Leadership

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7 Words That Will Change Your Life - Number 4: Expect + Video

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Expect [ik-spekt]
Verb

"to look forward to; regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or the coming of"

The above definition was taken from Dictionary.com. I like what it has to say for the most part. When we expect something to happen we anticipate it, we look forward to it we do this because we think it’s likely to happen. I guess that’s where the definition goes a little sideways for me.

From a Biblical perspective the idea of expect carry’s with it something a little more than “likely” to happen. How about a “Confident Assurance” that something

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A Small Word With Big Impact For Parents and Leaders + Video

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What’s the word?
It’s AND.
Yep, that’s it, AND.
It’s a small word and it packs a big punch if we really embrace what it has to offer. Let’s take a look.

Dialectical Thinking: What is it, how does it work, what does it have to do with “AND?”

When thinking dialectically the key word that comes to mind is the word AND. When there are seemingly opposing views dialectical thinking allows us to hold the moment in neutral instead of passing judgment or giving an opinion. It’s the ability to view what appears to be opposing issues with a neutral perspective allowing us to seek to understand rather

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Parents & Leaders: Courage and Why We Need It + Video

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The Etymology of Courage

The prefix Cor is from Latin which means heart. Dr. Brene Brown would define Courage as “The ability to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.” In other words, courage is being vulnerable.

You may have heard it said that you can’t have courage without fear. If this is true then what are we afraid of given this definition of courage? I think we are afraid of being authentic! What if someone knows who I really am?

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 MSG that our strength comes from revealing our weakness. "And then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness."

The problem is we all have some type of fear that causes each of us to look, think, walk, talk in a way that is different from who we really are. It’s what I call a fear veneer. We want others to see

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7 Words That Will Change Your Life - Number 1: Enough + Bonus Video

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Have you ever said..

I'm not smart enough
I’m not funny enough
I'm not pretty enough
I’m not thin enough
I’m not cool enough
I’m not rich enough
I'm not good enough

What is telling me that I am not enough? I think it’s shame. We’ll take a look at shame a little more in our next word but for name it’s necessary to understand that shame has a voice.

  • Shame tells me I don’t belong.
  • Shame tells me I need to try harder.
  • Shame tells me I can always do better.

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What Are You Saying When You Don’t Open Your Mouth?

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In 1875 Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. (1)” That quote has taken many forms over the years and can be summed up with the following abbreviated quote, “What you do speaks so loud, that I cannot hear what you say.” In other words, we do talk when we don’t open our mouth.

It seems like we communicate more with our mouth closed than open. Depending on who you talk to you will get different thoughts on exactly how much of our communication is nonverbal. Conservative communication professionals would suggest that our nonverbal behavior or body language make up at least 70% of our communication. Facial expressions, eye movement, body posture and hand gestures all play a major role in our nonverbal communication.

When we communicate to our colleagues or our kids we should

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You Don't Have To Do It All

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Have you ever felt like you were burning the candle at both ends and you were running out of wax? Have you ever felt like you had to much on your plate? Have you ever felt like life was moving to fast and you couldn't catch your breath? If so, you may be doing more than you were designed for.

The great news is, we don’t have to do it all (even though we may sometimes feel that way). The bad news is, we often try and do it all. We try and tackle every opportunity that comes our way without asking if it’s our “responsibility” to do so. Maybe the things you are doing are meant for someone else to do. Maybe the things you are doing