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“The only way to be happy, is to give happy.”

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  • Using the Wrong Measuring Stick

    There is one sure-fire route to a wasted life: measure yourself and your efforts according to the standards of this world. In other words, focus on the physical, the temporal, and the unimportant.

    Too many times when tragedies or calamities occur, people rush to God with anger or rejection, as though our fallen human interpretation of events can somehow be more just or righteous than God's. On the contrary, during times other than difficult ones, people become seduced by the shiny objects of distraction and pleasure which are so abundant in this life.

    But suffering or success cannot be measured according to any of the standards of this world. If this life is all there is, then the suffering around us and in us can only be seen as unfair, as it rains on the just and the unjust alike. If this life is all there is, then material possessions and physical gratification are a mean trick which not only fall short of the pleasures they promise to bring, but rob us of the happiness that sent us off in pursuit of them in the first place.

    People have always demanded justice in this world, only to discover it an exercise as constructive as grasping at smoke. People have likewise consistently pursued pleasure, only to find it a mirage the promises refreshment but leaves one thirsting for the real thing. What we find is that our physical perspective leaves us short of the mark every time and in every case.

    Then how is one to properly interpret events? What value system accurately measures our lives?

    The answer is one that we don't always want to hear, but deep down inside, we know it is what we really need and have actually been seeking all along: the proper perspective is a spiritual one.

    If we measure our success not according to the treasures of this world, but according to those we have laid up in heaven, we will have little concern for the ups and downs of our own material situations. If we interpret suffering with an understanding of our eternal position in God's plan, knowing that to live is Christ and to die is gain, we will remember that there may be no justice in this life, but on the judgment day justice will be meted out each according to his own. 

    That last part, however, should scare us! True justice? Is that really what we want?

    Again, we can only answer in the affirmative if we use a worldly, physical value system that somehow attributes more virtue to us than to others. But the Bible is clear that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None are righteous, no not one. If we really demand justice, we will be just as susceptible to its punishments as everyone else.

    From a spiritual perspective, however, God reveals to us that He is merciful. Although He is entirely just, and promises that it is appointed to each man once to die, and then the judgment, He also has a plan for salvation to those who walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh. Yes, He will spare those that lived their lives for Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, rather than living it for themselves. In that day we shall find, that those who sought to save their lives (through living for self and becoming consumed in a material world, measuring themselves with the yardstick of worldly values) will lose them, while those who lost their lives (through living for Christ and serving others, measuring themselves with the yardstick of eternal life and spiritual truth) will gain them.

    It is a comparison of a fleeting, physical perspective to an eternal, spiritual one. 

    Be sure that you are using the correct standard when measuring your life. 

    Eternity is long time to be wrong. 

  • Happiness and the Art of Doing Nothing

    The Art of Doing Nothing  "Busyness"

    It's an age of busyness, cluttered schedules, and scurried days. We rush around in a constant race, hardly noticing the passing of our youth, the setting of the sun, or the growth of our children. We are so busy, busy, busy, loaded down with more "time saving devices" than any generation before, with better and bigger and fancier watches than ever, with time-management techniques and consultants, and everything we need to live a totally miserable life. 

    Happiness

    But happiness doesn't come solely through achievement. It is the result of time invested, not spent, in the important parts of life. Solitude, thinking, praying, loving, sharing, serving, and yes – resting are critically important to the health of the soul and a contented perspective.

    But what about Performance?

    The person who understands how to prioritize, who has made time for the truly important things in life, who refuses to be enslaved by the urgent, is more effective, and generally achieves higher levels and sustains it over the long haul. The key question is: "What's important next?" There is a time to perform, a time to work hard, a time to run fast, and a time to exert full effort toward a goal. Nothing feels better than giving 100% toward a worthy goal, being "In the Zone" and maximizing potential. But pinnacle performance cannot come to someone who is burned out and frazzled. It only comes to those who also mix in a little "living" along with their "striving." 

    The Art of Doing Nothing

    By the way, if you're lazy, I'm not even talking to you. Generally, lazy people don't read blogs like mine, if they read blogs at all! I'm talking to all you high-potential achievers out there. When is the last time you stopped and looked at the cloud formations in the sky? Or smelled the salt air of the ocean, or felt the crisp chill of a mountain breeze coming down the canyon with a rumbling stream? When did you last sit in a chair without your cell phone on you? For that matter, when is the last time you were more than five feet away from your phone? When is the last time you took an entire day away from any Internet or computers or phones or television? Most importantly, when is the last time you got away by yourself for a moment and had some quiet? When is the last time you prayed for more than two seconds, and other than over a meal? When is the last time you just sat and thought? When is the last time you pondered your life's purpose? What is the longest span of time you've listened to your children, uninterrupted?

    I understand questions like these are obnoxious. But they should make us stop and think. And therein lies the point of my article: STOP. The faster our world goes in its ever-increasing race toward the hectic, the more important it is for us to just stop. Believe it or not, there is power in doing nothing. It is an art.

    Watch the elderly and their lack of hurry. Observe children and their total obliviousness to the passage of time. We can learn much from both.

    Trust me. Small moments of respite are a salve to the soul. Want to maximize your performance in the race of life? Of course, we all do. But to go forward faster you're going to have to learn to stop more completely and more often. You're going to have to master the Art of (seemingly) doing nothing.

    Give it a shot. I dare you.

  • Productive or Consumptive?

    To further the conversation from yesterday's video regarding the care and feeding of the goose that lays the golden eggs, I thought it might be helpful to summarize the main point. In essence, there are two uses for your money. One is productive and one is wasteful (and possibly even destructive). 

    Productive spending of money is actually not spending at all, but rather investing. 

    Non-productive spending of money is consumption.

    The difference between the two lies in what is accomplished by the outgo of your (I'm assuming) hard-earned money. The key question is: does that outgo result in a return, or is it gone forever?

    At all times, but especially when economic times are tough, spending should be done strategically to minimize the amount that goes to waste and maximize the amount that goes to something productive. Again, productive means it is building your wealth by being placed into something of value, something that "cash flows," something that brings back more dollars. 

    I belabor these seemingly simple points because I find that financial intelligence is an extreme rarity. It seems few people have ever been taught that money has a purpose beyond its use toward their immediate comfort and gratification. As a result, people making a six figure income have spent themselves into oblivion and have nothing to show for it. Incredible.

    Difficult financial environments in which the economy slackens, the dollar declines in value, jobs become scarce, salaries go down, overtime is retracted, concessions are demanded, etc. only serve to emphasize the point and amplify poor habits. When these winds blow, the sloppy and financially ignorant (or consumptively addicted) are exposed. This is where panic sets in, and cutbacks in spending are made violently. The trouble is, most people cut back in the productive areas, too. They have wasted so much money and gotten themselves into so much trouble financially that they can no longer (or will no longer) put money into feeding the goose that lays the golden eggs. As millionaire financial advisor Todd Tresidder stated, "Those with credit card debt and too many bills are more committed to their lifestyle rather than to building wealth."

    The financially mature understand that the golden goose must be fed no matter what. This means during the good times, when consumptive addiction and wasteful spending are at their most tempting. It also means during the tough times, when panic sets in and constrictive cutbacks are rushed to like rats fleeing a sinking ship. It is the discipline to use money productively and predominantly that separates the wealthy from the rest (with the exception of second-generation wealth-holders, whom we do not acknowledge as having any useful financial wisdom beyond the skill of good birth). 

  • Feed the Goose

  • Caption Contest 2010.2

    Here it is, your second chance this year to win a free autographed copy of Orrin Woodward and my best-seller, Launching a Leadership Revolution. Good luck! (click on photo for larger version)Unbelievable_photos1

  • Information in a Nutshell Radio Interview

    Felice gerwitzFelice Gerwitz, successful author and consultant to aspiring authors, is also the host of Writing and Publishing Radio (writingandpublishingradio.com), “Information in a Nutshell Radio.” Yesterday, I had the pleasure of appearing on her show, and thoroughly enjoyed Felice’s professional questions and very informed commentary. If you’d like to listen in, click on the link above and scroll down to On Demand Episodes. I hope you enjoy the show! 

  • Leaders Create Culture

    Orrin Woodward, my co-author on Launching a Leadership Revolution, and I are beginning work on a new book about leadership and its impact on culture. In effect, leaders create the culture and the culture creates the success.

    As we live our lives and fulfill our responsibilities, it may be helpful to consider the type of culture we create with every action we take.

    Do we inspire confidence and intitiative, or do we “shoot the messenger” and punish mistakes?

    Do we empower and trust, or block efforts and foster mistrust?

    Do we encourage and support, or detract and reduce?

    Such a list of questions could go on forever. Real leaders cannot afford to ignore such self-inspection. They must constantly analyze their performance and its affect on the culture they are leading. Where there is a sick culture there is an ineffective or destructive leader (or leaders).

    Success is a never-ending project. Leaders must foster productive cultures continually to even have a chance of staying in the competitive arena. Anyone who thinks differently better prepare for lunch – as the main course!

  • Caption Contest 2010.1 Winner Announced!

    Okay, okay, you three crazy readers out there. You really did it this time. As of this morning, there were over 100 entries for the first Caption Contest of 2010, and boy, were they good ones! In fact, this was the toughest caption contest we've ever had, because picking the winner was so difficult. Therefore, I appointed a committee (it's true, I actually did) to determine the winner. After much argument, blood, sweat, and tears, and a little hair-pulling, they emerged from their fracas and handed me the following selection as the winner! 

    "If you listnen when I whisper I wont have to yell" 
    -God

    Posted by: Jessica E. January 01, 2010 at 11:53 pm

    Congratulations to Jessica! You will be receiving a free, autographed copy of Orrin Woodward and my NY Times best-seller Launching a Leadership Revolution. All you have to do is leave us your shipping address in a comment on this article.

    Stay tuned for more exciting caption contests in the near future. And to all of you who ALMOST won, keep trying! Your comments were hilarious!

  • A Terror-able Set of New Regulations

    Nunfrisk2  Anyone following my Tweets on twitter as of late will know I had a little bit of an attitude problem with the ridiculous new carry-on restrictions for anyone flying into the United States. Being a frequent traveler, these things affect me on an ongoing basis. With that being said, I understand the necessity of taking some measure of caution to protect normal people from whackos, and I know the border security officials are just doing their job.

    That's my disclaimer.

    Now here's the story.

    It seems that the latest approach to stopping people who claim their religion justifies the random killing of civilian non-combatants has finally gone into the loony zone. Carry-on bags with wheels are no longer allowed to be carried on (which means they can no longer be called "carry-on" bags, I presume!). The only thing allowed is a "lap top bag," small enough to contain a lap-top and its wires. A woman's purse is also allowed, and I'm currently shopping for mine. A small backpack? Nope. A child's backpack with some toys? Nope. A briefcase? Even one without wheels? Nope. And here begins our story.

    Uninitiated in these wonderful new rules (implemented just last week), I unknowingly attempted to board an international flight into the US carrying a very offensive, extremely dangerous, favorite-tool-of-terrorists everywhere: namely, a regular sized briefcase with wheels. Forced to check it, without adequate time to prepare for such a step, meant placing into the care of two governments, an airline, and workers at three separate airports, my briefcase and its contents. This included my lap-top (not really meant to be jostled that hard, or stored in sub-freezing temperatures for long amounts of time), my video camera, many private and very important papers, my calendar, etc., etc.  Only later would I remember that it also included a couple other valuable items I certainly wouldn't have checked had I known about them!

    So, of course, as you can probably guess, the airlines lost this bag. The other two came through just fine, of course, my underwear and socks safely back in my possession.  And here is where I must confess that even those of us who write about leadership principles and teach about having a good attitude (I believe "Attitude of Gratitude" is how I termed it in an extremely, embarrassingly recent post) can lose it once in a while. 

    Now, I didn't blow my stack or start shouting at anyone, but my thoughts were not very pure. For instance, I was not exactly praying for the salvation of that terrorist of Christmas day that brought all this upon us. Instead, I was thinking some very hate-filled things about his beliefs and him in particular. I was angry at how the world works and how jerks can affect people they don't even know, and (luckily for them) will never even meet. I may have contained my angst on the outside, but on the inside I was G.I. Joe, Rambo, John Wayne, Sergeant Fury, and whoever George W. Bush thought he was in his moments of most militant imaginations.

    To further my sin, I was quite sure the valuables in my briefcase, in whole or in part, would never make their way back to me. My luggage had been mis-tagged, and the slip filled out to retrieve it left absolutely no connection between me and my bag. I only realized this several miles away from the airport as I steamed my way home. A U-turn and drive back brought me a bit more resolution and hope for seeing my bag again, but did nothing to fix my sunken attitude.

    There. I have confessed. I feel so much cleaner now. 

    And wouldn't you know it? I was not even given a chance to exonerate myself for a bad attitude, because everything worked out just fine. The surely large amount of people who must have had to handle my bag and deliver it safely into my keeping all managed to abstain from giving me any "I-told-you-so's." Not a thing inside had been touched. No one stole a single valuable or violated my belongings in any way at all, that I could see. And the bag arrived at my door at exactly the time they had told me it would.

    There are some people of honor, character and excellence out there. I thank each one of you who played a part in this story.

    As for the terrorists, though, and these ridiculous new rules, well, my attitude is still going to require some work. I'm quite certain it is the objective of the terrorists to make us fly naked.

  • Attitude of Gratitude