“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

Has it ever crossed your mind that the lives we get to live today are the result of millions of people’s sacrifices in the past? Daily, I am becoming more and more grateful for the sacrifices of others. However, I recognize that while the leaders of the past sacrificed to give us to world we live in today, I need to make sacrifices to make the world better for the next generation.

People who make sacrifices to make the world a better place are heroes.

My question to you is: What will you do with the sacrifices that have been made for you?

Your parents made so many sacrifices and did their best for you, what will you do with their sacrifice?

Millions of soldiers have given their lives so we can have freedom, what will you do with their sacrifice?

Histories leaders have had to make millions of incredibly hard decisions to get us to where we are today, what will you do with their sacrifice?

Teachers, coaches, and other mentors that we’ve had made sacrifices to invest in us, what will you do with their sacrifice?

Jesus Christ died on a cross while we were still sinners so that we could be forgiven, have a relationship with him, and spend eternity with Him, what will you do with His sacrifice? 

Stop living just to exist and have a normal life. Live an extra ordinary life. Live for a purpose. Make your life count. Make the world a better place than it was when you got here. Make it a great place for the next generation. Choose to DO SOMETHING with the sacrifices of the heroes of the past.

“We don’t choose where we’re born, but we all choose to be sinners or saints, to be heroes or nobody’s.” -Mama Maggie Gobran

What will you do with their sacrifices?

I am a student of life. I am a student of my life. I am always looking for lessons in everything. Thus, I am always learning something. However, each year, it seems like God teaches me a few things that stick with me for the long haul. I thought I’d share of few things I am learning this year:

If God is with you, Nothing can stop you. – This has been huge for me. It’s helped me with insecurities. I am learning to truly find my value and worth in God. If my worth is wrapped up in anything other than the fact that God is with me, my life will eventually fall apart when whatever I find my security is in ceases to exist in my life.

God is Bigger than Any Person, Place, Church, Or Organization - This was a huge lesson for me. Huge. Monumental! For me, I found so much value in where I worked, who I hung out with, who I got mentored by, etc. The vision I had for my life was limited by how big I was making my current circumstances instead of how big I was making God. No matter what you’ve been a part of or who you’ve hung around, God can take you higher!

There is a Business Side to Ministry – My future father-in-law asked me what I think God is teaching me at my new job at Light of Life. I started thinking of a ton of lessons I’m learning. He said to me, “Bubba, I think God is trying to teach you the behind the scenes of what it takes to run a successful ministry. While I had always been on the ministering side, now I get to see how the ministry is able to happen! 

There is Nothing That Can Hold me Back from the will of God for my Life – For a period of time, I let bitterness poison me. I got bitter toward people, which eventually led to me getting bitter toward God. Then I read the Bait of Satan, by John Bevere. It was a life changing book. He said, “There is no man, woman, devil, demon, or anything else that can hold you back from the will of God for your life.” That statement set me free.

God Can Bring You to a Place Where Life is Better than it Has Ever Been – I am in a place, where I can honestly say that life is better than it’s ever been. That doesn’t mean life isn’t tough, I don’t ever feel like giving up, and that I am never tempted to become depressed. However, when you’re putting God first, He will give you peace in the midst of any storm. He’ll give you the strength to overcome anything. That is the place where I am living now. It’s wonderful.

To Be the Leader I want to be, I need to Have the Ability to have Crucial Conversation - I blogged about this yesterday.

What lessons are you learning in 2011?

Personal growth is essential in growing to ones maximum potential. If we want to go to another level in our leadership, profession, marriage, and life, we need to constantly be aware of the current leadership lids an hurdles, and develop a plan to grow through them!

My greatest hurdle in my life right now (that I am aware of) is my ability or lack thereof  to have crucial conversations.

The ability to speak up for what I believe. The ability to confront issues that I do not agree with. The ability to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.

Why is this a hurdle for me?

I  don’t want to risk Relationships - I am a people pleaser by nature. I never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t want to push someone’s buttons. So I naturally tell people what I think they’d want to hear, instead of what I should tell them.

It’s Hard to Push Through the Pain – I know that confrontation is not easy for anyone, but it’s really hard for me!

Why is this Important? Why am I determined to grow past this?

Because People Respect People Who will Tell the Truth No Matter What  – if people realize that I will only tell them what they want to hear, the value of what I have to say will go down the tanks. High-level leaders do not want to be surrounded by “yes men”. They want people who will give it to them straight, regardless if they agree or disagree. If the value of what I have to say goes up, so does the value of my leadership.

Because You can Only Really Help Someone when You Love them Enough to Risk Your Relationship with them in order to Make Them Better – If I am really going to add value to people for the rest of my life, it’s not going to be through just telling them what they want to hear. I’ll need to have some crucial conversations.

My Life is Always Changed by People Who Have Crucial Conversations with Me: Whether it was hearing that I needed to lose weight, needed to grow in a certain area, or needed to prioritize better, my life has always been dramatically changed by people who spoke the truth in love to me and were willing to risk our relationship in order for me to get better.

My Plan:

Force myself to engage in crucial conversations – when I need to tell someone something they may not want to hear, I am going to go for it. 

Remember to Put My Friends over my Friendships – I am recognizing that helping people and making people happy are often not the same thing and that if I am living to make people happy, I limit my ability to help them.

Learn from People Who Have a Natural Tendency to Confront – My boss at work has been a huge help in this area for me. She pushes me to confront! She pushes me to speak up. She pushes me to say what I am really feeling. I know she believes the best in me. I trust her. I know she has my best interest in mind.I am going to surround myself with people like her!

Read – I am reading books on how to have crucial conversations!
What is your biggest leadership lid or hurdle right now? What is your plan to overcome it?

Do you or have you struggled with having crucial conversations and the ability to confront? What have you  done to grow in this area?