Your Second Great Day

Active Patience

Aren't gifts tons of fun? You never know what you are going to get, sometimes that is a good thing...other times not so good. This Christmas my brother-in-laws both got one of those gifts that can drive you crazy. They got a "snow globe" type thing filled with some liquid and there was a golf tee and golf ball in it. The "goal" was to float the ball up on the tee. But I think the only thing it did was cause every would be victor to just go insane.

My brother-in-law, Andrew, took his newly acquired game back to Austin and the next day we got an email from him. The subject of the email was patience and the photo you see here was attached. Part of his message said "all good things come to those who wait ... after just 12 hours of concentrated effort, i have redeemed my sanity." We had fun with this, but there was a very important concept that I was reminded of.

My brother-in-law accurately pointed out that it took an immense amount of patience to accomplish this golf ball task, and it did. But noticed what he said in his email. "After just 12 hours of concentrated effort." During this time of patience Andrew was active.

I have run into many people who have told me they are "waiting for their chance." But as they are waiting they are completely still, not moving, not growing. Life often requires that we are patient, but are we active in that patience. As we start this new year...make sure your patience is filled with much activity.

Quote: Adjust The Sails

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."
Bertha Calloway, Founder of The Great Plains Black Museum

Time Is A Tickin

  This morning my wife and I continued a tradition with our kids that my parents started with my brother and I when we were little. As part of the traditional Christmas morning chaos we stopped to have breakfast. We put sweet rolls together in the shape of a Christmas tree. Decorated it with green sprinkles and cherries. And before we tore into this stunning and sugary breakfast we stopped. We stopped, placed a candle in the center of the sweet roll tree and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. This was and has always been a great way to stop during all the busyness of the season and remember why we celebrate it. We are celebrating Jesus' Birthday!

Throughout the day I kept thinking about the celebration of His Birthday that as become the biggest holiday of each year. And since I was thinking about Birthdays, I started to think about Jesus' age. Did you know that Jesus we 33 years old when he was crucified on the cross? Did you know that only three years prior to that event (at the age of 30) is when He started His earthly ministry? That means that the impact he made on this earth and all the generations of people was done in just THREE years!!! This really hit me today.

Sure Jesus is God...So we have to keep that in mind and in perspective. But He dealt with the same challenges we do while He was here on this earth. And in just three short years He created a revolution, He developed a team and network of people, He took on kings, He healed people, He raised the dead, He did many many miracles, He was loved, He was betrayed, He was honored, He was mocked, He was sentenced to death...and ultimately He saved the world. All in three years!

This really hit me this year. Next year a month before Christmas I will turn 30, the same age Jesus was when He started His ministry, the active part of His purpose. He only had three years from that point to accomplish all He was asked to do. What about me? What If starting next year I only have three years left to accomplish all I was put on this earth?!?!? I better get started...Time is a Tickin for all of us.

Foresight is 20/20

I'm sure you have heard the saying retrospect is 20/20. We usually say that when we look back on a situation or experience and we realize that given what we know now we would have made a different decision or taken alternative actions.

But what would happen if foresight was 20/20? Ever thought about that? What would we do differently if we knew the future, knew what was to come? Would we have the courage to prepare ourselves, to boldly step out knowing what was to come? Would we capitalize on completely knowing the end and use it as a strategic advantage?

The nature of that future would drastically dictate how easily we would be able to approach it. Don't you think?

This evening I thought about this as I sat in a Christmas Eve service. Did you ever think that Jesus, being God and possessing all the characteristics of God, knew exactly what His future held? His foresight was 20/20! He knew His purpose. He knew what He was asked to do. He knew the challenges that faced Him. He knew the end result! Was that an advantage or a burden for Him?

Initially I would think that having a crystal clear picture of all the steps of my future would be an asset and an advantage. But stop and think about it...would it really?

Look Out World…I Have a Disability!

Dan Pink recently pointed out on his blog (check it out!) that people with Dyslexia are four times more likely to be a millionaire than those who don’t have it. So all of us out there with Lexdysia REJOICE!!! My friend Dave Rendall called me with that tidbit because he knows that this is something that I struggle with. And now he wishes he had it!

Dave uncovered this little piece of info while he was working on his next book. A must read called Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness. Seriously you all have to read this book…oh yeah when it's published. I will let you know when it is. But to wet your appetite a bit check out his Freak Factor Blog, very worth while. Have you checked it out yet? Freak Factor Blog. Why not? Do it now, Freak Factor Blog!

Ok so what were we talking about…focus Mike focus. Oh wait that is exactly my point. Why is it that this disability actually gives the possessor an advantage? Pink goes into the fact that it is related to the usage of the sides of the brain, could be. I have a different theory…FOCUS! No really, I think having a disability, something that you have to overcome can be an advantage. It can make it so that the only way you can be successful is to focus. And a focused person has the advantage. So look out world…I have a disability!

Quote: Significant Success

"Focus, Focus, Focus! You will only have significant success with something that is an obsession. Success comes from having passion and having fun creating your objective!"
Rev Run

Substance Not Self

The other day after one of my "Your Second Great Day" presentations, someone approached me with a question. "Isn't it bragging to tell people what your personal purpose is? I mean won't people kind of think you are a little full of yourself if you tell them your purpose statement?"

I was a little speechless when they first asked me that question. (Which is actually a surprise. I am usually one of the best BS'ers out there...thats why I blog...OK just kidding.) I had to stop and ask myself...is it bragging? Is it a bad thing to communicate and actually promote the purpose for which you have been created. I gave them what, looking back now, was a very pitiful answer, but it was what I had at the time.

But now I am much better equipped to answer that question in the future thanks to a recent post by Seth Godin on his blog. (You should check it out...regularly. I do!) Basically what he said is the difference between someone who is self-promoting and someone who is not is who derives benefit from their act or actions. Basically if someone is acting in solely their own interest, then there is a very high likelihood they are only concerned in promoting their self.

The three parts to a good personal purpose statement are action, values, and focus. Focus on the last part...FOCUS. When the focus of your purpose includes someone or something other than yourself(which a good one always does). Then sharing your personal purpose statement with someone or even everyone then you will be adding substance not promoting self.

Quote: Life's Completeness

"Be life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for."
David Starr Jordan (Editor and Writer)

Seeing Blue

I want you to try something. Come on it won't hurt. Give it a shot. I want you to take 10 seconds and identify five things around you that are blue...GO!!!

STOP! How did it go? Were you able to find five blue things? It was pretty easy, right? Let me ask you this, did you see all of these things when you first walked into the room? Why not? Why in only 10 seconds were you able to identify these blue things when you might not have seen them before?

The answer...because I told you to look for them! That's why you see them now. You want me to really ruin your day? Ok, I would love to. I want you to identify as many blue things as you can for the rest of the day. You will not realize how many blue shirts, cars, folders, pens, and pictures there are in this world.

So why in a short period of time and with a simple statement were you able to see so much blue? Because being told to look for blue helped you develop a sensitivity to blue things. We all have the ability to find these blue items at any point in time, but we often get side tracked, busy, and sometimes careless.

One of the most powerful benefits of having a personal purpose statement is the heightened sensitivity that will be developed. You will start seeing opportunities, people, and resources that will help further your purpose. And instead of having your day ruined, you will have your life enhanced!

Insanity

I have heard insanity defined as trying the same thing over and over expecting a different result. I SAW this in action this week. I was at an auto shop getting new tires. (Doesn't car repairs feel like you are just throwing money down the drain?) I went to the check out counter to pay. And the guy that was checking me out was obviously having a bad day, which he proceeded to pass along to me.

His register was not working well. And he had to scan the paperwork that I received from the guys in the shop. He scanned it once, nothing. So he scanned it again, still nothing. A third time, same result. I am not kidding you when I tell you he tried to scan that paperwork over 20 times! I figured out he was not going to be successful after like five tries, but it did not click with him until much later.

Does this ever happen to us? We are going through life and things are not going the way we would like them to, but we just can't figure out why. So we figure well if we just keep trying the same thing, maybe the results will be different. Often times those around us notice sooner than we do that we are experiencing insanity. Trying the same thing again expecting a different result.