Tag: self discipline

Categories
motivation

Being Intentional

Is it time to get up?

It takes a lot to be intentional and wake up early in the dark, especially on a cold Monday morning. The age-old question, “What gets you up in the morning?” rings through my head. Some mornings, I’d be fine staying in bed, thank you very much!

But the question is useful if you have something intentional to do. What gets me up early in the morning? It’s my desire for a quiet devotional time and to start the day without the rush that will come soon enough. A brewing pot of coffee doesn’t hurt. Thank the Lord for a timer on the coffee maker!

The workday is coming, and I will have plenty to do. But for now, I can be intentional and get up on my terms. I can thank God for another morning and listen. I can read and ponder.

For me, it’s far better than rushing into noise at a high pace. Let the morning come in the quiet dark, and I will ease into it.
Those are some of the intentional reasons I get up early.

What gets you up?

Categories
motivation

What if I’m not in charge?

a woman standing in front of the group
Photo by Yan Krukau on Pexels.com

Is anybody totally in charge? Bosses have bosses. Even those at the top answer to a board of directors or a balance sheet. Many of us ask, “What if I’m not in Charge?”

A few years ago, I attended a conference where a speaker coached us on how to lead when we aren’t the boss. Clay Scroggins advised that we have more control than we realize, even when we aren’t the leader.

Sketch notes on "How to lead when you're not in charge"

I was delighted to learn he now has a video series by the same name.

Even if we don’t have the official title, each of us has control over ourselves and how we react to different situations. I have found that when I have relinquished that control, I have made it difficult for me to lead myself and have made it harder on my leaders.

We have more control than we realize, but that also means we must take responsibility for our own actions. What if I’m not in charge? I can start leading myself, for starters. And isn’t that the most important person to lead, after all?

Categories
motivation

Finding and Fighting Our Faults

boy in beige hoodie covering his face
Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

It’s one thing to find faults in others; it’s entirely another to recognize and fix our own faults.

I was reading a biography of John Wesley when I came across this passage:

A quote on finding and fighting our faults by Marianne Kirlew

Although the author geared her biography toward children, that nugget was invaluable to me.

The author knew about emotional intelligence and self-awareness before we had names for these qualities.

The only effective fault-finding is when we identify our faults and take action to defeat them.

Looking at somebody else and pointing out their faults is too easy. But our blind spots make it incredibly difficult to do the same for ourselves. Be merciful to others and relentless in finding our faults.

But don’t stop there. Take action and fight our faults into submission! Now if you excuse me, I need to have a serious finding and fighting session. And this time, I give myself no excuses!