I recently heard a great definition of vision from Mark Conklin, Sr. Manager of Leadership Development at Chick-Fil-A: “Vision is a preferred picture of the future that creates passion for you.” We would all likely agree that organizations (teams, business, community, church and yes, even families!) perform more effectively with a clear, common vision. In fact, the lack of vision creates division in you organization. If you aren’t providing a clear vision, people will tend to pursue their own personal agenda, often in conflict organizational goals.
Author: Ed Hart
For last night’s date night dinner, we wanted something with a little bit of an exotic flair and the March 2013 issue of Bon Appétit had a recipe for chicken Khao Soi (basically a coconut and curry style soup dish served over egg noodles) that looked so good on the cover that I absolutely had to try it!
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Jellybeans, and It’s All In My Response
Recently my daughter went shopping with her aunt and came back with a ton of clothes. One thing you should know about my daughter is that she’s not into fashion. In fact, sometimes we really wish she’d show a little interest in how she dresses, but we figure that will come with age and time. But tonight, it seems like that all changed when the clothes kept coming out of the bags and the receipts kept stacking up.
My obsession with brussels sprouts started many years ago. Not having been force fed Brussels sprouts as a kid, I didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to like them. To me, they looked like little cabbages and hey, I like cabbage, especially when it’s boiled in salty water and lathered in butter!
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Technique Matters
Serious students of swimming know that the biggest gains in the pool come not from the equipment you train with but from stroke mechanics. I can recall dozens of times where I was working out in the pool and pushing myself hard, only to see other swimmers who didn’t “appear” to be in as good of shape as I, glide past me lap after lap with seemingly effortless ease.
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Lord, Give Me…
Eyes to see others the way you do.
A Mouth that is quick to encourage and slow to anger.
Ears that listen and understand.
Hands that serve others with skill and gentleness.
Feet that walk in others’ shoes.
A Heart that loves the things of God more than the things of the world.
I’ve had to do public speaking as a part of my work for many years. While I’m not the most polished presenter out there, I have had the opportunity to go through a couple public speaking training programs such as Dale Carnegie and Fusion that have taught me some valuable speaking skills and techniques.
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In the Same Boat
Human nature is such that we love to divide ourselves over all kind of issues. That’s a pretty self-evident claim. Birds of a feather do flock together. Even when we think we’re being inclusive, our inclusivity has it’s limits. Sports, politics and religion are the easy targets, but in just about every aspect of our lives, we are experts at being subtle and nuanced in our ability to create division.
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Eating Everything on Your Plate
“If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.” Proverbs 25:16
We have a tendency to overindulge. It’s systemic in our culture. Consider the portion size at your favorite restaurant. We call it value – ironic, isn’t that? – and eat (or drink, or spend, or wear, or use) it all because it’s there. And besides, to not do it would be wasteful, wouldn’t it? After all I paid for it.
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An Eye For An Eye?
Proverbs 24:29 challenges us: “Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.'”
It ought to be common sense, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we often want an eye for an eye.