WHY are you putting your ducks in a row?

"Getting your ducks in a row".

You probably have heard this phrase, it means:

Be prepared, get organized, either in preparation for something to happen or to fix something that is not running properly. In other words “get your act together”.

One of the origins of this phrase is something you have probably seen before, a line of baby ducks following the mother duck on land and in water.

Here is my observation: The reason the ducks are in a row is that they are following at that moment the biggest relationship in their life....their mother!

My revelation? Ducks in a row don't matter without a relationship!

My point, It is important to "have your act together", making sure details happen, and another phrase "making sure all the "t"s are crossed and the "i"s are dotted" but in the process none of it matters if it doesn't reflect the relationship that started the process.

I have been recently in conversations with a business where we have a great relationship with the management and we have been working on what we hope is a profitable partnership. We have now come to the point where we are "getting our ducks in a row" and this means turning the process over to the business and legal departments. This is normal, however in this process I am finding my ducks are not lining up with the relationship.

Here are three things that are important in the "ducks in a row" process:

1. Perception - You have to trust what or who you are following and if your perception ends up not being reality....you won't follow long! (what if one of those ducks followed a cat instead of its mother....disaster!)

2. Promises - If promises are made and then the "details" don't work with those promises you will not be a happy duck!

3. Expectations - If your expectations are not communicated you can have all of the "ducks in a row" but that is all you will have....A LINE OF DUCKS.....only order and no action...no forward motion.....no results!

I hope this helps you....it helps me to write it down and to reevaluate my lines of ducks and more importantly the relationships that go with those ducks.

By the way, we are all "ducks" of habit and we can fall into this trap in our most important relationship......with God.

We follow all the rules and regulations but they never quite line up to His reality of grace and mercy.

What happens when all we do is focus on the "ducks in a row" without relationship? 2 Timothy 3:2-5 (NIV) predicts this:

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

My hope?

That our "ducks in a row" can always be dictated by relationships and not just by rules and the letter of the law.

RISK a FIRST or at FIRST a RISK

Virgil, one of the greatest Roman Poets, wrote this 2,000 years ago;

Fortune sides with him who dares.

Virgil had a clever way of saying we are more likely to be successful if we are willing to take risks. Life is about taking risks. We willingly take chances every day. Example: You drive to work, or walk, or fly, or something......it is a risk....one worth taking but a risk. Now, you may be thinking that getting to work or going shopping is not a big risk, and maybe it is more on some days than others but here is the point;

You will never know what you are capable of until you try.

You have a unique God given ability to do things that no one else can and it may not be until you explore, dream, invent, and......risk that you will figure it out!

You could be the first (a risk disguised as the word first) to do something that will not only change your life but improve and impact the world.....need examples?

OK here are some:

The first steam powered train was invented by Robert Stephenson. It was called the Rocket.

The first pick-up truck in the world was made by Gottlieb Daimler in 1886.

The first bicycle that was made in 1817 by Baron von Drais didn't have any pedals. People walked it along. (????)

The first commercial text message was sent 1992.

The first European to visit the Mississippi River was DeSoto.

In 1893, Chicago hired its first police woman. Her name was Marie Owens.

The first zoo in the USA was in Philadelphia.

The first Lifesaver flavor was peppermint.

First novel ever written on a typewriter: "Tom Sawyer."

The 1st personal computer, the Apple II, went on sale in 1977.

The first product to have a bar code scanned was Wrigley's gum.

First human to run a mile under 4 minutes: Roger Bannister, (1954)

First feature-length sound film: The Jazz Singer (1927 film)

Ok so maybe your "FIRST" (risk) is not inventing something or launching a worldwide movement.....yet! Maybe it is reaching out to someone in need or writing that first paragraph of your book or helping a child learn to accomplish their "first". Or it might be monumental for where you are now, starting a new career, moving to a new city, or dealing with the loss of a loved one.

A "first" step doesn't have to be huge. I am not talking about risking your life or everything you have, it may be small step at the moment.

The argument I heard from a friend recently was " I can't change, this is the way I am".

Here is an encouraging word from our friend Max Lucado on the subject of change:

Where did we get this idea that we can't change? From whence come statements such as, "It's just my nature to worry." "I'll always be pessimistic. I'm just that way." "I can't help the way I react. I have a bad temper." Such thoughts are not from God. He can no more leave a life unchanged than a mother can leave a tear untouched. His plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. If you were a car, God would want control of your engine. If you were a computer, God would claim the software and the hard drive. If you were an airplane, He'd take His seat in the cockpit. But you are a person, so God wants to change your heart.

There we have it....I am encouraged to now to go for a "FIRST" today!
I hope you are too!

Rely on God, Take that "first" step, Live today as a FIRST!

You can quote me.... "Christmas is NEAR!"

I have been so occupied Christmas has truly surprised me.....It is here already?

hmmmmmm I need some motivation.

I have not even truly enjoyed the Christmas products we have released this year; Travis Cottrell "Ring The Bells", Lenny LeBlanc "Christmas Night", "20 Christmas Classics from Reader's Digest" and Miss PattyCake's Christmas! (shameless product marketing....forgive me)

As you know, if you read the writing here much, I love quotes! Quotes give us insight and wisdom and maybe even help us think out of the box of our own paradigm.

So, in the "l need some motivation for Christmas" category, here are some of my favorite quotes.....this year!

ENJOY!

There has been only one Christmas -- the rest are anniversaries. - W. J. Cameron

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things -- not the great occasions -- give off the greatest glow of happiness. - Bob Hope

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'. - Bing Crosby

How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! Its easier to keep holidays than commandments. - Benjamin Franklin

Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven. - Martin Luther

The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
- W. C. Jones

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. - W. T. Ellis

Christmas is the day that holds all time together - .Alexander Smith

From the cradle in Bethlehem to the cross in Jerusalem we've pondered the love of our Father. What can you say to that kind of emotion? Upon learning that God would rather die than live without you, how do you react? How can you begin to explain such passion? - Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace

Got any Christmas quotes?
Send them to me and help me stay motivated!!!

Now arriving: YOUR FUTURE!

As I sit here and write this I realize this is kind of an extension of a previous post on the future: Next exit? The Future.

But the following quote triggered something in me today after a meeting about strategic planning for 2009 which I think is important.

The future is here it's just not widely distributed yet. - William Gibson

What if you treated the future like a commodity? Would you treat it differently?

What if you said, "I have a limited amount of the future". Would that change how you live today? Would you be stingy with it or would you give it freely to those around you?

A lot of people just try to avoid it........the future can be a scary place....the "unknown" of it all! We would rather live with what we can see, feel, and touch right now! Or even more tangible to some of us, is the past. You can't change that, it is a solid commodity, a known entity. But if you live in the past you become stagnant and afraid of what you can't see and comforted by the things that are remembered.

You see to live in the future you have to have faith!

I know this has been a tough year to have faith. It seems everything that formerly we could trust, especially in our economy has become anything but trustworthy. This type of distrust has made many of us lose our faith in systems, in people, and in our country. Some have turned to survival mode or just being fearful.

Surviving isn't enough. It's not enough for us to hunker down and live from day to day, looking over our shoulders and fearing for our future. - Seth Godin

This is TRUE! Surviving is not enough....
WE need more....
if your honest with yourself,
YOU want more than just surviving!

Here is what has not changed and is worthy of our faith: God, the ability to think, to dream, to encourage, to help others, and to believe.

You have just left the past as you have been reading this....you have just stepped into your next moment........you are now living in the future!

Embrace it, put faith to work in overcoming fear and uncertainty!

It is time to imagine, invent, invest, and innovate!

Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11 (The Message)

"You can't change history. You can only create the future." - Erwin McManus

one VIVID moment!

VIVID –adjective - full of life; lively;. presenting the appearance, freshness, spirit, etc., of life; realistic: a vivid account.

This has been our week to decorate for Christmas. Last night we decorated our tree. We have ornaments from literally all over the world and each hold special memories. Some from events, some from trips, some significant places, and ones the kids have made through the years. As we put them on the tree we talk about where they came from and the memory associated with that particular ornament. There was one that triggered a very vivid Christmas memory for me.

A few years ago, Jean (my wife) and I were in New York and we attended the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. A great name because it was truly "spectacular"! The dancing, singing, ice skating, the hydraulic stage moving orchestra, and flying Santa Claus were amazing! But there was a moment at the end we will never forget.....a nativity, a live nativity with all of the people and animals and the words of a poem, One Solitary Life, read over the music and shown on the screen!

It was and still is a VIVID moment that had incredible impact on us!

What are those vivid moments in your Christmas story?

What will you do to create them for yourself and others this year?

One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village,
the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another obscure village,
where He worked in a carpenter shop
until He was thirty.
Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held office.
He never owned a home. He never went to college.
He never set foot inside a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles
from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things that
usually accompany greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He had nothing to do with this world except the
naked power of His divine manhood.
While He was still a young man the
tide of popular opinion turned against Him.
His friends deserted Him.
He was turned over to His enemies
and went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying, His executioners gambled
for the only piece of property He had – His coat.
When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.
Nineteen centuries have
come and gone, and today
He is the centerpiece for much of the human race.
All the armies that have ever marched,
and all the navies that ever sailed,
and all the parliaments that ever sat,
and all the kings that ever reigned, put together,
have not affected the life of man upon this earth
as powerfully as this
“One Solitary Life.”

“One Solitary Life” is a story, evidently first told by Dr. James Allen Francis. Dr. Francis included it as the last sermon in his book, The Real Jesus And Other Sermons published by Judson Press in 1926.

Build your CASTLE!

George Boldt, a German immigrant who worked his way up from dishwasher to proprietor of New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel, first visited what is now know as Heart Island with his beloved wife Louise more than a century ago.

He decided to commission an architectural firm to create a full-size castle as a tribute to their love. He envisioned it a replica of the majestic ones along the Rhine River he had seen as a boy. Boldt had engineers reshape the island so that it resembled a heart shape more closely. And the plans grew beyond the castle to an entire colony consisting of eleven additional structures to surround the castle.

Soon the finest materials began making their way to this out-of-the-way island: marble from Italy, silks and tapestries from France, rugs from the Orient. Guest rooms in the six-story, 129-room castle featured fireplaces, and massive crystal chandeliers lit the hallways and ballroom. A tower just for children to play in, Italian gardens, and a landscaped promenade — were designed.

Just as Boldt Castle was nearing completion, on January 12, 1904 its workmen were notified by telegram to "stop all construction" immediately: Louise Boldt had died suddenly.

Not another tapestry was hung nor another nail hammered. The heartbroken Boldt never returned. His romantic castle built for love and the surrounding structures were abandoned.

Boldt Castle would have been one of the largest houses in America, had it been completed. The main structure is seven stories in height and contains more than 120 rooms, with 30 bathrooms.

A question for you:

Is there something that you have a passion for that is "partially" built in your life?

Something not finished and empty? Somewhere along the way you gave up or just decided it could not be done. Maybe it died with a relationship. Maybe you got distracted or the necessity of the urgent in your life forced you to abandon your dream. You stopped dreaming or working toward your goal because you lost your passion and purpose.

You can't go back in time but you can remember that we are designed for a purpose and that with God nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37)

Boldt Castle will never be what George Boldt intended but it has not remained empty either. In 1977 the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Heart Island and preserved the castle for future generations to enjoy. Since the preservation, Boldt Castle has had over 5 million visitors and has hosted over 750 weddings, providing incalculable value to the local tourism industry.

Your future and your legacy are waiting!

Build your castle.
Pursue your passion.

Let me know how it is going. I, for one, am fascinated to see how it is going to unfold.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”(Proverbs 13:12)

An "i" DAY!

Yesterday was an exhausting day.

I spent the day defending.......

Defending all of the "s" words in my life;

systems, sales, and
standard operating procedure.

I did not do much in advancing the
"i" words in my life;

innovation, imagination, ideas,
and saying I BELIEVE!

The end result of this is that many people (many really good people) spend all day trying to defend what they do, trying to sell what they've always sold, and trying to prevent their organizations from being devoured by the forces of the new. It must be wearing them out. Defending mediocrity is exhausting. - Seth Godin

Today is going to be different, it will be a life giving "i" day......
an indelible moment day! :-)

FIRED UP!

Have you heard of Fred Shero?

No? Fred was a hugely successful NHL player and coach with a string of many hundreds of wins and numerous awards and accolades to his name. A very successful career by any standard.

When asked one day about success Fred said this:

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.”

Interesting metaphor about fire from a guy who spent most of his life on ice....don't you think?

Anyway, I think his point is well taken in this way, it is easier to sit around and hope something happens (spontaneous combustion)!

It would be a lot easier if (you fill in the blank) just happened!!

I was discussing this with some friends last night. All of us have this great desire built into us to move into significance and greatness but we also have a tendency to long for "the way it was" or "the way it could be". We have all lived in this land of wishing at some point.

It is easier, the past sometimes is glorified or regretted and the future can be lived in our hearts and minds but we don't have to take action. This leaves us standing still....... a life of simply existing.

I would like to propose this, we can not change the past and the future is still waiting to be created! I know, I know, pretty obvious stuff. But you see, I don't think God wants us to live in the past (learn from it yes but not live there).

The Apostle Paul encourages us this way in Phillipians 3:13-14 (NIV)

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

And HERE IS GREAT NEWS God definitely wants us to have a future and a full life.

Jesus said this in John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

A FULL LIFE.....I don't think that means simply existing....do you?

Fred got it right. Don’t wait for spontaneous combustion!!

Dive into your own happiness and success, engage life and operate from a place where life is real and present.

Don’t wait, set yourself on fire.......
metaphorically of course:-)