In the documentary film chronicling her journey to superstardom, performer Katy Perry advises her fans: “Believe in yourself and you can be anything.” However, if eleven seasons of American Idol have taught us anything, it’s that self-belief is not sufficient for success. At the beginning of each season of Idol, vocalists audition in front of the judges, and some are dreadfully tone-deaf and off-key. Amazingly, despite their obvious lack of talent, these musically-challenged contestants truly believe they are destined for celebrity. In fact, they’re genuinely shocked when the judges candidly provide them with negative feedback before dismissing them from the set.
Certainly, at many junctures in the leadership journey, you must be supremely self-assured to press forward through adversity. But while self-confidence factors into a person’s success in life, a number of other qualities come into play as well. Here are six questions to ask yourself to gauge whether or not you have what it takes to reach the pinnacle of your profession. 1) Does your dream align with your natural abilities? Olympic sprinters spend countless hours learning how to accelerate out of the starting blocks and to perfect their stride. With years of practice, they’re able to shave off precious fractions of a second off of the time it takes them to complete a race. However, in actuality, every world-class sprinter began his or her athletic career with loads of inborn ability. Absent of God-given talent, the average person, even after years of disciplined training, could not hope to keep pace with these elite runners. In my experience, a person can only improve about one or two notches above their natural talent in a given area. For example, if on a scale of 1-10 you happen to be a “3” as a singer, then taking voice lessons and music appreciation courses may lift you to a “4.” If you’re especially diligent in studying how to sing, you may even improve to a “5.” Even so, you’ve only improved from bad to average—and people don’t pay to hear an average singer. The formula for success is to build your career around skills in which you’re already a “7” or an “8” and to spend your time perfecting them. Food for Thought: In what ways are you naturally gifted? That is, in what areas are you already a “7” or an “8”? 2) Can you handle stress? A stress fracture occurs in the body, not from a single injury, but from repeatedly putting too much weight on a bone. In a like manner, leaders do not generally break down from an inability to handle a particularly busy stretch on the job. Rather, they crack as a result of taking on the stresses of work, day after day, without finding healthy release valves for the pressure. They let the demands of the office crowd out the joys of relationships with loved ones. Or, they allow the responsibilities of leadership prevent them from experiencing the beauty of nature or the healthfulness of exercise. Eventually, the repeated stress of work becomes too much, and they suffer a broken relationship, physical ailment, or mental illness. Food for Thought: Which person in your life does the most to lift your spirits? How often do you spend time with him or her? Which outdoor recreational activity does the most to replenish your energy? How often do you get to participate in the activity? 3) Are you comfortable with risk? I think it’s unfortunate that risk-taking has taken on the connotation of gambling or recklessness. Many times inaction, rather than action, is the most dangerous path. With a doubt, failure to innovate and adjust spells certain doom in today’s fast-paced world of evolving technologies. Experience has shown me that taking risks has specific advantages. First, you learn things faster than the people who don’t take risks. Second, you have a broader range of experiences than those who stay safely within their comfort zone. Third, you bump into obstacles sooner than the people who play it safe, and fourth, you learn to improvise in order to get around those obstacles. Risk-takers are not smarter than the other guys; they just fail faster and thus get their education more quickly. Food for Thought: What risks have you taken in your career? What have you learned from taking them? 4) Do you have strong people skills? Our ability to build and maintain healthy relationships largely determines our enjoyment of life. Indeed, we usually can trace our successes and failures to our relationships. Consequently, getting along with people is virtually a precondition for effective leadership. Leaders build business relationships in four stages. At the first level, people knowledge, understanding what others need aids a leader in building influence. In the second level, service skills—a leader’s ability to attend to people’s needs proactively—expand a leader’s influence. At the third level of business relationships, a leader’s reputation attracts customers. At this stage, a leader’s track record for treating others honestly and with respect pays significant dividends. Finally, at the fourth level, personal friendship with fellow influencers paves the way for tremendous synergies and opportunities for partnership. Food for Thought: What prevents people from being aware of the effect they have on others? 5) Are you creative in problem solving? A creative leader actually enjoys not knowing it all. Such a person realizes that though we seldom have all the answers; we always have the ability to generate solutions to whatever difficulties we encounter. In leadership, problems are unavoidable. However, the attitude a leader brings to those problems is optional. Creative leaders search for opportunities within the obstacles they face. Instead of complaining about challenges, they welcome them as catalysts for growth. Food for Thought: Can a person intentionally become more creative? If so, how? If not, why? 6) Are you competitive? If you always draw back when presented with a challenge, then you’ll never make it to the top. To develop as an influencer, you must revel in the chance to you're your strength as opposed to shrinking from challenges. Ideally, competition isn’t about separating winners and losers, but sharpening the skills of all competitors. I like how Paul Lee Tan’s describes the benefits of competition: “My competitors do more for me than my friends do. My friends are too polite to point out my weaknesses, but my competitors go to great expense to advertise them. My competitors are efficient, diligent and attentive. They force me to search for ways to improve my technique and my service. My competitors would take my customers away from me if they could. This keeps me alert to hold what I have. If I had no competitors, I might become complacent and inattentive. I need the discipline they force upon me.” Food for Thought: At what point does competition become destructive rather than productive? While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honouring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age. After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the “podium.”Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak....
"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me... the only thing that would comfort was this verse.............. "Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, we are weak but He is strong..... Yes, Jesus loves me.... The Bible tells me so." The old pastor stated, "I always noticed that it was the adults who chose the children's hymn 'Jesus Loves Me' (for the children of course) during a hymn sing, and it was the adults who sang the loudest because I could see they knew it the best." "Here for you now is a Senior version of Jesus Loves Me": JESUS LOVES ME Jesus loves me, this I know, Though my hair is white as snow Though my sight is growing dim, Still He bids me trust in Him. (CHORUS) YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME.. YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO. Though my steps are oh, so slow, With my hand in His I'll go On through life, let come what may, He'll be there to lead the way. (CHORUS) When the nights are dark and long, In my heart He puts a song.. Telling me in words so clear, "Have no fear, for I am near." (CHORUS) When my work on earth is done, And life's victories have been won. He will take me home above, Then I'll understand His love. (CHORUS) I love Jesus, does He know? Have I ever told Him so? Jesus loves to hear me say, That I love Him every day. (CHORUS) In die antieke wêreld was daar ‘n bygeloof onder party mense dat die lug nog eendag op hulle koppe gaan val. Dit is verstaanbaar as jy dink dat honderde tonne water dikwels in die lug bokant ons koppe rondhang sonder enige sigbare ondersteuning. Ek praat van reënwolke. Wolke is fassinerende sisteme; hulle is reusagtig, maar vloeibaar en self-organiserend. Wolke weet wanneer hulle werk afgehandel is. Dan verdamp hulle, of verskuif haastig om hulle waardevolle vrag elders te gaan weggee.
Ons moet by wolke leer om meer vloeibaar en dinamies te wees. Te veel kere is ons staties wat ons geloof betref. Ons bied goeie geestelike aktiwiteite by kerke aan en verwag dorstiges moet uit hulle eie hierheen kom. Dis ook reg so, maar as dit al is wat ons doen, dan doen ons te min. Die Here het ons ontwerp om soos wolke die wêreld vol in Sy Naam te leef. Daarom moet ons beweeglik en aanpasbaar wees. Ons moet vinnig kan verskuif na daardie mense en plekke toe waar die Here hemelse water effektief wil uitstort. Soos wat Jesus in Johannes 7:38-40 sê moet die Gees se lewende strome aanhoudend deur ons vloei (en reën!) na ander toe. Groete Stephan Joubert 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Faithful is He who is calling you and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by keeping you]. - God always remains faithful. - He is faithful and utterly trustworthy. - God will fulfill His plans and purposes for you. PRAYER: Lord, thank You for Your purposes and plans for my life. You are the One who does these things and I will trust You every step of the way. Amen. "Competing is exciting and winning is exhilarating, but the true prize will always be the self-knowledge and understanding that you have gained along the way."~ Sebastian Coe
"Competitors take bad breaks and use them to drive themselves just that much harder. Quitters take bad breaks and use them as reasons to give up."~ Nancy Lopez "Thank God for competition. When our competitors upset our plans or outdo our designs, they open infinite possibilities of our own work to us."~ Gil Atkinson "It is your response to winning and losing that makes you a winner or a loser."~ Harry Sheehy God se … My kind die foute wat jy gemaak het , bepaal nie wie jy is nie… Wie jougemaak het bepaal wie jy is, enn dis Ek jou hemelse Vader. Die prys waarvoor iets gekoop word bepaal die waarde van n ietem…en die enigste pry swat ek jou kon koop was met My lewe… Kom kyk vir n slag na jouself deur My oe . Ek ken jou potensiaal. Ek weet waartoe jy instaat is. Ek ken die wenner binne jou . Ek ken jou mooi hart. Ek hen jou sagte persoonlikheid. Ek sien n pragtige mens wanneer Ek na jou kyk. Dalk was daar dae wat jy gese het jy glo nie in My nie maar ek se vandag vir jou . Ek glo in jou! Ek wil jou seer wegvat jou glimlag weer terug sit op jougesig. Ek wil jou weer laat glo jy kan. Ek wil jou optel en styf teen my bors vasdruk en vir jou wys Ek beplan vir jou n mooi toekoms. Bly altyd glo… want dis Hemel op aarde saam met God….
No matter how softly u whisper a prayer God surely listern, understands and knows the hopes and fears u keep in your heart Psalm 32:8 For you are the twinkle in Gods eye Zech2:8, the smile on His face Zeph3:17 the dream in His heart Jer29:11 and the masterpiece in His hand! Gen1:27 expect Him to be there for you
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom. Psalms 145:11 In west Texas, there is a famous oil field known as the Yates Pool. During the depression, Mr. Yates was not able to make enough money on his ranching operation to pay his mortgage. With little money for clothes or food, his family, like many others, had to live on a government subsidy. Then one day a crew from an oil company came into the area and told Mr. Yates that there might be oil on this land. A wildcat well was drilled and at a little more than a thousand feet, they struck a huge oil reserve. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he had purchased the land, he received the oil and mineral rights. And yet, he had been living on relief--a multimillionaire living in poverty. What had been the problem? He did not know the oil was there. He owned it, but he did not possess it. Jesus says to us that the Kingdom of God is something like that. You and I already have it within our grasp. It is there waiting to be discovered. But many of us are living impoverished lives--not knowing that the Kingdom is ours if we want it. God bepaal hoeveel dae jy gaan leef, maar jy bepaal hoe dit gebruik word. Die Psalmdigter sê: 'Dit is die dag wat die Here gemaak het; laat ons daaroor juig en bly wees.' Vandag is al wat jy het. Jy kan oorbegin, as jy volgens hierdie woorde lewe: 'Vandag gaan ek twee dae uit my dagboek verwyder - gister en môre. Gister was vir leer; môre is die gevolge van wat ek vandag doen. Vandag gaan ek leef met die oortuiging dat dit nooit weer sal terugkeer nie, dat dit dalk die laaste geleentheid vir my sal wees om by te dra, want daar's geen waarborg dat ek môre sal sien nie. Vandag gaan ek nie geleenthede laat verbygaan nie. Vandag gaan ek my waardevolste hulpbron, my tyd, investeer in my belangrikste besitting: die lewe wat God aan my gegee het. Ek gaan elke minuut doelgerig spandeer, en sodoende van vandag 'n unieke geleentheid maak. Ek gaan elke struikelblok aanpak met die wete dat ek met God se hulp sal oorwin. Vandag gaan ek twyfel en pessimisme weerstaan, en my omgewing met 'n glimlag verwarm. Ek gaan 'n sterk geloof handhaaf, niks behalwe die beste verwag nie, tyd maak vir geluk, elke taak as 'n geleentheid sien om God te eer, en poog om Sy voetspore te laat in die harte van almal wat ek ontmoet.' John Boykin het geskryf: 'Jou tyd is jou lewe - niks meer, niks minder nie. Hoe jy jou ure bestee, is hoe jy jou lewe spandeer.' Bid dan: 'Here, help my om hierdie dag ten volle te benut.' Sielskos: 2 Sam 22:31-24:25; Luk 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Spr 16:33 If you never felt pain, Then how would you know that I'm a Healer? If you never went through difficulty, How would you know that I'm a Deliverer? If you never had a trial, How could you call yourself an overcomer? If you never felt sadness, How would you know that I'm a Comforter? If you never made a mistake, How would you know that I'm forgiving? If you never were in trouble, How would you know that I will come to your rescue? If you never were broken, Then how would you know that I can make you whole? If you never had a problem, How would you know that I can solve them? If you never had any suffering, Then how would you know what I went through? If you never went through the fire, Then how would you become pure? If I gave you all things, How would you appreciate them? If I never corrected you, How would you know that I love you? If you had all power, Then how would you learn to depend on me? If your life was perfect, Then what would you need Me for? "And he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will gladly glory in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.'" 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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