I find that there are many ways to learn. I hope to provide some insight on the ways that I learn, share knowledge, and be a great community citizen to the web.

NARRATE YOUR STORY WITH CHOICES

It was the fourth meeting in as many days and we were still no closer to a solution. In the RACI acrostic, I am the C for consultant. The project was already off the rails, the deadline was coming up. I saw all the signs of the preparatory blame game. There seemed to be no movement or inertia from the development team. It was time for me to speak out and everyone is listening.

MOVE TOWARD YOUR DREAM

Ready? Set? Go! I look at each day that I get up as a leg in a race that goes on and on. Hopefully each day ends in the dial being moved towards my dream. Some days I make great progress and I feel like I am running on air, some days it is more like pulling myself out of the mud. Then there are the days where I stand still. These are the days that I regret the most.

PROCRASTINATION IS THE ANTIDOTE

Procrastination. This word embodies many parts of how I conduct my day. Getting started on actual work is hard for me. However, when it is something I believe is valuable, I jump into it with vigor and resolve as long as I can see the end of it. Otherwise, I become apathetic to the very thought of engagement. When I procrastinate on the premium, that is where the problem occurs.

NETWORK TRAITS I AM BUILDING

My network is personal. I intentionally look for the right people to succeed with me. They are people of integrity, high value, and share in the passions of my heart. The work ahead is embraced with perseverance by these leaders of many and servants of all. Grace and mercy is shared freely every day with others who don’t deserve it. It is with great humbleness that I look for my betters, that I engage with scholars, and that I labor with the journeymen who share my dream.

CHOOSE NECESSARY OVER UNCOMFORTABLE

I have been wearing eye glasses since I was a kid. They were the thick kind, with prisms and everything. I would break them, throw them, scratch them, and lose them all the time. I learned to compensate without them, one eye becoming weaker, the other more tired as it was being used more. I was never comfortable with wearing glasses early in my life, but now necessity has me wearing progressive bifocals. I remember the moment when I knew that I must always be wearing glasses. It was the day I couldn’t read the basketball score ticker.

ATTRACTING A TEAM TO ACHIEVE A DREAM

Each of us has a dream. For many of us it is tucked inside our hearts and minds. For others, the dream is at the forefront of their lives. Some have already started working on their dream to make it a reality. The fantastic idea, the futuristic vision, and the passion to solve a need must have a team greater than 1. Many dreams fall short of where they could be because they are pursued as a team of one. There is only so far one can get on talent alone. Soon the roadblocks are upon you. You have only a limited amount of capacity. There is no one to turn to for advice on a hard question or problem. Eventually you become overwhelmed.

TAKING CREDIT IS REALLY STEALING

The project was a smashing success. John went up to receive the award that was given out at the company meeting. The applause was great and people were thrilled with the completion of such a complex project full of intricacies. This is the type of work that brought the company together. However, the people on his team were not cheering, but rather bitter and angry. They were not recognized, instead, they were dismissed when Johnny started to speak.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?

How many times have you heard the statement, “I don’t know where to begin?”

CREATE MEMORIES FOR OTHERS

There are few things more enjoyable than looking back on a specific memory in your life. The one I remember most vividly is when my brother and I would go out and play golf with our grandfather. We rarely swung a club, but were rather foragers in the rough and creeks for lost golf balls. I remember the tin cup my grandfather would break out that we would dip into the creek and the sour ball candy we would get on the third and sixth holes.

AN ABUNDANT MINDSET

Some of my favorite books growing up were encyclopedias. I remember looking at the 26 volumes and thinking about how the whole world was captured there. Jump forward 30+ years. Things have sure changed on what information is at our fingertips. But information is not knowledge, and by itself, the value is small. Combine information with our ability to think, understand, and act on it and the world can be changed.