Staring at the moment....

We are moved by stories and drama and hints and clues and discovery......by moments of triumph, overcoming, and winning.

If you think about it, when you feel most alive, these moments you can remember where you are in your zone and doing remarkable things...you have to ask yourself "were you fitting in or were you stepping into something a bit unknown or out on a limb?"

I am constantly amazed at how our natural instinct is not to seek these moments but to seek the safe comfortable choice.  When I say "our natural instinct" I mean "me"..... but there is something inside that knows the safe route is not going to get me where I am living and utilizing all of the things God has created me for.

I read this quote from Seth Godin's book Linchpin that started my thoughts down this road earlier this week:

"the road to comfort is crowded and it rarely gets you there. Ironically, it's those who seek out discomfort that are able to make a difference and find their footing."

Seek out discomfort?.....it is not my normal thing to do when I get up in the morning "seek out discomfort".  That is the type of thing most of us "seek to avoid".

But here is the truth I have found in this discomfort moment.....discomfort not only brings engagement and change but passion, purpose, and our true art to rise to the top and make a difference.

You have to do something.  You have to move forward.

Now this is where I have to say that I ....that you can not do this on our own.  This is not a self help moment, this is living to our fullest potential that was placed in us by intelligent design.

God himself made you for great things.  So when you find your self in a moment of discomfort embrace it.  Here is a great encouragement from our friend Max Lucado:

The next time you find yourself alone in a dark alley facing the undeniables of life, don’t cover them with a blanket, or ignore them with a nervous grin. Don’t turn up the TV and pretend they aren’t there. Instead, stand still, whisper his name, and listen. He is nearer than you think.God is able to accomplish, provide, help, save, keep, subdue… He is able to do what you can’t. He already has a plan. God’s not bewildered. Go to Him. – Max Lucado

There is a solution, a creative solution, a remarkable solution, a God solution.  Now step into your next moment.

PERSIST!

I had an "expert" today tell me something couldn't be done......he may be right. 

But, it also reminded me of a letter I have read, written to a man and a woman who had an idea.  Here was the letter from their "expert":

Dear Sir:

I have looked over your little publication.  It seems to be interesting.  But, I don't see how you will be able to get enough subscribers to support it.  It is expensive for its size.  It isn't illustrated.
It is in competition with the Literary Digest, the Review of Reviews and such publications, and for this reason I have my doubts about the undertaking as a publishing venture.

Very sincerely yours,
(signed by editor)

This excerpt from a letter was written to DeWitt and Lila Wallace, in 1919, from a prominent publisher after Mr. Wallace pitched him on a new idea in magazine publishing.

 "The little magazine," as it was subtitled, carried no original content, only "serious" stories condensed from other publications. There would be no advertising, less competition for ads cause other publishers to withhold reprint permission. Keeping the magazine off newsstands would deter imitators, DeWitt reasoned, so they sold magazine subscriptions by mail order only.

Though the Wallaces had firm faith in their new venture, others gave it little chance. DeWitt had printed 200 copies of a trial issue virtually identical to the new magazine. He tried to sell it to publishers, but they all turned him down. It could not succeed, they said.


By the mid-1930s, the magazine’s success was confounding publishers and delighting readers across the country. By the 1980s, when the Wallaces passed away, the magazine was selling 31 million copies worldwide in 17 languages, with 100 million readers. Only the Bible exceeded it in readership.

What was this idea? The Reader's Digest

Have an idea you are passionate about?  I DO! 

I believe in asking and receiving wisdom before diving into anything (Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.) But I also believe if you are compelled, passionate, and have a huge desire to make something happen....don't let the "experts" stop you!

"Without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it's unlikely it would be worth the journey. Persist!" -Seth Godin

Returning to my "why"....

If you don't ask the right questions, every answer seems wrong.
-Ani DiFranco

I think this is correct because if I don't ask the right questions I tend to be without purpose, passion, and forward momentum.  Most of our most passionate life changes and progress is the stuff we do at the edges. But the edges are different for everyone, and the edges change over time.

So how do we recognize the edges?  For most of us, we would define this as just where we feel most uncomfortable or see something risky but it doesn't have to be that drastic.

I actually think there is a much easier and consistent way to find the edges....the edges are closer to the "why" of what we are doing.

“Our passions are the winds that propel our vessel. Our reason is the pilot that steers her. Without winds the vessel would not move and without a pilot she would be lost.” -English Proverb

I am finding the boundaries and the rules are in the "how" and "what" of my daily life.  These are easily defined because they have a checklist (and are necessary) but this checklist sometimes (for me anyway) becomes what it is all about and I forget "why" I am doing the checklist.

today....remember your "why" and it may just change the "how" and "what" of your life.

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
-Raymond Chandler

Seriously...am I my "to do" list?

Accomplishing tasks on my "to do" list is always important but lately it has been all consuming.  So many things happening at one time including an office move that was very welcomed on one hand but on the other couldn't have come at an absolutely worse time!  (I know these things never come at a good time...do they?)

Rabbit Trail:  I have always considered moving to be a good replacement for the death penalty. 

Judge:  "Your verdict is guilty and I am going to give you two choices 1. You can move every 90 days for the rest of your life and you have to unpack and pack including hanging items on the walls and heavy furniture....oh and you will also have to acquire items you may never use again in each place to move to the next place with you OR 2.  We can figure out the most painful way to kill you now."

Me:  "Well judge.....just kill me now!"

Ok it may not be that bad but boy moving is painful!  We have a wonderful team of people so it really was not a horrible experience and we are in a great place so I am not complaining....much :-)


Now back to my point....tasks.

How important is my "to do" list?  Well, I must do the things on it to keep my world moving forward so the answer seems to be "very important".   I think that is the correct answer but also I am seeing a growing trend with me and others that is disturbing.  Because of our "digital" culture I wonder if I am sacrificing my "humanness" for "getting things done".  It is easy to shoot an email....instant message an address.....read headlines.  Is my connectivity making me more human or less?

here is a moment from Seth Godin's blog that triggered this thought for me:

As the amount of inputs go up, as the number of people and ideas that clamor for attention continue to increase, we do what people always do: we rely on the familiar, the trusted and the personal.

The experience I have with you as a customer or a friend is far more important than a few random bits flying by on the screen. The incredible surplus of digital data means that human actions, generosity and sacrifice are more important than they ever were before.

This is true and a great reminder for me today....my interaction with family, friends, and people in general are more important than ever before whether it is face to face but now maybe more importantly in my "digital world"

It really does come down to Micah 6:8 (The Message):

He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.

Seriously.