What makes them important.

I am sure that you have worked to muster a level of will, faith and fortitude to maintain and nourish a sustained level of action. Cleared a path that is best suited for a pursuit of excellence. Dedicated yourself to finishing – no matter what. And then, enacted the personal changes that serve to  reflect your highest intention. 

What then will be different? 

James Allen once offered that, “…men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.” 

It cannot be kept secret because how you think, speak and act become apparent.  They are shared.  Engaging with others in all manners.  Becoming a virtual depiction of you and ultimately what you wish of others. 

The same holds true of commitment. Thoughts, choices and actions not only declare your intentions for all to see. Nor do they simply lend themselves to creating the circumstance of the moment. 

They will forever broadcast the oath you have made. 

Your promise to be something bigger than yourself. 

Not just what makes you different. 

And more importantly.

What makes them important.

It just is.

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” 

— Leonardo Da Vinci

At some point, action is required.

It just is. 

And you must “do.” 

It is a trait of leadership to be able to not only recognize this vacuum but pour yourself into it. That singular  moment that must be met and filled. With effort. Commitment. And character. 

There is no manual, class or team dinner game sheet that will tell you when. 

You just have to be fully embraced in it, be aware of it, and respond. 

You may fail once, twice or ten times. 

But simply knowing when the moment arrives and knowing what to do will not suffice. 

It is not enough. 

You must simply do. 

It just is.

Fire.

“Fires can’t be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men. Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens effort and turns even labor into pleasant tasks.”

James Baldwin 

It is a trait of character that enables one to approach the daily grind with the enthusiasm and joy typically reserved for a rare and desired event. To invest yourself fully into the smallest moments, making it a reflection of the best that is in you. 

If you can approach things from a perspective of privilege instead of duty, then you get to partake in the joy those moments bring.  

You GET to do those supposedly menial tasks.  Even if it is only taking out the trash. 

This level of effort, engagement and enthusiasm for making the most out of every instant – and you – is never wasted. 

It all adds up.  Nor can it be lost. 

It all adds up. 

For nothing is ever wasted.  You may think those situations do not matter.  But they do.  

 Adding fuel to the fire. 

YOUR  fire.

All He wants.

“True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself.”

-Henry Miller 

Submission is not to be misconstrued as a sign of weakness.

It is actually a signal that transmits strength. An acknowledgement that things do not revolve about you. That if you allow yourself willingly to be pulled into the orbit of a much larger universe, something heavenly is truly possible.

That is what He wants for us.  

Submission that is born of true strength.  

Making something heavenly truly possible. 

That is all He wants.

Mission.

“….We get so tied up in our little games and protecting our turf and making sure things go according to the bureaucratic structures that we have established that we forget what the mission is about.”

Bishop Barron

His thoughts were geared towards what he sees and experiences at the local church level. How others get so wrapped up in what they think is necessary, that they abandon what is ultimately needed.  

Same applies to the office, plant, restaurant, retail store, the boardroom and the like.  

The mission in all of these settings is to bring the best out in all.  To help them become all they were meant to be.  Thereby making you shine as well.  

There is no turf to protect. 

Only others that can use your genuine, caring support to raise them up.  

And once that investment is made?  

Good gosh.  

Just wait and see what happens next!!!