in God’s eyes.  Each of us has strengths, talents, beauty and personalities that overcome the brokenness.  Be broken, just know it and deal with it.  More importantly, draw your strength from your unique gifts, the strength to overcome the brokenness. 

You are broken, but truly UNIQUE AND SPECIAL!

Your Trajectory?

What is the current trajectory of your life?  Where is your life headed?  If you stay on your current trajectory, where will you end up?  This is a critical question.  Often, we sit idly by and let life take us in certain directions without attempting to influence that direction.  We also do not always think about the long term direction of our current trajectory.  It is important that we look at where we are as well as where we are headed. 

What you do today has significant impact on your future.  We have the ability to influence the trajectory of our lives.  Certainly some aspects of life are outside of our control, but the parts we can control have the ability to take us in the wrong direction if we sit back allow that to happen.  Do not think that you have no influence on the trajectory of your life. You do.  Do not sit back and let life happen to you.  God has a plan for you and wants to see you pursue that plan.  To do so you likely need to be proactive in determining the course of your life.  Check your current trajectory and tweak it as needed…