Articles

3 reasons I started a blog

I started this blog in 2009 using the Blogger platform. For three years, I posted a few times each month. My posts were primarily personal although I occasionally included posts about my teams and my work. After a significant amount of research, I decided to move the blog to this WordPress self-hosted site in February 2012.

I am now posting 3 to 5 times each week. And I am becoming more focused on what my life and work means to others and how I write about it. These new changes are significantly impacting traffic and engagement- the first month following the move, the blog received more views than in the previous 36. More about that later.

Most people want to improve

I believe that most people want to grow personally and professionally. But you and I both know that it’s easier to read about and talk about growth than it is to actually do it. If it were easy – everyone would be doing it all the time.

Life is far too short to coast – even for a moment. Your life and legacy are immensely important to so many who are ready for you to lead with passion and intentionality.

I want to inspire you to grow on purpose, to live more effectively, to develop influence, and to lead your tribe. I want you to know that you can grow intentionally and lead today. Status quo is for the birds. And mediocrity is not just boring – it’s repulsive!

20 Life Lessons

I enjoy learning about new things. I’ve always been curious and forward thinking.

When it comes to implementing what I’ve learned – now, that’s a different story. For me, some things are harder to put into action than others.

You may pick up on things quickly. Or, you may be like me and learn the hard way. Either way, here are 20 life lessons:

What is a Christian Liberal Arts Education?

Because I work at a Christian liberal arts university, I am occasionally asked, What is a Christian Liberal Arts Education?

A Christian liberal arts education exclusively focuses on the development of the student in a safe environment which enhances student development in three ways:

One Practical Way to Change Your Life Forever

We spend time planning all kinds of things – to make the paycheck stretch as far as possible, for summer vacation, for the holiday office party, for the kid’s birthday parties – the list goes on.

But, let’s face it – most of us “waste” very little time planning for LIFE. In fact, when we read a sentence like the previous one, our temptation is to quit reading – to close the blog post. (I’m glad you didn’t!)

The truth is that developing a life or business plan doesn’t mean that everything will turn out exactly the way you map it out. It simply means that you have invested time and effort into discovering what matters most in life or in your work. What do you value most?

BONUS: I’ve created a NEW Guide that will walk you step-by-step through writing your own SIMPLE Personal Life Plan. You get a copy of this life-changing tool at the end of this article.

Several years ago, I read a book that profoundly impacted the way that I think about my life – E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. In his book about why most organizations fail, Michael Gerber wrote:

What’s Wrong With Everybody?

I’m really good at noticing when something’s wrong – especially when it’s something wrong with someone else. It’s easy to point out the missteps of someone else or call attention to gaps in their life and work. Mark Batterson, in his book Primal, says that before confronting what’s wrong with others, we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough to deal with what’s wrong with us.

Maybe we don’t take a good, hard look at ourselves because we don’t care enough about people. Maybe we’re too busy. Maybe we’re afraid of what we’ll find. Whatever the reason, it’s time…