Welcome to a special feature at Chipalatta. Each Sunday, we take 3 nuggets or ideas and highlight them. We hope to leave you with three things for you to take into the new week ahead, three things that can help you become stronger or make you better.
This week, we feature three quotes from favorite authors or speakers.
“We’re so busy climbing the ladder of success that we fail to realize it’s leaning against the wrong wall.” ~~Mark Batterson in Chase the Lion.
Ever stopped to think you’re heading might be the wrong direction? What are you chasing? The American Dream? Are you doing what you love?
A 2017 Deloitte Study found that only 13% of the American workforce is passionate about their job. Another study suggested that only 30% of Americans are engaged in their jobs.
Have you ever thought about your dream job? What would you do if you could write the entire ticket? As John Maxwell might ask: If time, resources, money, people and circumstances were removed from the equation, what job would you want?
Moreover, why are you content climbing the ladder once you realize it’s leaning against the wrong wall? Believe me, it’s not too late. As long as you have breath, you can pick another wall and move the ladder.
Is there some dream or idea buried in a deep, dark closet in your heart? Somewhere you haven’t been in quite a while? Maybe it’s not a job, but something you’ve always wanted to do or an idea you’ve wanted to pursue, but just haven’t had the guts to go after it.
The good news is that it’s still there, shrouded away in a hidden room in the lower echelons of your heart and very being. Among the cobwebs and winding hallways, there’s a secret compartment there that houses that dream or desire.
Find your way now to that secret place, open the door and remind yourself of that dream. It’s the place that will make you come alive! And the place that may lead you to another wall!
“It’s a fact that you start becoming like the people you spend a lot of time with.” ~~John Maxwell in The Difference Maker.
In our recent article entitled Which 5 people influence your life the most?, we point out that you may have to change some relationships in order to change your life significantly. Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
Who are the 5 people who have the most impact on your life? Take the time now to list those 5 people. Stop here and make the list. It really shouldn’t be too difficult.
Now, go down the list. Do these influencers make you better? Do they challenge you? Do they keep you accountable? Do they bring out the best in you?
Now, look around you. Your workplace. Your church. Your gym. Who do you admire? Who do you look at and say: “They inspire me and challenge me?”
What attributes in those people would you like to emulate? Look closely and learn what it is that you like. Then, find a way to spend time with them. Ask them questions, get inside their head, and learn what makes them tick. Learn from them.
You may find that you need to juggle your 5 people, especially if those people are negative or have other habits that aren’t particularly positive or encouraging. And, it may not necessarily mean that you cut someone off. You may end up just moving them down the list where the amount of influence is lessened.
Take the challenge. If you haven’t already, put your list together. And start to spend the most time with the 5 people who will challenge you, motivate you, keep you honest and bring out the best in you.
Trust is a fragile commodity. Know your code of conduct and the values you stand for. Remember: if you wouldn’t want to explain it on 60 Minutes, don’t do it.” ~~Terry Paulson.
This one’s really much easier if you have principles. There is a difference between principle and preference. Principle is saying “I won’t do that, I will do this. Or this is who I am.” It’s a belief system that guides you. Something that isn’t going to change about you. Your values, your code of conduct, you very character.
For example, I believe in being in church every Sunday. It deepens my walk. It feeds me. It keeps me spiritually in tune. Your belief in God can be a principle of your life. No one or nothing can shatter that or move you away from that belief. It’s a principle of your life.
A preference may be in the type of car you drive. You may prefer a BMW, but you are happy or content with a Chevrolet.
So back to the quote above. What you do in private or in secret is the real you. The Terry Paulson quote is a good boundary to live by. Your principles are decisions you have already made (e.g. belief in God, living without credit cards or not drinking or smoking etc.) and no one can sway you away from those.
Certainly, 60 Minutes can be brutal and has left many good-intentioned men and women stripped of their dignity, businesses and even futures. But if you know your principles, convictions and values — and you regularly reinforce those with strong habits (e.g. books you read, television you watch or don’t watch, friends you surround yourself with etc.) — those principles grow stronger and become even more embedded in your life.
Then, you won’t have to look over your shoulder for that 60 Minutes camera.