I've been reading Anne Lammott's fantastic book Bird by Bird. It is a lovely collective of writing advice and some wonderfully crafted writing. Her take on school lunches is an especially delightful read. Early in the book, she shares one of my favorite gems. "Good writing," Anne Lammott said, "is about telling the truth."
This is a blog–which is an exercise in writing, although not necessarily one in good writing. It is an exercise that like many of us is either going well or poorly depending on the day. It has ebbs and flows, good days and bad days, helpful insights and thoughts that fall flat. Which is to say the one true thing that all writing is without question: human.
I usually fail to take a step back and acknowledge the humanity inherent in this transaction. I view it as words on a page and turn it into a transaction rather than the conversation it has the potential to be.
Writers carve away at every memory, emotion, and idea. They work to express them with clarity in hopes that at least one other living soul connects with and draws value from their effort. Few things are so intimate.
How could it be anything else?
How could we expect writing to share all the virtues of mankind, and yet remain void of our flaws?
In truth, we can't expect such things of writing because we can't expect such things from ourselves.
Faults, inconsistencies, and missteps fill this blog, as they fill my life. Strong at times, and crawling or disappearing altogether at others. Such is the humanity we all comprise.
This blog is climbing out of a dark period at present. New content hasn't hit the page in several months. I've missed stopping in to visit with you about the new things I'm learning and old lessons I'm learning again.
I won't make promises about returning with a renewed vigor or commitment to talk at a given frequency. I'll say the only true thing I can think to say:
Nice to see you again. It's been far too long. I am excited to be visiting with you again and look forward to seeing where our conversation goes from here.
Close Enough
“Lots of people put in serious work for a while in pursuit of their goals,” Ben Bergeron said, “and eventually get to a place where they’re comfortable. They may not have achieved all their long-term goals, but they have achieved a good 90 percent, and they feel that they’ve checked all the boxes and are doing well enough to be satisfied.”
The people Ben Bergeron speaks of work hard. They get up and get after it day in and day out.
The problem comes when they start seeing results. Just as growth is the number one killer of small business, results are the number one reason folks quit on their goals.
They get “close enough” to their achievement and settle because the last little bit comes at the greatest cost. The first 80 to 90 percent is easy to work. Keep showing up and putting in the work and you’ll get most of the way there.
It’s that last 15 to 20 percent that requires grit and perseverance. The ability to stick with it and keep putting in the work when results have slowed and it doesn’t feel like you’re taking ground.
True excellence is hanging in there and grinding through that last couple percentage points towards your goal. It is an unsatisfaction with anything less than your absolute best.
You’re about to walk into a new week. It would be easy to settle this week and not push for that last little bit of growth.
But you’re not interested in easy. That’s not why you’re here. You want excellence and are willing to stay the course, even when that voice in your ear whispers that you’ve come far enough.
Six Impactful Books I Read in 2017
Reading actual books is one of the habits found among the successful. Because reading and thinking go hand in hand.
Reading is key to becoming the very best version of yourself. It fills your mind and shapes your character like nothing else can.
Too many sit on the couch, and binge on Netflix, rather than turn off the glass box and get after it instead.
“The man who does not read good books,” Mark Twain said, “has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.”
I don’t want these words to characterize my life and I know you don’t either. For that reason, I’d love nothing more than to share the books that impacted me most this year with you here.
What follows are those books that challenged my mind, and encouraged my heart most. Books that helped me grow, learn and develop more and more into the man I’d like to be.
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Wilink and Leif Babin - It’s easy to say a book changed your life. You hear it all the time and may have even uttered it once or twice yourself. It is almost never the truth, but when that rare occasion comes it is worth taking note. I did that by sharing 21 Things I Learned From Reading Extreme Ownership earlier this year.
Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron - “The mindset of a champion,” Bergeron says, “is not some innate character trait that you have or don’t have based on DNA, fate or sheer dumb luck.” This book is about building character and embracing the process that’ll get you to the top. It is an approach you can deploy in every area of your life. One that will transform you if you let it.
Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon - “Art,” Pablo Picasso said, “is theft.” These words form the theses for Austin Kleon’s classic flip book on the creative’s journey. Everything the artist creates is a mash-up of everything they’ve experienced. In short, “there is nothing new under the sun.” This small book is about answering the questions every creative asks themselves. In finding a path forward you'll soon realize you have all the permission you need to do great things.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World by D.A. Carson - Our community group is walking through the Gospel of Matthew. We are taking our time and working through the text a verse at a time. The chief aim is to move beyond “quiet times” and have God’s Word change us. D.A. Carson’s work on Matthew 5-10 has been a tremendous help in digging deeper.
The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl - Every worldview is an attempt to make sense of the world. Yet, not every worldview deals with the way the world actually is. In The Story of Reality, Greg Koukl sets forth how Christianity answers fundamental questions about life, death, evil and why we are here. He provides a concise and winsome encapsulation of the Christian worldview. One that I trust you'll find a helpful and compelling companion on your journey to find and know the truth.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney - “Ours is an undisciplined age.” V. Raymond Edman said, “The old disciplines are breaking down…Above all, the discipline of divine grace is derided as legalism or is entirely unknown to a generation that is largely illiterate in the Scriptures. We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can come only from discipline.” Penned atop page one of Donald Whitney’s modern classic are the above words. They serve as far more than a primer to the Spiritual Disciplines, but a call to modern man. A call to something bigger, deeper, and greater. A call away from the entangling enticements of our day and back to the life and character that are only achieved through discipline.
Honorable Mention
The Way of the Writer by Charles Johnson
Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley
Romans 1-7 For You and Romans 8-16 For You by Timothy Keller
Small shifts in perspective
It’s easy to focus on the wrong thing.
Most of the time, it’s not intentional. You simply haven’t paused to think about it any other way.
That means there’s a whole host of opportunities waiting for you if only you’ll change your perspective.
Take your work for instance. How often do you focus on the process? Or do you instead focus on success?
It’s easy to think of the next promotion or bonus check. It’s another thing altogether to think about the process.
Focusing on the process means you focus on creating the right thoughts, habits, and priorities, with the understanding that those are the things that lead to success.
Think of all the benefits that could arise from this small change in perspective.
They’re staggering.
Yet too many continue to focus on the wrong things.
December is the perfect month for reflection. Look back over your year, and pick one or two areas you want to take ground in next year. Ask yourself, “How could a small shift in my perspective in this area change everything. and what would that look like day to day?”
Do this and you’ll be well on your way to achieving something special next year. Something that won’t be special because it results in immediate success, but something that’s special because it leads to your becoming a better version of yourself no matter the outcome.
The freedom truth affords
How you think, and what you focus on is vitally important.
Few things shape the outcome of your life like your thought life.
The ideas floating around in your head are valuable.
But what you choose to believe is even more so.
Not every thought that passes through your mind is true or accurate.
Many are flat out wrong.
Take the idea that you’ve only got one shot, so you better not blow it.
Many choose to believe this nonsense and pay the cost every day.
It’s not only a limiting belief, it’s a lie.
Opportunity is constantly "knocking at your door" and there is plenty of it to go around.
The sooner you stop paying attention to silly notions and lies swirling around in your head, and focus on the truth, the better.
The truth will set your free like nothing else.
It will set you free to pursue new paths, take new risks, and improve your life each and every day.
Discipline your mind. Train it to focus on the right things.
Sift every thought that comes to mind like wheat. Compare them to that which is unchanging—thuth.
When a thought doesn’t adhere to reality and wisdom, discard it.
To do this you have to keep truth ever before you. You have to study it and become so acquainted with it that even the wiliest imposter is easily identified.
What you focus on expands in your life. So set your focus in the right direction.