The opening quote in my book the Isle of knowledge states that “I feel pressure from my purpose to align my passion with my potential.” This sentence illustrates my internal struggle to find my purpose and ensure that it is connected to my passion, so that I realize my potential, and my desire to make a difference in the world.
What is your purpose? We wrestle with the realization that we are blessed and may have talent and opportunity that is not fully utilized. We tend to go with the crowd as it relates to our careers or to align ourselves with what is popular or the most financially rewarding. Information came out recently about the top 10 jobs for the future, which indicated technology was the dominant career choice. Are you a technologically driven person? How do you align technology with your purpose?
You may be in a job that is not rewarding or fulfilling, but it is a job that pays the bills. When you determine your purpose, can you provide space to pursue it and keep your day job? Pursuing your purpose may require you to develop a ‘HIT’ list (Hobbies, Interests, Talents). This may provide the vehicle for you to address and fulfill your purpose.
Your purpose can sometimes be recognized in the things they give you the most excitement or feeling of value. Oftentimes, purpose is not about you, but what you can do for others. Through purpose you may find your significance. During your leadership gauntlet you may encounter a variety of distractions that derail you from finding and fulfilling your purpose. But you may find that within your purpose is God’s plan for your life.
Imagine cruising along in your current reality knowing that life is good or at least predictable. You have become complacent. Life appears to be working well for you. The challenges are manageable and under control. You reside in a comfort zone because difficulties and hardships do not exceed your ability to handle them. And you are not worried about the future for it promises more of the same.
Inertia, that natural resistance to change is keeping the necessary objects of your world in orbit. The results are predictable, as you act consistently to match your values and beliefs. It is fortunate to be insulated, protected and feeling no pain.
Eventually, you might become frustrated with the status quo. You are surrounded by sameness and mediocrity in a mundane and environment. You may want a fresh perspective, adventure and excitement. You may want a breakthrough before life/work breaks you.
Your current state, sometimes referred to as normal, “the way it is”, “business as usual,” and the status quo will remain stationary until something bad happens to negatively rock your world. Sir Isaac Newton said that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. When the outside force strikes it may throw you headlong into a crisis. Therefore, it is wise to land a breakthrough before it becomes mandatory or too late.
Theodore Levitt, the esteemed marketing guru, spoke of planned obsolescence. He said if you don’t make your product or service obsolete, somebody else will. To paraphrase, if you don’t plan to achieve a breakthrough, someone else may achieve a breakthrough that puts you out of business or leaves you behind the competition. Today is the day you began to make steps toward your breakthrough. If you look within the word, you may find that the word “rough” which may be an accurate depiction of the journey, but it will be worth the effort.
Ego as defined by Webster’s New Riverside University Dictionary is the personality component that is conscious, most directly control behavior, and is most in touch with external reality is also referred to as self-love, self-confidence and self-esteem. Ego is also referred to as the part of us that feels threatened when we feel insecure, arrogant and caught up in ourselves. Ego also serves as another barrier in the gauntlet that we must face as individuals and as leaders.
There is a cycle of response that people use to protect their self-image or their ego. I watched people lash out to guard their ego when they sense danger is present. They want desperately for their ego to succeed and flourish. The ego has;
An image – a face, which must be saved
An identity
Feelings
A reputation
The ego is a repository of who we are.
The ego requires
Nourishment
Encouragement
Praise
Challenge
Support
When feeling threatened, attacked or ridiculed, a force field is activated that launches a counter response to protect the person.
President Harry S Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” This quote reflects directly on the ego. Another quotation comes from Benjamin Zander and Rosamund Stone Zander in their book, The Art of Possibility, where they write about Rule #6. People tend to get so caught up in their ego and in themselves that they must periodically be reminded of rule number six. There are no rules one through five, a rule number six simply don’t take yourself too seriously. They use slightly more colorful language, but this is the essence of the rule.
During your workday, think of individuals and situations where you are inclined to evoke your ego. Visualize the individuals and the situations, and mentally rehearse how you will interact with them.
Rule number six states that “you must not take yourself too seriously.” In other words, it is not always about you, so reduce the tendency to take things personally.
Look for situations where you can let other people’s ideas come forth and received the credit.
There are situations where you must protect your reputation and your ideas. Think carefully and act wisely.
We are conditioned to complain when things do not go according to plan. We fall into a woe is me or calamity consciousness, only focusing on the bad. This forms a weight around our necks and makes it difficult to swim upstream. We lose our objectivity and dwell on the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Imagine a radical approach. What if we had a shift in perspective and searched for tangible benefits from our disappointments?
Looking for the blessings is counter intuitive and awkward the first few times you do it. It is helpful to ask yourself a series of questions. What value can I get from this mishap? How can this ordeal make me stronger? Where is the silver lining? Is God trying to get my attention and teach me something? Is this a chance to model behavior that could help someone else through a difficult season?
Looking for the blessing will open you to the possibilities of coping better, seizing opportunities, influencing others and personal growth. How will you use this mindset to enrich your day?
Look for the Blessing
In life’s adventures and catastrophes,
When bad things happened magnetically,
I spent considerable energy
In anger, unhappy, impatiently
Driven, then it occurred to me
That it could help me
Become stress free,
If I just looked for the blessing.
When leaving my house late
And the traffic was delayed,
Once frustrated, I never displayed
A sense of reverence,
I never prayed
Or took the time,
To look for the blessing.
I’ve learned there is a purpose in events.
I may have been spared pain and accidents
Or met new challenges that God presents
When He wants me to look for the blessing.
Things happen for His reason
According to God’s plan.
We are too busy to seize them
And take the time to scan
Our surroundings to handle
What we can
Or in essence,
To look for the blessing.
Lord what must I do in this pain?
You want more of me than to complain.
I know in the circumstances
A blessing is contained,
And I should look for the blessing.
There have been setbacks
But I have found,
That if I take the focus off of me
And look around,
There’s a message in a bottle,
Directions to higher ground
If I look for the blessing.
I should seek the opportunity to grow
To render kindness or to bestow
A gift to a stranger,
Or meet someone I need to know
As I look for the blessing.
Solving problems and making decisions are dependent upon structure. We must design the right format or technique to tackle each situation. The seamstress says that we should measure twice and cut once. The architect creates a blueprint, and from this structure, the building is constructed. Plans are formulated before actions are taken.
Structure is all around us. We find it in Nature, and we use it to govern our behavior, through rules and regulations. We establish goals to give direction to our actions. Structure is necessary to minimize disruption and confusion. Read the Structure poem, being mindful of the principles, consider the personal reflections and apply structure where it is needed in your daily activities.
We are more effective when we work together as a team. As the team grows, we personally benefit. We need to search and locate solutions where everyone is involved. Today, look for situations where everyone can contribute, and you solicit the opinions of others and therefore, everyone will win.
Minimalism is the concept of small. To live in a state of not wanting to rock the boat, make waves, or bringing attention to yourself. You want to go through life unnoticed. The minimalist leader does not want to grab anything large, unwieldy, which would require maximum effort. Contrast this to a gargantuan state of mind. Gargantuan refers to being large, enormous, headline grabbing, of significant size.
You have probably heard about the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. He talks about the BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal). They are large and intimidating. They are not for the squeamish or faint of heart. They attracted attention but required enormous cooperation and focus. The BHAG became the rallying cry for many organizations on their way to greatness. The gargantuan goal is a goal of this variety. It is monumental, motivating with the power to establish momentum, as a snowball that starts an avalanche.
Think about your purpose, vision and mission in life. Which gargantuan goals identify to help propel you to your destination? Gargantuan goals can be defined as enormous objectives that may ultimately have a profound impact. The challenge we face is to avoid timidity and reach for goals that will have a profound impact on the world. It is necessary to set a timeline, a deadline by which we plan to reach or exceed these results.
It would be magnificent to have a vision that encompasses these gargantuan goals in our lifetime. When we speak and act with such boldness, the ripple, chain reaction effect will embolden others to work with us to make this world a better place. These are not just nice to have goals but necessary for our survival.
A leader is present for many of life’s challenges and celebrations. Death inevitably and invariably touches everyone and we must be there for our people. This poem features death as a silent partner in our grief, as we struggle to gain our composure an ability to be strong and go forward.
Death Paid a Visit to Our Home
Death paid a visit to our home.
He was a gentleman and came alone.
He shared in every somber thought.
He saw firsthand the pain he brought;
Sat silently among recollections,
And listened to the words of reflection.
Death as a nomad, a traveler combs
The countryside and the streets of the city.
Death, an unwelcomed visitor to homes
That had hoped he’d pass over; For pity
Precedes the wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The sense of loss that torments beneath
The epidermal layers of grief,
Begs the physician for cure or relief.
He led us through songs to put us at ease,
To sway minds off the pain and disease.
He led us through pleasantries revealing,
The depth of wonder and girth of feelings.
Death was conductor to grief stricken kin.
He led us in fellowship as we sat in
Communion with the nearly departed;
The forlorn, lonely and brokenhearted.
Death when he visited cherished the rights
Of mourners as we suffered the nights
And days until the anguish of the soul
Transported our loved one to Sheol.
Death as a quiet manifestation,
Did not disclose their destination.
We discovered that Death first collects
And returns later to pay his respects.
Death paid a visit to our home.
He was a gentleman and came alone.
He shared in every somber thought
He saw firsthand the pain he brought;
Sat silently among recollections,
And listened to the words of reflection.
There is a purpose and plan for our lives, but we are often influenced and distracted by people and circumstances that distract us from focusing on our journey. This piece was written to supplement instruction delivered to individuals participating in a career seminar. You may see yourself in these words and hopefully it is a resource that can benefit your spirit and your well being.
God’s Plan for Your Life
Once you desired to be,
Who you were wired to be,
But you satisfied friends instead.
Though blessed with talent and skill,
You lacked the courage and will;
To follow the dreams in your head.
Your parents hinted at times,
Since they were reaching their prime,
You should let them plan your success.
Therefore, achievements were built
On a foundation of guilt,
Which was geared to their happiness.
You were not strong enough then
To use self-discipline when
You heard the voice of the divine.
In whispers to intervene,
He said he placed in your genes
The elements of your design.
Once you conspired to be,
Who you were wired to be,
To match the image of your trade.
You sought the power and fame,
The money, title and name,
In service to the masquerade.
Unplanned events played a role,
You flowed away from your goal,
Imprisoned by the undertow.
You gave into their appeal,
Although the look and the feel,
Was not what you needed to grow.
Through the influence of peers
You alternated careers,
And thus, fulfillment was delayed.
You showed an absence of nerve
And therefore, did not deserve
To prosper from poor choices made.
Now you aspire to be,
Who you were wired to be,
To do all you can with your life.
Committed to seek His will
And use your talents and skill,
To embrace God’s Plan for your life.
Leadership for the Soul 