goals

Applying What You Learn

/ Scott / Leave a comment

I’ve been playing the electric bass for almost 3 years now, and one thing I really enjoy is getting the sheet music for a song I like and learning how to play it.  While it’s fun, as well as rewarding, to learn to play a favorite song, what’s especially cool is to take what I’ve learned about one song and apply it to another.

I’m blessed to be able to play electric bass for our worship team at church.  The song charts we use at church show us the basic chords (notes) we should play, but otherwise there’s a lot of room to be creative.  As I was discussing a section of a favorite song I was learning (Limelight by Rush) with my bass instructor, he showed me how I could apply the same concepts that were being used in this section of Limelight to a song I’ll be playing in church this week.  I was totally blown away, as well as excited about the possibilities this opened up for me.

I think most skills we learn have application beyond the context we learn them in.  Concepts learned to master one skill are often transferable across other disciplines and scenarios.  Being aware of this allows us to multiply the impact of what we learn by applying it broadly beyond the context it was learned in.

The next time you learn something new, think about how you can apply the concepts beyond the context in which it was learned.  You’ll start to see possibilities and solutions where they didn’t exist before.

Being Intentional

/ Scott / Leave a comment

On New Year’s Day, my wife and I spent some time discussing the events and activities we’d like to do in 2020.  At one point as we were listing off places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do, my wife said, “We need to get these on the calendar.”  She was exactly right!  So that’s what we did.

It’s amazing to me how much we can miss out on (exciting things that we actually want to do) simply because we are not intentional about getting them scheduled and making them happen.  Something changed when we wrote these things on the calendar.  This simple act affirmed our commitment to them.  By putting the event/activity on the calendar, we’ve said, “Yes, this is something we will do!”

So often our failure to commit the time to something is the major obstacle that keeps it from being realized.  What is it that you’d like to do in 2020?  Is there somewhere you’d like to go or something you’d like to accomplish?  If so, I’d encourage you to get it scheduled before your calendar fills up.

Commit time to those things that are important for you to achieve in 2020.  Otherwise you’ll get to December 31, 2020 and realize that your lack of being intentional has caused you to miss out on what otherwise might have been an spectacular year.

Next Time

/ Scott / Leave a comment

I like working to improve different areas of my life.  Whether it’s learning a skill, interacting with others, maintaining healthy habits, or following the teachings of Jesus, there are so many opportunities to get better every day.  I find that encouraging!

However, occasionally (actually, more often than I’d like to admit) I find myself acting in a way that is contrary to the improvements I’m trying to make.  To keep from feeling frustrated and defeated when this happens, I remind myself that although I missed the mark this time, I will do better next time.

I’m so grateful that missing the mark doesn’t condemn us to forever-failure status.  We have so many opportunities to do better, because there is always a “next time” right around the corner.

If you’re working to make improvements in your life, but find you’ve been missing the mark, that’s OK!  Simply think about what hitting the mark would look like, and commit to doing that the next time.

Make the Most of the Next 12 Months  

/ Scott / Leave a comment

Several years ago I got a birthday card from my co-workers.  It was a nice card filled with kind words of birthday cheer.  Of all the notes written, there was one encouraging message that really stood out.  It simply read, “Make the most of the next 12 months, for you will never be this age again!”

I’d never thought of birthdays like that.  Sure, I know how the calendar works, but I‘d never really considered that we get the privilege of being a certain age for only 12 months.  This encouraging note reminded me that I get to decide how I want to spend the next 12 months of my lives.

It’s easy to think of birthdays as a reminder that we’re getting older, but my co-worker’s wise words continue to remind me that we have a role to play in what we do with the days between our birthdays.  We can choose to become “old” by complaining that we’re getting old, or we can choose to be grateful for the days we have and get about the business of living them well.  It’s absolutely up to us.

A Quick Though On Sharing Yours

/ Scott / Leave a comment

Whenever you’re in a large or small group, professional or volunteer, and the opportunity arises to share your thoughts and opinions, do so!

When we silence our own voice by withholding our thoughts, we willingly hand over the ability to make or influence a decisions to those who do share their thoughts.  We trade in our role as leaders and resign ourselves to passengers on a course someone will chart for us.

You have thoughts, insights, and ideas that could benefit those around you.  However, they benefit no one, if they remain solely in your head.

Changing The Plan

/ Scott / Leave a comment

On a recent trip to Maine, my wife and I made a stop at Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Bridge.  We hadn’t known about either of these attractions when we started, but rather came upon them while driving from Acadia to Camden.  Since they looked intriguing, we changed our plans and stopped to check them out.

20191013_155812

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge was unique because you could take an elevator to an observation deck at the top of the structure and see all across Maine.  It was especially scenic with all the fall colors no display.  Both of these attractions were quite remarkable and well worth the stop.

Fort Knox was a Revolution era fort that thwarted efforts of the British navy vessels that attempted to sail up the Penobscot River.  It was interesting to learn about this fort and explore the building and grounds.  I never knew something like this existed.

I’m glad we were not solely focused on getting from point A to point B, but were willing to change out plans when something interesting presented itself.   The Journey was made more memorable by our willingness to change up the plan.

Keeping Busyness In Check

/ Scott / Leave a comment

I like being busy.  Not busy just for the sake of being busy, but busy doing things that are meaningful and fulfilling.  To me, life is more fun when our days are full of activities that give us purpose.  However, it’s crucial that we remember to make time for those important things that can easily get lost or overlooked in the midst of our day-to-day busyness.

Some important things are extremely easy to put off because of how busy we are.  Consider how easy it is to tell ourselves, “When I’m not so busy I need to:”

  • Make time to connect with my friend…
  • Schedule that annual checkup or routine medical screening
  • Start exercising daily
  • Begin saving for the future
  • Make some healthy changes to my diet
  • Pursue that goal or dream of mine

Our intentions are to do these important things, but the reality is that they often get forgotten or pushed out because we are busy.  The reality is also that putting off these things could have significant negative consequences if they are neglected too long.  Those consequences could be things like:

  • The drifting a part of a once great friendship
  • A once easily preventable/treatable condition has turned into a full blown medical emergency
  • Our health has deteriorated
  • Our lifestyle will drastically change, because we don’t have the resources we need for the future
  • Our goals and dream go unrealized

All because we are too busy to address them today.

Let’s make sure we’re not being so busy today that we neglect the things that will lead to a fulfilling and healthy future.

Get This Decision Right

/ Scott / Leave a comment

Many of the choices we make don’t require a great deal of thought. For example deciding what you’re going to wear today, what you’re having for dinner, or where you want to go on vacation this year, while important, are not life changing decisions. If, in fact, you do make a bad decision in one of these areas, the consequences are pretty insignificant. (Your life isn’t going to change a great deal if you had chicken for dinner instead of salmon!) However, for those decisions where the stakes are much higher, we must make sure we’ve gathered sufficient information and given ample thought to our decision before we pull the trigger.

One of the most important decisions we make is the primary person we decide to do life with. Whether it’s a spouse, a life partner, or significant other, this person will have a very substantial role and impact in our life. As such, this type of relationship should be entered into slowly. Only after we’ve gathered significant experiences and information about the other person are we about to make a good decision.

If you’re currently in the process of making this decision about someone, before you decide, you should have answers to the following questions:

  • Do you know what your own goals and dreams are and what you, specifically, want out of life?
  • What are the other person’s goals and expectations from life? Do they align with yours?
  • What are the non-negotiable character traits and attributes you’re looking for in another person?
  • What are the non-negotiable character traits you are unwilling to settle for in another person?
  • How does this person align with the previous 2 questions?
  • No, really! How do they align?
  • What’s their worldview and outlook on life?
  • How does the other person handle conflict?
  • How do they handle money?
  • How do they treat other people?
  • How do they treat you?
  • How do they respond when life gets tough?
  • What guides them in how they make decisions and live their life?

The only way you will get answers to these questions is through conversation and time together. Lots of time together, so don’t be in a big hurry. The questions above are a list you can check off in a weekend, a week, or month. To really answer these questions, I think it’s important to observe someone for at least a year, if not longer.

Nothing will affect the quality of your life more that the primary person you decide to do life with, so spend the time to seriously answer these questions, lest you rush into a bad decision.

What Do You Want It To Look Like

/ Scott / Leave a comment

Imagine you were going to build a house (or have someone build it for you), but you had no idea what kind of house you wanted.  You didn’t know how many rooms or bathrooms it should have, how many square feet it should be, where it should be located, or even how much it should cost.  It would be impossible for anyone to build the house you wanted, with such lack of direction.   In this scenario, at best, you’d have to settle for whatever got built.

It’s like that with our lives as well.  If we don’t have any idea what we’d like our lives to look like, we’ll have to settle for how they just turn out.  For example, do you know:

  • What kind of health you want to be in
  • What kind of marriage you want to have
  • What kind of career you desire
  • What interests and passions you’d like to pursue
  • How you’d like to spend your retirement
  • What kind of relationships you’d like to have with friends and family
  • How you’d like to spend your free time

When we know what we want our life to look like, we’re in an excellent position to take steps to create the best life we desire.  Otherwise, we’ll just settle for whatever happens to come along.

Do you have a clear picture of how you want your life to look?  This doesn’t mean you have to have every detail figured out.  I certainly don’t!  However, we should know what we want our lives to look like so we can take steps to move in that direction.

Make sure you know where you’re going, so you don’t end up somewhere you really don’t want to be.

Keep Learning  

/ Scott / Leave a comment

“I haven’t read a book since I was in high school.”  ~ Someone on a poor growth trajectory

It’s amazing how much information we have available to help us learn new things.  What’s equally amazing are all the different ways we have to consume this information.  No matter what topic you’re interested in, you can easily access information, as well as people, who can help you learn more about it.  This reality is a tremendous blessing for anyone interested in personal growth and life-long learning.

Consider a topic you’d like to learn more about.   Now consider all the ways you can learn more about that topic, such as:

  • Books
  • Podcasts
  • Webinars
  • Websites
  • Audio books
  • Seminars
  • Classes
  • Computer-based learning
  • Meetups
  • Lectures
  • Magazines
  • Coaches and instructors
  • Self-study courses
  • People already doing what you want to learn

I don’t know about you, but I find this encouraging, from a personal growth perspective.  No matter what I want to learn, I can easily find content on the topic in a format that works for me.   Let that sink in for a minute.

If you think you don’t have time to read a book then listen to an audio book.  If you need more in depth explanation or assistance, you can hire a coach or instructor.  Whatever content you want to consume, there’s a medium to consume it that’s just right for you.

You simply have to avail yourself to it.