A thought by Andy Stanley from his book, Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets (p. 19). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
That probably isn't the way it should be, but it is.
Andy says, "You have talked yourself into . . . deceived yourself into . . . every bad decision you have ever made. Worse, you were the mastermind behind most of your regrettable decisions. Financial, relational, professional, academic. You were there for and willingly participated in all of ’em.
"You’ve done more to undermine you own success and progress than anyone on the planet. Granted, there were outside pressures. Other voices. People promising you stuff. Maybe even threatening you with stuff. But in the end, you decided. But in most cases, you didn’t decide by carefully weighing all the options and seeking wise counsel. You did the opposite."
He goes on, "In many instances, maybe even most, you knew better. Or, you should have known better. But . . . you ignored know better and started selling yourself on what yourself wanted in the moment.
"It’s embarrassing. We lecture kids against participating in this kind of nonsense. And I’m not pointing fingers. I participated in all my bad decisions as well. And yes, in many instances, I knew better."
He continues, "So what’s up? What’s up is that when it comes to good decision-making, we face our greatest challenge every morning in the mirror. Self-leadership is the greatest leadership challenge any of us face. But self-leadership is a critical component to our success in every arena of life. You’ll never be a leader worth following if you don’t lead yourself well. And while that’s apparent if you have an official organizational leadership role, it should be equally apparent if you’re a parent.
"If you have children, the outcomes of your decisions are outcomes somebody you love will be forced to
"Consider this. Whether or not you want to be like your parents depends upon how well they led themselves, not what they required of or taught you. And whether or not your children will want to be like you . . . Same.
"Here’s why. Exceptional self-leadership, not authority, is the key to sustained influence. We rarely open ourselves up to the influence of people we don’t respect, even if they have authority over us. So, whether we’re talking about your professional life or your personal life, exceptional self-leadership is important. Your influence won’t last if you don’t lead yourself well first. Great leaders last because they lead themselves first."
He then says, "But here’s the challenge. You can’t lead yourself if you’re lying to yourself."
And that is so true, isn't it?
Yes, yes!
Comments
Post a Comment