“Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action….
Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.”

Steven Pressfield

It is around 5 AM on a Saturday morning. When I first checked the clock it had a 4 handle. Experience tells me that trying to find my way back into some state of slumber is futile. My head is spinning.

There was a season when my mind didn’t rest as a result of the usual things:

Will my marriage make it?
How badly have I screwed up the raising of my kids?
Will I ever really be able to retire? Am I really supposed to?
Should I be doing something else with my life?

Those aren’t the things that tend to waken me anymore. It is more about thoughts, ideas, concepts, hopes, and my deepest desires. I check my Starbucks app to makes sure I can land somewhere that will actually receive me at this time of day and head out into the darkness.

There are explanations for all of this:

I discovered life through thousands of books as a kid.
I found dozens of vicarious family experiences from the folks on the TV that raised me. (My first trip to Hawaii was as the 7th Brady kid.)
My StrengthsFinder tells me that I possess “Ideation” (Fascinated by ideas and more able than most to connect disparate thoughts, ideas, and concepts to make them more easily understandable).
My DISC says that I am a natural “I: Influential” - (Creative problem solver, great encourager and motivator of others. Someone who doesn’t mind being the center of attention).
But our enemy also whispers that I have too much to say and that I just need to shut up and keep my opinions to myself.

Several of my closest friends and I were enjoying some nachos and drinks during our weekly gathering when one of them asked me about what these posts meant to me. I told them it was something that I couldn’t not do, that it gave me great joy, often felt effortless, sometimes produced really nice feedback, but often felt selfish or indulgent.

It is as if an amateur guitar player, who simply loves to play, set up stools twice a week in a public place and actually had people gather. And they came and spent their precious time, actually seeming to enjoy themselves. And they further stated that they felt more clear, focused, or inspired by the experience.

Despite all of that, it is the artist that would be most blessed… even honored and humbled by the process.

This morning my eyes are blurry, but not with lack of sleep. I am overwhelmed with a sense of humility, honor, and privilege. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you. It means more to me than you can know and I can’t imagine functioning without it.

What is the thing that brings you the greatest joy? The thing that you most feel God’s pleasure when you do it?
What is the thing that other people note about you that is special or different?
What can you uniquely offer that might enhance the quality of other’s lives? (Our LifePlan process is where I powerfully started understanding that.)
If you enjoy reading this blog, would you mind sharing it with a few folks? (That would mean a great deal to me.)