A while back, a mentor gave me a coffee table book from Life is Good as a gift. In the cover he wrote this note to me:

“Bubs, For your Library! The simplest of life’s lessons are often the most profound!!”

The book is literally filled with a picture on one page, and a short nugget on the page next to it. I go through it often to remind me that life isn’t as complicated as I make it out to be.

Here are some of my favorite lessons from the book:

• Optimism can take you anywhere
• Whatever you are, be a good one
• Youth knows no age
• Everything is a once in a lifetime experience
• Do what you like, like what you do.
• If you don’t go, you don’t see

• The best things in life are free
• The pursuit is the reward
• The World is Your entertainment center
• The little things in life are the big things
• Remember where you came from
• We will never know all the good a simple smile can do

We live in a world that tries to over-complicate everything don’t we? Even in our Christian walks, we over-complicate everything! Jesus came to simplify everything! The simple, yet beyond profound lesson from Jesus:

Love God, Love People

It is so true that the simplest of life’s lessons are the most profound. If we can just live out the simple lessons taught to us, everything we need to make up a rich and fulfilling life would take care of itself.

Let’s all simplify our lives.

Thoughts?

“If you learn a lesson, you better find a way to live it, or else you’ll have to relearn it.” -Gerald Brooks

Here they are – the best lessons I learned in 2009 – They aren’t in any particular order. I hope they add value to your life!

1.    Do Your Best, Forget the Rest

2.    Surround Yourself With People who Scare You

3.    Quit Reporting the News, Start Making It

4.    Spiritually Mature People Restore those who Fall (Gal. 6:1)

5.    The Best Blessings from God come out of Nowhere

6.    Until you settle the identity issue – you’ll never be or have enough

7.    If you refuse to define yourself, you’ll get defined by others

8.    It’d be dishonoring to God to live my life and not believe that I could change the world

9.    We’re a small church with a mega vision

10.    Don’t blame yourself for the declines, you might take credit for the increases

11.    We need to Divert daily, withdraw weekly, and abandon annually – the world can get along without you

12.    Never Compare – Foolish comparison: 1.) Find people better – discouraged 2.) Find people your better than – Pride

13.    Leadership is as easy as listening to God!

14.    What would you do for God if you knew you couldn’t fail? -> Your a coward if you don’t do that

15.    Don’t you dare give up on a God who’s never given up on you

16.    It’s Ok to Not be Ok

17.    If it’s to be, it’s up to me.

18.    “There’s not lack of people that need ministered to, but there is a lack of people who have something to say when they’re ministering.”

19.    Love God, Love People

20.    Resources will help people a lot more than speaking to them ever will.

21.    This is the only time in history when I get to fight for God. This is the only part of my eternal story when I’m actually in the battle.

22.    God won’t let a ministry keep “it” for long if they won’t give “it” away.

23.     Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.

24.     Make each day your masterpiece!

25.    A church that lives within its four walls is no church at all.

26.    God Freed me from all my fears – Psalm 34:427.

27.  It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.”

28.    Are you seeing people as people or as objects?

29.    The point of your life is to point  to Him, whatever you’re doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is his.

30.    In about fifty years, no one will remember you

31.     Let God be as original with you as He is with other people.

32.    The secret conversations you hold in the privacy of your mind are shaping your destiny little by little

33.    Do not affirm what you do not want in your life

34.    “It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.”

35.    Time is a great revealer of who people really are

36.    Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself, when you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

37.    God didn’t call you so you could be popular or well known – he Called you to help people.

38.    Some are sent, and some just went.

39.    Be someone God can count on – II. Chronicles 16:9

40.    Empower people to do what they dream of

41.    Your striving is in vain if you’re only aim is to build your own great name

42.    Always ask: What am I believing God for?

43.    I’ll give an account for every idle word I speak

44.    Your 20’s isn’t about fruit!

45.    You attract high quality leaders through vision and humilty

46.    Ask God what to do with every dollar that He brings into your life.

47.    Believe in Yourself and Celebrate Your Life

48.    Learn to Encourage Yourself

49.    Why do we wait until funerals to speak good over someone?

50.     Stop Learning things the Hard Way – Ask people about things you don’t know

51.    Don’t be led by fear

52.    Teamwork really does make the Dream Work – forget about yourself

53.     If I had everything I wanted in Heaven, Would I be content in Heaven with no Christ?

54.    What is God speaking to my heart that my head is saying no to?

55.    What I’m willing to walk away from will determine what God will allow me to walk into?

56.    There should be a noticeable difference between unbelievers and believers: Hab. 4:18

57.    If you learn a lesson, you better find a way to live it, or else you’ll have to relearn it.

This book was recommended to me by Pastor Nathan. I enjoyed this book, although at times I thought it was a bit dry. Jack Welch has some great insights on how to create a winning organization. I really enjoyed his thoughts on differentiation, hiring, getting promoted, work/life balance, and finding the right career. For where I am in my career right now some of the chapters were over my head such as acquisitions and mergers chapter, but I’m sure I’ll be able to come back to them in years to come and have them add value to my life.

I’d recommend reading this book – especially the chapters with the concepts I’ve mentioned above. I’ll definitely be implementing a lot of those practices into my own leadership.

Final Grade: 8.5 out of 10   Buy it here

Here were some of my big takeaways:

• I didn’t invent differentiation! I learned it on the playground when I was a kid.
• I believe you are never “too nice” to implement the 20-70-10, only too cowardly.
• Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself, when you become a leader, success is all about growing others.
• As a leader, building self-confidence is probably the most important things you can do.
• You’re not a leader to win a popularity contest – you’re a leader to lead.
• Learn from everyone. Best case scenario – all your people will be smarter than you. It doesn’t mean you can’t lead them.
• A winning company does not let good people walk out the door for lack of recognition, financial, or otherwise.
• Ideally, the star will be replaced within eight hours. This sends a message that no single individual is bigger than the company.
• When it comes to strategy, ponder less and do more.
• It can feel very noble to say that you don’t care about being rich; it’s another thing to live with that decision over the years. Especially as mortgages and tuition start to pile up.
• Working for some companies is like winning an Olympic medal. For the rest of your career, you are associated with great performance.
• Every job you take is a gamble that could increase your options or shut them down.
• The first and best way to get noticed in a company is with results
• You can have all the work-life balance you want to if you deliver.