We Really Don't Know

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!

 

Do you remember I told you all that last Friday was a big day where I work? Well, it could not have gone better!!! I am so very blessed; I serve alongside an amazing group of men and women who, in addition to being some of the greatest people you could ever meet, are exceptional professionals. We had worked as a group for about 3 months on the events that transpired on Friday, having several meetings, and thinking through the grandest and smallest of details. We had the entire day scripted and everything went according to script. It was an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life, and it was an honor and privilege to play a part in it all.

 

As the day was winding down, a few of us were speaking with the architects and designers that we are blessed to have working on this project and one of them said, “We have done events like this at Notre Dame, Georgia, and Alabama. This was bigger and better than anything we have ever seen.” I was speechless. One of my sweet colleagues said something like, “I don’t know if that is really true, but it was sweet of them to say.” And then it really struck me; we did not know what we were capable of, we simply did our very best as we focused on honoring people and relationships, and in the process, according to the architects and designers, we hosted an event better than those with physical and fiscal resources literally hundreds of times ours.

 

Potential…we hear the word a lot however this is one of the few times I had actually felt like I had lived the pursuit of it. Unaware of what was normal or expected, we simply did our best and it was something special. I think back to when I was a young wide receivers coach in college. I had the privilege at that time of meeting with the wide receivers coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Ted Plumb. One of the things he told me that still sticks with me today is that he always requires his players to jump for a ball that is thrown high to them. The point was this; can you catch a ball thrown a foot over your head? Two feet? Three feet? Four feet? At some point the answer will be “no,” however we don’t know where that point is, we don’t know our potential – what we are capable of. And so, instead of assuming that a ball could not be reached, jump as high as you can, give it your best efforts, challenge the borders of your potential. That’s what our amazing team did; we challenged the borders of our potential!

 

I want to encourage all of us to take stock and do the same – to challenge the borders of our potential. Where are we letting limiting assumptions and beliefs stop us? What if you truly didn’t know what you were capable of accomplishing, and so you simply gave your very best? I can personally testify to the sweet reward of peace and self-satisfaction is worth every ounce of effort put into it.

 

I am also feeling compelled to share a really critical piece of all of this with you all; did you catch the part at the beginning when I said, “I serve alongside an amazing group?” If you remove even one person from our group, I doubt we achieve at the level we did. Everyone contributed, everyone mattered, and everyone, working together, made a difference. And by the time it was all said and done, our little group had engaged, enlisted, and empowered probably another 100+ who were all critically important in the success of the day. The point? Nobody achieves great things, nobody will fulfill their potential by themselves. We all need others – life was meant to be a team sport! Heck, Jesus had 12 disciples, appointed 72 more (Luke 10), and He recruited us all to His team with the Great Commission! People and relationships are what give life value and meaning, and it is through them, working collaboratively towards a common purpose, that the borders of our potential – individual and organizational – are found.

 

The truth is none of us know what we are truly capable of in any aspect of our lives. Let’s live lives where we daily empty ourselves giving everything we have to find the boundary lines of our potential.

 

I will close with a few quotes for you to thoughtfully consider.

 

“We are all capable of infinitely more than we believe. We are stronger and more resourceful than we know, and we can endure much more than we think we can.’ - David Blaine

 

“None of us can know what we are capable of until we are tested.” - Elizabeth Blackwell

 

“If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” -Thomas A. Edison

 

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 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