Aug

13

Becoming A Yardstick of Excellence

Post Category: Blog Posts, Creativity, Leadership, Makes You Think 


Photo by AuntiP
Have we grown too accustomed to accepting less than the best from ourselves and those that work with us?

I love this quote by Steve Jobs who has become well known for setting high standards for his company:

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” - Steve Jobs

I’ve repeatedly said that every Church should be the hub of creativity and excellence in their community. They should send out the best authors, artists, businessmen and musicians.

I’ve experienced first-hand what it’s like when churches set standards of excellence that produce phenomenal results (example, example, example). I’ve seen the kind of people it attracts. And I’ve heard the message it sends to the community - we value excellence, we won’t settle for second-best.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Am I comparing my work against other “comparable” organizations or individuals or against what I know is my best?
  • Do I stop short of what is required to take my projects or team to the next level or do I settle for “acceptable” results?
  • Am I setting new standards for excellence in my field, job or organization or am I just trying to keep up with the standards others have set?
  • Am I placing limitations on myself because of what I think is “possible” instead of reaching for the impossible?

Remember, excellence doesn’t have to do with size or budget. One of the most popular music videos a couple years back was produced for $10 on a borrowed camera and the highest record setting movie of 1999 was filmed for $35k but grossed $248 million. The only boxes that limit you are the ones you build in your mind. Excellence is bred by those who consistently attempt the impossible.

Food For Thought:
Do you feel you or your organization is a yardstick of quality or do you measure yourself by the standards others set?

Your thoughts?

Aug

7

Things I Haven’t Had To Face

Post Category: Authenticity, Blog Posts, Makes You Think 

image by Fanboy30

Ok, here’s a little from-the-gut authenticity - sometimes I feel guilty that I have it so good. Can you relate? Have you ever read someones blog or seen a story on the news and felt guilty about taking your blessings for granted?

Any struggles or hardships I face seem so small when I stop to think about all the things I haven’t had to deal with.

  • My parents stayed together so I’ve never had to deal with a broken family
  • I’ve never been the victim of abuse
  • I’ve never struggled with a substance abuse addiction
  • We haven’t had to deal with the loss of either of our parents yet
  • I’ve never had to face the loss of a child
  • We’ve never had any major disease, bad accidents or extended hospital stays
  • I’ve never been unemployed or experienced bankruptcy or foreclosure.

Many of you may not relate to my list because you’ve fought these battles and still have the scars and painful memories.  You have lists of things that have happened to you that are as long as your arm. Things that few of us could relate to or even understand.

But if you stopped for a moment and thought, you could come up with your own list of hardships you’ve never had to go through, addictions you’ve never had to fight, losses you’ve never had to mourn. Look around you. What do you have?

For me, stepping back and looking at my life and then looking at what others have had to go through (or are going through right now) has helped me to gain perspective. It gives me an appreciation for the blessings I have and a burden to pray for those who don’t share them.

Write Your Own List
What are some of the things you’ve never had to deal with? When was the last time you thanked God?

Jul

28

How Do You Treat Telemarketers & Salespeople?

Post Category: Authenticity, Makes You Think 

Today’s tip from Cool People Care reminds us that it’s important to show respect to everyone - even those pesky telemarketers and salespeople that annoy us.

Nobody enjoys someone trying to sell you something over the phone or as you’re walking into a store but it’s important to remember that no matter  how much it annoys you or interrupts your day, they’re just doing their job. We don’t have to like the interruption but we can say no with respect.

After a long day of hang-ups or getting cussed at a courteous, simple “No thank you, I’m not interested” is the next best thing to a yes. And when you’re walking past that person at the mall trying to sell you their product, a “No thank you, I’m not interested” with a smile goes a long way towards making a tough job a little easier.

How do you respond to annoying telemarketers and salespeople?

Jul

21

A Day Without Shoes

Post Category: Authenticity, Culture, Makes You Think, Social Justice, Videos 

Yesterday for my day of the 40 Day Fast I decided to fast from my shoes for the day. I walked all day with nothing to protect my feet and even managed to sneak into a Big Boys. Although I did cheat and slip my flip flops on when I went in the restroom. :-P

A few things I learned…

  1. I have really wimpy feet.
  2. I spend a lot more time looking down when I’m walking without shoes.
  3. I’ve taken so many little things in life for granted.
  4. People look at you funny when you walk into restaurants and stores without shoes. Remember, I live in Indiana not Alabama ;-)
  5. I have so much to be thankful for.

They say you can’t really understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. In the case of the 300 million plus children around the world who have no shoes, we need to shed ours to understand what they deal with every single day.

Here’s a little video I put together.
click here if you can’t see the video

Here’s a few ideas you might consider for your family, church or youth group:

  • Set a date for a “shoeless day” where your family spends an entire day without shoes (you may need to get permission from your employer ahead of time). During this day educate yourself on some of the humbling stats about how many shoes are produced every year but how millions still go without.
  • Host a “1 Mile Shoeless Walk“ to raise awareness and money for those without anything on their feet. This could be a great opportunity to take the issue public and get local media to help tell the story.
  • Host a TOMS Style Your Sole party for your friends, church or youth group. It’s a great time for you and your friends to get together, express yourself through your own designs and support a good cause. Whether it is the theme of your party or a community building activity, you will be putting shoes on children’s feet somewhere around the world. Wear your originally designed TOMS and tell the story!
  • Buy a pair of TOMS for yourself or a friend!

What are you doing with your time, talents and resources to make a difference?

Jul

20

40 Day Fast: Putting Shoes on Jesus’ Feet

Post Category: Authenticity, Blog Posts, Blogging, Makes You Think, Social Justice 

Today’s my day to blog and fast for the 40 Day Fast and I’m fasting all day from…my shoes.

As I’m sure you figured out from Friday’s post, I had an ulterior motive for asking how many shoes you own. The average American owns at least 10 pair of shoes. The key words there are ‘at least’. Many of us own way more.

Last year alone over 14.8 billion pairs of shoes were produced to be sold to consumers who are only too happy to purchase them. That equals out to over 2 pair of shoes for every man, woman and child on the planet.

Unfortunately, while millions of Americans wake up each morning and choose what shoes they’ll wear based on their outfit and activity, there are still 300 million children around the world whose tiny little feet are left unprotected.

TOMS ShoesThat’s why I’m excited to tell you about an organization with you called TOMS Shoes - shoes for tomorrow. It was founded by Blake Mycoskie on a question. What if there was a company that gave away one pair of brand new shoes for every pair purchased? Since 2006 that is exactly what TOMS has done.

To date they has given away 10,000 pair of shoes to needy children in Argentina and 50,000 in South Africa. They’re already on track for giving away 200,000 shoes this year alone!

In Matthew 25 we’re told that when Jesus returns some will be honored for attending to his physical hunger and needs. They ask “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you in or naked and clothe you?” To which Jesus replied, “In as much as you have done for the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

Somewhere around the world Jesus is walking barefoot across the hot, rocky ground longing for something to protect his feet. When we give to organizations like TOMS we’re doing so much more than just buying a pair of shoes. We’re putting shoes on the feet of Jesus.

Today’s post is part of the 40 Day Fast, a collection of 80 bloggers joining together to shed light on needs around the world and the people who are making a difference. Joining me today is Shawn blogging about child trafficking in America.

Jul

16

Does God Want You To Be Rich?

Post Category: Blog Posts, Makes You Think, Social Justice 

Does God Want You To Be Rich?

Today’s question is a simple one that Christians have struggled with for centuries. I wrestle with the implications of this question all the time. In the increasingly consumeristic society we live in, how do we reconcile our excess with the need of millions around the world?

I’ve really come to the conclusion that there is no simple black-and-white, formulaic, answer to this question because in order to answer this question we have to define ‘wealth’ and that’s a relative term.

In parts of the world you’re wealthy if you have access to clean water.

To some, like this Pastor in the Dominican Republic Pete & Anne blogged about today, having electricity in your home would make you wealthy.

And of course, even in our own United States of America we have varying degrees of prosperity. In your own cities you have the “wealthy part of town” and the area where the not-so-fortunate call home.

Can I let you in on some of the questions I wrestle with?

  • For me, living here in the Midwest in 2008, how can I be a good steward of the “wealth” that God has entrusted to me?
  • Where is the line between legalism and excess in my spending?
  • Do I give enough to those in need?
  • Do I spend too much on my ‘wants’ and ‘luxuries’?
  • What are the things in my life that I’ve grown accustomed to that really aren’t necessary for my happiness and contentment?
  • If I were to let a person from a third-world country spend a week with me, how would I justify to him the things I spend my money on?

These questions and more plague me on a daily basis. There are times that I wish I could just budget out the money I need to give away so that I didn’t have to think about it. Then I could go along my merry way and convince myself that I was a generous person doing my part to alleviate the needs of the world.

That would certainly be the easy thing to do but I think Christ requires a different response from those of us who call ourselves his followers. It’s not enough to simply brush the crumbs off our table into the mouths of the starving millions while continuing to live our lifestyle of excess and self-indulgence.

The question I ask myself and am asking you is the same one Francis Schaeffer asked:

How then should we live?

Jul

15

Off The Top Of My Head

Post Category: Authenticity, Blog Posts, Blog Posts, Makes You Think 

Today’s post is a little different than normal. I usually write at least the gist of each post ahead of time and save them as a draft. This allows me to come back and tweak the wording, edit content length or just scrap it alltogether.

Today’s post is off the cuff, what I’m thinking kind of stuff. I’m starting with a blank screen and a mind full of questions. And this morning as I’m sitting here at Starbucks with my coffee I’m not thinking about a catchy post title or ending with a question that’s going to generate lots of comments. I’m not worried about creating a cool graphic or header.

I’m trying to think about the kind of questions I would ask or the things I would write if I thought no one was going to read it. The kind of stuff you would find if you found my Moleskine on a coffee table and started flipping through it. The kind of questions that dig deep inside of me.

Who am I really underneath all the layers of interests and personality?

Am I on track with my life or am I shuffling along ten laps down?

Am I measuring my life by a yardstick that makes me look good?

Why do I feel the need to edit myself so much? Sometimes I wish I could turn off the ‘marketing’ part of my brain that always tries to put the best ’spin’ on what I say and write.

Is ‘authenticity’ something I just categorize and tag my posts with or do I really live it?

These are the kind of questions that come out when I sit down with a blank screen and just write. I’m not necessarily looking for the answers to these questions because some of the best questions lead to more questions.

Sometimes it’s enough to just ask…and think…and change…

Jul

9

40 Day Fast Update

Post Category: Blog Posts, Makes You Think, Social Justice 

This is just a reminder that we’re just over two weeks into the 40 Day fast where 80 bloggers have teamed up to fast for one day each and highlight an organization that is making a difference in the world. My day is coming up soon (July 20) and I’m excited to be participating in this awesome event.

Here are a few posts from the last couple of weeks that really challenged me:

Below is a complete list of the bloggers who will be participating with me. Set aside a few minutes each day to read these blogs, pray and take action.

40 Day Fast Bloggers

6/23 Brant
6/24 Amy April
6/25 Brian Rick
6/26 Annie P.D.
6/27 Autumn Kelly
6/28 Scott Gene
6/29 Lorijo Fay
6/30 Licia Chris
7/1 Jason Ambre
7/2 Laura Beth
7/3 Steven Sarah
7/4 Tim Leslie
7/5 Mama’s Andira
7/6 Shawn Stephanie
7/7 Shaun Polly
7/8 Prairie Charley
7/9 Mark Kat
7/10 Crystal Davida
7/11 truvyne Valerie
7/12 Pete Brent
7/13 Jonathan Jeanine
7/14 Brody Lori
7/15 Natalie Kjaere
7/16 Adam Jacquelynne
7/17 Euphrony Dan
7/18 Todd Rodney
7/19 Mandy Randel
7/20 Brad Shawn
7/21 Stephen Blake
7/22 Brandy Michael
7/23 Annie Joel
7/24 Ryan Maryann
7/25 Kristin Alex
7/26 Melissa Clint
7/27 Emily Erin
7/28 Bart Doug
7/29 Liz Mike
7/30 Nancy Kristi
7/31 Jessie Jane
8/1 Tressa Toby

Jun

27

When Good Intentions Lead To Bad Decisions

Post Category: Blog Posts, Makes You Think, Social Justice 


If you hadn’t noticed, I got hammered in yesterday’s blog post. I’m talking two black eyes and kick to the stomach. Even my own wife disagreed with me!

First of all, let me just say how awesome it is to have an environment like this where you feel comfortable disagreeing with me and expressing different viewpoints. This is exactly the kind of discussion I want to have on my blog.

So let’s continue the conversation from yesterday. As you know, I picked up a bottle of Ethos water from Starbucks and wrote that that it was a “simple way to make a difference.” The point I was trying to make (and actually one I still stand by) is that a lot of people doing a little can make a BIG difference.

However, several valid points were raised that are worth discussing:

  1. Ethos only donates 5 cents from each $1.79 bottle towards clean water efforts.
  2. Their marketing is somewhat misleading and could lead you to think it is a purely charity-driven product
  3. Fixing one problem (lack of clean water around the world) could cause another (8 out of 10 plastic water bottles don’t get recycled causing build-up in our landfills) - a case of Aegrescit medendo (the remedy being worse than the disease)

I’ve read through all of your comments and I appreciate those you of you who took the time to write them. Here are a few observations:

  1. While it’s true that 5 cents out of bottle of water that cost $1.79 isn’t much, it’s better than .00 cents donated from the $.99 cent water we normally buy. At the very least I commend companies who at least recognize and participate in social action on any scale even if it’s not to the degree we would like.
  2. The biggest argument against products like Ethos is, Why not skip the bottled water or go with a cheaper water alternative so you can give more? To which I reply, ABSOLUTELY! That is undoubtedly the best solution to solving the global water crisis - make do with less so we can give more. My question then is, so how much are you giving up and how much have you given? It’s easy to point fingers at corporate giving practices and ignore our own. Could Ethos give more than 5 cents a bottle? I’m sure they can. Could I give more than I’m giving? Absolutely.
  3. A bigger problem is the issue of creating excess waste to the tune of over 38 billion plastic water bottles in our landfills every year. It takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture one year’s supply of bottled water. That’s enough oil to fuel 100,000 cars. Not very good environmental stewardship.

There are some very real issues facing us and I for one, don’t want to sit on the sidelines. Social change first begins with awareness, then education and results in action.

So, what are we going to do about it? I’ve got some ideas but I’d like to hear yours.

Jun

13

“Change Is Life” Wallpaper

Post Category: Leadership, Makes You Think, wallpaper 

Change Is Life - Wallpaper

Honestly, when I started working on this wallpaper this morning I didn’t even think about today being Friday the 13th. I wasn’t trying to be creepy! But this great quote by Leonard Sweet is a great reminder that change is an essential part of both our physical and spiritual lives. We need it to thrive and grow.

Without change we become stagnant and die. As Leonard says, “It’s that simple. It’s that scary.”

Download the “Change Is Life” Wallpaper.
Choose your resolution below. (CreativeChaos post)

1920 x 1200
1680 x 1050
1280 x 800
1440 x 900
1024 x 768

Comments