Amazing

I talk to them, but they don't believe in themselves. For whatever reason(s), they're not worthy in their own minds...and yet I know that genius resides within them. Genius and creativity has been placed and marked in us all. Imagine how good they could be...

Don't listen to the doubters, the worst of which can often be ourselves. Believe. Not a false belief, but every member of the body has a purpose and you have an amazing purpose too. We all need you to believe, because we need your voice in this world. We need your talent, operating at full tilt. Pedal down. 

Keep blazing and believe. 

BIG

The dream of "hitting it BIG!"

"Here's what I would do if I won $200 million dollars..."

Investing in the next Facebook. Buying the winning lottery ticket. These dreams, if that's what we want to call them, tap into an emotion that must be overwhelming in all of its ways. The reason I know this, is because I see the blinding effects of it in each of these pursuits.

Emotionally hooked. Being hooked emotionally is when we can't see with wisdom, because we stare so closely and hold on so intently onto something, like the dream of hitting it BIG.

Yesterday, I had this really enlightening conversation. Is hope, even false hope, a good thing? These are deep waters to be sure, but let's just put on a snorkel and skim the surface without the intent of touching the bottom below.

Hope is good, hope is tremendous. The lie of it bothers me. My gut is telling me this can't be right, that the truth is better, that believing in a false reality is not ultimately helpful to our lives.

And then my immediate next thought is all of the people throughout history who believed what was ultimately to be true and not reality yet, they were certainly dreamers...flight, space travel, the great explorers, the entrepreneurs, people like Shackleton, Disney, Jobs, Armstrong, Galileo, Carnegie...

But, let us separate those who are dreaming based upon a commitment to a life's work or stretching to achieve an apparently impossible goal, versus those who are falling into a pattern of ignorance. The ignorance is buying the lottery ticket (not making a judgment of right and wrong on this, just bad math). It's been said that the lottery is a tax on people who are bad a math.

'The Pain of truth is better than the bliss of ignorance.'

Another difference, dreaming tied to a lie, is not helpful if it prevents us from doing the necessary work. All of the people listed above, set out to create a new reality and their dream, tied their impossible task to an insane work ethic. Their dream was directly connected to effort and diligence.

The other significant problem is that the mis-placed dreams distract us from dreams tied to our purpose and our calling. The question is not whether to have hope. Let's be bearers of hope, carry that torch with us everywhere. Let's fan that flame in others, in our cities, in our households.

I was just thinking, if I were king...I'd encourage my country to be a country of dreamers, risk takers, and ... hard workers. Imagine a nation filled with dreams tied to dig-in and "make it happen" kind of people.

Foolishness costs us something. It may be a relationship, money, physical harm, spiritual erosion. So, let's dream, hope, and work. Let's not fall prey to the disaster awaiting the simple and ignorant. May we chase wisdom in our learning and try to avoid the destructive patterns that keep many people locked in a false reality.

Dream a little

Everything is impossible before it is created and there will always be doubters. Create anyway.

See the landscape as your canvas.

Dream a little (or a lot).

Start something up.

Stretch yourself.

Do anything spectacular.

Fuel yourself by what others say cannot be done.

More

I saw a special on 60 minutes recently (I feel that I look forward too much to 60 minutes now, but I digress). They did 'tests' on small children to see if they preferred to have more of their own things while having the same as someone else or less of their own things while having more than someone else. The children overwhelmingly selected less for themselves while securing the position of having 'more'.

 It was interesting in the segment how they used a variety of tests to show how we are built with a moral compass at the earliest of ages. And yet, we are also built to compare, to want more than others, even often at the expense of self-interest.

The financial term is 'keeping up with the Joneses.' I teach my kids all the time, that often those that look like they have, in all actuality, rarely have. They borrow money they don't have to buy things they can't afford.

 My kids are also in a similar position quite often when they are faced with a choice of two situations: 1) they don't get anything extra, and no one else does either. or... 2) they don't get anything extra, but someone else does. The second situation really makes them upset, even though they are in the same position in each case. We have problems with being content. It has been a problem throughout history and technology isn't helping. We see what others have right away. We see what they do, where they go, how things look on the outside. This can create huge issues with who we are, what we have and how we think we measure up.

Contentment is ever allusive. We want more. We want what others have and we're often looking for reasons to doubt our identity. I will say this, the photos, the possessions and the experiences don't paint the whole picture of what is really going on or regarding what is most important. Contentment is not an outward facing posture. It certainly involves and reflects gratitude.

May we be fully engaged in what we have both in reality and in our unique opportunities. Be the best you that you can be.

A Message To Start-Ups

Dear Start-Ups, You are setting out to build the next Google, Facebook, Scout-Mob. And why not? Due to new technology and the web, there are less barriers to entry and to building a business than ever before in history. But, as you move forward with passion, also move forward wisely...

 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that almost 60% of businesses shut down within the first four years. Many reasons exist for failure, but mismanaged revenue and expenses is consistently near the top of list. It will take you twice as long, cost you twice as much to get to the product or launch as what you are thinking. Plan your cashflow and financing likewise. "Be conservative with your financial projections and plan on having adquate funds when you launch to cover all sunk costs (including startup losses) until your company becomes cash flow positive."

 Also, securing funding from investors will take much longer than you think and "commitments" aren't commitments until the check clears. There are plenty of tough moments for the entrepreneur...don't let underfunding, overspending or aggressive projections be your reason for failure.

Be intentional.

In money, time, relationships - capture what you're entrusted with and don't take any of these for granted.

Begin with an attitude of gratitude and out of appreciation, take action purposefully. Think longterm, think legacy, think impact...and at the end of the day, have fun. You haven't been perfect and you don't need to be, because you know you will never be. However, redemption in everything lies ahead and you can easily move past failures and personal defeats. Look up.

Don't let life just 'happen to you'. Instead, happen on life and move forward well.

"Common grace has made it possible for us to participate in the public realm in multiple ways that contribute to the flourishing of the created order." ~ Vincent Bacote

 The World - The City: To be in and not of...we must actually be engaged, connect, relate, discuss, share, influence and even be influenced by the city - the world. Cities are places of influence. Things created in the city make their way out into the rest of the world over time. Whether it be trends, fashion, businesses, thoughts, books, politics, art, religion. education or technologies. In order to influence the future, we must engage the future in the cities. This will cause us to be in that beautiful and vulnerable place of having influence and open to being influenced.

 Considering what it means to be "in" and not of, more specifically the first part of that statement - "being in". How are we in?

 A few thoughts on the ways to "be in":
 * To "be in" we must be physically present (as opposed to living and creating our own bubble) - living, visiting, eating with, enjoying the beauty and creativity of the city. The shift in the last 10 to 15 years of more churches in our cities is a wonderful example of this.
 * Delivering mission in the city is a tremendous way to be engaged. Creating or delivering hope to the disadvantaged and hurting of the city - the world. Helping to make lives better as we consider the greater good. Serve, find out problems and help fix them and become part of the solution. Jeff Shinabarger says (and does) with Suffered Enough, "We will be known by the problems we solve".
 * Engage in Enterprise - Business and work is another sustainable way that we come into contact with the world and show how to be honorable in how we treat others. The entrepreneur is the artist, creating that which others will value & enjoy. Do this with integrity and humility, but also with excellence and focus. Many examples are emerging for Impact Capitalism.

 Do not withdraw, but lean against the wind and go into the cities, into the world to influence and to be influenced by.

"Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil--the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be." - William Jordan