Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Thursday evening in my Sweet Home Alabama! I am writing this Happy Friday on Thursday evening as I have a big day tomorrow that is going to start very early...even for me! :)
My heart with this weeks Happy Friday is to encourage us all. I want to start off by sharing another excerpt from Lolly Daskal's book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You And Your Greatness. The excerpt I am sharing comes from Chapter One which she titled, The Surprising Gap In Our Leadership: Greatness lies in the gaps between where you are and where you want to be.
"We are all capable of standing in our greatness. Every human being is born with a healthy emotional system. We come into this world without fear, without shame. We don't make judgments about which parts of ourselves are good and which parts are bad. Rather, we dream about doing something bigger than ourselves - we have ideas, thoughts, visions, hopes. Some of us have ideals that are bigger than others', but we all have great visions for ourselves. Until, somewhere along the way, those visions get diluted. Maybe it was the teacher who called you stupid; the parent who said you could do better; the bully who taunted you; the sports coach who called you inadequate. Whatever that message was, you heard it and internalized it. You made the message stick, and because you did, you didn't think you could stand in your greatness."
Man, this resonates with me! It hit me as profound when I first read it, again when I re-read it preparing for this Happy Friday, and typing it is stirring up all kinds of emotions. It's true...sadly, so very true. I see myself in those words...do you?
I have two encouragements with this excerpt:
1. Please stand in your greatness, Friend! It is there, within you.
Yes, I know the pain - quite well - of being told I am dumb, inadequate, that I will never amount to anything, I am a failure, etc. And yes, I realize that the closer the person is to you and the more important they are to you, the deeper the cut. I have been cut extremely deep. I don't tell you this to brag or to put on some tough guy act. No, I tell you because I want you to know that I do have some level of understanding. This isn't some Pollyanna, rose colored glasses, you have always had it easy type of pep talk. This is one human being, having been kicked square in the gut, looking at another saying, "You got this!"
Please Friends, if you are not currently standing in your greatness, rise up! Please don't let the hurtful words or actions of another flawed, broken human being define you. You were created on purpose for a purpose. You have great talents, gifts, and abilities. And, while they may be buried deep within your heart, you have great ideas, thoughts, visions, and hopes. Please uncover them! Yes, it is going to take a tremendous amount of strength and courage - I can testify that God will help you! You can do this however you have to CHOOSE to do so! Decide that this day is going to be a different day! You are no longer going to walk in fear or shame! You are no longer going to pick yourself apart - YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Please, give yourself this beautiful gift - the you that you were created to be!
2. Our words and actions matter...simple as that! Please don't be the teacher, parent, bully or coach described in the excerpt. If you have the honor and privilege of having a precious soul call you Mom or Dad, you have a critically important responsibility and please be sure of this, one day you will be held accountable for how you fulfilled it. If you are doing the wrong things, this perhaps upsets or offends you. That is not my intent and please remember, it is the Spirit that convicts. If you are doing the right things, you probably find it inspiring...calling to the greatness that is within you.
Every person, every life, has value, meaning, and purpose. Let's be builders and encouragers, not destroyers and discourages. Let's be intentional in our words and actions. Let me wrap it up this way; what if you and I were what we wish others would be for us?
My second encourager is about perfection; please, let's stop trying to be perfect, pretending we are, and/or holding ourselves and others accountable to perfection. It is not attainable and the pursuit of it births all kinds of things in our lives that negatively impact our character, our relationships, and ultimately, the quality of the lives we live. Do we want to pursue all that we are created to become? Absolutely! Do we want to do everything to the very best of our ability? Absolutely! So please, don't twist what I am saying.
The first step in becoming all that we are created of becoming and doing everything to the very best of our ability is to be the pure, authentic people we were created to be. Let's find that person. Ties right back to the excerpt above. Please let these words wash over you again..."Every human being is born with a healthy emotional system. We come into this world without fear, without shame. We don't make judgments about which parts of ourselves are good and which parts are bad. Rather, we dream about doing something bigger than ourselves - we have ideas, thoughts, visions, hopes." Lolly is talking about you, and me. What if, instead of chasing the fallacy of perfection, we simply pursued our own ideas, thoughts, visions, and hopes to the very best of our ability?
Let's no longer be people that hold ourselves and others accountable to a standard that is not attainable. Let's no longer be the people who put a mask on everything, trying to make our lives look perfect. Let's no longer be the people who will sacrifice our character, integrity and relationships to give others the idea of our perfection. Let's be different. Let's simply be the best version of who we were created to be and encourage, empower, and equip others to do the same. THAT would be perfect! :)
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great evening, a wonderful Friday and weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well.
Kev
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