Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as this glorious new day, the last day of May, begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!
Early this week I was listening to the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. His guest was Dr. Josh Axe. The title of the podcast was “Cultivating Drive as a Leader,” and it was phenomenal. I would highly recommend you take the time to listen to it over the next week.
During the podcast Dr. Axe shares two personal stories. One was about the teacher who laughed at him when he told her he wanted to be a doctor, she told him he didn’t have the grade point average to get into medical school, and she told him he needed to work harder. His take-away was that he wasn’t smart enough. He went on to explain that, believing he wasn’t smart enough, he eventually quit trying and barely graduated high school. He was then given the opportunity to try to gain admission to college by taking summer school classes before his first year. His first class was an English class. When the class was given their first assignment, to write a paper, Dr. Axe really said he tried hard to do good. The next day the teacher asked him to stay after class. He thought it was going to be history repeating itself; the first teacher referenced was also an English teacher. When Dr. Axe went and spoke to the teacher, she asked him what he planned to major in. When he told her he did not know, she encouraged him to major in English, stated what a great writer he was, and told him he got the best grade in the class. Two teachers, two different messages. Both changed everything. After the second teacher spoke words of life over Dr. Axe, he went on to graduate college with a 3.0 GPA, the kid who barely graduated high school, and he graduated medical school with a 3.9 GPA.
After sharing these two stories, Dr. Axe shared some great wisdom. He said, “I am a big believer in seeing the greatness in people and speaking it over their life.” It is a different path, one that is not popular in society today. It is easier to point out flaws, weaknesses, and failures than it is to see the greatness that is in others – and let’s be clear, everyone has greatness within them.
A few things I want to challenge all of us with on this beautiful morning:
1. Let’s intentionally look for greatness in others. If we see someone doing something well, striving to do whatever it is they are doing with excellence, let’s take the time to notice. We don’t miss it if someone does something poorly or if they are mean, rude, or nasty. Shouldn’t we be equally diligent to notice when others do something well or if they are kind, polite, and encouraging?
2. Let’s tell them! Again, if something is bad, we rarely miss the opportunity to say something. Why in the world do we not say something when it is good? Perhaps we have the whole thing backwards; we should hardly notice or say anything when something is bad but never miss the opportunity to notice and say something when it is good. Oh, my goodness, what would our world look like if we really did it? Let’s find out!!!
3. Please, let’s be mindful of the words we speak…they are so immensely powerful. We might be frustrated, having a difficult day, or whatever the case may be and in one moment, we can alter the entire trajectory of someone’s life with our words. Look at Dr. Axe’s story, it is not unique. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Let’s make sure the words we speak give life. Let’s be a launching pad for someone, not a stumbling block that one day, if ever, must be overcome.
4. In addition to speaking to the bad and not mentioning the good, I think we have something else backwards. Ever notice how we love to tell people who we are and what we are going to do and at the same time, very few of us notice the greatness in others or speak words of encouragement to them? Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you are saying.” What if we kept our mouths shut and we simply strove every day to become the best we can become in all aspects of our lives? And what if we intentionally looked for the greatness in others and spoke it over their lives? We have it backwards, Friends, and we are all suffering because of it.
This is a new day! There is so much opportunity before us! Let’s intentionally notice the greatness in others and speak it into their lives. You never know, your words could be the encouragement someone needs to become a doctor, lawyer, writer, musician, etc. Your words might encourage the single mom to pursue the dream that is buried beneath mounds of responsibility deep in her heart. Maybe your words will be the ones that will make someone believe that life really is worth living. Or maybe your words will bring a smile to someone’s face. Today let’s tell them the greatness we see!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. 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 family, and please stay well!
Kev
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