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Living a Satisfied Life

A Proverb

"Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us." 1

A Thought

“I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect … the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead.2

A Fairytale Ending

“So Cinderella married the Prince and lived happily ever after.”

To Ponder

I have been thinking about living a satisfied life. Recent events have driven some introspection into what it means to live “happily ever after.”

Poor Cinderella – abandoned, abused, maligned, mistreated – and then, dazzled by her Fairy Godmother, she danced into happiness and satisfaction only to have hopes dashed by the strike of the clock. Now, here’s someone who should be upset about how she was treated! But, in this fairy tale there is nothing about her complaining, or seeking “resolution.” She moved on.

How did she do that? What Cinderella did may be a lesson for all of us: she forgave and forgot. She did not let her mistreatment shape her future. She moved on and lived “happily ever after.” Her glass was half full!

Leaders are to set examples by forgetting what is past and pressing on. “A Thought” (above) was written by a Jewish Rabbi "rock star." Wealthy. A man of influence. Trained at the best schools. Lead the group designated to “clean up” the religious malcontents (Christians) and persecuted people who did not believe as he. Had some of those religious rebels killed. Many jailed. He was a “rock star” in the religious establishment.

But, he too, had an enlightening experience, not with his Fairy Godmother, but with the Creator of the Universe. And this man, who was the scourge of those who followed “The Way,” became its leader, writing a good portion of the New Testament.

He focused on what was before him, not the anguish he had behind him. There are two winners in this story: those who suffered because of the Pharisee named Saul yet were able to accept him as their new leader (talk about forgiveness!); and then Saul, who become the Apostle Paul, who could have been haunted by his past was able to forge a new, happier life. That’s our model. A real Cinderella story.

A Challenge

Are you ready to live “happily ever after?”

Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

1Marcus Aurelius
2Philippians 3:12a;13b (GNT)

Relax. Take it easy…in THIS economy! Yes.

A Proverb

"First pay attention to God, and then relax. Now you can take it easy--you're in good hands”1

A Thought

“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.”2

To Ponder

Greece’s debt is about to crush them: which makes the EU fragile, making the USA economy unstable. China says we are already in default of their bonds. Moody’s is threatening to downgrade our AAA status. The mid-East is in an uproar. Japan is struggling after the disaster. Volcanoes are spewing ash in various places in the world – crops are affected – the weather patterns are changing. Corn is now trading at nearly $8/bushel (normal is around $2/b) – the impact of that is yet to be felt. Gas prices are high. Real unemployment is around 10%. Tired of governmental regulations, license fees, registrations, people are starting new businesses without notifying any governmental authority - just to survive. A “black-market” economy is emerging.

So, relax. Do life right. Right living - you know, be righteous. Practice righteousness. Become God-absorbed – not news absorbed.

The proverb says to first “Pay attention to God.” Bet you turn on the news first. Or read the paper. I get it – habits. Morning news while flying around the kitchen grabbing breakfast is a habit. Good for stress. Not relaxing.

Becoming absorbed with God is the decision that’s needed: so absorbed that no matter if wars rage; if the economy falls flat; if sickness ravages the family; if the business falls apart; no matter the circumstance, we can relax. We can live without anxiety. And this takes discipline.

Easy words to write. Much harder to do. I understand. And the reason? Here’s what I know about myself: it so much easier to be self-absorbed. It's my nature. I suspect that it might be yours, too.

Self-absorbed equals anxiety. God-absorbed equals relaxation. The choice should be clear.

A Challenge

What will you choose?

1Proverbs 1: 33 MSG; 2 Phil 4:6-7 NLT

Copyright (c) 2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

Bothered By the Celebration of bin Laden's Death?

Leaders, especially Christian leaders, must respond to the news with a measure of grace, not celebration.

I was going to write about this until a friend's Facebook posting took me to this link.

I could not have said it better - may not have said it as well.

Thank you Nina, for posting Rick's thoughts.

Ladder-leaning for Leaders

A Proverb

You may think you are on the right road and still end up dead.

A Thought

What if you get to the top of the ladder of your life and find out you had it leaning against the wrong building.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone about life’s purpose? Asked them “Why are you here? For what were you born? Just what is your purpose in life? Have you asked yourself?

Uncomfortable questions, it turns out.

Perhaps Socrates realized that the pressures of peers, of culture and learning provide false-fronts upon which you lean your ladder of life. He noted that “an unexamined life is a life not worth living.” Questions like that above help bring some clarity to thinking. Especially if one is challenged by the answers.

The toxic culture of the 21st century is numbing minds to ultimate truths that guide life. Life, for many just happens. For others, life finds meaning in self – pulling yourself up, reframing thinking, finding some sort of god in you. To some contestants on American Idol life is about singing and entertaining. Their purpose is wrapped up in their voice. Good to have focus. But is that purpose?

One contestant has a purpose greater than his voice and it even drives his choice of songs – he wants his ladder leaning up the “right wall.”

Earthquakes and tsunamis have a way of changing focus. If your world is about you and you only – what you do (how well you sing or entertain, engineer, build, project manage, whatever) - what happens if you “lose your voice – your world is washed away?” Have you lost your purpose? Is living over?

My purpose is to glorify God by expressing His love as a communicator, adviser and mentor, especially to those in the business community.

A Proverb

What’s your purpose?

©Copyright 2011 P. Grifffith Lindell

Leadership Wholehearted in Purpose

Plato made an interesting observation in The Republic:

“When we say that a man desires something, do we say he desires all that pertains to it or only one part and not another?...Then any student who is half-hearted in his studies-especially when he is you and lacks the understanding to judge between what is useful and what is not-cannot be called…a lover of wisdom. He is like one who picks at his food. We say that he is not really hungry and has no appetite. We say that he is a poor eater and no lover of the table….”

Leaders must have a purpose to which they are committed. Completely. Wholeheartedness powerfully moves people. Followers love leaders who are committed. Passion coupled with knowledge mixed in the cauldron of experience provides confidence to those being led.

As I was writing today on one of my future books - The Jericho Principle – Overcoming Impediments to Success - I was struck again with the story’s hero, Joshua who inherited the leadership reigns from Moses. What caught by attention was his side-kick Caleb of whom it is said by God, “…because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” In fact, that is said of him at least three times. What a tribute!

That's exactly what we – leaders and followers – are called to do in the workplace: “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people…”

Christian leader: are you wholehearted in your studies of God’s way? Or do you pick and choose what works for you when you need or want it. If you are picking and choosing, Plato and I would agree – “you are no lover of wisdom.”

 A Challenge

Do you have the appetite for leadership based on Eternal Principles?

©Copyright 2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

Growing In Leadership: the Pain of Exploring “Deep Waters”

Proverb

“The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.”

A Thought

“What's it all about, Alfie?”

Burt Bacharach asked an important question in his Alfie lyrics: does his answer help the leader know, control and give her/himself as a leader?

Is the answer to purpose – to love?

Just what does it mean “to love” anyway?

If you live your life and you "can't get no satisfaction," then your personal insight to the question does matter: Is love something you are in? Or is it something you do? Is it a bundle of nice feelings or a set of refreshing behaviors?

If love is about you then, is it really love? Might be lust. If It’s all about you, it is not love!

What's it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What's it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give
or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie,
then I guess it's wise to be cruel.
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
what will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there's a heaven above, Alfie,
I know there's something much more,
something even non-believers can believe in.
I believe in love, Alfie.
Without true love we just exist, Alfie.
Until you find the love you've missed you're nothing, Alfie.
When you walk let your heart lead the way
and you'll find love any day, Alfie, Alfie.

Wrestling with purpose is critical for the leader:

• Do you know why you are here?
  
• For what have you been created?
  
• How do you define your reason for being in this “moment we live?”

A Challenge

Have you taken the time to “sort it out?”

Lyrics copyright property of holder of that copyright: See http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/burt-bacharach-lyrics/alfie-lyrics.html

Copyright 2011 ©P. Griffith Lindell

No Shortcuts to Leadership

A Proverb
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

A Thought
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Shortcuts in life, and in business, are doomed to certain poverty. Do you believe that?

In our culture, diligence is out. Blatant self-promotion, even looking silly, is in.

Looking for the shortcuts has become the grist of reality TV and a way of American life. Planning has become confused with scheming, alliances, lying, quick decisions, "winning" at all costs.

Howard Shultz, founder of Starbucks, relates, “A phrase used by one of the most organized and successful companies I ever worked for….Proper planning and preparation prevents poor performance!"

Planning, preparation, performance, prosperity - No short cuts in that list!


What defines your path to prosperity?



Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

1. Proverbs 21:5 (NLT)

Leaders Who Chase Success Chase the Wind.

A Proverb
"...most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind."1

A Thought

"Business success is good: personal significance is what matters."2

A History

Figure 1

Sometimes the pursuit of success gets in the way of achieving personal significance. This is not any kind of significance - I mean the kind of life that adds meaning to other’s lives, is a positive force with those we “touch” and gives energy and does not take energy from others.

You may be driven, in some subtle way, to achieve some sort of status - success. You behave in ways that will yield the recognition you consciously, or unconsciously seek.

Relationship-building people, unlike status-driven people, respond to different modes of behavior – behaviors that seek to serve others - significance. The concepts surrounding the principles of servant-leadership are based more on relationships (personal significance) than status (success), for example.

The “things” that hinder our progress on our journey to significance often are hidden simply because we don’t move with intentionality toward the kind of significance that adds meaning to others. Our culture stimulates our drive for success. Scriptural culture drives individuals to achieve humility – the ultimate in personal significance.


Which are your chasing?


Copyright © 2011, P. Griffith Lindell.
_______________________________________________
1 Eccl. 4:4

Figure 1 "significance." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 08 Mar. 2011.

2 Lindell, P. (2011). Struggling With Your Business? 10 Questions to Consider Before Investing A(nother) Dime. (pg. x). Woodburn, OR: Lindell Associates, LLC.

Leaders and Self-control

A Proverb
"A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls."

A common characteristic of failed leadership is a lack of self-control - a lack manifested in many ways: but most important among them is the blame game.

Taking full responsibility for our actions, learning from mistakes and using what you have been given to its full advantage are “walls” that will protect the leader.

Learn self-control by:

Curbing curiosity – everything is permitted, but not beneficial – explore carefully also evaluating impact

Checking pride and vanity – it’s not about you – it is always about them (customers, staff, suppliers, stakeholder of any kind!)

Containing anger and revenge – these drain you; and equally important, expressing them will not draw others to you

Confining personal ambition – When yours is palatable, it pushes people away – they will not follow.

Emptying yourself of destructive curiosity, vanity, revenge and self-centered ambition creates a void that is crying out to be filled: fill it with the God who created you. He will build strong walls to protect you. It is his indwelling that will grant you peace and safety as you learn to control self by giving control to their Creator.

Which of those four “Cs” do you need to work on?



Copyright © 2009-11 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership in Times of Change

This last day of February, in the shortest month of the year, and already the year feels long.

• Wars and rumor of wars
• Earthquakes, sinkholes, rumbling in volcanic mountains
• Disease - pestilence
• Weather
• Angry people losing power that should not have originally been granted to them
• Warring factions in DC
• Job loss
• 2012 Mayan prophecy
• States considering legislation to allow bankruptcy.

All of these are just a simple result of natural process, politics and people being people. Right? God is not involved. This news is just the stuff of life – natural.

And so, we escape. Today, after the night of the Oscars - when decked out to the nines, America celebrates fantasy with less than refined language, multiple sexual orientations and glorification of the body (pretty/handsome people). Today, life goes on. The news this morning is filled with death, murder, fires, wars (real and word) and a pretty depressed view of life.

What’s a leader to do? The leader in the King’s speech (movie) overcame stuttering and spoke in a manner and with the kind of message that helped lead his people.

Our leader, the King of Kings, never has stuttered and always has spoken clearly. He told us that the “groaning” of the world we hear today (like a woman giving birth) was to be expected in the time before he comes again. If Jesus Christ is not risen from the dead, Christianity is nice, but certainly not necessary; therefore, leaders, clearly in touch with their eternal purpose, can lead even in the fog of life. Their ethic is based on a eternal standard. Their worldview has a clear picture of the end and a coherent picture of the past and present.

Christian leaders in business and life can remain hopeful with bad news. The news that counts is eternal. And known.

Are you leading like you know (trust & believe) the end?


Copyright (c) 2011 P. Griffith Lindell

The Super Bowl XLV Commercial You DID NOT SEE!

See it here.

The question has to be asked: "Why?"

"Too religious!" was the answer.

Hmm. Secular humanism - that glorifies sex, the gay/lesbian life style, seduction, licentiousness, prurient interest - this religion of "anything goes" is supported.


Time to lead, don't you think?

Leadership With a Purpose

Some proverbs of note: “Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.” (1) “Don't brag about your wisdom or strength or wealth” (2) and in another place, “If the tongue has no fear, words are hard to make good.” (3)

Thoughts that certainly fly in the face of what the culture craves today.

I can’t help but also reflect on Clayton M. Christensen’s HBR article “How Will You Measure Your Life?” (4) His final thought, “Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.” is a thought of wisdom.

The heart of the wise resonates with two steady heart-beats: Knowing self – understanding one’s purpose; and controlling self – exercising the discipline to hold to your principles. Christensen points out that it is “easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time.” (4)

A good grip on life’s purpose (and the principles that make it real) prevents you from trusting your “smarts,” your physical strength or your riches. That grip is strengthened when you live a life of “ing” not “ed.” You are committed to learning. If you have learned, you have stopped learning. I am learning that this purpose-driven living is also about earning the right to be given more and more responsibility, often by contributing to the growth of those around you.

A focus on personal purpose will determine how you allocate your time, talent and treasures: will it be for yourself; or for others? This focus helps the tongue gain “fear,” which is expressed in words that heal, instead of hurt. That help, instead of harm. That hearten, instead of humiliate.

Leadership, continually practiced well, is a noble undertaking. It can inspire: cities are built in deserts; human footprints are put the moon; water, in underdeveloped countries, is made safe to drink. A reading of history tells us that the focus of the individuals responsible was never on “I” but on “we.”

If your purpose is all about you – if you climbed the “ladder-of-you” in life - you may find that not only is the ladder too short, it is also leaning against the wrong wall. Double jeopardy.

On what is your ladder of purpose leaning? Wall of self? Or others?


Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell


1. Proverbs 28:26
2. Jeremiah 9:23
3. Confucius, Analects, c. 400 b.c
4. Harvard Business Review – Reprint R1007B

Leaders Persevere

A Proverb: “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!”1

This proverb begs the question: where do you find that kind of strength?

The more I read, the more I live, the more I am certain that the strength to persevere comes from a clear understanding of personal purpose. It provides the framework for handling what life throws our way. This kind of purpose is pure – it comes from inside. It cannot be manufactured in the caldron that mixes self-help books with motivational tapes and powerful speakers at the “rise up and take charge of your life” events - not that these are “bad” per se. In fact, they can help keep you focused.

Purpose begins when one takes the time to know who they are. Why they are here. And how they want to show up in life’s interactions.

Consider the story of writer from what is modern-day Turkey. He was smart. Well educated. Often spoke at public events in a time and place where what you said could get you imprisoned and/or publically flogged. History tells us it happened to him.

Enraged by his words, the crowds demanded public punishment and, as it was about to be delivered, he asked the local government enforcer if, in fact, they had authority over him - knowing he had a special class of citizenship that was recognized as distinctive in the place where he was speaking.

The result eliminated the flogging, but also grew into years of imprisonment, going from one jurisdiction to another. Near-death experiences on several journeys. Ultimately led to his death.

Yet, while he lived, he persevered. He continued speaking and writing. The underlying theme was: Reader, you have a choice – choose joy, discipline and obedience. Above all, live out your personal purpose with focus.

His life, lived with a passionate pursuit of purpose, is revealed in the historical record documenting his perseverance. His writings document his journey of finding and living out his purpose.

Are you living out your purpose?



1 Proverbs 24:10 (NIV)

Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

January 17, 2011 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Understanding your purpose has consequences. Taking a stand can be dangerous.

Today, we honor a man who was driven by this purpose to “love your neighbor as yourself.” And there were those who did not like his view of who was his “neighbor.” The story of the Good Samaritan continues to be lost on some whose view of others is screened with elitist lenses. Personal purpose that has practical value is focused on others, not self.

In his book, Strength in Love, King said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor [emphasis added] will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.”

Purpose shapes us. As Harvard professor Christensen points out in his recent article in the Harvard Business Review (and edited and reprinted in the February 2011 Reader’s Digest) the struggle to find purpose should dominate our lives until it is settled in our souls.

Why? All the stuff we do, if not focused on fulfilling purpose, is just “stuff we do” and sometimes that stuff becomes expedient (to the point of living in the gray areas of ethics and laws), hurtful to others, or just plainly wrong.

You want to live of life of meaning? Understand your purpose.


Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell

Leadership and Silver

Proverbs 10:20-21a The tongues of those who are righteous [upright and in right standing] with God are as choice silver; the minds of those who are wicked and out of harmony with God are of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many.

Peggy Noonan, in a Wall Street Journal Opinion piece, The Captain and the King, (referring to Navy Captain Capt. Owen Honors and the duke of York, who in the 1930’s found England’s Throne thrust upon him), contrasted their leadership. What struck me was her thought that:

“…it's a great mistake when you are in a leadership position to want to be like everyone else. Because that, actually, is not your job. Your job is to be better, to set standards that those below you have to reach to meet. And you have to do this even when it's hard, even when you know you yourself don't quite meet the standards you represent.”

“God-fearing” used to be a standard to which leaders would aspire. What characterized these people was that their tongues and their hearts [minds] were in sync. Our generation has produced too many in leadership who are out-of-sync: why? Perhaps we have failed to practice “ruthless honesty” [A.W.Tozar] with our own spirits. We have lived autonomously and not with accountability. We build the body. Train the mind. Treat the spirit as some soft, fluffy thing not a part of us that must be congruent with what we think, what we do in private and how we behave around those watching.

The “humility and resoluteness of will” that Jim Collins writes about [Good to Great] is a product of refinement. The dross of a natural inclination to be different in private than in public - is burned off in the fires of accountability, honesty and humility. Personal commitment to refinement provides nourishment to those following. This leader shines! The silver glows when it has come through the fire of discipline, discipleship and the polish of a consistent dedication to be not only attractive but also cleaned and ready to be used.

The glitter of this generation is captured in “bling.” How very sad. The glitter of a Godly people is found in the analogy of silver-service – attractive to the eyes, but serving the purpose as a tool of nourishment.

Are you silver-service or bling?

Copyright ©2011 by P. Griffith Lindell