We work with elite teams in sport and commerce. We study, learn, and apply every day. Yesterday was a six banger. Translation, I practiced six times. Some one on one. Some with a team. Lots of studying and learning. Here is an attempt at applying…
Yesterday was day six of 2022. By way of reminder, Day six in BBTL is all about one of my deepest held beliefs – life is designed to be hard. Great lives believe the obstacle is the way, right Marcus? Great lives believe picking up your cross is the way home, right Jesus? Great lives are not found in the relentless pursuit of comfort, convenience, and endless consumption. Great lives are not found in distraction swiping social media bullshit, counting followers you aren’t leading anywhere, or how many strangers liked something you posted on instabullshitusallyouknow. Great lives are not found in a promotion, position, or prominence. Now don’t get me wrong, nothing inherently wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labor. I mean c’mon man, yesterday I enjoyed driving around on heated seats, eating wonderful food, and winding down in our beautiful home. You?
I enjoy hard OPUS every freakin’ day. I found great joy in being with hurting humans who showed up to grieve and then get on with it. Tay and I found great joy in talking and preparing between practices. I found great joy in listening to clients struggles and help them find their way ‘round. I found profound joy in putting partners in an unproductive fight (better than bullshit any day) until we could find peace within and then with another. Sometimes it’s damn ugly coming clean, you know?
I was busy yesterday. Good. I was not hurried or harried. I wasn’t rushing around. Never felt behind. Time, in fact, felt like it kinda stood still on more than one occasion. I felt zero obligation. Zero angst. My mind only went backward to bring a story forward, and it never wandered forward in fear. I simply sat in hard things, anchored by my CORE and aimed at my OPUS. We didn’t practice much new. Rarely do. I had prepared myself to rewind, remind, and repair. Most moral teachers, I believe, do little instructing. They mostly remind us. You?
How many of you feel the peace that comes with knowing your workday is a series of passionate, purpose filled privileges? How many are rushing around, late for most meetings, or hell bent on being on time even though your presence is rarely there? Want more peace in your day? You’re not too busy, you see. You’re too busy chasing the wrong shit.
Peace comes from more purpose. Are you crystal clear about yours? Get clearer. Go back to your CORE purposes and the purpose in your OPUS. Read it. Reflect on it. Rinse it hard. Go three why’s deeper. Go again. Go until you say, HELL yeah, there’s it is – this lights me up but doesn’t burn me out. Fine line. Burnout is too much pursuit and too little passionate purpose. Are you burning bright or burning out? You know this, right?
Hard labor you disdain as you tire. Hard OPUS you sustain as you perspire.
Life is hard. Fact. It’s gonna hurt. You’re gonna fail. And, you’re gonna win and have more work than you and your team can get done. You’re gonna have more material and money and wake up one day with less than enough meaning. The way to peace? Not more labor and not more leisure either.
More purpose.
God, help me look up with gratitude, look around and do good work, and look down and lend a helping hand. God, help me say yes and no and mean it. God, help me embrace doing hard things not so well on my way to learning to doing them well. God, help me discern the right hard things to do and do them to the point of mastery. God, help me say no to many good things that aren’t my highest/best use. God, help me grow old but not tired with a band of builders, family, friends, and clients that love each other and love our work. God, help me.
Live hard. Love harder…
BUILT TO LEAD 