Intentional Living and Leading

Are you proactive or reactive? Are you a victim of your own circumstances? Is your life full of good intentions? I think you get the idea. There are many things grabbing for our attention these days. Many are good, but most will distract us from the important things in life.

What dreams do you have for your career, kids, hobbies? Chances are your dreams are not going to come true unless you are working towards them. They don't even have to be big dreams. Want to take a vacation somewhere? Finish a project around the house? How about spend more time with your kids? Nothing happens by accident. To take control of your life, you must become intentional about the choices and directions you make. Here are some steps you can take to get started.

1. Think small steps that are easier to achieve. It's tempting to get excited about big dreams, but start small and work your way up. Allow goals to become a part of your life.
2. List 3 areas of your life you want to control. Here are some ideas to get you started: career, family, physical fitness, relational, spiritual, housework, education (this doesn’t specifically mean academics).
3. For each of the 3 areas write down every step, or initiative, you will need to take in order to accomplish your goals.
4. Put a deadline on the first initiative for each area. Once that is accomplished, add a deadline to the next until the goal is accomplished.

Question: What areas do you need to become more intentional?

Strategic Promptings

"That will never work!" or "What are you thinking?" Have you heard those words as feedback when presenting an idea? Or maybe its the nonverbal cues that cause you to think you are crazy. When we come up with out-of-the-box ideas coupled with a "vision from God" - how do you know when to move on it or even how to move on it?

Too often we set out believing that if God is in this then He will provide everything I need. While this is true, I believe we need to be both strategic in our planning, and discerning with our promptings. God prompts us, no doubt, but most often our first "big idea" is our own idea. When we feel a prompting from God, it doesn’t necessarily mean we jump in and start. I suggest you take yourself through a series of exercises. Don't hurry the process. If its truly from God, and you are humble, then He will make sure the vision carries.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Write everything (thoughts, prayers, conversations, pictures, quotes, research, etc.) down.
   
2. Ask lots of questions.
   
3. Answer (hard) Questions (What is the problem?, Why you?, Why now?)

Simple enough? Wait till you begin to walk it out. The pressure will be on to do something before someone else does. I have gone through a few Strategic Promptings and it almost always looks different in the end than what I came up with in the beginning. Why? Because I didn't see the whole picture. Allow God to put the pieces together.

Question: How has God changed your vision into His vision?

Journey Experiences

I picked up Bill Hybels' book Axiom.
It is a great resource! The entire book is filled with insights on life and leadership. Its as though you are sitting across from his desk as he shares years of insight. In no way, shape, or form do I think I have the experience or intelligence to offer what Bill Hybels has offered. But it has caused me to think about my own experiences in life, especially through the framework of Leadership and Servant-hood. So, over the next few weeks I will be sharing my own Axioms, which I have entitled Journey Experiences!