When it comes to the actual practice of making one’s life better, it is hard to know where to start. What does better even mean? What does improvement look like? Where do I begin? A few years ago, the Army developed a mental model of a grand building (think a big courthouse, The Parthenon, or a mansion) supported by pillars. Each of the pillars represent a load-bearing reality. The Army used what they developed to help their personnel understand leadership... Read more
Many of us, either by intention or perceived necessity, have adopted a certain strategy for living in this world. We wake up and ask ourselves the question, “how do I get through today?” We go to work and try to determine what exactly we have to do to be okay, often walking on eggshells. We take this same mindset into our relationships. We aim for just short of falling apart and are thankful to get it. Our terminology for this... Read more
When I was a kid, I played a lot of video games. I spent hours of my life in front of a screen, controller in hand, trying to “level up”. The process was straightforward: overcome the challenges and obstacles in front of you as you progress further into the world you are in; beat the bad guy at the end; go ahead to the next, more difficult level; and eventually “beat the game”. As an adult, I find that there... Read more
There is a great verse in the early chapters of The Gospel of Mark where Jesus says to his disciples, ‘don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” The world is full of parables. We live amongst an abundance of metaphors. They are not just “the way things are”, they are explaining the way things are. The metaphors we encounter are insights into who we are as humans and how we function. Sometimes the metaphor is... Read more
In the course of the human journey, there is one significant fork in the road. We come to it all the time. Sometimes it is clear and sometimes subtle. Sometimes it is pronounced and sometimes it is hardly noticed. This fork is the crossroads of life. It is initiated when we experience pain or discomfort. And the crossroad is the decision we make. Will we take the path of truth or falsity? Will we choose instant relief, instant gratification? Or... Read more
There is a rise in bad behavior. Indecent behavior at the NBA playoffs. People acting like fools on flights. It seems as though, along with the slow crawl back to normal, in the wake of Covid, there is an accompanying rise of bad behavior. Why? I was in a Chipotle line ordering my lunch a few days ago. The woman in front of me was exhibiting some of this bad behavior. She asked for lemons and the worker behind the... Read more
Discovering, let alone accepting, truth is a difficult task. More difficult than we acknowledge. It is a slog, a lifelong endeavor, full of ups and downs, surprises, forgiveness, and repentance. And, in many ways, deep joy. We are meant to be creatures of learning. There is always more truth to discover. Each person has a light to shed on truth. Ultimate truths about what matters, what makes people happy, and how to operate in community. As well as “smaller” truths... Read more
One of the most overused axioms in modern popular culture is “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results”. We often use this when we are exasperated our imagined outcomes have not come to pass, yet we keep trying to make them so. I heard someone say this axiom recently (I often say it myself) and it kind of hit me that the very same definition could be used to describe perseverance.... Read more
I grew up a country music fan, so I get the appeal of breakup revenge. When somebody hurts you, you want to get back at them. You want them to feel what you feel. In a very raw way, you want them to be punished, to have to face negative consequences for treating you the way they did. With the prominence of social media, the practice of dating revenge can be shared, bragged upon, etc. Just yesterday I saw two... Read more
As part of our work with The Crossroad, we get to spend a lot of time with a lot of different organizations. We have been with teams big and small, in all corners of the United States and even some overseas. And our experience has allowed us to see one glaring danger that threatens all organizations. The danger of a split vision. All of the organizations we work with want to do their work more effectively. Whether it is business... Read more
Victorious Living
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