The Message of LeadershipSample

IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

"Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
-Winston Churchill

When I was a young man in college, my personal plans were along the lines of playing football for the rest of my life and making a lot of money in the process. Oh, it seems stupid now as I think about it, but that is just the point—I had no plan. I was a kid
who still thought in terms of doing what seemed fun at the time and did not think about where my dreams might take me. Well, I grew up, and it took a few hard lessons to do it. How about you?

The most valuable piece of advice I ever received in this regard was from a friend who had worked as a manager in the business world and gone into Christian ministry later in life. He told me that even the biggest tasks can be broken down into small pieces that are manageable. Your life’s goals can be broken into bite-sized chunks that are not so difficult to achieve.

First, you need to decide what you want to accomplish and work back from there to where you are now. My first goal in life has always been to serve God in some way. I think you will agree—that is a big task. When I finally got serious about making a plan for my life, I decided to seek out someone who was doing what I wanted to do and learn from them. So I did just that and one thing led to another, and here I am. Did you notice that I focused on “what” I wanted to do, not “how” I would do it? “How” is in God’s hands.

Essential Insight 16: When you make your plans, don’t leave God out of the formula. That is the only part that makes any sense.