To Choose Life we must become aware of the finite and invaluable resource that time is in our lives and we must understand the detrimental effect of not having strong boundaries to deal with other peoples’ incessant demands of our valuable resource. It really comes down to attention management. We have to predecide, define, and prioritize what demands receive our attention. We have to figure out how to do Less but Better.

In order to live out the Choose Life mindset, the mindset that helps us create radically human, courageously authentic and purpose driven lives, we have to create rhythms of rest. Strong, restorative rest allows us to bring our best selves to the table. But while we all yearn for rest, it’s easy for us to offer a myriad of excuses as to why we can’t rest. So I have two actions for how you can start your journey towards real, restorative rest. Stop running on fumes, and lean into your full potential.

Starting a new business is hard work. This is why our mindset of Choose Life is critical. Over the last 6 years of small business ownership, I’ve been presented with numerous learning opportunities. I managed to narrow the list down to 5 - what I would call the Five Critical Lessons of Small Business Leadership. My hope is that these will encourage and equip you to choose to start the purpose-driven business, practice, non-profit, organization, whatever!, that has been put on your heart!

Failure hurts. But failure also helps. If you choose to live a purpose driven and courageously authentic life, failure will inevitably be a part of your journey. Embrace the truth that you are not your results. Once you embrace these truths, they can be some of the greatest teaching moments of your life. You never know what you may learn from that moment of falling short that will set you up success the next time around.

You are a leader. You are a follower. You are both. This reality of multiple roles, which we often need to quickly switch back and forth between in a single day, can lead to a breakdown in efficient, effective communication. This breakdown in communication can lead to hurt feelings between family members, misapplied efforts by team members, and additional work to correct the initial misunderstanding. The key to effectively connecting from any of these roles is posture. What's your posture?

The external pressures of our world are bringing out the internal tensions within each of us. Many of us are out of our depth. How do we excel and thrive when we are out of our depth in this unstable environment? We have to focus on our fundamentals and our purpose. Figure out what basics you need to succeed. Are you letting external circumstances knock you off your game? In this season, focus on controlling the controllable. We have to lean into the pain of figuring out why we are out of our depth. In order for us to succeed in this environment, we have to focus on our fundamentals, our purpose, and controlling the controllable. Choose Life! 

The only way to develop as a Leader is to become self-aware. And the constant companion of self-awareness is a soul challenging sense of inadequacy. Thus, to grow as a leader you must live in the spotlight of incessantly feeling exposed as you develop through the pain of learning a new way of leading. You must intentionally live in the generative tension of pursuing a new mindset and approach that fundamentally you aren’t as good at (yet!), all the while resisting the urge to go back to your tried and true approach. Leadership is an infinite game, but take heart, because leaning into the pain of pursuing development through self-awareness helps lead us to a radically human and courageous life. 

Many of us cringe and intentionally run from the idea of risk. We build our entire lives with the goal of creating comfort. For to risk is to choose to expose yourself to the chance of injury or loss. Yet, by choosing to live this type of life, a life pursuing comfort and control, is a risk in and of itself. Without even recognizing it, we are risking our lives. Our authentic, God-given, unbridled life. We are trading that life for the comfort of what we know. What we have to do to live a radically human and courageously authentic life, what we have to do to Choose Life, is to shift our lens of what are the right risks to take.

No matter your route to fatherhood, be it biological, step, adoptive, foster, or some other undefined father role, the challenge of choosing to be a radically human and courageous authentic dad is immense. If done with humility and a heart to serve, it will stretch you to your limits, leave you exhausted and be rewarding beyond your most extravagant imagination. No accolades, no worldly praise, no amount of money, could be worth more than the reward of an honoring and purpose filled child. They are arrows in your quiver and a blessing beyond all other, and you have been given a critical, irreplaceable role in their life. Tune in to episode 2 of the Choose Life Podcast to hear about how you can lean into becoming a radically human and courageously authentic father.

What if we could actually be present in the turmoil of our thoughts and our emotions, but not subject to them? What if we lived radically human? A behind-the-scenes life that we actually know is real as opposed to the highlight reel we try to give to the world every single day. Join me as we figure it out together.