Talent is Never Enough Chapter 3: "Initiative Activates Your Talent"

So it has been a while since I have posted a blog regarding my reading. The truth is, I had the opportunity to read 6 chapters of my book on the flights to and from Poland, and I'm going back to revisit each chapter to check the notes I made. Hopefully now that school has started I can get into a routine of blogging.

"Talent-plus people don't wait for everything to be perfect to move forward. They take initiative." - John Maxwell

I think that a lot of people truly struggle to take initiative. Maxwell goes on to explain that if you want to reach your potential, you have to show initiative. He then continues to give reasons why initiative must be taken.

1) Initiative Is the First Step to Anywhere You Want to Go: This idea got me to thinking what would the world be like if NOBODY were to take the initiative on something. Somebody has to be the first. That is pretty scary, because being the first makes you vulnerable...but leaders look past that fear. It is also important to realize that you HAVE to follow through once you initiate!

2) Initiative Closes the Door to Fear: We all have fears. Maxwell explains that you have a choice, either the fear controls you or you control the fear. It sounds so simple when typing it, but application of this principle is so difficult. Right now I'm really struggling with some fears and getting over this with taking some initiative. Today I was worried to confront a situation, but took the initiative to do so. Was the outcome what I would desire....no. But at least I know that I took the chance to overcome that fear and initiate the conversation.

"Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Any action is better than no action at all." - Norman Vincent Peale

That being said, I think it is important that you are wise about what action you take. Sometimes, as I experienced, the results of your actions are not what you want. Taking that into account, you can then adjust your actions and take a new approach.

3) Initiative Opens the Door to Opportunity: Taking initiative does NOT guarantee that you will succeed...but not taking initiative has a greater return of failure.

"It is better to be 80% sure and make things happen than it is to wait until you are 100% sure because by then, the opportunity will have already passed you by." - John Maxwell

4) Initiative Is Often the Difference Between Success and Failure: Don't wait to have somebody tell you wait to do, because you may wait yourself to failure. If you have a good thought, idea, or intention...act on it. Only through acting on them are you taking initiative and action for yourself. Also, it doesn't matter how talented you are...without initiative you will NEVER reach your potentials.

In the second half of this chapter, Maxwell goes on to explain what a person looks like who lacks initiative. Rather than focusing on this, I'm going to list the characteristic and personality traits of these individuals. As you read them, think about them. Does the list below better describe you? If so, refer up to the benefits of taking initiative and see the benefits. If you struggle with this, take baby steps. Pick you early battles carefully...but nonetheless, you have to pick a battle. Below is the list of characteristics of individuals who lack initiative...

1) People who lack initiative fail to see the consequences of inaction

2)People who lack initiative want someone else to motivate them

3) People who lack initiative look for the perfect time to act

4) People who lack initiative like tomorrow better than today

The bottom line is that it is often easier to abide by the above list. But easier is not always better. As stated earlier, you have good ideas, but they will never become more than ideas unless you act on them!

Below are some suggestions Maxwell makes on how to become a talent+initiative individual, along with some added commentary by myself. I want to continue to remind you that this is NOT easy and not always safe. When talking about investing in the stock, you can choose high risk stock with high reward potential, or low risk stock with low reward potential. To not take initiative would be to invest in NO risk stock and have NO reward potential!

1) Accept responsibility for your life: Responsibility & initiative are inseparable. We will all experience setbacks, we all face obstacles, but we need to show initiative anyway. Dick Butler said it best when he exclaimed,

" Life isn't fair. It isn't going to be fair. Stop sniveling and whining and go out and make it happen for you."

2) Focus on the benefits of completing a task: I know that a pros & cons list is kind of dorky, but sometimes we focus so much on the cons we forget there are benefits to a decision or task. More importantly, to become effective & make progress in your area of talent you can't spend your valuable time on unimportant or unnecessary tasks.

3) Share your goals with a friend who will help you: This is hard for me. I struggle to share goals because that means others will know if I fail or not. A couple weeks before leaving for Poland, I decided I needed to lose weight. I had a goal of being under 200 lbs before school started but I shared that with very few people. I made that goal, but if I didn't then nobody would know of my failures. No my goal is to be under 180 by my birthday. If you read this blog, you now have the opportunity to hold me accountable!

"There is no way to put a value on the assistance that others can give you in achieving your dreams. Share your goals and dreams with people who care about you and will encourage you in accomplishing them." -John Maxwell

REMEMBER, PREPARATION INCLUDES DOING

Due to time and not losing EVERYBODY'S attention, I skipped a few points Maxwell added. It is crazy how God puts lessons in your life and the right times. The above phrase is SO important. As an educator, I've learned that if I prepare and don't do, and my student's know it, I lose their respect and trust. The same applies for my wife and friends. You have to be willing to take the initiative, regardless of the risks that may come with it. Follow that you know is the right thing to do. If you are uncertain to whether it is right or not, seek counsel from friends, family, and most importantly...GOD! He will guide you through all the tough decisions and protect you. It won't always be easy, but following God's path ensures you are on the right track. Be assured that He won't give you more than you can handle, and decisions will be a little easier to make!

Last post from Poland

So time has come to an end. It is about 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday morning and I'm just heading to bed. Today was our one free day in Gdansk where we spent the day exploring the city...and boy was it amazing. We had the opportunity to visit a cathedral that was built in the 1500's, spent time in old town Gdansk, and we had the opportunity to visit some friends we met at camp.

A couple days into camp, Danielle told me we needed to find a time to eat with a couple she met from Poland. I was unsure at first of how it was going to work out. Ola and Krystopher(probably misspelled their names, but will fix later) have been married for 11 months, and Danielle and I have REALLY enjoyed getting to know them. They met us today in old town Gdansk for lunch and then helped us pick out souvenirs. Once we finished with that, they drove us over to their flat in a suburb of Gdansk. We spent a couple hours hanging out there, and met the rest of the team at a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we stopped at a store(much like Menards) because they needed paint for their newly remodeled flat.

These two individuals are WONDERFUL. Coming to Poland, I never intended to build friendships that would blossom as much as this friendship has. While hanging out during camp, we quickly realized that we all had a lot in common. I would have NEVER guessed a Polish couple would spend their day off...AFTER being away from their home for a week, hanging out with us. They drove all the way into old city, which was 4o minutes to hang out. They were willing to drive us all the way back to their place, and then take us to meet our team at the restaurant. When we finished up with supper, it was pouring outside and they offered to give us a ride back to the church. The rest of our team walked back to the train station, and our new friends could have just left us with the team. But instead the offered to take us back to the church.

I don't know if they will ever read this, but I truly felt God gave us that friendship and I look forward to getting to know this couple more closely. This camp that we attended was different. Different in the fact I can't explain what happened here. So I won't try...yet! Please know that if you ask me how the trip was, I am NOT going to give you an abridged version, so choose your words wisely!

Tomorrow we take off from Gdansk at 7:00 a.m. and will arrive in Denver around 7:00 p.m. God willing, we will make all connections and our luggage will arrive in Denver when we do. Please pray for safe travels for all of the Americans together! I'm excited to be home but more nervous to transition back to the life in America. Camp created a sense of a high and it will be hard to come down from here without feeling lost and disappointed. Please pray the entire team has a safe transition back to their home lives and that we continue our missions experience at a more local destination!!!

Camp Conclusion

So our time here in Garcyn has come to an end. Last night we had our last meet and had a huge banquet. It was a pirate theme and many people dressed up. Some of the high school guys from my group built a giant boat out of cardboard to enter the meeting place. It was great seeing them work together. After dinner was over, we met back in the "sing" room to continue worship, and campers had the opportunity to share their testimony or talk about the camp. It was the most touching experience ever. There were non-believers who had decided to commit themselves to a intimate relationship with Christ. Many of the polish spoke about how the American testimonies were eye opening and spiritually saturated in truth. Conner's testimony touched the lives of many, and God blessed my testimony to help a lady come to faith in Christ.

The night of my testimony, a lady came up to one of the pastors and let him know that her father was dying, and asked what she should do. She told him that my testimony really got her thinking about what decision she needed to make. She was torn, because she wanted to be with her earthly family but she was enjoying camp and getting to know her eternal family. Pastor reassured her that it was okay to go be with her dad before he past away, so she did that. But before she left, she asked the pastor to pray for her. She had decided to turn her life to the love of Christ, and wanted to follow HIM! That is just one example of wonderful stories that were shared. God TRULY works through this camp with bringing people closer to Christ!

After that we had the opportunity to award our English class with their class certificates and just mingle and socialize. Lots of pictures were taken and I'm VERY excited to look at them. The Chojnice church photographs, takes videos, and records audio of a lot of the camp...and they spent ALL last night burning DVD's for all of the campers!

These polish friends also know how to make somebody feel welcomed. My bible study group bought me a gift, my English class gave me a gift, and the entire camp gave each American a gift. It's funny, because they come up to us and thank us for coming out and helping them grow in their faith...but they have NO IDEA what I have gained from this camp. Simply typing this brings tears to my eyes and a joy to my heart...at how awesome God is.

I'm up early today because one of my group members is leaving before breakfast to fly back to the U.K. His family is friends with one of the pastors, and this was his first camp. Will is a wonderful young man and it has been great getting to know him. What I appreciate about Will is that he didn't accept the Lord this week because of the emotions that were in the air. He is mature enough to know when he truly believes. My prayer is that he finds the answers he needs through the bible and prayer! He is one of the most polite high schooler I've met, and he represents his country well!

As you can tell, I could type all day. There are so many experiences and emotions I want to share. Going back to the states is truly going to be hard. I was talking with Justin (youth pastor from Washington) last night about how you can't explain what goes on here. I want so bad to people to understand what this trip means to me, but I can't. Words fail to wrap up the emotions and experiences I have had. Coming to Poland, this was going to be my opportunity to experience short-term overseas missions. I figured Danielle and I would come out here and have a good time, and then check that experience off the list. I truly feel God has a different plan than that. Like many other Americans that came this year, part of my heart has latched on to Poland and the people. I pray God will continue to lead me back here year after year. It is my responsibility to serve him, and this camp does just that. I encourage others to experience this. Whether it is coming with to Poland, or another trip. Americans often think missions trips are for the benefit of the people you are visiting, but I now know God teaches even the missionaries. Praise God for all of his wonderful blessings! We have no idea what heaven is going to be like, but know it is a glorious place! The only way to explain worshipping in Poland with these wonderful people is that it feels like a taste of heaven...and that is exciting!

Poland Update

Greetings from Poland. Today marks our 9th day in Poland and we only have 3 more days left. So far, Danielle has been keeping her blog up-to date, so I haven’t posted much. It is about 6 a.m. and I decided I would do a quick blog post. I have to start by saying..GOD IS AMAZING! Preparing for this trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Will the language barrier cause problems? Would I struggle to adjust to the time here? Will I like the food? I can safely say I have not had ANY problems adjusting to the life the Polish culture has to offer. I have spent the past 6 days working with Polish teenagers(high school age guys), and getting to know them better. The first day was rough...they were very quiet during bible study and spoke a lot of Polish in our English Learning Time. During Conversation time, they did not talk much either. 6 days later, it is amazing how God can break those walls down and create relationships! I’m going to miss these guys. It feels like I’m just getting through to them, and don’t have the time to understand their hearts. During bible study, the only time I get the bulk of them to participate is when we PRAY! Who would know, a group of high school guys comfortable to pray aloud together. I have so many GREAT stories of these guys and looking back, I wish I would have blogged more, because knowing me I will forget a lot of these memories. I’m hoping to continue to grow relationships with some of these kids through facebook or email.

I also figured that this trip would be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve always been interested in short-term overseas missions, and I figured this would quench that curiosity. I truly felt it did just the opposite! Right now I feel extremely convicted to return next year. Just the opportunity to continue on relationships I’m creating and help bring more of these guys to Christ really excites me! Below are some pictures from the camp, various activities. There is a Polish guy (Piotr) who has been doing a GREAT job documenting the trip and I can’t wait to swap pictures with him. I’ve also gotten to know a pastor in training from Gdansk (Remek) and I am excited to spend a free day in Gdansk with him and our new friends. He is very interested in sound production so we found some common ground and went from there!

Along with new polish friendships, I’ve met some GREAT people from the states. Along with our team, there is also a team from Washington. I’ve gotten to know a youth pastor from a church new Key Port, Washington really well. We enjoy the same bad jokes and it has been great forming Christian relationships with followers the same age as I am. I will hopefully be able to post a couple more thoughts and add more pictures as free time opens up (hahaha). We fly out of Poland on August 10th and begin school on August 13th, so when returning to the states it will be hard to juggle the desire to document this trip with the need to prepare for school!!! Thank you all for your prayers and support of this trip. It has truly been a moving trip and helped grow me in my faith as well!

(This is Justin, the youth pastor from Keyport, Washington church. He has the same sense of humor as me and is a GREAT guy!)

(This is some of the guys from my Bible Study Group. This picture was taken during our Olympic games. Not to brag...but our team took 1st place!)