If my last post left you thinking that James was/is perfect, think again. Raising him felt like raising 5 kids. (Today I was reminded of this blog from 10 years ago: https://tribalminded.com/2015/01/08/smell-you-later/#more-11311).

James will be in boot camp for 90 days and I’m asking for a thousandfold return. I have a crazy goal to reach 90,000 people with this challenge. Because a challenge is a hard thing, several thoughts come to me on this day 2 of the challenge:

1. We do hard things: The house is awfully quiet. James’s big brother has been away with the Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Training Academy since last week. He’ll be there through the end of this week. They have made incredible friends through their years of public service and had hard but exceedingly rewarding experiences. They’ve each clocked well over a thousand volunteer hours while working or going to school full-time. They’ve crawled through swamps and blackberry bushes looking for missing persons or evidence, been in woods or scorching sun for hours without end; they’ve recovered human remains; they’ve trained diligently and have phenomenal skills. May I just add that there is much hope for this generation? Please say that with me in the comments. I tire of people complaining about this generation. “We do hard things.” That was a phrase we used a lot in the house while they were kids. My friend Beth taught it to me when they were young.  We do hard things, and we do them well.
2. Simple is complicated enough: Now, that’s a great thought if I ever came up with one! Anything we do has inherent difficulties. We don’t need to be extreme or go all out all the time. Just taking steps forward is progress.
3. Growth in one area impacts other areas. Human transformation acts like lifting a section of a tablecloth on a table. It inevitably affects other areas and moves the whole thing in the direction of movement. Don’t be overwhelmed with where to start. Start with one small thing.
4. Done beats Perfect: Some of my favorite coaches Nick and Megan taught me that one. Don’t perseverate in doing things perfectly. There is such a thing as good enough. So many great things go undone and even “unstarted” by us because we are sure we can’t meet some arbitrary measure of perfection. Don’t fall for that trap. The secret is to do something. Not just study it, not just wish it, not just talk about it – do it!
5. Practice makes? Not perfect – progress! Practice makes progress. Forget perfect. Nothing is perfect. Certainly not for long. So scrap that expectation and toss it behind you. It’s a lousy impediment to forward motion.

Today:

• I had three difficult conversations. I was hesitant. I didn’t want to hurt feelings. I didn’t want to disappoint or inconvenience anyone. It wasn’t a “big deal.” But it was. God is challenging me to show up as a powerful person and to do so with integrity. With authority. Not to bully, not to be rude, but to be authentic. The relief I felt was immense.
• I tackled some small tasks I’ve been procrastinating for a long time. That felt amazing.
• I haven’t played games on my tablet for a week. I inevitably felt terrible for plinking around for 2 hours on Spider solitaire on extreme Sudoku. That wasn’t brain exercise. That was a waste of time. If you want brain exercise, take a walk. I mean it. That’s what your brain needs. Movement. Momentum. Action.
• I did day 2 of the blog – not as early as I would have liked but it’s done.

Calls to Action (CTA):

1. Say with me, “There is hope for this generation.”
2. Which of the 4 points above do you resonate with the most and why? How will you apply it?
3. Please share this post with 3 people you know would be blessed by it. Help me reach 90,000 people. Subscribe to the blog so you get posts as soon as they’re done.

Semper fi! Stay faithful!