life

Mar 12 2012

Your Life Matters

If you’re like me, you’re incredibly busy. I am a husband, father, ministry leader, small group member, blogger, member of several boards. I’m sure your list of roles is similarly lengthy. Many people plan work projects, starting a new business, vacations, entertainment, careers, building a new home. But, sadly, I’ve met very few people who have a plan for their life.

This post is part of the series – Personal Life Planning that Works
Your Life Matters
Grow on Purpose
3 Reasons Everyone Should Have a Personal Life Plan
The #1 Way to Get Better Results with Your Personal Life Plan
3 Personal Life Plan Tips Most People Miss

As a result, they come to the realization that a major portion of their life has slipped away. And, discouraged and disillusioned, they try to figure out why they’ve not been more effective.

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

We all want our life and work to matter. And I have a conviction that every person is valuable and every life is worth developing. In short, your life matters!

Yet the harsh reality is – HOW you live determines how much your life will matter. And if my life is going to matter, I’ve got to be very intentional with how I live it.

Feb 17 2012

My Mess is my Message

Let’s face it – we’ve all ended up in a colossal mess at one time or another. Life is unpredictable and full of difficult circumstances and painful situations.

We don’t create messes on purpose – they just happen, right? OK, maybe there ARE times when painful experiences result from our own poor judgment.

Yep – occasionally the mess is our own fault. And, that’s OK – your mess makes you unique. It allows you to connect on a personal level with others in a way that success does not.

Here are a couple things I’ve learned from chaos…

Feb 13 2012

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!

Feb 12 2012

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:

Feb 08 2012

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: