TRUST

As part of my interviews for prospective employees, I ask them to come with 10 questions that they will ask me.  Yesterday, I was asked a fairly common question.  "If I am hired, what will be expected of me?"  Before I answered I asked what she thought.  She responded with many expectations such as hard working, friendly, reliable, good attitude, willing to do whatever is needed, etc.  Those are all great but there is one that she left out.  I told her she could do all those things but if we couldn't TRUST her, it wouldn't work out here.  Trust is crucial.

Last week, I had the opportunity to talk with the youth group at a local church.  I was asked, "what is something God is teaching me?"  On my bedroom wall is a picture with Proverbs 3:5-6 on it.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will keep your path straight".  That is easy to say, but often hard to do.

In July, we had a direct competitor open on the other end of our parking lot.  I found out about it near the beginning of 2011.  When I first heard the rumors, I was devastated.  All these years of building up our business and here comes a competitor to "get a piece of the pie", as they told us.  What would it do to our business?  Would we drop so much we had to cut employees hours or entire positions?  What would happen to my income?  Could we afford to keep our kids in the school we have them in and really appreciate?  Would I be "unsuccessful" because another business took our customers?  I was in the pits.

As time rolled on and the rumors became reality, I struggled through it.  I asked what is the purpose of this?  Why was God allowing this to happen?  Well, it became clear that I needed to learn to truly trust God.  I had done all the little things.  Coached good customer service, encouraged our team to keep the store clean, keep the food fresh, be efficient.  All the things that make a good restaurant.  But, did I trust God?

I told the applicant that they could do all the little, technical things right but if I couldn't trust them, it was not going to work.

Here I was doing all the little things right (well, many of them), running a restaurant that customers enjoyed, but I wasn't trusting God.  It won't work out unless I am trusting Him.  In fact, I can mess up alot of the little things, but if my faith is strong and I truly trust Him, He will "make my path straight". 
                      

Generational Learning

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) said, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."  I think you could also say, "Those who do know history can build upon it".  You can take the things that have worked over time and add to them.  

Between my reading and listening to individuals that come from previous generations, I have observed a few things that I think we can apply and build on. 

From my grandparent's generation, we often hear stories about hard work, commitment, loyalty, and the attitude of "just get it done".  The stories come from the Great Depression, WWII and the early post WWII years.  They were the "Greatest Generation".  They worked hard, they worked long hours.  They did what it took to get the results they wanted.  They didn't have much but they made the best of what they had.  If it meant working more than 40 hours per week or having 2 jobs, that is what they did and it was not considered exceptional to make that commitment.  Could those lessons still apply today?  

From my parent's generation, "The Baby Boomers", I have picked up on the importance of quality.  TQM (Total Quality Management) was the thing to learn in management courses.  Japanese car companies took over the automotive industry by doing this.  Detroit lost it's edge by cutting costs and not responding with quality products soon enough.  They are still playing catch-up.  

My business classes in college were all about quality and management to get quality.  That was until now.

This generation talks about influence.  Developing people.  True Leadership.  Sure, this has been happening all along, just like quality has always been good.  But, it seems that the focus in this generation is on the people more than the product.  At least with the growth minded organizations. 

Does that mean we should forget hard work?  What about quality?

What if we combine hard work, a commitment to quality AND the passion for influence?  I think it is safe to say that many in today's generation have forgotten some of the lessons from previous generations.  They may want to have an influence but have forgotten how to work hard or commit.  They may have a commitment to quality but not a passion for developing others.  They may have a good work ethic but not a commitment to quality.  What if we work on bringing the past and the present learnings together?  The true leaders of today do just this.  They are commited to doing whatever it takes, with a commitment to quality and a passion for developing others (influence).      

"Those that know their history and apply it will build on each generation's strengths and add their own."  

Fair Learnings

This past week, we took the family to the NC State Fair.  I think this was our 4th time but I still haven't figured out the layout exactly.  I have a general idea of what direction I want to go, but at times I feel like I am in a maze and not exactly sure where I am.

At the store, we are talking about vision statements.  These are "paintings" of what we would like our business to look like in the future.  Kaylyn and I are working on the same thing for our family.  If we don't know what we are working towards, it will be pretty tough to get there.  We often talk about goals and dreams.  Where we want to be 6 months from now, 1 year or 10 years from now.

At the fair I was reminded that another crucial part of the equation is KNOWING where you ARE.  You may have a vision but do you have accurate knowledge of where you are now?  We were trying to hook up with some friends and part of that conversation consisted of explaining where each of us were at the time.  That was really important.  Or, when we wanted to find the Sky Diver or the Ferris Wheel, knowing where we were was a critical piece of information.  If we thought we were one place when we were actually at another, we would go the wrong way to find our destination.  We would ultimately find our way but if we didn't have an accurate idea of our location it took more time making some wrong turns than if we had known where we were to begin with.

As our family and my business works on where we want to go, we need to ensure we know where we are right now.  Not just think we know, but ensure we have an accurate understanding of where we are now.

Super Heroes and Their Sidekicks

I will be talking with 2 groups this month and one common question is, "who were/are your heroes?"

Here are the definitions I found for "Hero". 
1) a. A mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. 
b. An illustrious warrior.
c. A man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
2) a. The principle male character in a literary or dramatic work
b. The central figure in an event, period or movement
3) Submarine
4) An object of extreme admiration and devotion

Synonyms are god, idol and icon.

When I think of my heroes I think the synonym, icon, is the most appropriate.  Icon's first definition is "a usually pictorial representation".  When I think of heroes, I think of people that represent a certain quality or ability that I admire. 

The first three people that come to mind are my Dad, my Mom and my Pastor when I was growing up.  They were my primary role models during my early development.  They influenced me in multiple areas of my life.  My faith in God, my work ethic, my morals, my athletic development, my values, my hobbies, etc.  My Dad, My Mom and my pastor helped me build a foundation as a young person that would allow others to add their influence to my life.  My parents and my pastor are my Super Heroes.

As with any good Super Hero story, there are also sidekicks that support the efforts of the Super Heroes.  I think we often overlook these people in our lives.  Many people can identify a single hero and it is often a parent or teacher or coach.  What about the sidekicks?  What about the other people that have influenced you and molded you along your way?

I think for many of us, it is these sidekicks that really help us in specific ways and help determine how successful we will be in our different endeavours.  Whether it is in marriage, parenting, business, sports, or any other aspect of our lives.  We probably would be OK without any single one of them, but collectively, their influence on us is indispensable.

For many of us, we don't choose our Super Heroes.  But, the sidekicks are often chosen by our actions.  Who we choose to be friends with.  Who we choose to work with.  Who we choose to have lunch with.  Who we choose to have as a roommate in college.  Who we choose to marry.  Who we choose to call on the phone today.  Who we choose to introduce ourselves to this afternoon.  Who we go to the movies with Friday night.

I can't remember the source of this quote but I believe it to be true.  "What we are reading and who we surround ourselves with today determines where we will be 5 years from now."

Pick your sidekicks wisely.                          

Motivation for Running

When I registered to run the marathon back in 2006, I got a free 4 month subscription to Runner's World magazine.  Kaylyn and I still get it and read it today.  It is very motivational, whether you are wanting to run your first 5K or 10th marathon.  You can read stuff on the website for free or get a subscription for a year for as little as $1 per issue ($12 per year).  It is well worth it.  To see their site, just click on the title of this post.     

Why Exercise? (Part 3)

Some people aren't as focused on the long term future and want to focus more on enjoying the present or short term future.  I think it is good to balance immediate, middle and long term planning.  So, how does exercise benefit me today, tomorrow or next month?

On an ideal day, I like to exercise first thing in the morning for various reasons.  Most of the year, it is more comfortable outside in the morning if I am running and it ensures that I will get my exercise in that day.  Sometimes, my days don't go as planned and I run out of time and miss my exercise time.  But, there are other reasons I like to run in the morning.  It helps me get going.  It gets my energy level up so I can start my day strong.  If I am running, it provides me 30-45 minutes of peaceful, quiet, alone time to think, talk to God and listen to God.  That is a great way to start the day.  Plus, I feel good the rest of the day when I exercise first thing.

On a bad day, when everything seems to be going wrong, running at the end of the day is helpful.  It helps me recover from the day.  There have been days that I have exercised at both ends of the day for this reason.

When I was a teenager, and out of shape, we often went to Six Flags in Atlanta.  This is a great amusement park with roller coasters and other fun rides.  We would go all day and often stand in long lines.  My memory is that I would always be worn out and my back would be aching by mid to late afternoon and we usually would stay till it closed around 9 or 10 PM.

2 years ago, we took the family to Disney World for a week.  We got to the gates at opening time and didn't leave till closing time every day.  That was about 9 AM till 9 PM each day.  Since I am cheap, we carried in lots of snacks and water and it was cool with chances of rain so we had layers of clothing to keep up with.  We were either pushing a stroller with junk in it or carrying the junk in a backpack while pushing the stroller with Reece in it all day.  I never had back pain.  I felt great all day, all week.  In fact, I got up to run a few days that week prior to going to the parks.

The year after the marathon, we went to DC with Regan and Riley (Reece stayed with family) for a long weekend.  Lots of walking and carrying kids and stuff.  No pain.  No fatigue.

It is nice to be able to outlast your kids on vacations.  It is nice to not be worn out before the end of a fun day.  It is nice to be able to go on to the next fun thing without needing a rest break.

Why Exercise?  Because it helps me start my day, finish my day, enjoy fun days, endure bad days, keep up with my kids, and hopefully keep up with my grandkids and great grandkids some day.  It helps me be a better me.  

                          

Why Exercise? (Part 2)

After running the marathon in 2006, I was trying to think of what to do next.  I didn't come up with another big physical test.  What happened is that I started to see a connection between my exercising and my position as owner of a business.  I was in a position of influence.  But, what kind of influence?  Where did exercise fit in?  I had been preaching the value of reading for years.  But, what about exercise?  Was it important?  Was it as important as reading?  Why Exercise?

In 2007, we had the opportunity to get a piano for free.  I like free.  I wanted to move it myself to save money and because the person needed it moved quickly.  The piano ended up in my house just fine and I ended up having surgery a few months later as a result. 

While hooked up to all the stuff in pre-op the surgeon comes by and comments that I must run because my heart rate was so low.  I told him yes and we talked about exercise and fitness.  He said, "your fitness is going to make my job and your recovery easier."  That is what you want to hear from the person that is going to be cutting you open.  I suspect I will have a few more surgeries in my life and I want the doctors to say the same thing every time.  I know I was able to be back out running within 2 weeks of my surgery and able to be back to normal activities in half the time they originally said.

Similar to this lesson, I was talking to a friend (My Marine Corp Marathon training partner) about fitness and aging.  We were talking about the value of being fit as we get older, really older.  There will come a point in our lives that our bodies will start naturally deteriorating.  Sometimes, I think I may already be there.  The example he gave was that for somebody that has simply gone from the sofa to the frig for exercise, that is the best fitness they will have and it will deteriorate from there.  It won't take long before they can't get off the sofa without help.

For somebody that has been running 3-5 miles regularly, or swimming, or biking, or walking, it will take a lot longer to deteriorate to the level that going from the sofa to the frig is a challenge.  My dad's dad is my example of this.  He has had several surgeries including hip replacements but is still very active.  This past summer, we were up there and have pictures of him playing ball with our girls and giving them horsey rides on his knees.  That is their Great-Grandfather doing that with them.  A few years ago, I remember seeing him jogging, not walking, down his driveway to fix his mailbox and this was just a few months after one of his hip surgeries.  That is what I want to be like when I am 80+ years old.                  

So, why exercise?  One reason is so I will be able to enjoy life in the future.  If I wait till then to start, it may be too late or, at best, it will be tougher to get back into shape.  It's like investing in a retirement account.  The earlier you start, the easier it is to grow and maintain.  The later you start the more difficult it will be and at some point, it becomes too late.