Seasons

Times change. I change more. I am not who I used to be but I am also not who I am going to be. That could be a good thing but it might not be. It all depends on who I used to be, or who I become. For every story of the overcomer who pulls himself out of the mud there is a story of a stable man sinking. I have no confidence in my flesh. I am not convinced of my own strength. Greatness doesn't happen by accident.

Do Something Awesome

Just because something sounds awesome, doesn’t mean that it’s selfish. Just because you want to do it, doesn’t mean that your motives are wrong.

I’ve talked to people that tell me, “Jonny I know exactly what I wanna go for; I know exactly what I was made to do.” or “I know exactly what is in my heart that I would love to do, but I’m not sure that my motives are right.” So instead, they settle for everybody else’s version of what they should be doing. They think that it’s somehow more noble if they just do what everyone wants them to do, if they just keep everyone else happy. And they hold back that pursuit inside of them- that desire or thing that maybe they were created to do.

They hold back. They don’t do it. 

But I’m telling you this: Go after the thing that you were made to do. The world is waiting for you! The world is waiting for you to do the thing that you were made to do. The world is waiting for you to put your passions behind your actions and behind your work.

It's Impossible

There are things that you’ll never be able to do. You may be too old or too big or too small or physically limited in some way. But most of the things that you tell yourself you can’t do you can’t do because you tell yourself you can’t. That is a great sentence! 

There are people out there who will encourage us to pursue almost any goal. They feed us with positive energy and a belief that almost anything is possible. They make us want to try. They share stories about people who have overcome incredible setbacks and difficulties and were victorious in their pursuits. 

There is another group of people who are more “real”. They’re always willing tell you how hard something is going to be or why you can’t pull it off. They’re quick to point out that there are some things that are just impossible and then make up some ridiculous goal to prove it. They may be right, but their not helpful.

Do Something Small

One of the biggest obstacles to progress is overwhelm. We know we need to make a change and we know what change we need to make. But its too big. It’s gonna take way too long. It’s too difficult. 

I’m not ready to write a book. When I sat down this morning I wasn’t even ready to write this post. So, I wrote, “Do Something Small” and that got me started. Once you know the direction you're going, taking a step is all that matters. How long it takes to get there is directly related to how early and how often you take steps. 

The process is not nearly as complicated as we might think. Set a goal, take a step. 

5 Things I'm Supposed to Say, and Another Thing.

1. God is good!
2. I love my wife!
3. Jesus died on the cross for your sins!
4. Eat more vegetables!
5. Read your Bible and pray every day!
6. Contributing more than whats expected is risky, do it anyway!

Ramblings On Fear

The fear of the unknown is almost always worse than the reality. Its the fear that keeps us trapped in the same old life like a bird in a cage with the door wide open. We have a dream, we have an idea, but what if it doesn’t work? So we don’t take the leap and we stay in the cage. 

Its helpful to think about the worst case scenario and to get comfortable with it. Maybe I will go broke. Maybe the plane will crash. Maybe everybody will make fun of me. Some things are just worth the risk. 

There are plenty of voices out there perpetuating the fear. We live in a generation that values safety over freedom and self preservation over contribution. The problem is I’m just not wired that way. None of the heroes that we admire played it safe. The safe people aren't in our history books. 

Alignment

For many of us the hardest part about traveling is picking a destination. Sometimes I think it might be nice to visit Europe and the next day I think I need a new pair of Jordans. Both are a destination and each one will keep us from the other. Every goal we set is hindered by the other goal we set. We can’t go east and west at the same time.