As the time most people refer to as “the Holidays” draws near, it seems less and less like a holiday.  People seem more stressed and short-tempered than ever.  Some store aisles look as ransacked and as dangerous as some Vancouver alleys.  Yes, tis the season… Right?  While I can’t remember this time of year ever being any other way, I want to take a some time to share with you why our family has been…

blessed above all measure

the greatest gift

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

A phrase that used to be common around this time of year is “Jesus is the reason for the season.”  I think it’s actually backwards.  We are the reason for the season.  God took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, because He wanted to give us the gift of salvation.  A gift that my wife, my eldest daughter, and I chose to accept.  It is our prayer that our two youngest children will too.

God’s gift of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest gift.

a wonderful family

Earlier this month, my wife and I were talking about how long we’ve been together and, this year, we can actually say we have been together for half our lives!  To be able to say that (at such a young age) is a wonderful gift — and my wife’s ability to put up with me is an even greater gift to me, at least!

And my kids — each one of them is such a great blessing!  Hearing them calling me “Daddy” and hanging around at home with them sitting around me doing nothing has to be one of life’s sweetest gifts.

gracious provision

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

I know that everything I am and everything I have is from God.  I’ve been blessed bountifully.  I’ve been opening His gifts all year, every year — and they’ve been everything I’ve ever needed!

Inspired by this, and other photo essays, I have decided to set out and tell some stories of my own.  So, with the assistance of a random word generator, I put together a list of thirteen stories that I will endeavor to tell in the coming year.  Why thirteen, you ask?  One for each  month, plus an extra one  because I’m getting a head start!  Here is my story list:

Though I don’t believe they will have anywhere near the impact of the Japan earthquake essay, I hope from this effort to be able to inspire  and draw reactions from my viewers and grow as a storyteller and a photographer.  If you’d like to join me in this effort, I’d love to hear your stories too!  You’re welcome to join if you like.

Until now, though, there has always been a joke that I never found terribly funny. It’s the one that everybody, including my young kids, learn to tell at an early age:

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the other side.

Whenever someone tells that joke, I’ll admit, I always laugh, but it’s not really a funny joke. Then I realized – the joke was on me! What I thought all these years was a joke really wasn’t a joke, but a clever motivational message! It’s brilliant, I tell you, and I want to let you in on the secret.

People will always question your motives

If you stop and think about it, it’s really rather silly… Why in the world would we even care to ask why a chicken crossed a road? Several humorous answers have been created over the years, such as to get away from Col. Sanders (if you live under a rock, that’s the KFC guy.). Ultimately, though, unless we think like a chicken, we will never know, and the chicken will never tell you.

Which raises the question… So why did anyone bother asking, then?

The simple answer is because the chicken did something. Think about it, people young and old are, to this day, still talking about what that crazy chicken did a long time ago!

I wonder how many people have ended up choosing to do nothing because we have even afraid to have our motives questioned. It’s interesting how humans are a great deal smarter than chickens but we often choose to stay cooped up in our creature comforts rather than take the steps needed to do things that people will be talking about for years to come.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, that is pretty funny!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go with our youth group, Youthopolis, to the Northwest Youth Conference in Portland Oregon.  The trip started out at 5:00 am exactly one week ago, and what would happen in the next few days would be one giant whirlwind of events that would leave myself, the other workers, and the teens tired, but greatly encouraged.

There were many games and activities, including a texting competition that I won one round of!

I remember going to this same conference many years ago when I was a teenager myself, and though I don’t remember exactly what messages were preached those times, I know that the lessons I learned and the decisions I made there has made a positive impact in who I am today.  What is encouraging is that the messages were just as challenging today as they were for my generation.  They’re life-changing — if you allow them to be.

This year’s theme was simple: One.  Its simplicity is brilliant because it forces us to focus our attention on where any real change begins — ourselves.

Although this conference was mainly geared for teenagers, I still learned a lot.  One thought in particular was the concept of net present value applied to our lives (no, we weren’t doing any time value calculations — it wasn’t a financial conference!)  If are to make a difference in this world, we must be the one, and we must do it right now.  Being “the one,” a person fully committed to the cause of Christ, today can do more than one who defers service for later on.

The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man. — D.L. Moody

To do so, as keynote speaker Pastor Kurt Skelly pointed out, would cost you:

• There will be some people that will hate you
• Some people will try to talk you out of it
• Crazy people will call you crazy

I wonder how much more I could have accomplished if I acted immediately.  If I would have been the one, and continued to be, when I was sitting in those seats as a teenager, how much more value could I have brought for my Lord?

If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward. — Thomas A. Edison

But who in the world would want to earn failure?

Failure is not a pleasurable experience. So often it affects our pride, our egos, our pocketbooks, and even our relationships. But what if failure is actually a good thing??? Although that may sound crazy, that is exactly the kind of mindset that successful people have.

Often called resilience, it is the trait that compels people keep going in the midst of adversity. Rather than being forced to give up, it challenges people to do it again. This time, do it better than ever.  Failure, to these kind of people, is seen as an opportunity to grow and try again.  Certainly they don’t attempt things intending to fail, they,  instead, attempt greater things because there is a chance that, this time, they might not fail.

Derek Redmond, Portrait of Derek Redmond taken in 2007; Source: Wikimedia

Derek Redmond, an athlete and Olympian, is a great example of resiliance.  Having had eight operations to repair injuries on his path to the 1992 Olympic Games, Redmond performed very well, winning the first round and then won the quarter final.  During the semi-final, tragedy struck as his hamstring snapped, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.  Emergency response crews rushed to his assistance but he refused.  He  wanted to finish.  Joined by his father, Derek completed the last lap and finished his race. The crowd of 65,000 watching this occur in front of their eyes stood and cheered his accomplishment.

The Olympic records state that, because he received assistance from his father, he received a “Did Not Finish” standing, certainly a failure by the Olympics’ standards.  In the eyes of 65,000 people in the facility, and the eyes of the millions of people watching around the world, and in his eyes, what the Olympic records state didn’t matter.  He finished.  He finished well.  And he won the biggest prize of all: the peoples’ hearts.

Thomas Edison, National Portrait Gallery; Source: Wikipedia

Thomas Edison once said, “If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”  If there was a man who should understand failure, it would be Edison. With 1,093 US patents  in his name, Edison is known as one of the most prolific inventors in history.  For every idea that matured enough to be patentable, I am certain that many more made it into the reject pile.

The incandescent lightbulb, perhaps one of Edison’s best known inventions, was Edison’s 48th patent.  Can you imagine if Edison gave up in frustration after his 47th invention?  It is at that point that Edison was one attempt away from wild success. Of course, he probably had no idea at the time, but had he given up then, history would have been just a little bit dimmer.

Failure is the best teacher. It teaches character. It teaches what not to do. It teaches us how to be better. It teaches us the right time to stop what we are doing. It’s methods are often harsh, degrading, and painful, but if we take the time to learn from it, we can gain more than a string of simple successes.

“I love this idea of wrong thinking–of encouraging people who have ideas to go see if they work and not dismissing them just because they sound like the wrong solution. No one has the right answer at the beginning. I made 5,127 prototypes of the bagless vacuum before I got it right.” — James Dyson, Founder & CEO, Dyson

“No one has the right answer at the beginning.”  I wonder how many of us have been one attempt away from success. One iteration away from “the right answer.”  Where we once had passion, we have emptiness, having had failure beat the passion out of existence, taking away the victory that was ours to claim if we would have tried just one more time, maybe in just a different way.

The time has come to end all that. When failure deals its blow, its time to declare:

[quote]Not this time, failure. Not this time.[/quote]

Is it improved education?

Copyright © by Erik Mc Gregor, OWS Photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/occupywallstreet/)

Is it to stop wars?

Copyright © by Erik Mc Gregor, OWS Photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/occupywallstreet/)

Is it to shift political ideology?

Copyright © by David Stam, OWS Photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/occupywallstreet/)

While the goals are somewhat unclear, the premise of the Movement is certainly valid.  There is a grossly uneven distribution of wealth, there is a lot of greed going on, and certainly, something should be done at a government policy level.  What that something is, though, is something I’m not sure many in the crowds are clear about.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t disagree with the movement because, I too, am part of the 99%.

Still, seeing the vast number of people uniting under this banner is impressive.  Its encouraging to see that people are still willing to unite and stand up for a common cause.  In a nation filled with apathetic voters and an attitude of “unity through diversity,” finding reasons to get together and actually doing something about it is difficult.

But what if the efforts are misdirected?  What if we’re focusing on the wrong 1%?  What if we were part of that 1% and we felt that we were villified for our hard work and good fortune?

What if the problem is not them, but us?

This may be the key question that can help provide focus to the Occupy Movement.  Below are three actions that you need to take to help focus the Occupy Movement.

focus on your 1%, not the 1%

Change starts with you.  Because the movement is focused on the top 1%, it’s easy to forget that we too, belong in a 1%.

Before we explore that idea, think about this: Is the top 1% necessarily happier than we are?  In which percentile can we live comfortably? If you have ten minutes, watch the video below: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

That 1% that we belong in may not be where we want it to be, but that’s why we need to look at our 1%.  What can we do to help us move to the next 1%? When we reduce the question to that level, it becomes easier to identify what areas we need to address so that we can move forward.  Those areas may be government policy or socioeconomic conditions, but more often than not, they are personal areas such as experience, education, and even laziness.  What area in our lives do we need to improve so that we can move to that next 1%?

For the social-media savvy people it boils down to this: we need to +1 ourselves!

occupy your minds, not just space

Lets face it.  Picketing and protesting are not complex things to do.  In some cases, people are simply camping and chanting in the designated protest location.  Now I understand that’s what protests are about.  However, in large groups, it is easy to get caught up in the moment and forget about critically thinking about the change that is being sought.  Ask yourself how you can change your 1%, instead of how do we make the 1% pay for being the top 1%.  It’s a far more productive question, and one that may help you more than any policy change.

protest your inaction, not the action of others

Many top 1%’ers got there because they managed to do the right things at the right time.  Many would call those lucky breaks, but I prefer to think of them as realized opportunities.  I wonder if we could recognize an incredible opportunity if it were dangled in front of our face.  And if we do recognize the opportunities, how often do we seize them?  I believe there are three drivers that cause our inaction in the face of opportunities

• Inattentiveness
  We don’t see opportunities because we aren’t paying attention to them, or don’t know how to recognize them.  How many of us missed out on getting in on Apple’s skyrocketing stock price?  I know I am, and I’m kicking myself for it!
• Laziness
  When we are able to recognize opportunities, sometimes we end up making excuses or put off taking any action until later, and before you know it, the opportunity has slipped away.  This is the exact premise of mail-in rebates, by the way!  They’re betting on you putting off the opportunity of getting some of your money back to the point where the offer is no longer valid (or more often, we lose the receipt.)
• Fear
  Sometimes, we see an opportunity and we’re completely motivated to get going on something, but then the paralyzing serum of fear courses through our veins.  Our minds are filled with “what ifs” and we freeze, not willing to step into the unknown and face the challenges ahead.  While some of that fear may be rational, we must learn to understand our fears and fear missed opportunities more than the fear of the unknown.

It is these inactivity drivers that we must protest against.  And, to be effective, that protest must demand action.  For most people, we are our biggest hindrances, not the top 1%.

If we, as individuals, know the next step that we need to take to advance ourselves to the next level, we will be able to recognize the roadblocks in economic climate and government policy that hinder us.  It is only with this understanding that the Occupy movement can shift from a clever mantra to focused lobbying for change.  The 1% know this game well.  They know what policy change to ask for and lobby with their dollars.  We, the 99%, should know this game and lobby for specific change with our numbers.

Many times, people describe successful business people as “excellent visionaries” or “skilled tacticians.”  Those are interesting descriptions because they allude to the way individuals see business.

 Visionaries

Visionaries, of course, are big picture thinkers.  They begin with blue skies and green fields, then overlay that scene with their grand ideas.  They have a knack for seeing the future before it comes into being.

These individuals, if they can turn their vivid pictures into reality, are highly successful.  Names like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs are perhaps some of the greatest visionaries in our century

Because of the mile high view that visionaries have on business, many visionaries aren’t able to convert their dreams to reality.  For every visionary success story, there are many more business failures.  Perhaps the reason for this is because visionaries tend to have a condition called hyperopia, more commonly known as far-sightedness.

 Tacticians

Tacticians almost naturally know how to get to the finish line in the fastest, cheapest, and most efficient way possible.  They can instinctively identify risk and devise plans on how to avoid them.  They set goals and they can be intensely focused on getting to the next objective.

Tacticians also can be highly successful people.  In fact, President Obama’s former Chief of Staff has been described as a “master tactician.” His role: is to manage people while navigating issues through highly sensitive political waters.

As with visionaries, there are many tacticians who aren’t nearly as successful as others.  This is because tacticians tend to be myopic, or near-sighted.  You know, the type who, to use a an old adage, “can’t see the forest for the trees.”

Is it possible that an individual can be both?  Can a person have perfect business “vision?” Someone who can think big, plot the best route to get there, and have the discipline to follow that route.  I believe the answer to that is yes, but only for a very small number of gifted people.  Out of (six) seven billion people, surely there must be some out of that sample!  I believe some of those people are in the list of people I mentioned above.

If only a small minority of these 20/20 vision business people, then what are we to do?  Fortunately, just as glasses help correct myopia and hyperopia, there are ways to adjust our business vision.

 Build a trusted team of advisors

When considering important business decisions, It’s always a good idea to get advice.  The advice given could provide direction and insight into situations that would expose you to less risk.

Proverbs 11:14 “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

This verse provides good guidance When seeking advice by suggesting two principles for reducing risk (safety): multiplicity and ability.

 Multiplicity

Get more than one person’s advice.  Whether intentional or not, a person’s prior experience and your relationship to them will affect the advice their provide to you.  In addition, their predisposition towards strategic or tactical thinking will influence their thinking.  In any case, their advice may provide insight on particular aspects of what you are considering.  The more people you ask, the more aspects you may reveal.

 Ability

From whom you get that advice is perhaps a more important point to consider.  Don’t just ask a friend simply because they’re you’re friend.  Ask a counsellor, someone who can provide reliable, relevant insight on the matter you’re considering.  You wouldn’t necessarily want to ask a mechanic the best farming techniques, nor would you want to ask a surgeon about how to optimize your site for a search engine.  While they may have opinions, it is the ones who have enlightened opinions that you wish to seek.

 Take time to exercise your eyes

Anyone who has had to sit in front of a computer for hours knows how tiring it is to stare in one place for a long time.  Whether you’re focused on something far, or something near, it is always a good idea to look around and focus on other things.

Refocusing can help the visionaries from being blindsided by unforeseen challenges and keep the tacticians from being “stuck in the weeds.”  It can also help to get dreams aligned with reality and provide an opportunity to adjust tactics to adapt to changing environments.

It’s a worthwhile activity to get our “business eyes” checked to evaluate how we see business.  Whether we are visionaries or tacticians, it is important to be aware of our visual limitations and take actions to help correct our vision.

I wanted to capture more of this with a better camera, but because I was caught a little bit off-guard, I decided to snap a couple of photos on my phone. Hey, the best camera is the one you’ve got, right? Anyways, enjoy my iPhoneography!

Hopefully the weather holds up and I’ll get a chance to capture some fall beauty with a better camera!