Underappreciated

I was recently listening to a leadership talk on CD by Chris Brady, and one of his passing quotes was "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly." He was quoting Thomas Paine, an 18th century English-American political activist. Although Chris' quoting of Paine was merely an expounding of a sub-point of his overall theme in the talk, I immediately had to jot it down for its profundity.

Looking it up and reading a little further on Thomas Paine, I found that the whole quote originally went like this:

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

I can really appreciate this quote because, first of all, it applies to so much in life - arguably to everything in life, if you think about it. For example, the 16 year old whose parents buy him/her their first car right after they've obtained their driver's license, can't appreciate that car (whether a Mustang or a "rust bucket") as much as they would if they'd worked hard for a summer, saved up the cash and delayed their gratification, and then purchased the car of their choice - in their price range. Another example is, frankly, me in regards to my wife. What I mean is, as I've often told her, after spending virtually all of my dating years seemingly chasing after gals I desired, and bending over backwards to please them and retain their affections, one day in 2008 she walked into my life and I needed to do nothing to win her over. I have always feared that, for all these years since, I might underappreciate her because I hadn't had to strive to "win" or "obtain" her or her love. The fact that you don't necessarily have to struggle and scratch and claw to obtain a spouse's loyalty - when God's goodness can take care of that - is a topic for another time. But the fact that, generally speaking otherwise, mankind values that which he labored for more deeply, is the topic here.

The ultimate example, or application, I want to draw attention to in light of Thomas Paine's quote, is our freedom as Americans.

Thomas Paine's quote highlights (and probably, when he first said it, purposely foretold) how free Americans of each subsequent generation stand to lose more ground than those before them in the battle to stay fully appreciative of the freedoms our country enjoys. Anyone who's spent considerable time over in a third world or war-torn country doing mission work will confirm this when they come home. Anyone who served in the armed forces or simply lived during the Greatest Generation in the World War II era will bemoan this. Simply put, if you didn't earn it, you can't appreciate it enough. To any who want to shrug off responsibility for that truth in their own life, because of facts they can't change (like "But I wasn't even alive until long past those years!"), well -- we can still try!! We can still study those times. We can still study the founding generation, their efforts, their values, etc. We can still make our freedom a subject of concern and common conversation, as if it still matters greatly now, just as it did then when it was still being earned or "obtained."

21st Century Americans are wusses. Plain and simple. And that includes me. Maybe some of us have had difficult family lives and have been toughened by poverty by our country's standards. Maybe others of us have served in the armed forces recently - or still do - and you would be exempt from this because you have seen what it's like to pay a price for your country's freedom, and if so, I and millions in our country thank you sincerely and wish you could be more highly esteemed. But maybe who I'm mostly directly speaking to as I write this is anyone in my generation, or the one immediately before, or certainly the one(s) immediately following. The founding generations....the American settlers who established the territories and cultures of our country....and most recently the generation that makes up our grandparents and great grandparents, didn't know anything of X-Box, iPads and iPhones, DVD players in the backs of headrests in cars, microwaves, or the prevalence of fast food and delivery pizza and subs. They earned their rights as adults in society. They earned their living through hard work (most of the time much harder than the average American has to work nowadays). They purchased things only when they truly deserved them and had earned them, not when they simply wanted them and a bank had told them they could afford X amount of credit for them. And, speaking of the very freedom of our country itself over 200 years ago, they had the utmost freedom and liberty to live as they wanted only when they had truly earned it - only when enough had stood up and argued for it, or had bled and died and sacrificed for it. Not a moment sooner or a dollar less.

I and the vast majority of my countrymen of our latest generations are a laughing stock by comparison. We haven't had to put anything on the line for the freedoms we enjoy still to this day. The majority of us aren't ever called on  explicitly to serve and protect to keep it that way. And even worse, the majority of us still complain and take it all for granted, while through our arrogance and ignorance to how politics really works we just let freedom continue to be taken out from under our noses.

Maybe we can't, or don't have to, sacrifice our lives in blood to put an end to the losses. But how much better would it all be if we banded together, each in our own way, to learn more about the history of our freedom, and what we can do individually and collectively to preserve it? How much better can it be if, instead of our gazes being fixed downward right on our own sacred little plot of ground and time that we're renting (cuz let's face it, we're renting our time from God Almighty, and for most of us our property or homes are rented from the bank - true ownership doesn't exist these days), we look only backward and forward. Backward in thankfulness and appreciation of what others have done to obtain what we have now, and forward in resolve to preserve it all ourselves in whatever way we can so our children and theirs can still enjoy it. History has proven for every other people who were ever free, that if any generation keeps looking downward at themselves, they hasten the day of their freedom loss.

"But Jeff, you don't understand how busy I am..." Yes I do. I am too. Are we too busy to scrimp on a little TV watching, video-game playing, deer-hunting, or hauling kids back and forth from every imaginable peewee league to dedicate time to educating ourselves and our families on the things that will keep freedom alive? Are we too busy with pleasing ourselves and rewarding ourselves for our own hard work that we can't spare a night here or there to volunteer somewhere or show up at local city council meetings or make our (educated) votes known? "Things ain't what they used to be," many of us cry out. That's right, because "used to be" that every citizen, young and old, made a point to gather regularly and discuss the hard things and challenges of the times, to collectively decide again and again on who to keep things headed in the right direction on the local level, so that we all could, as townships, counties, and states, hold the federal government accountable. Why don't we do that anymore? What would happen if we got it back?

Please understand that I don't write to you as George Washington reincarnate, or even as present-day freedom fighters Oliver DeMille or Stephen Palmer (please see http://www.thesocialleader.com/blog/ for true inspiration on all of this). I write to you as someone whose personal economic freedom isn't such yet that i can contribute as much to the solutions as I want to. I'm also someone whose own lazy excuses still get in my way too often. But I want to be that voice of encouragement that says to everyone, "Let's let our efforts rise above our excuses and get busy KEEPING freedom!!"

We may not have "obtained" all that we have and know in our current level of freedom. But we can absolutely strive to live in appreciation and protection of what we "esteem," and make sure that its "dearness" runs deep in each of our homes!

As another Veteran's Day approaches, thank you, God, for those who have served and fallen in the name of American freedom, and thank you for the opportunity in each of our lives, to bring back what is being lost!

Book Cover Judgments

Have you ever found yourself perplexed over how tricky it can be to accurately size people up from first impressions? I'm not referring to the thought Hey, I have no idea what to make of this person. They're hard to read. No, I mean, how futile it is to trust our initial judgments of the cover of the book that is the new acquaintance.

Have you ever caught yourself having to backtrack from your original impression? Isn't it interesting how we so naturally and fluidly can amend an original favorable impression of a person with a newfound negative label, yet it's so very hard to admit to ourselves when we've mislabeled someone negatively and have to backtrack to relabel them positively?

I've found myself in this position a couple times recently with new coworkers. In two somewhat strikingly opposite cases I know I was wrong about someone from first impressions, and then I had to learn how to view that coworker in an opposite light than what I first thought was the one shining on them. Coworker #1 I was convinced might be a very humble, encouraging, easy-going individual who could be worth reaching out to with an invitation to partner with me in my leadership development group. When the invitation was officially extended, the reaction given and my initial treatment afterward proved me quite wrong on many of those assumptions. I won't say he's a bad person; it's just that I was probably incorrect about some of the good qualities in specific that I thought he had. Then coworker #2 was the stark opposite experience. Again, not to say that I've come to find that he's actually the most humble, agreeable, positive influence and a "10 percenter" extraordinaire. But I was wrong in my initial judgment, and labels of haughtiness, arrogance, and other things were probably too harshly ascribed - certainly he's not those things to the levels of depth that I first thought.

What does this teach us? What has it taught me, yet again? Well, of course, the old adage that we can't "judge a book by its cover" is profoundly true. In fact, it's so true that we may stand to consider that we're very often completely wrong when assuming someone belongs so far into one end of a label spectrum, and people are sometimes the total opposite of what we first think.

But more than that, I think this reinforces an invaluable lesson in leadership: At all times, look for the good in others around you. Sure, there are settings where this is easier than in others, but, as Orrin Woodward describes in his famous recording of a leadership talk, "Lens Effect," we only set ourselves up for failure in making a positive influence on our surroundings (i.e. leadership) if we allow ourselves to label others in a way that's anything but favorable. When I meet or observe someone like Coworker #2, though I find myself initially thinking, "Holy cow, that guy's got some ego! And he doesn't mind letting everyone know it," I should still instead force myself to correct that mental course and ask myself "Even if that is one of his weaknesses, what does it seem like this guy is good at?" or "What should I appreciate about this coworker?" or "Should I wait a little longer until I've been around him a few days before I cast any judgment at all? I might find that he's not so bad, or even that he could be a new friend in disguise." (In the case of this Coworker #2, I had immediately put up a wall of negative judgment with no provocation on his part, and had to feel very sheepish inside when he showed no hesitation later in extending his good will and acceptance - how humbling!)

Leadership opportunities are everywhere, in every imaginable setting. Until we learn to see others in a positive light, and hold back on judging books by less attractive covers, we'll delay our ability to positively influence them because we haven't cultivated a sense of good will and friendliness. In fact, finding automatic reason not to like or respect someone will only close us off to wanting to influence them in any decent way, thus tricking ourselves out of a chance to make a difference in that person's life. But when we do take up the lens of accepting, approving, and appreciating and we lovingly give others that chance to show themselves for who they really are - which often just needs a little bit of time - we can certainly find something (or maybe a lot of things) to like and be appreciative of, so we can attach to them on a human level and swing wide the door for positive influence.

Everybody is a book. Not all of us have the best covers. I resolve that, no matter the looks of the cover, I'll take the time to open the book, get beyond the table of contents and even the first chapter before labeling someone, and no matter what label I may eventually find them worthy of, I'll always find the good in the other person so I can be a blessing to their life - not a judge.

For this, God give me strength!!

The Confrontation

I'm not talking about the bully at school. I'm not talking about the coworker who ruffles your feathers and seems to have it out for you. I'm not talking about your spouse or significant other. I'm talking about the hardest of all confrontations. The one from which you can run, but cannot hide.

It's confrontation with yourself - with brutal reality. 

Have you ever had that moment where you went through an experience and left it behind feeling somewhat content with the results, until someone else offered a different, more honest perspective about that same thing? What happens inside you when that takes place? Maybe we face it, fess up, and fuss not. Or maybe we duck the clobbering swing of that truth and hide behind the convenient excuse of "good enough" or another justification. 

I had the privilege of sharing in a similar experience very recently with a business partner. We were chatting about something that had taken place in our business where the result didn't go as hoped for, and even ended up being different than what it originally looked like it would be. The bottom line of this personal scenario was: my friend and business partner was willing to stare straight at the "scoreboard" of our situation, acknowledge it without wavering, and then ask the difficult questions so that we could hopefully grow from the learning. I, however, was a little more reluctant. I was willing to embrace the possibility of gray area that could slightly let us off the hook. I was willing to offer the possibility that we were being too hard on ourselves regarding the outcome. I was even enticed by the very crafty logic that "there is defeat in every victory, and victory in every defeat," therefore we should just focus on the victory in our defeat. 

The trouble with this type of thinking is that it gets us nowhere. To run from brutal reality is only to stunt your own growth, and potential for being a leader. To borrow from the wonderful world of sports, imagine it's halftime of a 24-0 whupping, the coach of his football team (who's receiving said whupping) tells his troops "You know what, guys... 24-0 ain't so bad. I think there's a lot to feel good about in that half. After all, we're not down 38-0! There's probably 2 touchdowns in there somewhere that we didn't give up." Would that coach be doing his men much good by suggesting their scoreboard's display wasn't so bad? Certainly not. Rather, confronting the reality that they need to go out and not only score 4 touchdowns, but also play immaculate defense the whole second half, in order to win, is exactly what should happen. That requires being tough on oneself. 

In personal growth, in business, in one's role in their family....in everything, we experience so much good from being willing to accept blame where blame is due. It's just the other side of the fairness coin, where we all agree that it's ok to accept praise where praise is due. For, as the joking expression goes, "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt." In order to change what's wrong, we have to accept it as wrong in the first place. We must be open to the reality that we aren't perfect, that mistakes will happen, and that only through learning from those mistakes can any future victories occur. 

So I'm thankful for the courage and integrity and hunger for excellence exhibited by my friend and business partner. He is worthy of the successes he'll receive in due time, because he is not only leading himself in the pivotal area of accepting blame for areas of failure and vowing to learn how to change through proper analysis and game-planning, but he's also leading others who would be wise to follow his example. I am blessed to associate with people who will set that example for me. 

Now the question is: What brutal realities do you need to face? What blame have you been dodging, and thus stunting your own personal growth? Where can you potentially find the freeing experience of seeking out and learning from failures displayed on life's scoreboard? Really, in this regard, the truth does set you free. It sets you free to move beyond stubbornness and pride. It sets you free to leave behind mediocrity because you won't take the excuses others accept for themselves. It sets you free to grow into the most excellent version of yourself you were made to be. And in so doing, you make of yourself just one more brushstroke in your life's canvass painting of positive influence on the world around you. 

And that influence, friends, is after all, the definition of leadership. 

Let's go have some confrontations!

God's blessings.

P.S. And to my good friend and business partner, herein mentioned, thank you. You know who you are. I'm blessed to have your leadership in my life. Keep doing what you do!

Has the Time Come?

Tonight I finished reading my copy of "LeaderShift: A Call for Americans to Finally Stand Up and Lead." My blog's purpose is not that of a book review. I don't consider myself qualified for that (I've got way too far to go to be an avid, much less diversified, reader). But I do want to put my thoughts out about this amazing piece of literature. What's more, I actually feel a shift taking place in this very blog entry, transforming my own humble little blog's purpose from that of leadership-related musings, to that of promoting the most important message in this day and age (secularly speaking): FREEDOM.

Ultimately, it's my sincere hope that anyone who comes across word of the book "LeaderShift" will get their hands on it. I hate to state it crassly, but the only group of people who this book isn't for is.........those who don't truly care about the future of our nation. Call that melodramatic, but if you ask me the one thing worse than the actual state of our country is the apathy and ignorance about it epitomized by so many of our citizens (among which I was one of the worst until very recently). But then again, I think many thousands, perhaps millions, do sense how grave things are, and yet they either A) think they have the solutions (but they don't, cuz their ideas are things that have already been tried and failed), B) think no solution exists, or C) want there to be a solution but they're too dizzied by the cacophony of opinions and platitudes on CNN or from their economics professors, or their drinking buddies, or coworkers, and so on... To all of you who do want there to be a real solution....finally....your answer has arrived. You MUST read this book!

Co-authors Oliver DeMille and Orrin Woodward used a captivating and easy-to-read narrative format for housing the delivery of an entirely fresh and profound proposal for the turnaround of our nation. Their thoughts have been guided by decades, collectively, of reading and studying historical accounts, literary works from the founding generation, the thoughts of the Classics, etc. Their intuitions have been impacted by their own personal and professional experiences. Their passion and vision comes from a humility and desire for embodying true leadership in their own lives that they are open to ideas that come from outside the box, and their logic is undeniable. At the end of the day, it's as Einstein said: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results."

That's why I ask any who read this: Is it possible that we've been doing this as a country? Is it possible we've been banging out heads against the wall for a very, very long time? 

In my opinion, there are varying degrees of blame for that. There's no disguising the fact that, for some, the way our political system has been manipulated over the years is very advantageous. So why would anyone who adopts beneficial roles within such a system want anything to change? Actually, such individuals in power may be the only reason why traction for new ideas that can improve America's standing may be met with resistance. Everybody has heard the saying, that power corrupts. In reality, it's a matter of where the power is that determines the corruption.

What I'm saying - and what, in part, this wonderful book is saying - is: Isn't it time for Americans at large to take back the power? I'm not dressed all in black, cranking a heavy song by a band like Rise Against, promoting the idea of anarchy. Nowhere near that, actually. But what did the founding fathers and their associates do more than 250 years ago? Think about that....

"Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."

-The Declaration of Independence

From this very poignant quote from one of our country's greatest documents I take 3 main points:

1. Americans have absolutely, no questions asked, undeniably been suffering evils that are impeding on our freedoms, and allowing a form of government to rise up into something that's turning our society away from the original ideals. And we've been suffering it for too long. 

2. It is no longer prudent for us as countrymen to sit idly by, claiming victimhood, and believing that it's not up to us to fix what's broken. For the masses, and each individual, to carry on believing that is to deny what was done once before, that enabled us to be free in the first place. If we think we shouldn't, or can't, abolish the forms to which we're accustomed (yet fed up with), we obviously don't know our history, and we really don't deserve our freedom then either. 

3. The time has come. The hour is getting late. Change must take place. We the people, each of us as individuals, must assume responsibility. 

"Sounds great, Jeff," you're saying? "Sounds so patriotic. I can practically hear the soundtrack to that movie Glory playing in the background right now! But what do I even do or how would it even look to re-enact what the likes of Jefferson, Hancock, Wythe, Harrison, Franklin, Clark, and Adams accomplished oh, so long ago?"

To that I simply reply: Read...this...book. Not only will you enjoy it, but you'll be stimulated in a way that you probably haven't been by a piece of literature before. Frankly, it'll put answers into your mind to those questions we've all been asking for a long time. I hope you're at least curious enough to check out a copy. If you know me personally, ask me for a copy. I bought several when they were released, and I plan on having none left for myself if I can get my way. I want this message out there, hands down.

Next time you step outside on a calm evening, just stand there and take it all in. The skies free of bombs. The streets and fields free of wreckage and pillaging. The peace with which you and your family can just hop into your vehicle and drive to your grocery store of choice, your church of choice, your movie theater of choice, and so forth. Just because these freedoms, and others, remain intact doesn't mean that others that are just as important aren't being dissolved out from under us. In fact, the ones that are disappearing as we all sit around complaining are the foundational ones. What happens to a house whose foundation has eroded, when the big bad storm comes bursting through? Think of your children at that moment, when freedom is the most comforting and sweet in your ears and eyes. Ask yourself if you want there to be any chance that, if things are as bad as some say, that they will inherit disaster, poverty, and collapse when your watch is over. Finally, ask yourself if you can think of anyone you've heard on the radio or seen on TV who's got a comforting solution to our deepest fears for this nation...

Then get this book and read it. Soon. 

Thank you for reading as usual. God bless you all, and God bless America...with leaders who are willing to finally stand up and lead in their own way. That can be you, and that can be me. Let's do this together. 

A Poem: Inspired by Chris Brady's "Obstacles"

Mediocrités

His coaxing hand upon my shoulder

I barely feel the alarm within

His nudge is so subtle as he grows bolder

He loves it when my light’s this dim

His whispering words distract my thoughts

His face looks so kind and peaceful

When he’s near me no wandering is caught

My courage cowers in thought of each woe

His melody of choice is the complaining drone

Yeah, his symphony is the whine of a child

The more we converse his dirge becomes my own

Til every dream I’ve dreamt is defiled

As he tells it, there’s no point to struggling

When there’s comfort waiting behind

As he sells it, his points get to snuggling

And excuses become all too easy to find

Do I know him well enough by now

To see through his devilish game?

Dare I fight the power of his undertow

When he so soothingly calls me by name?

I could choose to place finger upon the wrong

and insist that my dreams aren’t fabricated

Yet his eyebrows lower and wise head shakes so long

“You’re a long shot if God ever made it.”

I don’t want him to be right, I want to believe

That prosperity and peace can be mine

I don’t want to lose this fight, I want my reprieve

And to be free to turn loose the dying

Someone please jerk around this lazy head

And quiet the fool telling me lies

Comfort’s not what I seek, it’s the battle I want instead

And with battle-worn hands to hold the prize

Flee from me now, you who lure me to your dark

I spurn your wiles for wasting another minute

Your call is for a road that won’t see my foot’s mark

Greatness is my path and I will walk tall in it

JPU

5.31.13

Why Entrepreneurism?

Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever asked yourself this question, whether because it’s an idea that’s beginning to make a comeback, or because you heard there might be better ways to try and make a living? Many are curious these days, others are asking it simply out of hunger for a debate… “Why entrepreneurism?”

Allow me to share my humble thoughts as to why this word is a word that should become an everyday-er in your personal vocabulary. Hopefully I’ll be able to sensibly tie it in with my blog’s theme, leadership, as well.

For starters, in answer to the question “Why become entrepreneurial?” I ask a question in return: “Why NOT??” Has anyone else noticed that the old way isn’t working for much of anyone anymore? Have you ever taken serious note of how that success formula many of us were taught growing up (ya know, the one that goes “go to school + get good grades + attend a nice college and get a degree + find the right company where you can climb their corporate ladder + earn benefits = retire at 65 or so and go live comfortably in Florida where you and your bingo buddies can wear funny shorts and play golf) ISN’T working? The statistics are staggering on just how many fields are vanishing, leaving fresh graduates with nowhere to go; or how the standard of living has caught up with us all when raises or ceilings on career earnings can’t keep up with inflation. The American dollar is being massively devalued. The truth about just how bad our national debt is continues to be covered up. (And just how long do we expect China to keep accepting “I Owe You’s”?) Unemployment rates – no matter what the evening news tells you – continue to be alarming. Older folks who have had to cut their losses can’t afford to get off the conveyor belt into retirement (or they do, but go and work in Home Depot or as a greeter at Walmart) are stacking up and congesting the job market, making it harder and harder for younger generations to find openings. The list goes on and on. I won’t even try and tell you actual statistics to persuade you. We all know it and feel it. Conduct a social experiment for yourself and just go talk to people out there. Poll the mall-goers, ask the people you’re interacting with who work the stores and gas stations you frequent. Students, ask your professors about their careers. Some will keep their answers sugarcoated out of fear of injured pride. But build some relationships with some folks, and you find out quick that there aren’t too many “making it” the good ol’ fashioned way anymore.

Well the short explanation to that, quickly, is that we’re in a new age. Pssst….didja get the memo? It’s the Information Age now. There are new rules that many economists and business owners have been trying to get the masses to hear and learn about for the last 10 to 15 years now.

So why entrepreneurism? Because, whenever a country’s economy has struggled, this is the way people have been able to continue to thrive and survive. Contrary to popular knowledge about the Great Depression, during that era, there were about 1/3 of people whose lives became disasters. Another third had somehow managed to get themselves somewhere that they struggled but didn’t lose it all. But another 30% actually thrived by doing things entrepreneurially and became giants of business for the next stage when America collectively got back on its feet. I’m of the opinion that those who think you can never be safe from catastrophe no matter your wealth live out two profound truths: 1) They’ve never experienced wealth (which, by the way, is best defined as abundance of riches and freedom of time to engage in one’s passions and personal pursuits), and 2) They’ve only worked in what Robert Kiyosaki calls the E (“Employee”) or S (“Self-employed”) quadrants. They only know what a paycheck looks like that they labored for with their own limited blood, sweat, and brains. But security is truly far more obtainable for those who seek to be in “B” type business, who are truly entrepreneurs. The difference between an entrepreneur and someone who simply owns their own business is all about leverage and duplication. How dispensable are you at what you do? If your own efforts are handcuffed, or your position is taken away from you, how long can the hours you last worked get you by? For millions in America right now, those questions bring a lump to the throat.

So in other words, economically, 95% of people (according to what’s revealed by most US Department of Labor stats) really ought to consider stepping out on their own, entrepreneurially, to build assets where they can multiply their efforts through the use of a proven business system (see: franchising, like McDonald’s, or big business, like Walmart, etc.) and the power of compounding. After all, what Henry Ford said is true: “I’d rather have 1% of 100 people’s efforts, than just 100% of my own.”

But beyond that practical reasoning, my greater desire is for my fellow Americans to consider entrepreneurism as a great course of action because of its leadership ramifications. Beyond the simple fact that I, myself, have little to no chance in making more than a very modest living in the regular workforce, and thus have decided to learn the way of the entrepreneur, the purposefulness behind it is my greatest motivation. Let me explain.

Nowadays, many people claim to be entrepreneurs, but aren’t. At least not in the fullest sense. As I said, depending on the type of business system one is involved in, they may still really be more self-employed than anything, but they’ll still think they can label themselves “Entrepreneur” on their social media sites, simply because they got into a business they’re doing “alone.” I don’t mean to make any further commentary about others than that, nor do I want to say that I myself am completely on the opposite side of the coin. But I do want to make the point that being an entrepreneur is more than what you do; it’s who you become.

I have been blessed to fall in with a large, and constantly growing, organization of people who are together developing into entrepreneurs. We all share in various levels of commitment to a home-based business pursuit that really, actually, starts out as something that’s meant to become a “B”-type business where one’s success can be multiplied by replacing themselves with other leaders. In the beginning stages, though, it does require some personal hard work (in the smart ways) and you feel a little bit like you’re a normal self-employed person. Over time you move from calling yourself – and studying to be – an entrepreneur to truly being one in every sense of the word, when your business asset has grown into something you can step away from and the system leverages success for you, creating residual, passive, streaming income.

I recommend that anyone who’s curious about the idea of entrepreneurism try out that exact method, by the way. Find the right opportunity, the right group of people, the right niche in the trending markets where you can do good business and make a real impact in people’s lives, and this entrepreneurial way of life can be an exciting way to pave out your future financially. Along the way, you’ll make some awesome social connections, increasing something that’s often referred to as your “social capital,” and you’ll pile more true friendships into your life, from the valuable experiences gained with teammates, than you’d ever dream possible. If it’s all formed around the kind of business opportunity that actually leverages meaningful services into others’ lives, even the most humanitarian of us can find real fulfillment from being an entrepreneurial business person.

Excuse that tangent, but I do wish to drive home my point about why else you could consider entrepreneurism.

Being a Christian man, I have been raised on a principle called stewardship. In other words, we each have been bestowed many physical and intangible blessings and talents from God above. It’s my belief that my best stewardship takes place when I boldly seek to use those things to the good of my fellow man, and to glorify or praise the God I serve. Stewardship, biblically speaking, isn’t really even limited to money. It’s a principle that touches all portions of our lives. Even within the monetary category, I’ve learned some new things over the past several years that have opened my eyes to how I can personally best pursue stewardship. I’ve come to the personal conclusion that to be an entrepreneur is actually to practice some of the best stewardship I can, especially because of the current economic climate.

Let me use the following analogy or story. I’ll actually be making an adaptation on a fairly familiar analogy.

A man and his family watch as terrible storms and rising river conditions sweep into his county and threaten his home. He’s heard that this was going to be perhaps the worst flood season on record, and like everyone else he has enough media sources to know that the rains are going to keep on coming. Soon, almost out of nowhere, the waters surge and his town is engulfed in a flood of massive proportions. The levies break and eventually this man has no choice but to lead his family up onto his roof. Things are looking dire, but surely help has to be on the way. He decides to place his trust in his Maker, to provide a way out. His cell phone calls on the rooftop assure all his more distant family and friends that they’ll be fine, God will provide. Along comes a boat with enough room for him and his wife and kids to hop in, to safety. But, shockingly, he refuses to leave the rooftop and yells to the boatman over the gale winds, “It’s ok, I know God will provide!” With a saddened face and perplexed heart, the boatman eventually moves on to find others needing saving. The waters continue to rise, and soon the horrific flood sweeps the man and his family off their home’s roof and they perish.

In heaven the man approaches God and exasperatedly tells him, “Lord, I trusted in you! Why didn’t you save us?” God looks at him patiently but solemnly, places a hand on his shoulder and says, “My son, I did provide. I offered you opportunity to survive in the form of a boat, and you couldn’t even see your opportunity because you thought you knew what trust looked like. I hoped you’d have the good sense to see a good thing coming, and get your wife, your kids, and yourself to safety. But you didn’t. You squandered your chance, and your life. You thought faith was waiting for me to do it all, and that you wouldn’t have to lift a finger when I gave you the opportunity.”

I, personally, have decided to pursue the lifestyle of an entrepreneur because I believe it’s stewardship – i.e. good usage – of my time on this earth, while in charge of my family. I can see the economic flood waters rising, and even though many logical and well-intentioned folks I know see the waters too, I’m choosing to not just wait for a boat to jump into…I’m building my own. Yes, it means spending a few extra hours in the evening to make sure it’s seaworthy, and yes it requires learning and growing some, so I can build a real boat that will weather the tides. But it’s time and resources well invested, because that will be the means to my and my family’s survival if and when America’s economic calamity boils over. In other words, financially speaking, to be an entrepreneur is to “dig your well before you’re thirsty.” Those who cling to the idea of just working a run-of-the-mill job aren’t stupid; they aren’t unethical; they aren’t foolish…They’re just choosing to build someone else’s well before their own.

My final point is this. If you’re someone who cares passionately about the continued freedoms in our country, or you’re someone who is avidly seeking a cause bigger than yourself, I also strongly suggest entrepreneurism to you. Why? Because many experts, such as Orrin Woodward & Oliver DeMille, who recently launched their co-written book LeaderShift: A Call for Americans to Finally Stand Up and Lead, feel strongly that it will be the rise of a generation of entrepreneurs – not the government – that has any chance of directing America back from the brink our great country is teetering on. The more I read and learn, the more I readily agree. That’s why I am proud to be an entrepreneur. In a great CD recording of a talk given by Larry VanBuskirk, entrepreneurs are called “sheepdogs,” much the same as our military or the civil servants we applaud, like policemen and fireman. Economically, entrepreneurs are able to protect the flock of sheep who aren’t aware of the dangers (at least not enough aware to do anything about it) in society, and they seek to live lives of standing in the gap between calamity and their loved ones and fellow countrymen. When you choose the life of an entrepreneur, you are bound to encounter amazing principles, learn some very selfless and time-honored habits and values, and you’ll grow in your understanding of history, personal finances, and other matters of life that aren’t being given much attention in the formal education system. You’ll contribute more actively to the betterment of your local economies through being a part of business that actually benefits your communities than the ones that are tied to the government by bailouts or regulations, or that are owned by conglomerations. You’ll come to see the value of networking, gaining positive influence with others, and serving rather than mongering. You’ll gain meaningful experiences that can be passed on to the next generation so they’re taught to create value for themselves, and thus preserve their way of life on down the line, instead of just making ends meet for yourself and leaving their destinies to high in the sky, apple pie hopes (aka, our educational system, Obamacare, a vanishing social security fund, etc.). In short, you’ll make a real difference, that will last long past your latest paycheck, working for The Man.

I’m still the project. I’m still a work in progress, with such a long journey to go. But I highly recommend adopting the entrepreneurial approach to your future that I have, which goes like this: “Define…..learn….do.” Decide today what you want your future to look like, and dedicate your highest faculties and greatest energies to seeking out those with the results you desire. Then learn from them and go out and do it for yourself. If Christianity is a part of your foundation, then furthermore dedicate your ways in this kind of pursuit to his blessing, seeking humbly to serve others by your efforts, and knowing that when a heart’s motivation is right, and you’re practicing savvy and great financial stewardship in challenging times, you will be blessed! And who knows, you just may leave a leadership legacy in your wake in the process. One can only hope so. As John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”

Thanks for reading. God’s blessings. Always live intentionally for excellence!  

Personal Accountability: The Only Solution

Before I say anything to my point in this entry, let it be known that I fully acknowledge this subject matter to still be a massive work in progress for me, personally. Despite the best efforts of parents, teachers, or other role models, I have a long way to go in fully realizing the extent to which I can and should accept personal responsibility in my own life. I also lack the consistency of applying that on an everyday basis. But, that being said, I have learned something about it in recent years, and have been very encouraged by the idea that one takes more in life under their own "control" when they accept responsibility and choose to be accountable for their results. As leadership expert Claude Hamilton has pointed out (and I'm paraphrasing slightly), "If you choose not to accept responsibility for things in life, you give away all the potential to do something about what bothers you." It's also been said, by Chris Mattis, if not others, that "leaders accept all the blame and none of the praise."

The reason for bringing up this topic - which gives me cause to revisit my blog with a public expression for the first time in almost the full year since creating it - is because the lack of this seems to be everywhere in American society.

It can be found in many areas of life, if you just go around and listen to people speak around you. You'll hear people blame the economy for their crappy job. You'll hear them blame their upbringing for their poor attitude or emotional immaturity. Poor fitness? Oh, it's all those darn fast food places and relentless TV advertising getting me! Unhappy marriage? Well, my spouse does this or never does that...they don't pull their weight at home...they won't hold up their end of the bargain. Poor spiritual life and disinterest in church? Acch, I saw people "do the church thing" when I was growing up and they were a bunch of hypocrites. 

Now I'm not saying that there can't exist some elements in truth to these scapegoats of ours, when we assign the culpability to other factors in our varying demises. Sure, it's unfortunate that on every corner in any major town on the map there are tempting food venues that sell unhealthy options. Yes, you're right that if your home life while growing up was a volatile or abusive place, you've been affected negatively by that. And, absolutely, if a world full of supposedly religious people show no fruit of that faith in their own lives, people will take that as advertising to not live that way themselves. But all these contributing factors are merely stimuli that create opportunity for the development of our attitudes and, ultimately, our worldview.

The biggest example of this lack of personal accountability in America today, however, is, in my opinion, politically. I'm not even talking about whether folks choose to be politically inclined or not - though that's a deep and interesting topic for another time, perhaps. What I mean is, why is it that everyone wants to point their fingers at the symptoms in society when they make an argument for legislation or a certain aspect of the governmental structure. Our most vivid, fairly recent cases in point come courtesy of the fallout from the tragedies in the shootings this past year - the Aurora, Colorado movie theater and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. I can't tell you how many times I've seen clips online of politicians fielding angry comments from citizens who want guns banned from our midst. They run up against the "We can't violate the constitutional right to bear arms!" argument and they lividly insist that we should throw away such things for the sake of our children's safety.

I just wish that more people understood that, when our world has become as darkened a place as it has, spiritually and morally, there's no stopping the effects of that root cause. You take away the guns, and evil people will turn to explosives from the black market, or even more terroristic methods like chemical releases and the like. What Americans are largely not seeing today is that these horrible things that headline our news almost monthly (sometimes even weekly) cannot be silenced by simply removing the tools of destruction. This mentality makes its way into so many other areas of life, until we get to the point where anyone you bump into on the sidewalk will readily agree that our country's in a bad way, societally - yet so few will quickly follow that up with "We've got to do something as a citizenry to get values and morality back into our midst."

For anyone reading this who is squeamish over the idea of one more sermon from someone who's using the internet as his pulpit for a virtual captive audience, that's not where I'm going with this. I will say, in specific, that morality is straightened out from spiritual peace found in a firm foundation, and that, for me and millions in our country, begins with the Lord Jesus Christ, whose wisdom for living and message of forgiveness is found in the Holy Bible. But, more generally, I just want to make the point that getting back to values as a society is the only way to fight the tide of evil that's been running rampant in our country, resulting in the symptoms of horrifying crimes that wind up highlighting our evening newscasts.

So, what's all that got to do with personal accountability, Jeff? I'll tell you what. It all starts with you. And it all starts with me. The turnaround begins with each individual in this once great nation deciding to take a stand against what's easy, what's lazy, what's wrong ethically, or wrong in whatever way is currently in front of you. While it may seem hard to imagine one person changing a violent and hateful culture that wants to indulge all their dark passions, live out the fantasies of disgusting video games and movies, and simply be a retaliatory figure against all one sees that offends them, imagine instead a whole family choosing to be new in this resolve. Then a whole neighborhood or community, whose awareness increased because of that family's involvement or public intervention and love shown to others. Then a whole region or state... And with that happening in communities or states all across our nation, it can positively affect our country, in time, residually. The point is, this is where it starts. Not with a governor or congressman. Not with a Supreme Court Justice. With you, me, and all the countless people we talk to each day and have the chance to make meaningful impacts on.

How does that look in your own life? I can't possibly make that prescriptive application for you. But would it be a good start for us to take a look at the things that compose our habits and pastimes? Do we engage in uplifting activities, or do we feed drama and use getaways to medicate the stresses of life? Do we come home from that long day at work, sit in front of the tube with supper on a TV tray, and then go tuck the kids in and start over tomorrow the same....? Or do we sit down around that table and have purposeful discussion, carefully and caringly converse with and get to know our kids, passionately showing them we want to know their issues, and imparting to them the principles that bring success in life, and then reinforcing it with quality time? Do we hold a standard on what gets listened to, watched on TV, or played on a video game console? Do we encourage them to build real friendships with their peers and get into sports or hobbies that teach them personal excellence and teamwork?

Basically, do we pay attention to all the items in life that are seemingly ordinary, run-of-the-mill choices, and decide intentionally that the choice will zero in on being a part of the solution? I hope so....Because each time we make up our mind to be excellent, well-informed, and to embody the source of solution and positive influence, we create a droplet that falls into this American ocean. The droplet is small, but ripples will find beaches in all directions.

I hope this has been thought-provoking and inspirational. I hate to say that I still don't live it as much as I want to every day, but I'm a man who burns inside to see this country remain a place of freedom, opportunity, and blessing for the next generations, among which are my own two sons. I, for one, will stick my neck out there every time in efforts to suggest to my world around me how we all can do this right together, and, as Henry David-Thoreau said, "BE the change you want to see." It may sound idealistic, but there was once a time when great ideals were what led our forefathers to break away from tyranny and shed their own blood in the cause of a land of the free, and the home of the brave. Ask yourself, "If we don't try this method, has the alternative (i.e. leaving it all to someone else, government or otherwise) been working?" It's a fight worth fighting, folks. Let's make the tough choices and make a difference in our country!

Thank you for reading. God bless. If this has inspired you, please PLEASE get your hands on a copy of "LeaderShift" by best-selling authors Orrin Woodward and Oliver DeMille. There are real answers out there for all who are ready to try a new solution!