The old is made new again

I was reminded in church today of a powerful thing:

Sometimes God needs to do something IN you so that He can do something THROUGH you

This weekend has been one where a reality I knew was present was brought into clear focus.  That reality is I have forgotten the importance of taking care of me.  What I mean by this is that I am very hardwired as someone who cares for others and as a result can forget to take care of myself.  In 2008 I was in that same place and something switched inside of me.  I realized that if I am going to continue to be there for others that I need to take care of myself.  This is most evident in the area of my health and my weight.  Back in 2008 I experienced a reality check when I was in to see an ENT to have a portion of my throat scoped due to my acid reflux.  I was concerned I would hear that I need surgery and yet learned there was just inflammation and through losing weight it would subside.  I saw the effects of making that simple choice and it was true that losing the weight helped that and so much more.

I have a weight loss journey page I started on Facebook that I used as a means to update people on my journey.  I was excited to share my progress that I often updated on a daily basis.  There were highs and lows and many things to look back on in the process.  I started down a slippery slope close to a year ago now and allowed the stress of life, the lack of focus and resolve at times, to impact my health and life.  I regained a fair amount of what I lost and feel like I am back in familiar territory.  It is a view I don’t like to see and be part, but it is also one that I know how to rally back from.  A journey defined is one that is ongoing and not one that stops for many.  That is the case for me and as I get very transparent in this post, I see no other way to push in and through than to go public and to announce I am on project status again.  I know what lies ahead won’t be easy, but I need to do it for me so that I can be available for those around me and the new members of this planet I may come in contact with.

I welcome your support along the way and I know all things are possible in trusting in Him…

What’s in your hands?

Sometimes in life you can feel like you are on a hamster wheel and caught in a continuous loop.  When you are in that reality, it can feel from time to time that what you do each day does not have much value or impact.  The pace and the lists can become the focus, versus taking the time to simply put one foot in front of the other and face what you encounter head on.  If I am honest with myself, the past several weeks have contained a good sampling of those realities.  I also need to be honest with myself and remember that God wastes nothing in life.  I have been reminded of this through listening to a recent sermon podcast from Passion City Church out of the Atlanta area.  The title of the message was “Available” and it spoke things I have heard before in different ways.  The biggest takeaway and reminder was the choice and corresponding reality to being open to being used each day.  We sometimes have things in our hands and sometimes don’t have anything but our hands.  I was challenged to trust that what we have each day is enough and much can happen when we allow God to work through the simple reality of our availability.  Even today when I went to grab lunch I was given a simple opportunity.  A women was trying to figure out the new Coke Freestyle machine where you can mix and match soda flavors in virtually limitless combinations.  She was trying to get the simplest of options, water and it was proving frustrating for her.  I stopped and helped and she was grateful for the instruction.  Did I change the world with that moment, likely not.  I was however available and used what was in my hands, which are always connected to ones mind and heart.

Each day brings with it things we may have planned for and often a sprinkling of things we did not plan for.  I am grateful that I am continuing to learn to move past my often choice for perfection and wanting to do it right the first time, to being open and available for resources and options to solve the task at hand.

The contribution point:  how has life shown you to be aware and use what is in your hands on a daily basis?  I welcome your comments below.

Are We There Yet?

Many of us can harken back to our childhood and remember the road trips with family or friends and the concepts of time and distance were hard to fully understand.  Our patience muscle may have also not been that strong, so we like many asked the question of the driver “are we there yet?”  I know for myself it was not asked only once, but several times.  I was sometimes excited about the destination we were headed to and the confines of the car were just not fun anymore.  There were also times when I was hungry or tired and knowing we were either getting close to a rest stop, food establishment, or place to sleep had me wondering how much longer it would take.

I was listening to a recent episode of a podcast I have on my playlist.  It is from the team at Catalyst and they interview leaders, authors, and thought leaders.  One of the things they have added to the podcast in recent months is the leadership nugget section.  One of the hosts Ken Coleman was sharing his nugget and it centered around the whole “are we there yet?” question addressed above.  He was honest and said as a parent it is a hard question to hear as often it happens in the early stages of the journey and not the latter.  He commented that often the answer back to the person is along the lines of “no, not much longer”.  He went on further to share that providing that answer does not really bring clarity to the situation, but rather can frustrate it.  He has taken the approach now to answer the same question more along the lines of “no, but in three hours we will be”.  Being clear and concise has actually helped his riders understand the journey and not be so frustrated.

The leadership lesson in this which spoke to me is the simple reality that we are all looking for answers and for clarity in things.  When we are in positions of leadership and people ask us “are we there yet?” (whether in a project, a program, or even the road trip piece), it is better to respond with clarity and let the individual or group know where we are in the process and/or journey.  Life can often have periods and places where we ourselves as the “are we there yet?” question.  I know that I will think differently about how to respond when that question is asked of me, whether in its original form or a hybrid thereof.

Toolbox Inventory Check

It’s a holiday week and things at my job are a bit slower which affords me to get to some projects I am not always able to.  One of the things I did today was taking the time to go through all the meeting and event supplies I had in my cabinet near my cube.  When I run events, I rely on these supplies to help me in a pinch and ensure the consistency of the end product delivered to the client.  When I paused and took inventory of what I had in my array of supplies, I realized two simple things:

– I had things that were newer tools to my supply arsenal that I forgot they were there

– I had excess of some items that I could give back to our overall supply as a company

In life we often face periods where we need to call upon what is in our own toolbox.  It could be something that is actual and physical and can solve a problem.  It can also be something that is pulled from often an unseen area, often our experience.  We can sometimes feel like the “right” tool is not in the box when in reality it may be buried under something else or be a tool that is newly acquired which we are still learning all its uses.

Then there is the other side of the toolbox, where we can see we can share our inventory.  Things that are still perfectly good can be repurposed and make an impact in someone’s life.  Advice and experience learned and stored amongst the walls of the box can be shared and help someone get through a patch in life.  This can take many forms from mentoring someone, to laughing with someone, to just being a listening ear.

I have been and continue to be on a journey where I am seeing there is more to my own toolbox that I am even aware of.  I am grateful when I have instances when the resources of the box can be called upon in a given situation.  I am also humbled when actual things can be given away freely to benefit others, whether you see the impact firsthand or not.

The contribution point:  have you checked your toolbox inventory lately?  Do you have newly acquired items you are still learning about and do you have some excess that could be given out to impact others?  I welcome your comments below.