Where has the road led you and what have you learned along that road? I am learning as I grow older that it IS all about the journey; the journey of life as a leader. I think it is important to keep our eyes focused on our destination, but if that is ALL we do then we will miss so much along the way.
Woods! I am finally blessed to have woods behind our home to walk and hunt in. We moved to Southern Maryland and bought a home with acres of woods behind it. The best part is that I was able to share them with my son and my father recently. Three generations walking through the woods together with the goal of reaching my brothers house about a mile or so through those woods. We laid out the topographical map and got our headings. We went and accomplished the task and enjoyed ourselves in God’s creation. I am so happy that we had that time together, but I still feel like I missed so much. I remember seeing the beech, holly, pine and oaks and trying to stay on course. I even remember the deer markings on the trees and ground, but what I can’t remember are my son’s and father’s face. Did I even look them in the eyes while we were out for almost 3 hours? This seems sad to me because I was so focused on our destination that I missed a lot of the enjoyment of the journey and those who mean so much to me along the way. How often do I do this? Why I do this? As far as I am concerned…too much and I am still trying to figure out why.
I was talking to some friends the other night and one of them brought up the fact of how much of life he has constantly thought about what he had to do next; what was left on his tasks to do. He shared about a book that he was reading with his family; Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, where he shared a quote, “Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” We talked about how we focus so much about what we have to do to get “it” all done; to finally get the check in the box. This end goal is one that we never reach.
““Gratitude looks to the Past and love to the Present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.””
Again and again, I find myself focused on the end game and not the learnings along the way. It is a struggle; even right now. How do you still have goals and strive to meet those goals and not focus on them? If you lose focus, won’t you fail to reach them? For those of you that have faith, does this have to do with trusting God that he will direct you. Can you have goals and still allow God to direct your life to those He wants you to reach out and love?
I read an article recently by Shana Schutte called Setting Goals To Fulfill Your God-Given Purpose. Shana shared that “God doesn’t give all the details at once while we are fulfilling our purpose. Instead, He often provides just enough information to help us move forward one step at a time. This helps our faith grow. This does not mean we shouldn’t set goals. Instead, it means we need to trust Him to lead us into the unknown, and that we may need to reevaluate and change our goals as He gives us more information.” I truly believe what she said, but that doesn’t mean it is easy. I will get so drawn in or focused on that goal that I lose sight of what is around me; my wife, my kids, my friends, strangers who God wants me to love. And not just seeing that they are physically there. Do I look them in their eyes? Do I hear them…really hear them? Am I going through the motions in some way?
I just read Acts 9 where Ananias, a disciple, was called by God near the road to Damascus to do some work for Him. What were Ananias’ goals in his life? We don’t know, but I would guess if he is like you or me that he had them. However, when Jesus called out to him, his ears were tuned into God’s station; his eyes were open to see what God had for him to do. He must have had to been abiding in God; spending time with him through the reading of His word, praying and also listening to him regularly. Maybe this is the key to being able to not lose sight of the journey, where you can be used by Him while still striving for the finish line. Either way, we have to remember that it’s not about the destination or the results, it is ALL about the journey.
Leadership is a journey of strategic decisions through the maze of life. I believe these decisions are determined through learned knowledge, amazing experiences, shared understanding and having faith. I hope that this blog has helped you to take a minute and reflect on your journey. I hope that it has been an investment of your time that will enhance your leadership journey through me sharing my knowledge, experiences and understanding with you in a real way.
I would love to hear your comments about your journey and what you have discovered as a leader. How do you keep yourself focused on the journey and not always the destination?
