Life of success

by Cameron Smith

If you ask ten people what their idea of success in life looks like, you will most likely get ten different ideas and versions of success. The world we live in and the environment around us shapes us and we unconsciously  develop an image of what a successful life looks like. From the time we start going to school as kids we start thinking of what success looks like. If we are not mindful, we will live our lives conformed to the image in our mind and strive towards have the successful life we see in our minds. 


Too often we will compare ourselves to people who seem to have more than us and will always be trying to acquire the same in our lives. This is a very dangerous way to live. Yes, it is dangerous. Dangerous because, we can very easily be distracted from what God has called us to do. It is a very subtle thing because we will be busy doing different things but they might not be things that God wants us to work on. 


One of the definitions for the word 'success' is the attainment of popularity or profit. This definition is one that does not line up with the Word of God because a man or women can live a successful life without ever attaining popularity or profit. There are many examples both in the Bible and in the word today. It is not wrong to be popular or to make a profit but it is wrong to evaluate a successful life solely based on popularity and profit. In Genesis 39:2 the Bible tells us that "The Lord, was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian." At that point in his life, Joseph was neither popular nor making a profit. He was at one of the worst stages of his life and yet the Bible says that was successful. He was successful being the plan and purposes of God were being accomplished in his life. 


As Christians we need to evaluate our level of success based on how well we are doing and accomplishing the purpose God has for our lives. It is not wrong to dream big and do great things but the motives need to be judged. Is the dream or desire just to be popular or to look better than another person? Is the dream truly inspired by God and the desire to do great things to glorify God? 


In Mark 8:36, The Bible says, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Gaining the world is not the problem here. The problem is with forfeiting or losing the soul. We will lose our soul when we compare ourselves to others and start running a race that we are not called to run. We need to discipline ourselves to run the race that is set before us and resist the temptation to run someone else's race! (Hebrews 12:1)


A successful life for a christian is one when the person has done all that God wanted done in their life. That is when we will hear the words "Well done. My good and faithful servant." That is undoubtedly a successful life. 

A leadership must!

The one thing that every leader has to do if he wants to lead well is he must lead by example. This is not a new idea in anyway but for some reason I keep running into leaders and even find myself at times trying to lead people without first being a good example!

If you are a leader who leads by example I want to thank you! Keep doing what you are doing! If you are like me and mess up in this area at times, lets use this as a reminder that there is only one way to lead and that is to lead by example!

Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process by Blaine Hogan (Book review)

If you are a creative person or work and lead creative people, especially in the context of church, this book is an absolute must read! It is an important book for the creatives because Blaine takes you through the process of creating and the price that needs to be paid for creating. It is also an important book for leaders who lead creatives because it helps them understand what the creatives go through in order to create on a continual basis. I have had the opportunity in the last few years to watch and experience Blaine's creative work on the internet and I have always been moved by his productions and art.

In his book UNTITLED, Blaine writes about the creative process, the work that goes inside the creative, the failures, fears and mistakes that will be made and the price that creatives need to pay to create art. It is a book that is short and to the point. If you have read and like books like Poke the box By Seth Godin or Do the Work by Steven Pressfield you will really enjoy this book.

I have attended thousands of church services in my life. Attended them in several countries and been to various denominational and non-denominational churches. I have seen both very good art and very bad art in them. From my perspective there is very little good art and a lot of bad art currently in the church. Since Blaine has a lot of experience leading and creating in the context of a local church (Willow Creek in Chicago), he is someone who knows what he is talking about. It is not just theory but him actually going through the process of creating over and over again. If you are involved in creating art in the local church, this is a short book that you and your team can read to gain some valuable insights into creativity.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is creating or wants to create meaning art.


Here is a video of Blaine talking about the book! 

Blaine Hogan on Untitled: Thoughts on the Creative Process from Clarkvideos on Vimeo.

You can buy the book here! 

Random Fridays. July 15th

1. Difference between nutritional doctors and medical doctors, and the need for more nutritional doctors. Good documentary. 
2. Learnt of a great example of leadership from Alexander the great here. 
3. Good panel discussion between Mark Driscoll, Albert Mohler and others about the relationship between seminaries and local churches. You can listen to it here. 
4. Some great resources to help you with creative blocks!
5. Really loving this book right now! Highly recommend it. 

5 ways to develop commitment

The word 'commitment' is defined as the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself. I wrote about the importance of commitment here. It is one thing to know the importance of commitment but actually being committed is another thing.

Without committing or really engaging, it is impossible for us to reach the goals we have set for ourselves. With that in mind here are some keys to developing commitment:

1.         Have a clear purpose: When you work towards a goal, it is easy being committed in the beginning stages. But as you start facing pressure the temptation to quit increases and that is where you need something bigger to hold on to. That is where a sense of purpose will help you stay committed for the long run. It might be to loose weight, expand the business, reach more people etc. Always ask yourself the purpose for the goal and keep that the focus.

2.         Have the right tools: Do your homework and find the best tools that you can get. There is no point in wasting energy and time doing things ineffectively. If there are tools that can help you accomplish things in an effective way, use them. This will help you avoid frustration and burnout.

3.         Be accountable: Don't work on things by yourself. To the best of your ability try to have someone tag along with you. Even if they don't work on the same goals, be accountable to them. This will help you push towards the goals and stay committed.

4.         Create a reward & punishment system: Take some time and create a system by which you can reward yourself for accomplishing the things that you have set out to do but don't stop there. Create a punishment system as well. Punishment can be very different from person to person. For some people shame is very effective, for others it might be loosing money. Figure out what works best for you and work with that.

5.         Tell others: By telling others about the goals that you are working on, it will force you to give it your best and work as hard as possible at it. Since nobody likes to fail, you will stay committed and think twice or thrice before you quit.

Do you agree or disagree with any of these points? What are some other ways that you can develop commitment?

Turning dreams into reality.

I have big dreams and I have no doubt that you do too. I also realize that there are many small things and some big things that need to be done in order to make the dream a reality. As I learn and grow I realize that I will not be able to accomplish the goals and make the dream a reality if I am not really committed.

Commitment takes guts. It might be easy to dream, but making it a reality takes hard work! It is hard to fight against the resistance. Hard to say 'no' to certain people and also hard to hear others say 'no' to you.

But again, if making dreams a reality was an easy thing, then everybody would be doing it. Since someone has to do it, why not you? Why not do the hard thing? Why not make the commitment to press through and fight the resistance to see the dream become a reality!

Lack of commitment is the biggest reason for not getting things done.

It is the reason we don't accomplish the things that we set out to do.

It is the reason we give up when we face a resistance. It really doesn't matter where the resistance and pressure comes from. Fight it with everything you have, because on the other side is the reality of the dream you have been dreaming about!

Rest like Jesus

There is a pretty familiar story in Mark 4:35-40, where Jesus tell his disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side."

³⁵ On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
³⁹ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 

In this story we see that both Jesus and His disciples were experiencing the same situation and storm but the the way they reacted was very different. On one side we see the disciples panic and think that they were going to die and on the other hand we see Jesus resting like there was no storm.

As Christians we know that storms are a part of life and we also know that Jesus is our example on how to live our lives. Since we know that there are going to be storms that are unavoidable in our lives, we need to make sure that we prepare ourselves to act the way that Jesus did. 


We often find ourselves reacting the way the disciples did because in most cases we don't trust place our faith in God's Word. We know this because of what Jesus said after calming the seas. In verse 40 he asked them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”. If the disciples truly placed their faith in what Jesus said they would not have panicked because He clearly said, "Let us cross over to the other side."


So the real question is do we believe God's Word and do we really place our trust in Him? How we react in the storm reveals a lot about who we really are. It would do us good to learn from Jesus and rest like He did when we face our next storm. Let the Word do the work. 


Rest in Him and you will cross over to the other side. 


Why is it hard for us to rest in a storm? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. 

Notes from Dave Ramsey from Chick-fil-a Leadercast 2011

Here are a few things that I got out of the talk. 

1. Leadership is a service and it is a privilege. 
2. When you as the leader mess up, you not only have a negative impact on the people that you lead but also on their families and community. 
3. Leadership has its privileges but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. 
4. 5 things that caused us to win:
• People matter: Its how we live. Customers matter. Your team matters. People are not commodities. Eat, live and die for your team. Make sure you are loyal to your team, before you wonder about their loyalty to you. 
• An excellent team matters: Excellence needs to be a part of the DNA. Absolutely no gossip allowed. 
• Slow & steady matters: Slow and steady wins the race. Don't get distracted. Business done well is a crock pot. you have to cook it long. 
• Financial principals matter: Stay out of debt. Run your life and your organization on a budget. Be generous. 
• A higher calling matters: Play for something bigger than yourself. You will fight harder and think smarter when you do. You will not quit when you play for something big and have a sense of calling. Answer the question, "Why do you do what you do?"

Learning to learn well

Learning is choice and it is a process! It is something that takes commitment.

Anybody who wants to grow and develop themselves have to make the choice to learn. Often times we sit and wait for the right opportunity or right people to come by us in order to learn and that is something that we need to stop doing.

The reality is that we can always learn from everybody and everything around us. We can learn from businesses, sports teams, politicians, history, books, mentors, movies and the list can go on and on. The reason I say we can learn from everybody and everything is because we can learn both what to do and what not to do or how to do and how not to do certain things.

For example, there are both good and bad business leaders. There are good and bad examples in every area of life. We can learn from peoples success and from their failures as well.

We can learn how to react or not react in certain situations. We can learn how to treat people with respect and how not to abuse people around you. We can learn how to handle pressure and make decisions  and on and on......

So the next time you find yourself not learning and growing or complaining about the lack of opportunities and mentors, take the time to think about the people around you and start making a list of things that you can learn from them. As you start learning well, the mentors and opportunities that you are looking for will eventually show up!

7 lessons from 'The Go-Getter'

Here are some highlights from the book The Go-Getter by Peter B.Kyne. It is a very short book. Only 55 pages but a very, very good book. I highly recommend it. 

1. Have the courage to tackle the job. 
2. Don't take no for an answer. Keep trying. 
3. Your leaders request is tantamount to an order!
4. Get the job done!
5. Its hard to reject someone who simply will not be rejected. 
6. Don't wait for people to have a lot of experience before you give them responsibilities. 
7. Providing opportunities and training for the people you lead is critical for the future of any mission.

5 ways to think critically

Last week I wrote about 5 roadblocks to critical thinking. Here are five things that will help you to think critically.

1. Work on controlling your emotions and get yourself 'out of the situation' so that you can think clearly instead of emotionally. 
2. Always ask the question, "How do I/they/she/he/we know that?"
3. Make decisions to serve others and not to protect yourself or your interest!
4. Always know and understand your context before copying someone or applying something you learnt from others. 
5. Be willing to learn and relearn! 

What would you add to this list?

Empower vs Overpower

You are a leader and you have people following you.

As a leader you have power. It might be power that you earned earned by leading well or it can be power that was given to you. Either way, the reality is that you have power and Every time you interact with people and make decisions, you have the choice to either empower or overpower.

Overpowering is easy.

Empowering on the other hand is hard.

But again you are the leader because you are called to do hard things. Empowering people takes patience, unselfishness and courage.

Two choices; empower or overpower.

Choose wisely! 

5 Roadblocks to critical thinking

Every leader has the responsibility to think critically of the things around them. I don't mean that they have to be critical of others but that they have to think critically of the decisions and actions that are being taken both by themselves and others around them.

Here are some of the roadblocks that leaders face when it comes to thinking critically:

1. Pride: It is not an uncommon thing for a leader to start thinking that his way of thinking and doing is the right way, especially when he experiences a certain level of success in the things that he has worked on. This can often stop a leader from thinking critically because he will constantly reply on his way of doing things even when the circumstances call for a change.
2. Cultural bias: Everybody is a product of the environment and culture that they are raised in. The values and stereotypes that they learn become a part of their lives. This causes leaders to look for things that support their views instead of taking an objective and critical look at things.
3. Ignorance: You cannot think critically if you do not have enough information about a particular thing. Leaders can make the mistake of not learning enough before they can make a decision.
4. Always agreeing with 'experts': There is nothing wrong with learning from experts in the field and people who have done things that you would like to do but at the same time it is not wise to blindly agree and accept everything that is said by them.
5. Isolation: You cannot think critically if you never spend time with others who don't necessarily think like you and who don't agree with you. Isolating yourself from people who don't think like you will only make you think that your way of thinking is the best way. You will end up thinking your ideas are strong but in reality they only stand because they haven't been challenged.

What are some of the other roadblocks that you can think of when it comes to critical thinking?

Yes YOU can!

I know it looks like things are getting tougher. Things don't look like they will work out. Most of the plans that you had are falling apart. Success seems so far away.

BUT

The good news is that the story does not end here. You are just in the middle of your story and journey. There is a lot more that God wants to do IN you and THROUGH you! Don't give in to the temptation to quit.

He has called you and He has enabled you do to what you are supposed to do! The Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you and He is there to help you! Success is not a destination. It is not measured by what you possess. Success comes from knowing that you are pursuing the plan that God has for your life and that you are growing into the person God has called you to be.

Don't compare yourself to others. Make sure that you are growing and moving forward in God's plan for your life. No reason to quit or give up now! Remember what God promised in His word!

Philippians 1:6 ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 3:20-21 ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

7 things leaders should stop doing

Here are a list of seven things that I think leaders should stop doing:

1. Stop being over sensitive to criticism.

Criticism is something that is unavoidable as a leader. It is a part of the leadership journey. There are going to be people who like the things you do and there are going to be those who don’t like the things you do or the way you do them. It is human to get hurt by some criticism but as a leader you cannot be over sensitive to this because you know it is a part of the journey. Complaining about criticism is like an athlete who complains about every practice session. Learn all you can from it and move on.

2. Stop criticizing.

Even though nobody really likes to be criticized, leaders can sometimes be quick to criticize others. Instead of criticizing others practise encouraging people. This will help both you and others around you. It will help you focus on what you need to do. It is important for leaders to focus and run their own race instead of always finding fault with others.

3. Stop being inflexible.

In Philippians 4:12 Paul says “I know both how to live in humble circumstances and how to live amid abundance.” This is a very important lesson for leaders. In a world that is constantly changing, leaders need to be flexible. We need to be open minded about the methods we use to reach our goals. There are many examples of businesses that are no more because they refused to be flexible.

4. Stop dwelling on the past.

This applies to both the good and bad times. It is dangerous for a leader to dwell on the good times because you can start to form the “good old days” mentality and it is dangerous to dwell on the bad times in the past because you tend to lose hope for the future. As leaders we need to look ahead to the future, never give up hope and continue to paint a clear picture for those who are following us.

5. Stop making excuses or blaming other for failure.

A leader must always take personal responsibility. He or she cannot make excuses or blame others on the team or in the organization. A leader needs to get comfortable about taking responsibility and at times taking the blame for failure. Even when a person on the team does not perform well, it is the job of the leader to coach and empower the person so that they can perform well.

6. Stop resisting change.

If we take sometime and look around, we will observe that pretty much everything that we see around us is a result of change. There is a high probability that most of the things that you use everyday has been a result of change in the last decade. Change is a part of life. Leaders who resist change not only hurt themselves but hurt the people that they are leading by stifling creativity in the followers.

7. Stop doing the unnecessary things.

Jim Collins is known for his stop doing list. What are some of the things that you have been doing for a long time which might not be giving you the results you want or need? Delegate them if they have to be done and use your time for more important things. A leaders time is one of the most valuable things. Using is wisely is vital to lead well.

What are your thoughts about the list and what would you add to this list?

In their place

If you really want to lead well and influence people around you then you need to put yourself in their shoes. There are going to be times and situations when those who are following you will not do or deliver the expected. During those times it is important not to get frustrated but rather try to understand them by putting yourself in their shoes.

People want and like to be understood. When you take the time to understand a person you will increase their respect towards you and this will allow you to influence them in a positive way.

Take the time, put yourself in their shoes and learn to understand.

Knowing vs. Doing

Parents know that their actions speak louder than their words to their children but most of them use words to influence their children.

Leaders know that leading by example is much more effective than 'preaching' to their followers but most of them 'preach' rather than lead by example.

People know that giving advice to others is easy but living out the same advice is much harder but most people tell others what they need to do instead of living out the same advice in their own lives.

There is a vast difference between knowing something and actually doing it!

Be among the few who actually do and not just know!

It can be hard but the results are worth it!

7 reasons why you should get over it

After the highly anticipated NBA game last night between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, Scott Williams told us to 'Get over it'. Here is why you should.

• You will waste time if you dont.
• You will waste energy if you dont.
• You will dwell on the past instead of preparing for the future.
• You will harden your heart instead of keeping it sensitive.
• You will become angry for the wrong reasons.
• You will become selfish.
• You will begin to resent people.

and if non of those reasons are good enough then this should be a good reason to!

I know it can be tough, but that is never a good reason for not to get over it!

The purpose of planing

In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

It is important to plan not because everything you plan will happen or that things will go according to your plan but it is important to do so to build your confidence. Everyone has examples of things not going their way or as planned. The key is learning how to improvise. There are always going to be many factors that cannot be managed or be predicted.


It is the same in life and leadership. A good leader knows how to improvise and make decisions when things don't go as planned. Sticking to the book or the rules will not always work. Learning to adapt quickly and improvising is necessary. This does not mean you never stick to the 'book' or rules. Having rules is good but to they also have to be flexible.


So go ahead and plan and plan well. Boost your confidence and have an expectant future but when the unexpected happens be quick to adapt and improvise.

Biggest temptation of a leader

There are many temptation that a leader faces during his or her leadership journey but one the most common and universal temptations of a leader especially after achieving something, is to lead people from what he or she have learnt in the past and stop growing. I have the opportunity to work with both young and old leaders and this temptation is not something that is only seen in the young leaders or only in the older leaders.

Learning and growth are an essential part of leadership and the minute a leader thinks that they do not need to learn and grow, they stop being effective leaders. Giving into the temptation of 'taking it easy' and abandoning personal growth is very dangerous for both the leader and the followers. The leader can stifle the growth of the organization as well as the people because the leader himself is not growing and learning. A leader can become very insecure and frustrated when there is a lack of personal growth.

The easy and comfortable thing to do is not to grow and to lead others based on things of the past. This does not mean that things learnt in the past are not important or not necessary but to stop growing and learning new things will only effect the organization in a negative way. It will not allow you to innovate and respond to the changes that are happening at a rapid pace everywhere.

Learning and growth may be hard at certain times but that is what a leader is called to do. Do hard things. It is the leaders job to do the hard things and inspire others to do the same. The leaders who will fight against this temption will be the ones who will lead people into the future and lead them well.