Get It Done, Don't Worry About Getting Credit

What is your goal?

What is the goal of your family?

What is the goal of your business?

What is the goal of your team?

What dreams do you have?

Is your desire to achieve your goals and see your dreams become reality, or is your desire to receive the credit and glory for what is accomplished?

A successful family, business, team, or any other organization or entity consists of individuals who are focused on the goal or the dream rather than being focused on the glory and credit that comes from achieving the goal or realizing the dream.

The 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, is quoted as saying, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

I have witnessed men and women who have destroyed relationships, families, businesses, teams, and dreams all because they cared more about making sure people gave them the credit than they did about seeing something great occur.

As we approach the beginning of 2010 my counsel is simply this; get it done and stop worrying about who receives the glory. There will be enough credit to go around when something great is accomplished. Now, get off your rear end and get going on whatever it is you have been called to do.

Merry Christmas!

Remember that without Christ there is no Christmas.

I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas.

Refuse to allow the world dictate what you believe, celebrate Jesus!

Slow down enough to fully enjoy the blessings God has for you this year.

In Christ,

Andre'

Stop and Start

Stop looking for others to do something for you and begin doing things for others.

Stop looking for others to be a friend to you and begin being a friend to others.

Stop complaining about what's not right in your life and start being thankful for what is right.

Stop blaming others for your mistakes and failures and start taking responsibility for your own life.

Stop living pessimistically in life and begin living optimistically in life.

Stop tearing others down and begin building others up.

Stop spending so much time worrying about things you cannot control and begin spending more time in prayer.

Stop reading this and go change someone’s life for the good.

Why Not You?

Someone will be used in a great way today!

Someone will change the life of another today!

Someone will encourage others to reach new heights today!

Someone will sacrifice for the benefit of others today!

Someone will demonstrate faithful and unending love today!

Someone will be sold out for God today!

Why not let that someone be you today!

What Now!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, what now?

I'm glad we have a day in our country designated as a day to thank the Almighty for all He has done for us, but I trust it will not take a special designated day for us to be willing to live a life of thankfulness.

Some things in your life are not going great, but that is true for all of us. So how do you live a thankful life when things are not going as well as you wish.

The first thing is to take the time to say thank you for all the things you have been given.

The second thing is to go serve someone who is less fortunate than you are.

The third thing is to write a personal thank you letter to someone who has been instrumental in your life.

The fourth thing is to stop complaining and start singing - you alone determine how you respond to everything you encounter in life.

So. pretend like everyday is Thanksgiving and enjoy the life God has provided you!

Are You Ready For Thanksgiving?

People often ask the question, "Are you ready for Christmas?" We don't often hear the question, "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?" So, I'll ask you "Are you ready for Thanksgiving?"

To help you prepare for this wonderful holiday, take a few minutes and make yourself a simple little list. Make a list of ten things for which you are thankful. After you finish your list take the time to thank the person responsible for what you are grateful. For example, if you are thankful for the beautiful park in town, thank the men and women who work to keep the park looking good. If you are thankful for your loving spous, take the time to let them know how much you thank them - maybe even write them a love letter.

OK, now is the time to write your list.

1.______________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
3.______________________________________________
4.______________________________________________
5.______________________________________________
6.______________________________________________
7.______________________________________________
8.______________________________________________
9.______________________________________________
10._____________________________________________

Now the real fun, go thank those who are responsible. If you want to thank God just write Him a letter or say a nice, personal prayer to Him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Priority and Passion

Each of us has priorities and passions in life. Do you know what yours are? It really isn't that difficult to determine. Priorities are those things you intentionally take time for. You recognize them as items that are important and you make sure that you include them in your agenda.

For some your job is a priortiy. You realize that you have to have the job and the income it provides, therefore when the alarm clock goes off you get up out of bed and begin preparing to go to work. For others, family is a priority. You recongnize that you are given a responsibility to provide for them and care for them so you do the best you can each day. For some, God is a priority. You have been taught how important it is to recognize God in some way, so in some form or fashion He has become a priority for you.

I can make an argument that each of these mentioned above should be a priority for you. You should be faithful in your vocation. Your family should be provided for and cared for. And certainly God deserves to be the ultimate priority in your life.

What I hope you will see; however, is that there is something that must be connected to priority for you to experience real success in life, and that is passion. Priority means you know something is supposed to be important to you, passion means something really is important to you. Can you see the difference?

When you are passionate about your job you see it as your calling and you realize that as you go to "work" you are a living testimony to the calling that has been placed on your life. It doesn't matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, architect, engineer, sanitation department worker, or school teacher; you have a deep, burning desire to do what you do because it is a passion for you.

When you are passionate about your family you want to be with them. You realize that you have been divinely placed in your position within the family to have a positive influence on each member. You love them, not because you are supposed to love them but because you can't help yourself from loving them. You find yourself thinking about them and praying for them regularly.

The difference between a person who simply says "God is a priority in my life" and someone who says "God is my priority in life and I am passionate about Him," is that one typically acts out of religion and the other typically acts out of relationship. When you are passionate about God you are overwhelmed with a deep love for Him. You are drawn to Him and have such a desire to be with Him that nothing can keep you from loving Him, praising Him, and being in His presence. When you are passionate about God it will be evident in all you do.

So live with both priorities and passions! You need both to truly experience the success you were created to enjoy!

Take Time For Life

A strange thing happened today. I woke up and realized that sometimes 2 + 2 simply cannot = 4. In my mind I'm still a young guy, maybe even a kid. No I don't have the Peter Pan Syndrome or anything like that. I simply love life and consider myself a kid at heart.

So, if I am still just a kid, how is it that when I woke up today I awoke to the reality that my oldest son is now twenty - truly a young man. Wow! I can remember the exact moment he was born (which is weird because I can't remember much about yesterday as I am still dealing with the affects of having a concussion during a car accident). I remember when the doctor said - "He's a boy!" I remember when the nurse placed him in my arms.

I remember teaching him how to ride a bike. I remember our walks in the yard and in the small town we lived in when he was born. I remember praying with him and hearing him pray out loud for the first time. I remember how excited he was when he found out he was going to be a big brother for the first time. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth. And . . . well as far as we know that is the last time.

I remember him holding his mother's hand so he could protect her as he proudly walked beside her at church or at the store, or just out in the yard. I remember our family trips all over Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Washington D.C., Maryland, Washington, Idaho, North Carolina, and Arizona to mention a few. I remember watching him stand before a crowd and sing with an incredible voice and being so proud of him. I remember being with him on mission trips and watching him grow and mature as a young teenager, then a young man and more specifically as a man of God.

As I said, a strange thing happened today; I woke up and realized how thankful I am that my wife and I have taken time for life with each other and our children. If I could offer any advice to you it would simply be, take time for life. Everyday!

Shut Up and Do It!

Far too many people love to simply talk about what they want to do, or plan to do, or hope to do. Many are trapped by their own limitations by saying things such as "I would do that, if I only had the time, or money, or skill, or whatever that someone else has." You have what you have, and unless YOU do something different you may never have anything more than you have right now. The person you see fulfilling those great achievements may very well have had a whole lot less than you have of a lot of things. The one thing they have more of is focus. Passion and vision are desperately needed to achieve something great in life, but without focus it will simply be an idea you talk about and dream about.

Stop waiting.

Stop talking.

Do what you have been called to do.

Do not accept "no" for an answer except from God Himself.

Set your goal, develop your action steps, get off your butt, and do it.

Today is the best time to shut up and do it!

Make the most of what you have

You have been blessed far more than you realize. You are uniquely gifted and equipped to make a positive impact in this world. Your Creator has plans for you that far exceed anything you could ever imagine.

Refuse to be like the majority of people who seem to spend most of their time and energy complaining about what they don't have and making excuses for why they haven't accomplished what they have desired to accomplished. Do not buy into the lie that being like everyone else is always a good thing. Everyone else is in debt over their eyebrows, in unhealthy relationships, in a job they hate, and existing without really living. Are you sure you want to be like that?

Rather than worrying about what you don't have, decide to make the most of what you do have. Your skills, abilities and passions will help you understand your true calling in life. When you discover your calling, make the most of every minute you have. Live in the present with a focus on the future and you will see God accomplish great things in and through you.

Don't Blame God

Many people feel as if God is against them and they are doomed to fail. Without going into specifics concerning people I have coached, because of confidentiality, I want to share some insights I have been able to share with others concerning how they can live productive lives by focusing forward rather than by living in the past and blaming God for everything bad that happens to them.

First, be careful about blaming God for the bad things that happen in your life. Sometimes we put ourselves in bad situations and we simply reap what we sow. If you go to places whose central focus is on alcohol and other drugs, and if you associate with people who are involved in illegal activities or activities that are less than admirable, you are much more likely to encounter trials.

Second, sometimes when you don't get the answer you wanted from a prayer to God you need to realize He may very well be protecting you from a big mistake or a dangerous situation, even if you can't see it at the time. God is able to see the entire road, not just the few feet you are able to see right now. Trust Him and look for the doors He is opening for you to enter.

Third, God is not against you and you are not doomed to failure. God has a great plan for your life - but you will only realize His plan when you begin to spend time with Him each day and follow through with what He tells you to do. Take a good look at yourself and what you are doing that helps put you in the situations you are in. Take a good look at yourself and what you are not doing that helps put you in the situations you are in. I have never known a person who took the time to truly seek God, look honestly at themselves, and make the needed adjustments who did not experience incredible blessings.

Don't blame God - thank Him, listen to Hm, obey Him and start moving forward!

Go For It!

What do you believe God wants you to do?

What do you dream of doing but have not yet attempted?

What would you do if you just weren't afraid?

Go for it!

Stop thinking about it. Stop waffling! Be one of the few who actually steps out and goes for it.

Many people reach their 60's or 70's and say they wish they had taken a chance and done what they really wanted to do, what they really felt God had called them to do, but they were too scared to try it.

Don't get to the end of your life and have regrets. Be the one everybody else says they want to be like.

Be the one who goes for it!

Success in life comes when you follow the dream God gives you to follow!

Be You!

I absolutely love the song "Free to Be Me" by Francesca Battistelli.

Go here and listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujenRXDu2Ik

Aren't you thankful that in Christ you are free to be you!

You have been created and gifted with incredible talents, skills, and abilities. Be the best you, you can be!

Do not allow other people or even your own past to define you. God has defined you as His forgiven and forever loved child from the moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Go be you!

Playing Pays Big Dividends

Do you play enough? Most of us are much more inclined to ask or be asked if we work enough. The longer I live the more I'm convinced most of us need to play more. This blog could go in many directions, but I'm going to specifically address the need to play more with your family. Sarah and I have 6 children and we have learned to play a lot of games over the past 20 years. Some of the games are official board games like Monopoly or Sorry, and some of the games are well known outside games like kickball or tag. Some of the games are games that never existed before we played them - at least we had never heard of them before. Some of the games are played inside and some are played outside. Some of the games we sometimes play inside are really supposed to be played outside - like baseball and football.

What good could possibly come from playing games? There are many positives; like exercise of the mind and body. But there are other positives as well such as learning a lot about each other - like who cheats and who doesn't, who is a good winner and who is a good loser. You get to laugh together, cry together, and learn new things together. The best part of playing games is just being together. When you begin to get your life in order and have your job in line with your vocation you will have more time to enjoy your family and play more games. I want to help you spend more time playing - especially with your family.

Enjoy success in life everyday!

Time To Shine!

The time has come to no longer settle for being dull and ineffective in the world. The time has come for you to shine! Do not hide your light. Do not be ashamed. Have the courage to swim upstream against the masses and be the one who is used by your Creator to make the kind of difference He intends for you to make. Only you can decide to do what needs to be done to change the results you have been experiencing. So, start today. Shine baby shine!