The Annual Review, Part 2

Image Courtesy of The-Reel-McCoy.com

What follows is the second in a two-part series to celebrate my 31st birthday. In it, I’ve sat down to discuss the last year with my guardian angel, a malakh called “M.” The opening was posted yesterday.

JE: Having faith is challenging for us. Believing something without seeing or feeling it — without some way to quantify it — is the opposite of what we understand best.

M: (sternly) Which is precisely the point of it.

JE: I know this is kind of off topic since we’ve been talking about faith, but what’s the worst sin?

M: Disobedience.

JE: Not murder?

M: Think about what you just said. The Ten Commandments lay out “the big ones,” the major offenses — all of which are meant to be obeyed. Disobedience is the root of all sin. If you want to get very technical, it’s the only one.
Everything from a white lie to homicide is turning away from His will, it’s just by degree. Most of the time people ignore small things, little instances where God intends something for them and they’re either too scared or too self-centered to follow through. Of course, it’s not the same as taking a life, but it’s a transgression nonetheless.

JE: That depends on what you mean by “taking a life.”

M: What are you getting at?

JE: Well, if we deny His commands, aren’t we taking our own life, in a manner of speaking?

M: I don’t follow.

JE: Let’s assume God, in His love, has intended tremendous blessings along His path for us. There’s still ups and downs, obviously, but He would generally shower us with abundance.

M: Fair enough. Go on.

JE: If we shrink from a task, we’re “killing” that life He’s laid out, slowly but surely. I’ve been thinking a lot about how avoiding the gifts He’s given us is pretty bad. Can you see how I link that to disobedience and sin?

M: Absolutely. That is one way to look at it, if a bit different than most would expect. Nothing frustrates me more than seeing you brush up against your purpose and then turn away from it.
Humans are phenomenal at suppressing the instinct for what He has made them to do. You all find reason after reason to avoid something big.
I can’t speak for Him, but if it were me, I’d feel pretty insulted by that.

JE: Grandma always said, “God’s plan will not take you where His grace cannot keep you” or something like that.

M: Right, but what you struggle with most — beyond the fact you’re gifted — is understanding you have to cultivate whatever He’s given you. Michael Jordan had God-given ability, yet he worked all the time to squeeze everything he could into his game. Leonardo da Vinci would have robbed the world of tremendous art if he left his ideas in his head.
It takes time and effort and consistency and desire to be what you’re made to b–

JE: The fullest expression of God as He made me. That’s something worth living for.

M: It goes way beyond that. It’s worth working and dying for. What is that for you? What sets your heart alight like that?

JE: I don’t know. I mean, I know I have something but I feel like I don’t know what it is. You must know better than anyone how much that weighs on me.

M: You bet I do. What are you looking for? What is it you’re waiting to see?

JE: A big neon sign. Something to prod me in the right direction.

M: That’s not the way it works. Faith is minimized by explicit commands. Does He use them? Sometimes. He knows — and this is very important — it takes a lot more trust to follow a hunch than a shout.

JE: My heart aches to do a good job for God, to fulfill my purpose for Him.

M: I know. How do you plan on going about making it happen?

JE: I’m making a conscious effort to hear Him, for one. I strive to emulate Jesus’ example as best I can. Honestly, that’s what motivates me, Christ is a stunning example of complete surrender to God. It’s why I love his prayer in Gethsemane so much.

M: When he asks the Father to let the cup pass from him?

JE: Exactly. He lays out his desire to go another way, then follows God’s will. I’m drawn to that. It’s very human, the only place I think he is in the whole Bible.
People seek what they want from God a lot of the time. I’m sure I do more than I even think I do. Forgiveness is great, the crucifixion humbles me more all the time, yet I’d hate to rest on it. We all struggle against our own nature, our selfish and misguided choices. Everyone wants to know there will still be someone who loves them despite all their mess ups. Who am I to say that’s wrong?
When I die, though, I want to know I’ve given all I can of this soul in the time this body affords it. I want to have been a messenger, a servant. To have made lives better. To have been a good example and helped others find their own way to fulfill the massive potential God gives each of us.

M: What stops you?

JE: Me.

M: Correct. He believes in all of you. More than you know and sometimes, I think, in a way you’re utterly unable to comprehend. He made you. He is sure you have the ability to do the job.

JE: It doesn’t seem like it sometimes.

M: Again, that’s you. You don’t believe enough in yourself.

JE: Huh?

M: Like a lot of people, you hardly think of your capabilities beyond what you can see in front of you. You want to climb a mountain, then stare at the top and say you can’t make it instead of looking at your feet to figure out the first step or two.
You may be required to scale something else first, but I guarantee you’ll find a way from that peak to the summit you wish to stand on if you allow for the journey to be something other than a straight line. You — all of you — have the tools. You, finally, have really begun to accept the fact He gives you guys a compass instead of a map.
For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if you didn’t know what you were being told to do or if you were willfully ignoring them. I know what the answer is now. It wasn’t always so obvious.

JE: What if things don’t work out?

M: They do. All the time. Not always the way you expect, but they do.

JE: I get that. What does He think of criticism, then?

M: Criticism?

JE: He must hear people complain when results don’t match up to prayers. How does that make Him feel?

M: Much of life is built on how you react. Though all of us are surprised by how people interpret events, He realizes some will see opportunities where others see doom and gloom. It’s been that way since the beginning — somebody decries what’s beyond their control, then uses it as a crutch instead of a springboard.
There will always be some who shake their fists at the rain forgetting it waters the flowers.

JE: It’s tough to accept going the opposite direction of where we want to.

M: It is. Remember the scene in Dogma where the lead character finds out she’s a distant niece to Jesus and goes running off into the woods?

JE: You seem to know that movie pretty well.

M: (shaking head) Sadly, it’s the best frame of reference I have for you. Anyway, remember how angry she is at God?

JE: Yes.

M: Do you recall what the Metatron asked her?

JE: Not at all.

M: He asked her if she could have believed him without seeing everything else first. She had to be brought to the point she could face the truth.
The script wasn’t too far off, either. For some, there’s a process of observation and evidence-gathering until you’re even slightly capable of understanding what you’re called for. You had to be broken, humiliated — even if only within the confines of your own head. A lot of people have to suffer before they can conceive of the fact nothing great gets accomplished without Him, regardless of whether any of you acknowledges the fact.
Then, after all the pruning, when you’re ready from His perspective most of you still don’t feel you are. Others accept quickly. Some, not at all.

JE: People are generally turned off by the idea following Christ means a shift into piety worthy of sainthood, I think. The stereotypical holier-than-thou Christian undermines the reality. I mean, it did for me.
Though I’ve noticed a shift in my thinking as I’ve sought to really follow Jesus — a direct result of my gratitude for God’s grace, I believe — I realize I’m still me. I still like jazz and astrophysics and Newcastle Brown Ale. I simply have incorporated faith into my decisions and, hopefully, make better ones with more consistency.
When “it” hits you, you know. I’ve been amazed at how it’s permeated everything about me.

M: Take all of that and tell the story. Imagine what it’s going to be like when you really step into what He has for you.

JE: I try to.

M: I know. It’s the best part of my day. What do you think your task is going forward?

JE: Keep studying and growing into my faith. Talk to Him. Really listen. Do my best to screw up less. Be grateful He uses my faults and failures for His glory.

M: All of those are good things. What I’d like to see out of you in the next year is new confidence in all there is within, all He blessed you with, all He has for you to do and is aligning for you. Show some courage and commitment.
God loves you and has made you to be great, to live well and joyously. Why do less?

JE: OK, I understand. Can I ask a question?

M: Go ahead.

JE: I have this theory wealth in all ways — physical, financial, spiritual — is proportional to how close we are to living on purpose. Is that true?

M: (smiling) Give it a shot and find out.
Well, we’ve come to the conclusion of your review. I have a few more questions to ask you, if you’re willing to answer them.

JE: Why wouldn’t I be?

M: They’re optional. I hate to admit it, but I really like the Proust questionnaire.

JE: The what?

M: The Proust questionnaire. You’re probably more familiar with the modified version at the end of interviews on Inside the Actor’s Studio.

JE: (rolling eyes) Are you serious?

M: It’s one of the few indulgences I’m allowed.

JE: In that case, far be it from me to deny you the pleasure.

M: Thank you. What is your favorite word?

JE: “Nebulous” or “flourish.” The first rolls off the tongue well. The second has a way of breathing life into whatever it’s describing.

M: What is your least favorite word?

JE: (thinking) Hmm. I’m having a hard time choosing just one. Most of my examples are contextual.

M: Try for me. Please.

JE: How about “orientated” or any other non-word that’s worked its way into the lexicon. People get disoriented. No one has ever been “disorientated.”

M: I see. What turns you on?

JE: Passion. It is amazing to watch someone work out of love instead of obligation.

M: What turns you off?

JE: Negativity. I seem to shut off almost immediately when I sense a string of it coming.

M: What sound or noise do you love?

JE: Joy. It’s different for each person, but distinguishable nonetheless. It’s like my soul can identify with theirs for just a moment. It’s great.

M: What sound or noise do you hate?

JE: Intolerance coupled with aggressiveness. There are few things which upset me more than people screaming loud with massive ignorance.

M: What is your favorite curse word?

JE: Dammit. It’s my default word for exasperation or disgust, primarily with myself.

M: What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

JE: I’d play soccer. I doubt that answer will ever change. It’s my first love. I still dream some nights of suiting up for my favorite team.

M: What profession would you not like to do?

JE: The law, I think. Maybe collecting trash. Wait, those answers are kind of the same, huh?

M: What would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

JE: “Well done, son.”

The Annual Review, Part 1

Image Courtesy of BeyondHollywood.com

What follows is the first in a two-part series to celebrate my 31st birthday today. In it, I’ve sat down to discuss the last year with my guardian angel, a malakh called “M.” The conclusion will be posted tomorrow.

M: Good morning.

JE: (sighing) Good morning.

M: Something wrong?

JE: I figured God would be doing my review. No offense.

M: That’s common. Everyone forgets He said “no man shall see Me and live.” Watching you is my job. Who else would you talk to?

JE: You mean that thing in Dogma where they’re unable to hear the actual voice of God is true?

M: (grumbling) Sort of. He didn’t go through five Adams, though. Does Exodus 33:20 ring a bell?

JE: Is that when Moses finds the burning bush?

M: No, it’s when the Ten Commandments are written. It’s nice to see your Bible study paying off. The Father is quite pleased you’ve begun taking it seriously the last few months, though. You’ve undergone a lot of necessary change in the last year and, to begin your review, tell me about it.

JE: Wow, a lot went on. Before I start, can I ask you a question?

M: Sure.

JE: Do you already know how this conversation will go?

M: Yes.

JE: Then why are we having it?

M: Because you don’t. That’s the value in it. You’ll see things you were unaware of. Now, talk about about your last year.

JE: I’ve been through the wringer a bit. It seems like the whole year has been a process of self-examination, a real quest to figure out how I made such a mess of myself. I look back now and see how much my life had been guided by the desire for riches instead of happiness.
I’ve been humbled a lot by that realization. It’s probably the most important thing that occurred, other than moving to California and discovering a real, living faith.

M: This is a bit ahead of where I would normally ask, but what was the difference? What about that really brought you to Christ?

JE: The message is presented in a way that reaches me. I wanted desperately to really accept salvation for years, I just didn’t know how. I felt unable to let it in, if that makes sense, like I’d have to surrender my brain — my best asset — for it to happen. I wondered if that was possible. I knew I was the roadblock, yet felt wholly incapable of getting out of my own way.
Then I fell into WestGate and everything lined up. I was “home.” I got baptized and, well, the phrase “eternally grateful” has taken on new meaning.

M: You’ve all got to find your way and I’m very happy you did. Here’s the thing: all of you have been saved. Everyone’s already got a seat on the bus. God sent Jesus for that reason. He died and was resurrected, then everything was washed away. He’s the bridge God built between Himself and all His children.
What I find most amazing is, after all that, God lets you decide whether you’ll accept it. I mean, both of us were made to worship Him, but you guys get a choice. I envy that sometimes. The trade-off for free will is being unable to see Him work all the time, to comprehend the enormity of His power the way I do. If you could, there’d be no choice at all — the amazement would convert even the hardest hearts in an instant.
Because I’ve seen what I’ve seen, there’s no other option for me. You guys are allowed to make a decision and — in all His mercy — He loves you either way.

JE: I get that now. It’s incredibly powerful, but a lot of people seem to have trouble understanding it.

M: Why do you think that is?

JE: Because we attempt to compare what we know of love with what He has for us?

M: Precisely. Even the best human relationships have conditional aspects to them. The love of the Father does not.
Let’s get on with the review. Describe a situation in which you feel you’ve contributed well to the company.

JE: I always have problems tooting my own horn. Pride has been my biggest downfall, you know.

M: Yes, it has. There’s a fine line, though, between confidence and arrogance. To be very candid, you’ve spent way too much time thinking you’ve crossed over in some areas and being blind to the fact you actually have in others. So, I’m going to ask you again: What do you think you did well this year?

JE: The best thing I did was teach. Being a professor is one of the more meaningful experiences of my life. The students’ response, at the time and continuing today, has humbled me. I am really blessed to have had the opportunity. I feel I did some good.
Though I had no idea at the time, Providence shined very bright upon me.

M: Absolutely. I love watching you roll your eyes at the little connections which bring things about to eventually benefit you. Honestly, seeing people disappointed or suspicious of something while knowing how it will end up is what I love most about my job.
What do you think are your three biggest strengths?

JE: A poet’s heart. A scientist’s mind. Those both seem so cheesy, but I know they’re true. I spend entire days wondering how I can put them to use.

M: I know, we’ll get to that. How about a third?

JE: Loyalty. Maybe respect. I think the two are cut from the same cloth. I am fiercely loyal to my family and friends. I do my best to honor simple human dignity like my grandfather, but know I fall short a lot.

M: What are your three biggest weaknesses?

JE: Impatience. Fear. Lack of faith.

M: I asked for three. You only gave me one.

JE: (counting in his head) I’m pretty sure I listed three.

M: No, you did not. The first two are extensions of the third. Impatience shows a lack of belief an outcome will arrive. Fear is the result of thinking you’re unprotected. The kind of faith I know you and a lot of people wish to have stamps both those out. Even in the darkest hours of your lives, it gives you the glimmer of hope to keep going.
While we’re on the subject of faith, describe your relationship with the Father.

JE: I’ve felt abandoned. I’ve felt confused. I’ve felt certain. I’m very happy to say the connection is growing, though. I still feel disconnected sometimes, like I’m way off base or my mental radio is tuned to the wrong frequency and all I hear is static. I hate feeling distant from God, like I’m not making the right choices. I hate feeling uninspired, unworthy, unable and unhappy.
My work seems to be so far away anything good right now, which is frustrating. I think all of us can do many things well, be great at four or five and truly excellent at one. It seems to me that “one thing” is where ability and passion blur together. I really want to do that with the rest of my life. That thought inspires me. Why can’t I get a burning bush to direct me?

M: Inspiration works both ways. In reality, it’s defined by what you do with it. Think combining tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich is an accident? No, it’s inspiration applied for deliciousness. Sometimes the application is a couple of steps, sometimes it’s a couple thousand. It’s up to you to stick with it.

JE: Finding my purpose is up to me? That seems a bit counterintuitive. I figured it would be revealed to me.

M: Consider Matthew 7:7, “Seek and ye shall find.” The only way to find any answer is to really look for it. Sometimes that means going to the wrong places.

JE: Yet He talked to Moses through a shrubbery.

M: Mysterious ways are different now. It’s my opinion He’d be better off reaching your short attention spans with a text message. Alas, He still likes the old way.

JE: So you’re saying the Ten Commandments weren’t a product of one of your colleagues talking to Moses?

M: Of course they are, he wrote them down and shared them with his people, you know? Plato’s Republic came about when a friend of mine got him to scribble out his thoughts on the perfect government. The Sistine Chapel is the direct result of a near-constant conversation with Michaelangelo. Special relativity was whispered to Einstein.
Sometimes people listen with their ears when they’d be better off doing so with their heart.

JE: What about all those homeless people on street corners that say you’re telling them something?

M: They’re right. The message sometimes gets jumbled in their heads. He’s more concerned with those who are deliberately deaf and mistake that for Him being silent.

JE: That makes sense. I mean, I know He has something for me to do and has made a way for me to do it, even if I feel like I’m having trouble understanding what it is at the moment. Certainty and confusion is the uncomfortable paradox of faith.

M: That uncomfortable paradox is exactly what makes it faith.

Community Improvement

Courtesy HaywoodEMC.com

Change can be lonely.

The daunting task of making a drastic shift is amplified when faced in solitude. We hear our excuses with more clarity in the silence, the positive voice between our ears drowned out by the din of old habits whining to be maintained. Crushed under the weight of our history, we slide back into the same destructive pattern for the umpteenth time.

There is no law stating such work must be done out of sight.

Grab a little help from some friends.

1. Demand honesty
It is easy — maybe even natural — to hide from the truth when it comes time to encounter our ugliness. More eyes and ears is an asset when this revelation occurs; the difference in perspectives sheds light on other aspects of a given trait or situation and opens the door to accountability in dealing with it.

The fruit of mutual, no-shit assessment is the opportunity to face the nasty stuff with a partner (or a whole brigade).

2. Receive support
One of the most underrated phrases in the English language is “I get that way, too.”

When another voice echoes our quiet thoughts, it is as though any burden is instantly split across two sets of shoulders instead of one. By sharing the load, both parties have more energy to carry out the task at hand.

There is tremendous value in having others to talk to, to share victories and defeats with.

Simply sitting in a room and telling people how we feel has incredible healing — and advancing — power.

We are social creatures.

Without someone else, it’s hard to make community improvement.

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Top Posts, July 2010

It’s a few days late since the 31st of July fell on a Saturday, so I apologize.  Here are the most viewed posts for the past month:

5. 5 Steps to Your Best Apology

4. Running into God

3. Looking at Life from the Threshhold of Death

2. The Fear Soliloquy

1. 1 Difference Between “Trying” and “Doing”

The Focus Soliloquy

Focus is an elusive creature.

Always “late for a very important date”, the white rabbit of attention scampers about lacking rhyme or reason. Encountering an ever-increasing bombardment of information, the mind is susceptible to wandering from stimulus to stimulus and losing its way.

I’ve had this problem in choosing my own path.

Just when it seemed I’d settled on one option, my brain has leaped to another with little warning.

I spoke with an entrepreneur well on his way to becoming a billionaire several months ago. Unemployed and uncertain, I had managed to use what I call “polite persistence” to secure an interview for a job. I’d been impressed by a speech he gave at an event I attended in October, his calm personality oozing through every word–the same easiness with which he approached our half-hour phone conversation.

At some point in the 30 minutes, when my nerves had settled enough, I innately realized I had been granted a unique opportunity to pick the brain of someone I admire. The tenor of our exchange shifted from that of “prospective employer to jobseeker” to something more akin to “wise friend to confused buddy”.

In desperate hours, it is easy to lose track of what you’re hearing.

My stress-induced haze prevented me from committing much of what was said to memory. Of the few snippets I do recall, I became transfixed on his description of a period in his life “15 years ago” he believed was similar to my situation. Having struggled for a while and bounced across the country, he made a decision and “leaned into it”.

I am still learning what it means to have that level of concentration.

He’d given me a window into his mind and, over the last four months, I’ve looked through it again and again and again. Every time, I’ve been left with a singular question:

“What stirs me so much I must pursue it to my very end?”

I’ve been blessed with the intellect and talent to really do anything I choose. After months self-analysis, I have accepted this as fact and, in the future, I’ll help you understand why I was afraid to admit that (to myself or anyone else) for a very long time.

I’ve shed my bashfulness because I’m grateful to have the option, and–arrogant as it may sound–in much of my life I’ve struggled because I didn’t know where to take it.

It’s humbling and confusing.

The resulting misguided chase led me to where I am today.

Without a sense of purpose–a destination–we end up going nowhere.

Clarity, the gold sifted from the muddy waters of a lost mind, can strike in a flash or grow deliberately like a tree. For me, it has been more the latter than the former. Over weeks, in a painstaking search through all of my life, I have discovered my true love.

Like any relationship, time must be set aside for nurturing and growth. Producing a beautiful garden requires constant pruning and planting, weeding and watering. Quality is a direct reflection of the inspired energy poured into the endeavor with tireless consistency.

When this focus is absent, the flower withers.

By pinpointing my direction, I am certain to blossom.

ALSO IN THIS SERIES

The Fatigue Soliloquy

The Fear Soliloquy

The Failure Soliloquy

The Faith Soliloquy

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The Fatigue Soliloquy

Fatigue can be wonderful and terrible.

It is just as soon welcomed as shunned, the measure of disgust it generates during the last mile (when much is left to do) is matched only by the reception it receives after crossing the finish line (when the work is completed). In one moment, it shifts dramatically from scheming villain to celebrated friend.

Weariness is the fee for your waking hours.

At the end of the day, your mind is tired and your body is heavy, having written a check for the task you’ve completed. The nature of your activity–and your valuation of it–colors the determination of whether it was time well spent.

I often struggle to keep my eyes open during the evening.

Passing several hours in the service of two masters, I sit down to take stock of what I’ve accomplished. The sun has long since set and “today” is bleeding into “tomorrow” when I am finally able have some quiet and sum up my time.

I dedicate too little of my life to myself.

Only recently have I begun shoehorning a run into my day. Without a few miles of meditation, I find myself disjointed and disconnected. I get about 90 minutes–near midnight, when I’m half asleep–to write for myself and you, my reader.

In all honesty, these are the two most important hours of my day.

This is when I’m able to brush aside the confusion and frustration to express something meaningful–if only to myself. It is the prism through which I’m able to look at the positives and share lessons, to poke around for insight beneficial to me and my audience.

To be effective, the window must be transparent.

Throughout my time publishing on this site and its predecessors, I have concerned myself with many things, not the least of which is how to be valuable to you and the growing number of people who stop by.

What can I do to shorten your learning curve?

How can I give you courage for the moment when everything heads in a different direction than you anticipated?

I have to let you in further.

And that’s what I intend to do. Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to write essays about how I see the world and the connections my mind makes between seemingly disparate phenomena and the nature of our lives and purpose as human beings.

The last fifteen months have been the most tremendous learning experience I could have asked for. I’ve come to understand much about what brought me to the point I am at, the experiences that shape my motivation and the decisions that reflect it.

I want you to see what it takes.

I want you to understand the amount of work it requires.

I want you to know the drain it is on your mind and body and soul.

Because when your turn comes, I want you to fight through the fatigue and keep going.

ALSO IN THIS SERIES

The Fear Soliloquy

The Failure Soliloquy

The Focus Soliloquy

The Faith Soliloquy

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Top Posts: June 2010

The end of the month has arrived and it’s time to recap. June 2010 will go down as the month MeBuilding had a tremendous boost in popularity thanks to being featured on WordPress’ home page as “Freshly Pressed.”

Here are the five most-viewed posts:

5. 5 Ways to Make Others Better

4. 1 Difference Between “Trying” and “Doing”

3. Dress Like George Washington

2. 289 Words to Start

1. 6 Lessons from a First Class Leader

One Thing’s Wrong

“I just felt kind of restless.”

I listened intently as the computer-exec-turned-pastor described her transition from the corporate world to leading a congregation. Over the course of about 30 minutes, she shared the string of experiences that led her away from big money and big business to “follow passion.”

Life presents dozens of opportunities to choose a new direction.

This woman recounted various instances which crystallized the necessity of her major switch.

The female vice president struggling through a proposal while fighting the flu because she “had to be there.”

Talking with her boss as he sat in an airplane seat awaiting takeoff and asking him if the effort was worth being alone on Christmas Eve, filled with dread during the long pause before he answered “No.”

The coworker who postponed his dream to gather a little more money, only to die at 51 and short of the early retirement he believed would open the door.

Listening to her church group describe each other’s strengths and being told hers was “that of an apostle.”

It’s amazing what you hear when you finally listen.

After years passed in the wandering pursuit of “unfulfillment,” you will come to a point where you acknowledge a question instead of seeking an answer.

Suddenly, you reach a crucial moment defined by five words: “How did I get here?”

And, despite what others–or you–may think, you are in a very good place.

People often make trade-offs, setting aside “foolish fantasies” for a far-off future of “what I really want to do.” By asking yourself if you are in the place you wish to be, you have turned the key of truth and cracked the door to new opportunity.

This is the moment you can be born again.

If you will seize the day and strike out on a new path, you will have made an investment with staggering returns in “psychic value.”

You will have set yourself apart from the “I wish I would have” crowd. You will have grasped a new, purposeful life guided by contentment and satisfaction instead of dollars and cents.

What could ever be wrong with that?

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Why it’s Good to Question Your Motivation

New research shows it’s better to ask “Will I?” than to say “I will.”

The study, published in the April Psychological Science, found participants spending a minute thinking about whether they would complete a task scored better than those who affirmed their ability to do so. In both cases–a short word problem and taking time to exercise the following week–the group posing an internal question produced better results.

Why?

It seems the first gives “how” more immediacy. A firm statement brings the hammer down, it has finality with its certainty.

The buck has stopped.

Proceedings are closed.

As any parent of a toddler knows, an inquisitive mind is open to all sorts of answers.

Perhaps by “priming the pump,” so to speak, the brain is able to bring forth a more fruitful and pointed examination–the kind that creates results.

A police interrogation is concerned with details. Perhaps your mind is the same way.

By beginning a line of thoughtful consideration–instead of uttering one sentence with emotional force–you engage in exploration. You are able to contemplate actions and possible outcomes.

Like a wandering tourist, you lay out a map between your current location and dozens of destinations.

With all your options in front of you, commitment and desire come into play.

You’re able to measure risk and reward.

Inspiration has a chance to strike.

And suddenly, you’ve figured out what you must do.

You’ve asked the right questions–and the answers say you will.

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6 Lessons from a First Class Leader

I’ve completed my first session as a college professor.

After an eleven-week accelerated schedule, I’m in the midst of a thirteen-day gap between quarters and have had time to ponder what my pupils taught me.

“The student becomes the teacher” carries new weight in my mind.

The irony of productive leadership is the mutual nature of the relationship between the “higher” and “lower” levels.

I guarantee the most game-changing companies are helmed by individuals open to learning from (and exchanging ideas with) their charges. Why?

Exposure to other viewpoints and strange questions spurs growth in many directions.

The naiveté of fresh eyes invites reconsideration of old knowledge. Channeled appropriately, the resulting energy bubbles new ideas to the surface and energizes all parties. Such an environment is invariably the breeding ground of creativity and its money-making ancestor: innovation.

Several things are crucial to developing and maintaining dynamic rapport–and, by proxy, progress.

Being at the front of the class has given me these glaring examples:

1. Expectations are important
The first night of class, I took a flier and decided to open the evening with activities designed to smoke out what they believed to be “best practices” for instructors. Giving them the opportunity to have a voice in the course’s direction allowed me to set high standards for their performance.

If you get behind your people–and they will know when you are–it gives them something to rise to.

2. Rules must be spoken
Difficulties arise when an unwritten code is unwittingly trampled on. I nearly doomed the educator-apprentice relationship with an unfair exam in mid-April.

I operated under the assumption their study habits included reviewing the illustrations in addition to their notes.

They thought my outlines were the only important material.

The test blew them out of the water.

I was almost burned at the stake.

So I decided to…

3. Admit mistakes
On the way home from nearly being torched, I called an old friend to discuss the evening’s events. I resolved to apologize for my errors in judgment and throw out the exam.

“Are you crazy?!” she asked. “What doctor do you know who did that when we were in school?”

“None of them,” I answered, “but maybe that was the problem.”

Regardless of what anyone says, acknowledging missteps fosters deeper commitment–as long as you ensure it only happens once.

I used the opportunity to redefine the rules and remove doubts, which I believe led to better results.

(See #1.)

4. People drink on their own
You can pull with all your might, yet the horse will always sip from the well at whatever pace–and amount–it chooses.

I butted heads repeatedly with a particular student, insisting her hard work and faithful preparation would be rewarded–to the point I got so frustrated one evening I directed her toward the door.

She resisted the message with all her strength, yet the smile on her face when handing in her final showed me it had trickled in some–and made the battles worthwhile.

5. Humor is necessary
The day-to-day grind of any task becomes monotonous at times. Injecting laughter into a situation–like a running joke of people “agreeing with me” as they nodded off to sleep–makes the slog that much more bearable.

6. Roll with the punches
Your ability to take the group’s temperature quickly and navigate a situation is crucial to successful outcomes. I often found myself talking to a room half-full of zombies after the brain drain of my trademark 50-question evaluations.

The lecture moved slower.

Repetition increased.

Class ended early.

The lesson was still effective.

Your ability to shift gears on the fly and make educated decisions or give quality answers instills confidence–inside and out.

Building trust in this way accelerates grand achievement.

With this in effect–finding ways to put those under your supervision first–your organization can only blossom.

Understanding what others anticipate, using levity to cool the air and fessing up to poor decisions displays humanity.

Accepting people as they are, creating fair guidelines for conduct and being adaptable exhibits even-handed control.

Combine them artfully and you’ll paint a masterpiece.

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