Destined to Win

This week I have a poem for you. I was given this poem by a friend a couple of years ago and it has been a source of inspiration to me. I hope that it will inspire you as well.

He didn’t bring us this far to forsake us,
He will take us through the valley of the shadow of death.

He didn’t teach us to swim to let us drown,
He will hold up our heads in the turbulent waters.

He didn’t build His home in us to desert it,
He will make us His tabernacle.

He didn’t lift us up to let us down,
His righteousness will uphold us.

He didn’t win the Calvary battle to make us losers,
He will lead us to victory.

He did not die to make us lifeless,
But to give us life in its abundance.

He didn’t give up His throne to make us destitutes,
But to make us co-heirs with Himself.

He did not allow this to happen to destroy us,
But to shape us, mould us and build us up.

What the devil has meant for evil,
He has meant for good.

From time immemorial we were destined to WIN!

Yes, even when we seem to be loosing,
Destined to WIN!

How Leaders Inspire Followers

        "He who thinks he's a leader but has no-one
               following, is merely taking a walk."

                  JOHN MAXWELL

The main difference between leaders and non-leaders is this: leaders have followers, non-leaders have no followers!  There are people that occupy positions of authority but have no followers.  Tragically, some of them think that they are leaders when in actual fact they are not.  Leaders have followers, non-leaders have no followers.

If occupying a position of authority is no guarantee of leadership, then what is?  The answer is simple: the ability to inspire people.  Leaders inspire people to become their followers.  Becoming a leader involves inspiring people to follow you, and only those that know how to do so do it effectively.

Today, I am going to share with you three ways that leaders inspire people to become their followers.  I hope that they will help you become an effective leader, even if you do not occupy a position of authority.

1.  Leaders talk a lot about where they are going.  People like to follow people that are going somewhere and not those that are going nowhere.  Anyone that shows himself to be going somewhere will see people following him.  Anyone that shows himself to be going nowhere will not see people following him.

2.  Leaders show their followers the way.  Followers expect leaders to direct and guide them to where he is going.  Such direction and guidance gives followers clearer sight of where leaders are taking them. Without such direction and guidance, most followers lose sight of where leaders are taking them to and lose trust in their leaders.

3.  Leaders promise rewards to their followers.  The prospect of a reward motivates followers at all times.  Followers that have nothing to look forward to may at anytime become unmotivated.

That's how leaders inspire followers.

You do not have to occupy a position of authority to become a leader. Becoming a leader involves inspiring people to follow you.  Tell me where you are going, show me the way and promise me a reward for my efforts and I just might follow you.  

How to Fully Utilize the Power of Goal Setting

What connection is there between your mission and the goals that you are pursuing today?  If there is none, you are probably under utilizing the power of goal setting.  Goal setting is a tool that is designed not just to get you whatever you want in life but, rather, to get you what you need to achieve your mission.

1.        Tie your goals to your mission
Your mission represents is your ultimate goal in life.  Whatever goal you set in life should be in line with your mission.  Unless you do this, you may spend a lifetime chasing after goals that take you nowhere.

2.        Set goals that are progressive
Your goals should successively contribute to the attainment of your ultimate goal – your mission.  The journey towards your ultimate goal should be like walking up a staircase. Just as each step should be joined to the one before it and the one after it, your goals for this year should be joined to last year's goals and next year's goals.  That way you are assured of going somewhere with your life.

3.        Move from setting goals to setting strategic objectives
Goals keep your focus on what you want to do within a given timeframe.  Strategic objectives, however, shift your focus to the end to what you intend to achieve through your goal.  Focusing on the end is more energizing than focusing on the means.

Get more than just an exciting experience out of your goals – achieve your life mission in the process.  To do so, align your goals to your mission, have your goals progressively lead you towards your mission and shift your focus from what you have to do to what you want to achieve through what you have to do. That is how you fully utilize the power of goal setting.

Maintain Your Optimism In The Face Of Unexpected Challenges

Numbers 13 records the commission of twelve Israelite leaders to secretly go into and spy out the Promised Land.  On their return, they reported their assessment of the possibilities of them (the whole nation of Israel) entering into and taking possession of the land.  Ten of them discouraged the people.  They told the people that entering into and taking possession of the land was impossible: they said that the land was inhabited by giants, who were more powerful than them, and the land was protected by tall walls.  The other two, however, told the people that entering into and taking possession of the land was possible.  "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it," one of them said.

The twelve leaders' reports reveal to us how leaders act when they come across unexpected challenges.  Some leaders loose their optimism and become pessimistic.  Others maintain their optimism.  

Pessimism In The Face Of Unexpected Challenges

Leaders that become pessimistic discourage followers from pressing forward towards the goals that they had initially set out to achieve.  They see unexpected challenges as ultimate blockades to their goals and want their followers to believe the same.  They magnify unexpected challenges and belittle their potential.  Consequently, such leaders and their followers are unmotivated and stalled by unexpected challenges. Such were the type of leaders were ten of the leaders that went in to spy out the Promised Land.

The ten leaders that resemble leaders that loose their optimism and become pessimistic in the face of unexpected challenges discouraged the people from trying to enter into and take possession of the Promised Land.  They saw the inhabitants of the land – giants – and the high walls that surrounded their cities as ultimate barricades to the land and wanted the people to believe the same.  They magnified the giants and the walls and belittled their potential to go in and drive out the giants from the land.  Consequently, these leaders made the people unmotivated to enter into and take possession of the Promised Land.

Optimism In The Face Of Unexpected Challenges

Leaders that maintain their optimism always encourage followers to press forward towards the achievement of goals.  They see challenges as opportunities for extraordinary advancement and want their followers to believe the same.  They acknowledge the existence of the challenge as well as the existence of potential within themselves and their followers.  Consequently, such leaders and their followers are motivated and unstopped by unexpected challenges. Such was the type of leaders were ten of the leaders that went in to spy out the Promised Land.

The two leaders that resemble leaders that maintain their optimism in the face of unexpected challenges encouraged the people to enter into and take possession of the Promised Land.  They saw the inhabitants of the land – giants – and the high walls that surrounded their cities as opportunities for conquest and wanted the people to believe the same. They had a clear perception of the giants and the walls, however, did not undermine their potential to go in and drive out the giants from the land. Consequently, these leaders made the people unmotivated to enter into and take possession of the Promised Land.

Great leaders maintain their optimism in the face of unexpected challenges.  The two leaders that tried to encourage the Israelites to enter and take possession of the Promised Land are perfect examples of such leaders.  What is your response to unexpected challenges?  Do you maintain your optimism in the face of unexpected challenges? Or, like the other ten, you become pessimistic in the face of unexpected challenges? Make a decision to try and maintain your optimism.

Direction, Balance and Belief – What You Need to Succeed in Life

Success means many things to many people.  It cannot be given an absolute definition. However, Glenn Bland, author of Success! The Glenn Bland Method: How to set goals and make plans that really work, suggests that all success consists of three pillars – direction, balance and belief.   In explaining these pillars, Bland writes:

Success consists of three things if you are gain a true understanding:
1.        Direction – Setting your sights on the things that are worthwhile in life and then establishing a plan to continuously work toward their fulfillment and accomplishment.
2.        Balance – Keeping the proper perspective about every area of your life.  Staying in harmony with nature's law which produces perfect balance.  Balance in all things brings about happiness.
3.        Belief – No man will become successful who does not possess belief.  The greater his belief – the greater his degree of success.  Successful men are believers!

A person with direction, balance and belief will become successful in life. This week, I want you to consider the extent to which you have direction, balance and belief in your life.  If it is little (and it does not satisfy you), I urge you to start working at increasing it.  If it is a lot (and it satisfies you), I urge you to work at maintaining it as long as it continues to make you successful in life.  After that, you will need to increase it.

An Athlete's Pride

I spent most of today rambling through more than 50 pages of motivational sports quotes and among them I found one titled ‘An Athletes Pride.’ The quote intrigued me so much so I instantly thought to share it with you as today’s post. I hope that you are intrigued with the quote as much as I was and you find others to share it with.

An Athlete’s Pride
"I'm a high school player. I'm a team player. I play with my friends and with some of my enemies, but I respect everyone when it comes to my sport. I know I'm not going to get a multi-million dollar contract to play professionally. I know I may not even get my name in the paper. I play for love of the game. For the pride and honor, for the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make the team, to earn the spot, to win the game. I play because I can, I play because I know that my life would be empty without the sport I play. I would have a lack of everything my sport gives me... integrity, courage, talent, fearlessness, pride, strength, stamina, will, and the heart of a champion. If I didn't play, I would lose a part of me. I'm an athlete. I'm a girl. I'm a champion, not because my team always wins, but because when we don't, we learn from our mistakes. We try to fix them, and most of all because we have fun. I have built lifelong friendships and memories because of my being an athlete. I leave everything on the field or court and continue to push myself. I am never happy with second place, but I have learned to accept it. I have learned to get over and through my anger and be the athlete and player I have always dreamed of being. I don't play for my parents, for my family, for my friends; I don't play for my coach or my teachers or my school. I play for myself but when I'm playing I represent them. It isn't about winning or losing, but I hate to lose. I won't settle for a tie, and I am not satisfied with 100%. To play, you have to sacrifice everything, your body, your time, your sweat, blood, and tears, everything... for your team. I am a player, and athlete and a champion, not because I know what it is like to win, but because I know what it is like to lose. I know what it is like to feel the anger and pain that comes along with "second best." I have been that girl with tears in her eyes, walking out to receive the second place trophy and clapping as the other team, my opponents, receive the first place one. I know what it is like to lose, to win, to want to quit, to want to cry, to not want to get up. I know what it is like to hear the cheers and yells for you. I know what it is like to feel the pressure of everyone on your shoulders, and I know what it is like to choke under that pressure. I know what it means to be an athlete, a true player, and that is why I play. I AM AN ATHLETE, A CHAMPION, A TRUE PLAYER."

Playing the Game of Life
‘An Athlete’s Pride’ makes us understand the athlete’s source of satisfaction in her game. Life in general and the specific areas of your life – your family life, your professional life and your public life – have similar sources of satisfaction. If you look at it closely enough, you will discover that one of the greatest metaphors for life is athletics.

Now, ask yourself the question, ‘How am I playing the game of life?’ and more specifically, ‘How am I playing the game of life?’

Can you take the exact words of ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ and use them to refer to your life in general? Can you take the exact words of ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ and use them to refer to your family, professional life and public life?

If you can, then I would like to congratulate you? If you cant, I’d like to urge you to consider using ‘An Athlete’s Pride’ as the benchmark to which you begin to develop satisfaction in your life – in general as well as your family, professional and public life specifically.

The Wicked Servant's Lament

Like the new widow
Mine was the window
I watched life pass by
Dreamt of one day being the passer by
“But what if you loose it?
What will you gain from using it?
Put it on the shelve
Keep it known to yourself,”
The devil played his tricks in my mind
Now I’m left behind.
All things come to an end
And mine was my life’s end!

Comment – To fulfill the mandate that God has given us to exercise rulership over the earth we must make use of all the gifts and talents that He has given us. We must not allow fear, worry, procrastination, false hope or any other negative force to stop us from using our gifts and talents. When we do not use them, we become ineffective in fulfilling the mandate that God has given us and He is disappointed in us. Do not think like the wicked servant. There is no gain in preserving and hiding your gifts and talents.