A Squash or an Oak: Which would you rather be?

Continued from last week....

As there are stages in growing a flower, so there are stages in leadership development. Lessons must be learned that will “grow” you as you move from one stage to another. In each stage you will come to understand who you are as a leader and discover more and more of your gifts and gift-mixes. You will need to develop key leadership characteristics that are vital to growth just as a flower must weather adverse conditions to fully grow and bloom.

In leadership, the inner growth of a leader is much more important than the visible signs of a developing idea. Inner growth has to do with self discovery and God discovery. As you ‘weather’ challenges and changes, you will have a growing understanding of who you are and greater understand who God is. That vital root system, based on relationship, is critical to life-time growth and development.

A leadership professor once asked his students: “Which would you rather be: a squash or an oak?”

The question confused students. They didn’t understand the connection to leadership.
“A squash,” he explained, “grows quickly from a seed, weathers the summer, but dies in inclement winter weather because it has no root system. An oak, on the other hand, withstands every storm and all weather patterns because of its root system. It is deeply embedded in the earth.”

So, get ready, my friend. Take the first step….you are a leader in the making. Just remember to build a strong root system with Christ as your foundation.

~ Margaret

The Idea Seed

“So, you want to be a leader?” was my next question to a young woman who sought me out to tell me her ideas and plans for her future. She had passion and energy. I liked her zip. Ideas naturally flowed out of her. Her ideas were workable and wonderful and would benefit society.

“I’m not sure that I am a leader,” was her response to my question.

“But all ideas and plans require leadership or they go nowhere. To act on your plans will require you to lead and take action and will force you into a new world of inner development.”

I suggested that we sit down and talk awhile. I wanted to give her a visual of the synergy between an idea and leadership.

“Ideas are like a blossoming flower. You have articulated well the ‘full picture’ of your idea. But like every flower started as a seed, your idea at this point is a seed.

A seed is planted in the ground and its life-producing capability must break through a protective shell to begin the growing process. The process includes moving through soil – sometimes stubborn soil – to break the surface of the ground. Then comes the visible picture: first the shoot, then the stalk, then a bud and finally the flower.

Your idea is still a seed lodged within you. Even though you see the full blossoming stage, you must now take steps to burst your idea from the seed stage. The protective shell around your idea may be fear, or lack of confidence, or even your inability to see yourself as a leader. Every protective shell must be broken and you do so by taking steps – small steps. Ask yourself questions like: ‘What is the first thing I need to do?’ It may be a small thing like calling a friend and asking for advice. Do it, because it could be a pivotal step in breaking the ground surface of your idea. Then, ask yourself, ‘What is the second and third thing I need to do?’ You must move the process along taking whatever small steps are needed to go forward.

To be continued...

Career Changes: What am I doing here?

I’m writing this blog as I sit in the Hong Kong airport waiting for a connecting flight to take me home from a conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Looking out of the windows at the mountains surrounding this amazing city, I ask myself, “What am I doing here? How did I arrive at this particular time and place in my life?”

You could say it was because of a series of career changes – well – not exactly ‘career changes’ but changes of direction in my career. These changes seemed to unfold progressively and often quickly. I would just begin to feel comfortable and confident in the work I was doing, when a new challenge presented itself – complete with a big risk and always requiring a huge leap of faith.
“Should I take it? Could I do it? Was I equipped to meet the new demands? What about all the new relationships?” There were so many questions. Doubts on the one hand and feelings of excitement and anticipation on the other.

After much prayer and listening to the counsel of trusted friends, I found guidance and courage to say “Yes” to new opportunities. These transitions were times of growth and development in my life, and provided enlargement and expansion of the vision for the work God had called me to do. I found absolute joy as I learned to depend on God for each new challenge.

How about you? Will you share with us how you have handled the career changes in your life? How did they affect you? I’ll be watching for your answer.

Until then, blessings,
Eileen

Wholeness: Body, Mind & Spirit

Over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at the topic of health. And just today, I remembered an interesting quote from a seminar that I facilitate on “Life Balance”. It echoes what Ruth has been discussing about this topic– the concept that health involves body, mind & spirit. (See recent blog entries)

“We [in the Western world] invented the notion that “biology” and “physics” and “psychology” and “psychiatry” are separate. If we want to deal with health, and we’re looking only at the chemistry or the emotional state, we have an imperfect glimpse. The patient sitting before me brings with him or her not only chemistry, but also family, relationships, emotions and character. The distinctions we bring to a hospital in terms of mind and body are abstractions that we make. The patient is still a whole person, and to help him or her get better, ideally we would deal with all of these aspects – the balance of a person’s life.” Dr. David Eisenberg – a Chinese trained physician.

Sometimes I get the sense that the concept of wholeness – that we are mind, body and spirit and that each aspect affects the other - is something that we may understand intellectually, but not practically. It reminds me of the apostle Pauls’ honest confession, “I don't understand why I act the way I do. I don't do what I know is right.”

Can we afford to be this way when it comes to our health?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

~ Wendy

Having A Healthy Attitude

What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word, “health”? My mind immediately jumps to food (but we’ll save that for another discussion). I picture fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, REAL food…you know, the kind your grandmother told you to eat. But other things at the top of the list might include exercise, vitamins, supplements, perhaps even getting enough sleep or simply the absence of sickness or disease. All of these things are aspects of our overall health and we would do well to give them proper attention.

But there’s another aspect of health that is definitely recognized, but doesn’t always share the limelight with the list above. (I was going to tell you what it is…but just keep reading) You’re probably familiar with the expression “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”. Well this has been a powerful lesson to me in several circumstances of my life including sickness. Personally, my most dreaded ‘run of the mill’ illness is the stomach flu. I am the biggest wimp imaginable when it comes to nausea. I’m pathetic, really! But the upside of having it (I can’t believe I’m actually claiming there is an upside to the stomach flu) is that when the nausea finally passes, I am reminded how good it is to feel good! I am thankful beyond measure. I could practically break into the Hallelujah chorus right there in my housecoat.

So, I try to lock it in – the attitude of gratitude – so that I will never again take my well-being for granted. I am reminded, however, that I am to “give thanks in ALL circumstances”. So, I guess I’ve got some work to do. I need to adopt the “attitude of gratitude” all the time, not just when I’m feeling 100%. The interesting part though, is that a positive, thankful attitude actually promotes well-being – another key to good health. Thoughts of gratitude reduce our stress and bring us into a better mental space. There’s a real link between the way we think and the way we feel. The wisdom of Proverbs points out that “A merry heart doeth good like medicine”. And it sure tastes better than Buckleys!

~ Wendy

Soul Food

The checklist continues to our last consideration toward optimal well being: our spiritual life.

Spiritual
Do I make time each day to feed my soul? Am I starving for something deeper, richer and more satisfying?

I've discovered in the summer when I'm not in a routine of regular Bible study, I often feel listless, restless with no sense of direction. An hour walk, while reciting a few Bible verses inspires me, helps to get me back on track. The disciplines of prayer, fasting, Bible study, memorizing and meditating are essentials to a healthy spiritual life but many of these great exercises have been forgotten. Once applied, however, their results won't be.

How about adding just one of the above to your daily routine for this month? (it only takes twenty-one days to develop a habit) Then add another until you are filled up and overflowing in your spirit.

Looking after our bodies is not a new thought but is expressed in scripture in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NAS, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not you own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body."

As we bring our talk on health to a close, remember the three 'T's': Toned, Tough and Triumphant.
TONED physically,
TOUGH mentally,
and
TRIUMPHANT spiritually

Now how about taking a few minutes to talk to me about your health? I'd love to engage in a conversation where we can learn from and encourage one another as we embark on this journey of quality living.

Thinking on the Right Things

Now that we feel a little better physically (see last week's blog post), let's move on to the mind.

Mental
~ Have I read a good book lately?
~ Or taken a new course to keep my mind alert?
~ Am I thinking on the right things? (Philippians 4:8 Let your mind dwell on these things: whatever is true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, worthy of praise- wow! That's a lot of good thinking).

Although I'd never consider drinking chemicals, when I dwell on negative thoughts (called “stinkin' thinkin'” by Zig Ziglar), I'm poisoning my mind. That can lead to depression, sleeplessness and subsequently fatigue. In our computer age, we know “garbage in, garbage out”. GIGO. The opposite is also true. Positive thoughts in, positives out. PIPO

Let me know what keeps your mind active.

Is it Sudoku, crossword puzzles or something else?
How do you maintain a positive attitude?

Talk to me and share your ideas.