The Marbles

Happy New Year! As we turned the page into 2018, do you have big plans, new year resolutions? May be you have dropped down a thought or two in your mental blog, with the hope to achieve the baby steps of dreams that have been fostered in your heart all along? Wanna wish you all a very fruitful and fulfilling year coming ahead.

This morning as I opened my blog, I noticed that my last entry was more than half year ago on June 16 2017. Yes, I stopped posting all these months. Somehow, I felt very loss this past half year as if I stepped into a mid-life crisis. Have you experienced that? Nothing major happened, but seemed like the motivation just slipped away quietly. The passion, energy and creativity that once flowed so naturally simply stopped.  And there was a sense of blue that lingered over the days.

As the calendar rolled around to Jan 1, I dragged myself into picking up the reading routine again. All along, I know reading and writing are the means of my nourishment. Funny that when I got loss, those were also the things I abandoned first. The first book I pushed myself to read was "Frequency-Tune In, Hear God" by Robert Morris. Being in the stage of loss, I long to hear the whisper from God. And so in my journal, I wrote down "LISTEN" as the focus of 2018, along with this verse, Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you search for Me with all your heart."

Not sure what this new year is holding up for me, but I pray that it would be a year that I strive to be a better listener, at home, at work and able to hear God's voice more often, clearer. Allow me to share two pages of excerpt from the book. I love the fishing analogy that Morris used in these two pages.

As Morris puts it,

Hearing God's voice is like that. every day we need to spend time in God's presence so we hear God's general voice. When we learn how to discern the general will of God on a regular basis, we are ready to hear God's specific word. God comes to a prepared atmosphere. As we make and keep appointments to meet with God, we'll learn to hear His voice.

As I gradually pick myself up into a healthy reading rhythm, I was reminded once again the power of small things. The habit of setting aside the consistent time of pausing and reflecting can bring a huge difference in our fast paced life. If each of the marbles (see the top picture of this blog) represents a day of the week, may we all take heart in how to use this marble wisely, as we are losing one each day and our jar of marbles are depleting moment by moment. We don't have all the time in the world, and so, let us use each marble intentionally, starting from the smallest thing . . .

Here is the book if you are interested to check it out. Frequency - Tune In, Hear God

Know what drains you and what rejuvenates you . . .

Before I was called to ministry, I was in the financial accounting field. I always love data analysis and strategic planning and have a passion in improving operation efficiency. Till these days, I still get fascinated when I see images of production lines and conveyor belts. They often trigger my thoughts on how to improve the efficiency. 

Years ago I responded to God's call and had left the business world to embrace the ministry. Serving people requires very different sets of skills. Being an introvert analytic, there were moments that I noticed a real gap between my natural gift and what the job calls for. In those moments, a sense of inadequacy often surfaced.

Early this year, I made a commitment to smile more; a baby step to help me become more welcoming and less uptight. This self-awareness really made a difference at the beginning. Nevertheless, when fatigue strikes and stress mounts, it's so easy to give in and drift back to square one. The reality check pushes me to reflect on a few key principles:

1. Self-awareness. It is imperative to know what drains and what rejuvenates us. At the end of the day, we need to make sure our inner energy bucket is refilled, and this often is related to how we are wired. An extroverted outgoing person may get energized in crowds while the introverted quiet one may need the alone space to chill. Having that realization helps me safeguard my reflective time. Reading and writing are no longer a luxury to do when time allows; instead, they are the non-negotiable to maintain my emotional health.
2. Form a team that complements you. Knowing the temperament of the team members will strengthen the team effectiveness and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Be open in admitting areas that are not our natural strong suits. Be bold to invite people with different personalities and strength into the team. We don't need to do it all to be effective leaders, we just need to have the openness to allow talents of all sorts to shine in a platform that fits them. 
3. Just do the thing you are good at. The older one gets, the easier to admit that it is very difficult to improve in the areas that we are naturally not good at. Instead of spending countless hours to strengthen the weaker links, we may be better off in focusing on things that we are good at, and work on it with laser focus. Be mindful that the same type of strength may have distintive ramifications in different fields. Be creative to find your niche and work tirelessly toward the goal. You will reap fruits eventually. And because the fruits grow out from the soil with your natural gift, it can be a very joyful journey. 

If you are in the process of soul searching; wanting to know yourself or your team members more, here is an awesome tool. It is by far the best free resources I have come across in this area. Check it out and take the free test, the analysis is quite comprehensive. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

The Preparation of Leaders - Off Stage . . .

Last week our senior leader shared with us on the topic of "Seven Reminders of Life Journey."

1. God has only one calling in your life: come follow me
2. Just do the thing you are good at 
3. Never rely on yesterday's success
4. Big thing always starts from small
5. Always look out for the interest of the others
6. Learn to rest in God's working hand (rest, have assurance, depending on God, a sense of focus)
7. Never give up (Philippians 3:14 press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus)

It was a good talk. I was touched by both the content and the intentional preparation of the message. As I listened to the carefully carved sermon with tailor-fitted analogies to go with each point, I know there was thoughtful planning that went in behind-the-scene. I am encouraged to see a senior leader, whose preaching skill is already widely recognized, willing to put in this level of preparation. It is especially precious given the audience was only a small group of staff, compare with the thousands of congregation members on a typical Sunday morning.

Couple days ago I was listening to the audio book: H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle by Brad Lomenick, the longtime president of Catalyst.

In the book, Brad describes an off-stage encounter with Hillsong United Band. Here is what Brad observed in the green room, a picture of true leadership.

The music at Catalyst events is always interspersed with first-rate speakers sharing groundbreaking and insightful content. Normally, when a band finishes a set, they go back to the green room behind the stage to relax, have a cup of coffee, and goof off a little bit before they have to go back out. They aren’t typically engaged in the speakers. And who would blame them? These bands play dozens of conferences each year. They’ve heard much of this content before.

When I walked into the green room and encountered the Hillsong United band after their first set, I was nearly knocked off my feet. The band members were huddled together around a tiny television with a closed-loop feed of the first speakers. Then they watched the second presentation. Then, the third. Many of them had moleskin pads, and were furiously scribbling notes. No one was talking. No one was checking text messages.

You could have knocked me over with a cough.

Observing Hillsong United band in that moment, I had uncovered one of the secrets to their success. They have never let fame go to their heads and have instead maintained a habit of curiosity. Rather than transition from the role of student to the role of teacher—as most accomplished people do—they remained pliable, always maturing and improving.

Brad went on to describe a common trajectory of a leader.

Most leaders follow a particular trajectory. The early stages of one’s life and career are often marked by unbridled curiosity. The leader amasses college diplomas, graduate school degrees, and specialized certifications. She will often attend conferences and read books within her field and accept low-paying or unpaid internships just for the benefit of learning something. After some time, the leader’s curiosity begins to pay off. People notice her effort and respect her industry knowledge. Promotions and raises follow, and soon she may be asked to present in meetings or speak at conferences herself. But as a leader’s career surges, her curiosity often sinks. She has all the degrees she needs, and who can afford to take an internship at this stage of the game? Her busy schedule doesn’t allow time to read much, and she wouldn’t be caught dead sitting in a conference crowd after being onstage. If the leader’s life were a movie, this is where it moves from feel-good flick to tragedy.

May we take heart to fight against that tragic trajectory. Stay humble and hungry, develop a life-long habit of curiosity. Indeed, it is our attitude, not aptitude, that determine our altitude. As Pastor Craig Groeschel puts it, "Often it's the small things that no one sees that result in the big impact that everyone wants." Let's cheer each other on.

If you are interested to read more about Brad's thought on this topic, here is the article on "Seven Ways To Develop A Habit Of Curiosity." http://orangeblogs.org/orangeleaders/2015/09/21/develop-a-habit-of-curiosity-keep-learning/

On "Incubator"

When I set up "A Rooted Life" Facebook a short while ago, I wrestled with what to put in the descriptions: some short phrases that sum up the essence of what I would like this venue to represent. I scramble something temporary, but not sure how representative those few lines accurately reflect the underlying principles. Often time, the ideology that we hold cannot be verified until the results start to show. And in those months and years of waiting, we need an "ideology incubator," an environment that keeps our principle warm and alive, an organic place to nurture the untested thoughts and believes.

Speaking of a nurturing incubator, I had a recent experience on my son's piano learning that I found it very fulfilling. My boy started the piano learning in his preschool years and has traveled on this journey for close to ten years now. After witnessing many kids who made the attempt for piano learning but ended up giving up after a few years into it, I wanna cultivate a different learning experience for my kids. We are fortunate to run into an amazing teacher, one with unique approach and teaching philosophy. I remember early on, the piano teacher would challenge my boy to use his primitive skills to play the same songs with variations of different majors and keys. I would describe her approach as very "organic." Instead of drilling on the mechanic skills, music theories, recitals and exam preparations, she seized to get to know and love each of her students in personal ways and instill the love of music in their hearts through very gentle and caring ways.

There were times when my kids arrived her class half awake after falling into sleep in the car ride. In those moments, she would have them sit next to her, searching YouTube music videos that interested them to gradually bring them into the learning mode. She would listen attentively to my kids' inquiries and discussed the personal stories of the composers behind the songs they were learning. If you ask me if there were times that I had my share of doubts on her organic approach, I would have to admit it. Yes, there were moments flashing through my mind wondering if my money yielded good return when I didn't see very obvious progress. It is especially so when I came across other kids with very impressive recital songs. But deep inside my heart, I trust that a fun and nurturing learning environment would eventually foster growth and bear fruits. And in due time, the genuine love of music will compose songs that carry contagious energy.

As time goes, those ideologies are affirmed when I witnessed my kids' love of music grew ORGANICALLY. With enough techniques under his belts, my boy started to transfer his piano learning skills into other musical instruments he embraces. Recently, he fell in love with the song, "Oceans, Where Feet May Fail." He started to play by ear and eventually stitched together the whole song pretty much on his own. It's so reaffirming to witness the growth after years of investments. And we record the song for our keepsake. It is not a perfectly polished recording, nevertheless, it's a song born out of his heart: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9rtSUAgLKBJa2gyTV91ZTlnc1U/view?usp=sharing

If you are in a stage doubting your ideology, don't give up. Press on and remember growth takes time. May the following excerpt from Rick Warren's Purpose Drive Life bring you encouragement as you wait upon the budding moments:

“Of all the growth patterns I’ve observed as a gardener, the growth of the Chinese bamboo tree is the most amazing to me.  Plant a bamboo sprout in the ground, and for four or five years (sometimes much longer) nothing happens!  You water and fertilize, water and fertilize, water and fertilize –but you see no visible evidence that anything is happening.  Nothing!  But about the fifth year things change rather dramatically.  In a six-week period the Chinese bamboo tree grows to be a staggering ninety feet tall!  World Book Encyclopedia records that one bamboo plant can grow three feet in a single twenty-four-hour period.  It seems incredible that a plant that lies dormant for years can suddenly explode with growth, but it happens without fail with bamboo trees.”

Traveling the In-Between Stages

Have you ever have the feeling of being trapped in an in-between stage thinking that your current season is not meant to be your destiny, nevertheless, you know it is not the time for next phrase just yet. In those times, did you ever feel a mismatch with your talents or natural inclinations and the current landscape? Have you ever wonder if you are riding in the wrong seat of the bus?

When those feelings surface, it is very easy to fall into the trap of discounting the value of your current seasons. After all, it's human nature to plan ahead, to wanting to know what is next. But if we take a step back to examine our life journey, you may be able to see the dots that connect the lines. If we are mindful, every experience we encounter today can become the foundation of tomorrow's platform; even when they seem totally irrelevant at times. 

I remember a talk by Steven Jobs' graduation speech at Standford in 2005 and how he connected a seemingly unrelated calligraphy class with the invention of Mac's typography. The connection is striking, though it may not be obvious at the time. His words may resonate with you if you are journeying the in-between stages. Remember not to discount today's value. Stay humble and hungry. Do the mundane small things with big heart. Learn and absorb like a sponge, and when the opportunity knocks the door, you will be ready to leap over to embrace the next season! Here is the excerpt from Jobs' graduation speech.

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later.

Here are the speech clip and scripts if you are interested for the whole session.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

http://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/

On "Growth"

Yesterday, my FB popped up a memory reminder with a quote that I posted two years ago. The words still bring great reminders:

"Japanese Koi fish has unlimited growth potential. When the Koi fish is put into a small fish bowl, it will only grow two or three inches in length. But when it is put into a large tank or even small pond, it will grow six to ten inches. If placed in an even bigger pond, it will grow to one and one half feet. Finally, if it is put into a large lake where it can really stretch out, it will grow to three feet. The size of the fish is proportional to the size of its environment." - - Harvey Mackay

If you take an honest assessment in the environment you are in, are you in the right pond size that matches your growth potential? Or are you merely swimming in the pond busily but have somewhat lost that sense of excitement that naturally come with stretching?  Wanna offer an ABC principle of growth to encourage you.

1. Accountability Partners: As you see these words, you were probably thinking that it's very hard to find one in today's busy life style. Who would have time to care for what you are going through and sit down with you to evaluate regularly? But if we think closer, may be there will be someone in your lives who you naturally get the chance to meet up. For me, the most natural accountability partners are my kids. They are in the age that understand what I am trying to achieve. If you give your kids the permission to check on you, you would be amazed how good your kids are in keeping you accountable. It would be a very meaningful exercise for them to witness your discipline and tenacity too. As a matter of fact, I invited my kids to help me brainstorm the ABC of growth in today's blog. I need three words that start with A,B,C with the right meaning that matches this topic. They offered their thoughts before they headed out the door. When they come home today, I will share with them the final post and it creates a great sense of "togetherness" as if this is not just my goal, but our's.

2. Bite-Size Goal: For most people, once we stepped out of the campus life, growth doesn't seem to come naturally. We no longer have a big chuck of time to learn. But if we break things into bite size, we may be amazed with the return we can reap through small and consistent steps. The key is "balanced." Don't take a big bite occasionally, keep it small and with the rhythm that is manageable. For me, I am trying to grow my writing skills, and so, I am setting up a daily 30 minutes free write exercise. I literally set my timer in order to safeguard the time to prevent myself from spending too much time on a single blog, a luxury that I don't have at the moment. As I am typing these words, I glanced over to my timer, and it's at 13 minute marks. I still have one more paragraph to go.

3. Courage: Often time the reason for us to stay within a pond that we have outgrown already is not the attractiveness of the current pond, but rather, the lack of courage to leap over to another bigger tank. After all, there are life obligations to fulfill, bills to pay and the cozy feeling that comes with familiarity. Yes, we may not be overly excited with where we are, but we know the path and we can travel with ease. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Yes, journeying on an untraveled path takes courage. However, in order "to step toward your destiny, you might have to step away from your security . . . Sometimes the best decision you can make is to go, even when it would easier just to stay where you are." (Craig Groeshcel).

Okay, my 30 minutes is almost up, gonna go. I am trusting God to put these daily reflections into the right readers at the right time to make an impact. I may never become an official writer in my life time with my own book, but I am taking a leap of faith jumping into a bigger pond, seeking for growth and breakthrough. May my daily 30 minutes carry me to a higher ground, a wider pond, and deeper sea. One thing for sure, my vacabulary bank will grow . . . May God bless your quest as well. 

On "Consistency"

Lately as I drove by the neighborhood, I saw this farmland being prepared for the growth of certain crops. Though I am not sure what type of food would be planted soon, I can definitely see that they need certain consistency of preparation beforehand.

Last year marked the fifth anniversary in my current job. As I celebrated the milestone, I also took some time to look back and review. Somehow, those reflective moments pushed me into a crossroad, evaluating the effectiveness of the past few years. All of a sudden, doubts surfaced and I wonder what lies ahead. Are the efforts reaping fruits? Are goals met and objectives achieved? What is next for me?

Have you ever have the same feeling that some big assignments are just around the corner but you are not sure what and there is a huge sense of restless in the waiting moment feeling trapped in the in-between stages? And with that, I find myself wrestling in somewhat a valley after riding on high ground for a few years with lots of energy and positive perspective (Thanks to Mark Batterson's book, The Circle Maker).

Thank God for giving me a reminder through a brother's sharing yesterday. He too was feeling a bit down in life for a few months. Bit by bit, he came out of the valley and has regained the energy with proper perspective. Wanna guess his tips in getting out of of valley? To my surprise, nothing extraordinary, just plain simple consistency of doing the right thing: small and healthy habits and bit by bit, he climbed out.  Just like pastor Craig Groeschel's teaching from his book, Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life: "Often it's the small things that no one sees that result in the big impact that everyone wants." May we cheer each other on in doing little things with big heart faithfully, consistently, over the long haul.