My Friends,
How are you? Seriously…?
We’re now over six weeks into one of the craziest times in recent history and for most, the world has been turned upside down. How we communicate and prioritize, where we go, who we spend time with, and what we focus on have all radically changed. Even the things many thought to be foundational aspects of life like jobs, finances, careers, health, or even sports have proven unstable.
Well, my friends, take heart! I have good news! Amidst all the craziness, there are still two big things that haven’t changed:
1) The gift of time we’ve been given each day and
2) The ability to choose what to do with that time
Yep, despite all that’s beyond our control, most of us are still able to choose what we do with our time. The question is, will we choose to use the gift wisely or wastefully?
Will we choose to read a good book (here’s one I recommend 😉), write in a journal or engage in other similar mind-stimulating activities to grow mentally? Will we choose to exercise and be disciplined in our eating habits to strengthen our bodies physically? Will we choose to shut down distractions in exchange for real conversations with family members to strengthen our most important relationships? Will we choose to call a friend or neighbor who is alone and needs to hear words of encouragement from someone who cares? Finally, will we choose to feed our soul, taking time to reflect on our priorities, time to pray or time to read and meditate on the Word of God?
Will we choose to use this time wisely to grow mentally, physically, relationally and spiritually?
Of course, I’d be a bad coach if I didn’t also mention the importance of playing defense during this time, too. By that I mean, what we choose not to do, like not buying a bunch of junk food at the store, not sleeping the days away or not spending hours upon hours surfing the endless stream of depressing headlines.
Or, how about not binging on Netflix, or mindlessly scrolling social media or any other form of media that is not filling our minds and hearts with content that is enriching? Or, last but not least, not filling our schedule with work-related items simply for the purpose of seeming busy. Of course, some actually are busier these days by necessity; however, most of us have been given at least a little more flexibility in your schedule these days.
Will we choose what not to do with our time wisely?
Listen, time is a limited resource we’ve all been given that can be used for good or not so good, regardless of our circumstances. We always have a choice, and the sum of those choices have a profound impact on the rest of our lives. But here’s the big thought I want to challenge you to more deeply consider today: Every one of the choices listed above also has a profound impact on the lives of others, too!
How???
Well for starters, we’re all social beings created for relationship (I won’t take time to prove my point here but if you do your own research, you’ll see this clearly proven both scientifically and biblically!). Our lives are an almost constant stream of social interactions (even with social distancing). Because of this, our choices almost always, at least in some way, impact others.
Think about it, how I choose to take care of myself physically will of course impact me, but because it affects things like my mood, my energy level, my immune system and quite possibly the length of my life—it also deeply impacts others within my circle of influence, too.
Another not so obvious example is the choice to not consume the endless stream of negative media headlines. This dangerously destructive habit is wreaking havoc in many of my friends’ lives in terms of their mental and emotional health. This, of course, also has a significant impact on their close circle of relationships in various ways that I’m sure you can imagine.
What’s equally alarming is how the divisiveness promoted daily by most media outlets is beginning to spark a new level of internal anger, blame, hatred, and bitterness between people of differing opinions. In many cases, this dangerous spark is beginning to burn down life-long relationships if, for no other reason than it has shifted our focus on our differences, rather than on the most important things we share as fellow human beings!
Beware my friends, there is an enemy of us all and there are two huge things he is a master of: lies and divisiveness!
When we choose to consume anything—ANYTHING—laced with hate, anger, blame, bitterness or the like, we are consuming that which may eventually consume us…and many of those valuable relationships in our lives along with it!
The bottom line is, within every choice lies another choice. We can choose what’s best for us, looking out only for our own interests, or we can choose to also consider the impact our choices will have on others, looking out for their best interests, too! Selfish or selfless?
My friends, our world is in desperate need of people who, regardless of their circumstances, will choose to use the gift of time they’ve been given wisely. We need people who will choose to be intentional with their growth: mentally, physically, relationally and spiritually. We need people who will play great defense, making wise choices of what NOT to do.
Finally, we need people who will resist the urge to selfishly focus on their own interests, but rather, in humility, will choose to look out for the interests of others before self. These are the humble, loving, forgiving, selfless choices so desperately needed in society today. These are also the choices we can all make daily. The question is, will we? Will you?
Best to you,
Todd
PS – Almost forgot! COACHES! I know it’s crazy for you all right now, but I want to invite you to check out two really cool tools that can help you stay connected to your staff and to your team while also strengthening their leadership and character! PLEASE, if you want to use this time to grow the mindset AND heartset simply reply to this email that you’re interested and we can hop on a call to tell you more!
Todd Gongwer 