Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! 😊
This week I want to simply share some thought provoking – hopefully!!! 😊 – encouragement…
How is life? Do you have some big things happening today? If you are like most of us, if there is a big meeting or event, you are fired up about this day. You got up a little easier, you are looking forward to this day, and can’t wait to get it started. If, on the other hand, there is nothing big ahead, it is just “another day.” Have to go to work, have to take the kids to school, have to keep up with the same old boring routine. Sound familiar? And the one disclaimer here; it is Friday which means a whole lot of us are excited simply because it is Friday and, well, we don’t have to get up tomorrow and do the same old thing – get up, go to work, come home, watch TV, go to bed, repeat. But is this how we are supposed to live? Is this how we are called to live?
My favorite quote, it is my life mantra actually, is this:
“Nothing is easier than saying words, nothing is harder than living them day after day. What you decide today and commit to today, you must redecide and recommit to tomorrow and every day that stretches out before you.” – Arthur Gordon
I love this quote because it inspires me to become all I am capable of becoming and it reminds me that every day I must make the decisions all over again. I cannot live today on yesterday’s decisions. To live this day fully, I need to make my decisions again. And it applies to every aspect of life…
Spirituality – Yes, the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior, my eternity was decided. However if I want to grow closer to God, if I want to live a Holy Spirit led life, if I want to grow to be more Christ-like, then I need to pursue God every day. Not some days. Not only on the days I feel like it. Not only on days when something big is happening. To grow closer to God, as with any relationship, I must invest in it every day.
Marriage – It was very easy to stand up there on one of those big days – the wedding day – and say, “I do.” And then the “every day” came. What daily commitments am I making, or not making, that will determine the quality of the relationship I have with my wife? I can’t just say – in actions and words…the actions are more important!!! 😊 – “I love you” once a week, once a month, or once a year and expect the marriage to be healthy and strong. Sadly, some never say “I love you” after the “big day.”
Dad – Our kids need us to show up every day! I can’t choose which days to be a Dad and not. Many try and this world is full of broken people because men refused to man up and show up, every day! If you are a parent, TODAY you will decide what kind of parent you will be. Will you show up and be there for your kid? No matter what? They need you and the consequences of the choice you make will impact generations – for good or bad.
Leader – John C. Maxwell once said, “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.” Not a whole lot more needs to be said… If I want to become the best leader I am capable of becoming I have to choose to work on it today. Tomorrow I will then have to make this choice again. To choose not to work on it is to decide to become something less than I am capable of becoming….think about that one, please.
Friend – You ever seen or had those “friends” who always show up for the parties, when things are good? When you need help, there is a problem, etc., they are always busy…if they even answer the call/text/email. Yeah, let’s not be those people!!! Today there are going to be people who have something big happening, who are excited for this day…let’s celebrate with them. There are also going to be people who are lost, hurting, and broken…let’s let them know we care, let’s help them any way we can…let’s show up!
A few things:
- Life is not a “have to” thing…it is a “get to” thing! It is an honor and privilege to have the gifts and abilities you have! It is an honor and privilege to have the people that you have in your life! It is an honor and privilege to have the platforms you have to love, care for, and serve others. Please Friends, stop looking at things as “I have to” and start looking at them as “I get to.” You and I get to develop our gifts and abilities! We get to do life with those who are in our life and please, cherish them…life is so fragile and precious! And we get to serve in the capacities we serve – those are our platforms. Every day we will make a choice about the attitude and effort we will bring to that day…that choice will determine whether we live a “have to” or “get to” kinda life! 😊
- This one right here I think is the real key: we all want to be “successful” – however you define success, we want to have the “big days”, we want to have the shining moments, etc. Here is the question: are you preparing for those things? Athletics highlights this point so clearly; everyone wants to win the game. Simple, right?!?! Here is the question: have you done the things you need to do in order to win the game? And I am not talking about just last night, two days ago, or even a week ago. Did you do the things you needed to do every day since the last game of last season to win the game today! THAT is how this works! I was listening to a John Maxwell podcast earlier this week. He was telling the story of a young college graduate coming up to him after a speaking engagement. The young man said, “I want to do what you do.” John replied, “That is great! Are you willing to do what I had to do to be able to do what I do?” You want to be great? Then what are you willing to do to reach your greatness? Are you willing to spend as many hours, day after day, as the great singers, writers, poets, athletes, business people, etc., had to do to become all they have become? We all want the championship moments…we just don’t want to put in the championship work.
- We drag yesterday – as well as last week, last month, last year…or perhaps years – into today. Here is the thing, we can’t change one thing about yesterday. The only thing you and I can control is this moment right here! If we string a whole bunch of moments together and make them great, we can lay our head on the pillow tonight in complete peace, knowing we have given everything we had to this day. And guess what?! We GET TO get up tomorrow morning, make the same choice again, and then give that same great effort again! Heck, I have only typed out what two days look like, and I am getting tired!!! But it is just two days!!! Our lives are far too valuable, our calls are too great, to not pursue all we were created to become! Let’s string these moments into days together for the rest of our lives and let’s really find out how awesome we are capable of becoming!!!
The secret to success – in spirituality, marriage, parenting, leadership, friendship…in life! – is no secret: it is consistently giving the best we are capable of giving to each area, day after day! It is a choice! Please know, if you are going to “see how I feel in the morning,” you are going to live far below the life you are capable of living. Our feelings are fickle and they cannot be trusted! Instead of listening to ourselves, we have to talk to ourselves and bring our words and actions into alignment with our hopes, goals, and dreams! We need to make decisions and, in fact, we do every day. If you and I want to be successful, to fulfill the potential in every aspect of our lives, then we need to redecide and recommit to each of these things every day of our lives and then work tirelessly to honor those decisions and commitments. That is the secret! 😊
I want to close with several quotes…please let them wash over you and give them some thought…
“The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. Results are created over time, not overnight.” – Unknown
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“The secret of success is consistency of purpose.” – Benjamin Disraeli
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
“What I do every day matters more than what I do once in a while.” – Gretchen Rubin
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John C. Maxwell
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well!
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