Month: September 2016

Lifelong learning tips

Ways to keep growing and learning

If you’re going to keep growing—as a leader, as an employee, as a human being—then you’ll need to keep learning. If you want to remain interested and stay interesting, keep learning. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, increase your value to your boss, or become a thought leader, you have to keep learning.

Curiosity keeps us feeling young and keeps our brains in tip top shape. And the way to do that is to develop ways to become a lifelong learner.

Paul Sohn has a great post HERE on 10 ways to become a lifelong learner. I encourage you to read it. I agree with all 10 on his list but my two favorites would have to be books (#4 on Sohn’s list) and listening & asking (#2). In fact, I just came from a great lunch meeting where I learned a whole boatload just by asking questions.

I would add a couple more to his list. One is podcasts. There are so many great podcasts out there now and many are high quality. You can load them up on your device (I use the Stitcher app) and then listen while commuting or mowing the grass or walking the treadmill. A couple that I have found especially meaningful are The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast (for church leaders), The EntreLeadership Podcast (for entrepreneurs and business leaders from a Christian perspective, from the Dave Ramsey team), and the TED Radio Hour (interviews and snippets from TED Talk speakers centered around a topic each month). But there are so many great ones.

Reading blogs is another method I would add. Use an app like feedly to feed the blogs you follow; then you can go to one page for all the blogs. Learn the art of skimming to get through all the posts, but slow down when you hit something especially intriguing or applicable. This is how you can sift through a lot of blog posts and info quickly.

In all your learning, whether books, podcasts, whatever, make sure you get a balanced diet. Yes, you want to learn things related to your career (or the career you wish to move into), but also include topics related to who you are as a person and what your interests are. And then go beyond that into wildcard topics. Maybe you enjoy history books, but read a science or art book occasionally, or something else you wouldn’t normally read. And occasionally read something a little bit beyond you to challenge yourself.

Finally, use a journal to make notes on what you’re learning and how you might apply your learnings. Don’t just drink in the info, but really think it through and determine how you can grow as a person.

What are your favorite ways to learn?

5 habits to better manage the storms of life

Life can be overwhelming at times, even scary. It’s a dangerous world we live in and no matter how good we are or how well we try to live our lives, storms will inevitably come. How do we make it through the storms of life?

We get some clues in Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus walks on water to the disciples’ boat in the midst of a storm and then commands Peter to walk on water as well. In this account, we see how fear overwhelms us and how to counter that fear with five habits.

How fear overwhelms us:

ONE  Through the buffeting storms of life.

Matthew says they were a considerable distance from land when a storm came up, and the boat was “buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Matthew 14:24 NIV). The storms of life come against us all. They are inevitable in this fallen world. You are either just coming out of a storm, currently in a storm, or about to go into a storm. In my mind, the storm could be illness, unemployment, family problems, difficult people, etc.

TWO  Through the unexpected horrors of life.

When Jesus came walking on the water, the disciples did not immediately recognize Him. They thought He was a ghost and they cried out in fear (Matthew 14:25-26). To me, these unexpected horrors could be losing a loved one, getting a terminal diagnosis, getting fired, or other even more difficult experiences. The kinds of things no one expects will happen to them. These experiences mark us for life.

THREE  Through the myriad distractions of life.

After Peter walked on water a bit, he started looking around and began to sink (Matthew 14:29-30). In our 21st-century world, we have more distractions than ever before. Studies show that our constant checking of email, texts, and social media dings on our phones and other devices keep us from being productive on the things that really matter. When we get distracted, we get our eyes off of the prize, and we begin to get discouraged and fearful.

How do we counter the overwhelming fears of life? Through these five habits:

ONE  Pray diligently (before and during the storm).

It’s interesting to me that it seems Jesus was the only one who went away to pray (Matthew 14:23). Consistent, daily prayer during the more mundane times prepares us for stormy weather. This is not about ignoring God when things are quiet and then suddenly crying out to Him when a squall hits. This is about praying during the quiet of an ordinary day, day in and day out. The ones who do this are stronger. They can’t avoid the storms; no one can. And they are not immune to the effects of them. But they can weather them from a place of strength and courage.

TWO  Take courage (don’t be afraid).

When the disciples think they’re seeing a ghost, Jesus immediately says, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:26-27). How do we “take courage”? To take courage means we have to receive it from someone. We take courage from Christ when we store up His Word in our hearts. We take courage from the positive, godly people we surround ourselves with and run to when needed. We take courage from a loving spouse who knows just what we need to hear.

THREE  Be obedient (do what God says).

When Jesus says, “Come” (Matthew 14:29), we need to come. Be obedient to what God tells you to do. If you’re not sure what that is, go back to what you know. Obey in the dark what you know to be right in the light. God will often call us to do something in faith during these dark times, and we will find courage and conquer fear as we obey Him.

FOUR  Have faith (don’t doubt).

As Jesus catches Peter, He says, “You of little faith . . . why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). When we get overwhelmed by the pressures and distractions of life, it’s easy to begin doubting and losing faith. Our eyes get set on this world that we can easily see instead of the spiritual world that takes faith to see. We need to reset our eyes and reboot our faith by turning to God and His Word.

FIVE  Worship God (thank Him).

At the end of this passage, the boat passengers worship God (Matthew 14:33). After having witnessed what they did, you would have too. During these fearful times, we also need to worship God. Worship Him and thank Him for all He has done. This is easy to do when He answers prayer, but also do it when things are going haywire. There are always things to be thankful for. There’s a gratitude movement going on where folks are challenged to be grateful for three things each day, writing them down in a journal. This is good and right, but as Christians we also recognize that there is a Person to direct our thanks to.

We can’t avoid the storms of life. They rain down on each person. But we can employ these five habits to better manage the storms.

What’s your most effective weapon against fear and the storms of life?

Random thoughts: Gratitude

So grateful to the Lord this week for several things:

  • Grateful that our “anonymous benefactor” has struck again blessing us with cash. Amazing!
  • Grateful that, even though a crown fell out of my head and down the drain, I was able to retrieve it.
  • Grateful that putting the crown back in was quick, painless, and free, even though we don’t have dental insurance now.
  • Grateful that my daughter Jenni, a high school senior, is doing great as a dual-enrolled student at Kennesaw State University.
  • Grateful for encouragement from godly friends, both old and new.
  • Grateful about guidance from the Lord about an opportunity for Cheryl, even if it is a closed door.
  • Grateful for a new month, with new opportunities.
  • Grateful that autumn is inching ever closer.
  • Grateful that Stranger Things was greenlit for a second season on Netflix.
  • Grateful for Stitcher, and for great podcasts.
  • Grateful for God’s Word.
  • Grateful that God fulfills what He promises (2 Chronicles 6:4).
  • Grateful that God gives us discernment about next steps (Psalm 119:105).
  • Grateful that no weapon formed against me will prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
  • Grateful that God hears and answers our prayers (2 Chronicles 7:15).
  • Grateful that no person and no army can stand against me when God is on my side (2 Chronicles 13:18; 14:11).

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

—Charles Dickens

What are you grateful for?