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Rising Against Adversity

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Facing Adversity

When I first started flying lessons many years ago, I was introduced to a concept that seemed counterintuitive which is you always take off and land heading into the wind. I thought, wouldn’t a pilot have an easier time if the wind were coming from behind the aircraft giving it a push, so to speak, instead of rushing into a strong wind?

The key to taking off into the wind is the concept of lift. The more wind that passes over the wing of the plane will allow the plane to lift off the ground sooner. In short, pilots like to take off into a headwind because it helps them achieve “wheels up” faster. A jetliner like a Boeing 747, needs at least 150 mph of airspeed to become airborne, without wind, the plane has to accelerate to a groundspeed of 180 mph to lift off, but when you have a 30 mph headwind, the plane only has to accelerate to 150 mph, thanks to the extra boost it gets from the headwind.

Even a small plane, like the Cessna 172 which I flew, would benefit from the oncoming wind. The small planes can fly at extremely slow speeds, so a little headwind while taking off certainly allows the plane to achieve lift sooner.

Landing into the wind is also very crucial in aiding the airplane to slow its decent while maintaining adequate lift to keep it afloat until touch down. If you can slow your speed while descending at the proper rate it will provide a shorter roll out once you are on the runway.

As an aviation saying goes, the three most worthless things to a pilot are: the sky above you, the runway behind you, and the fuel you left at the hanger.

As with life, the wind won’t always blow exactly in the direction that is needed for taking off or landing, which is why most airports with more than one runway will have a runway that crosses the other, so there are alternative options. Even with that, good pilot training consists of taking off and landing in crosswinds also. Just like the Boy Scout motto reminds us, one must “Always be prepared.”

Once you are airborne and at the right altitude, it is best if you can have the wind at your tail pushing you forward much faster than your calculated ground speed. All of these factors have to be calculated ahead of time. There is nothing worse than running short on fuel before you reach your intended destination.

There are many other factors that also need to be considered when flying, such as air-pressure and how it changes with temperatures. We do not have the time to get into the physics around the entire concept of flying, but as a pilot, it is good to have a working knowledge of this information.

Now that we understand, at least a little why it is best to take off and land into the winds, let us consider how that correlates to our trek of life. Most of us would like to “go with the flow,” to have the wind at our backs, and to have some external force drive us on to a life of ease and success. Well, sorry to break the news to you, but that is not how life is for most of us on most days.

This does not mean that we can’t have a rich and satisfying life because it is more about how we interpret and handle the headwinds of life that makes the difference. Sometimes the wind in our lives is a result of the storms that we have created by the choices that we have made. Other times we have no control over the wind that is buffeting against us.

Regardless of that, from this point forward, we can take personal responsibility for how we handle or react to the heavy wind. We may not be able to change the circumstances any more than we can change the direction of the wind, but we can change ourselves or at least our attitudes. That is something that we have control over.

As Winston Churchill put it, “Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.”

The next time you are on a hike, consider that the most resilient trees are those that have grown where the winds are strongest. As they grow, the very fiber of their being is strengthened to withstand the forces of the wind.

Heavy winds in our lives should not be rejected, but welcomed. Just as those winds allow an airplane to take off to new heights, so the headwinds of life will allow us to rise above and strengthen the very fiber of who we are.

We should be full of joy because those winds will allow us to grow, gain endurance, and wisdom. This will allow us to be complete within ourselves, lacking nothing. This brings to mind a paragraph from the letter written to Jewish believers by James, the half-brother of Christ. The Jews had been scattered due to persecution, and James encouraged them with these words,

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

Well, there is not much more that I could say about this passage. It is to the point. Now, if I could only learn to put it into practice fully in my own life in every situation. That is my goal.

So as we wrap up our Trek for today, I will end with a quote from Henry Ford, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it…”

A Checklist for Life

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The Value of a Checklist

If we decided to set out on a long and difficult trek such as hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, which runs from Katahdin Maine down to Springer Mountain in Georgia, one of the first items that would be required is a complete checklist. What would be on our checklist? While I have never hiked anywhere close to that long or difficult of a trail, I have read several articles and watched documentaries from those who have hiked all or part of it. The checklist is extensive, and if you are not prepared, the hike can be very dangerous.

Completing the entire 2,185 miles of the Appalachian Trail in one trip is a mammoth undertaking, which can take five months or more. It requires great determination and commitment, but can potentially be accomplished by anyone with the ability to walk. That’s not to say hiking it is easy. The footpath of the Appalachian Trail is far more rugged than most anticipate, given the soft and gentle profiles of the mountains and relatively low elevations.

Each year, thousands of hikers attempt a thru-hike, but only about one in four makes it all the way. Who knows, I may attempt a thru-hike at some point.

As it is with our trek of life, first we need to have a good understanding of where we are heading and why. We then need to have a plan on how we are going to travel towards our destination. In the Wisdom Note I recently posted, I referred to the importance and differences between the compass and the clock. Both are a crucial part in navigation on a long trek.

Each of us should have a set of guidelines or a code that we live by. This will establish our baseline for the decisions that we need to make each day. While we may not see a lot of progress made on certain days, it does not take too long to realize that the days string together quickly. If we don’t have a set of guidelines, or as it were, a checklist, then we will stumble blindly on, never ending up where we desire to be.

You may establish your guidelines or checklist on a different moral code than I do, but we all have a compass that gives us direction. If your compass is not functioning and not pointing to your true north, then it will show up in a lack of integrity and commitment.

My personal moral compass is the Bible, which I consider to be God’s Word. It has been my guide throughout life. Just as in hiking, there is a checklist for every leg of the hike. I consider God’s Word to be a complete checklist for my life. I am not referring to a legalistic rigid set of “rules” that I must follow, but through the spirit of living in such a way that my manner of life and integrity stands true in all areas of life.

The most famous checklist of all time and the basis for most civilized governments is referred to as the 10 Commandments. It sets the moral standard for how we should conduct ourselves in every situation. My paraphrased version of Exodus 20:1-17 is:

  1. There is only one God – and He comes first.
  2. Worship only God.
  3. Don’t misuse God’s name.
  4. Set aside one day a week for rest – it is holy.
  5. Honor your parents = long life.
  6. Don’t murder.
  7. Don’t cheat on your spouse.
  8. Don’t steal.
  9. Don’t lie about your neighbors.
  10. Don’t desire what is not yours to have.

All of the laws that were set up in the Old Testament of the Bible were to show how far short we fall from being God ourselves. It is not possible for us to achieve that standard. Fortunately, we do not have a long checklist that we need to follow for each day of our lives. In fact, it is quite short, and yet covers all that we need. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus put it this way, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

In other words, the Bible can be summed up in these two commands. Love God, love others…nothing more, nothing less.

What is your checklist for life? Can you articulate it, and do you follow it each day? Let us make sure that our moral compass points to true north, that our destination is known, and that each day of our trek of life is lived with integrity. This will ensure a sure footing regardless of how rough the terrain may be.

For my checklist, click here: Checklist for a Successful Life.

Life at the Speed of Average

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When It’s Okay to Be Average…

So many people like to rush into things and attempt to accomplish everything at once. While this is exciting and enticing, it is also why so many people quickly burn out and abandon their resolutions and goals.

Many people have asked me, how do you keep up with a daily podcast along with your other responsibilities? I have to admit, it was not always easy, but, for now, I am committed to a five day per week podcast. It takes being consistently persistent in the small things of life to achieve what appears to be great results. You can even move a mountain one stone at a time, as long as you are consistently persistent for a very long period of time.

I certainly have no extraordinary abilities or talents. I am a fairly average person, but I have a desire and drive and choose to move one stone at a time from the mountains that stand in front of me. You too can be average and still be a mountain mover. Let’s look at what can be accomplished even if you feel that you are considered average.

I was an average student who grew up very poor on an apple orchard. I did not allow being “average” to hold me back. Through being consistently persistent, I have written nearly 1 million words within the daily journals in preparation for the podcast over the past 19 months. An initial glance it does look like a huge undertaking but it was accomplished by writing a few pages each day consistently.

Due to the nature of our consulting work and other projects, I do not have the luxury to hide away in a remote location and write, record, edit, and publish the daily podcast and journals in batches, but like our trek of life, I take it one day at a time. It reminds me of a little booklet that I read many years ago called “Little Is Much When God Is In It.” The premise of the book is to be faithful in the small everyday tasks, and you will be able to accomplish much. It’s okay to be average as long as you are faithful and consistently persistent in the small tasks of life.

This concept holds true for all areas of your life. For example, anyone can feel a burst of inspiration, head to the gym, and push themselves really hard for a single workout. That’s maximum speed but will produce little result long-term. Instead, what if you had a slower paced workout, but averaged 4 days per week in the last month? How about the last three months? Or the last year? What has your average speed been? Your long-term results will be much greater if you are consistent over an extended period of time, even if each day did not include an intense workout.

This principle holds true for your work habits, your eating habits, your relationship habits, and virtually every other area of your life. Here’s the surprising thing about average speed…It doesn’t take very long for average speed to produce incredible results.

So often we waste our time and energy thinking that we need a monumental effort to achieve anything significant. We tell ourselves that we need to get amped up on motivation and desire. We think that we need to work harder than everyone else. While I am all for continual improvement, it does not take herculean efforts to see huge results over a long period of time.

The natural question that follows from all of this is, “How do I increase my average speed?” Last year I read an article written by blogger James Clear where he wrote “Habit Graduation: How to Increase Your Average Speed.” In other words, graduating from your current habit level to one level higher. Basically, habit graduation is about increasing your average speed.

Here are some examples…

  • If your average speed is eating three healthy meals per week, can you “graduate” that to one healthy meal per day?
  • If your average speed is exercising once per week, can you “graduate” that to twice per week?
  • If your average speed is to only read spiritual or inspirational materials once per week, can you “graduate” to three times per week?

We all have an average speed when it comes to our habits. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, that average speed might be much slower than we’d like.

The truth is, anyone can get motivated and push themselves for one day, but very few people maintain a consistent effort every week without fail.

In your health, your work, and your life, it doesn’t require a massive effort to achieve incredible results — just being consistently persistent over a period of time.

This reminds me of the parable from Matthew 25:20-21, “The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

Remember in your life if you are consistently persistent even at an average speed, you can move mountains. Let us work on increasing our average speed gradually at the same time.

How to Prosper In Life

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Live Long and Prosper

What do you desire to accomplish? What is your destination? As we trek together, let me help you along the way. For myself and our time together on our Wisdom-Trek, let’s make it our combined purpose to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. This is an effort that will be much easier as we assist each other. In doing so, we will set up the framework in our lives that will truly allow us to “Live long and prosper.”

I believe that most of us would desire to live a long life and to prosper. Prospering, though, will take many different forms. It could be financial, but that does not need to be our primary way of prospering. Becoming wise and creating a living legacy by making a positive impact on our world will allow us to truly prosper. The primary purpose for us pursuing and obtaining financial prosperity is to allow our impact to be even greater.

We need to be a river and not a reservoir with our financial gain. Allowing financial prosperity to flow through us to others, instead of hoarding it for ourselves, will help us to gain wisdom.

In addition to setting a destination, our best hope of arriving safely is to have suitable navigation tools. We need to follow a GPS, map, compass or other tools that will allow us to be reasonably sure that we are on the right path. These tools are important, but are only useful, if we follow them.

As I am sure each of us has experienced, even with the best GPS or map, we sometimes end up on a wrong road, and so it is with the trails in life. We may find ourselves at places or in situations that we never expected, either through our own choices or the choices of others.

We may get off the planned trail, but with the right tools, we can still head towards our destination. While my primary map in life on my Wisdom-Trek has been The Bible, I have also studied and followed many others that have traveled before me.

My parents have had a major positive impact on my life along with my wife Paula. Some of my “virtual mentors” that have already reached their destination in this life have been Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and Earl Nightingale. One of my goals and objectives is to be your virtual mentor throughout this next year. Let me know how I can serve you more effectively.

Using the combined resources of God’s Word and encouraging mentors, when I have found myself on an unexpected trail in life (which there have been many), I am able to head in the correct direction because my destination remains the same. There have been and will continue to be many steep uphill climbs and some dark valleys, but as we continue our trek together, assisting each other, we will have the strength to continue.

Let us all look for ways to encourage and help others as we begin our trek into another year. In doing so we all will be able to “Live long and prosper.”

As the wisest person to ever live King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Courage for Every Day

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A Story of Christmas Courage

There is a story of courage that took place at the first Christmas. We often miss it because our focus is on a young mother and a baby. But the character I want us to focus on was in the story too. He heard firsthand that his bride-to-be was pregnant, and he knew for sure it was not his child. This was difficult for him to deal with, but he wanted to handle the situation properly. As he thought about what to do, he experienced a personal message from God because of the extraordinary event. Because of his courage, he stood by the manger where the baby was laid. He provided protection for the mother and child during the early years of the child’s life. The man’s name, of course, is Joseph.

In the midst of the story of the miraculous birth of Jesus, we find an ordinary man by the name of Joseph. Many of us don’t view biblical characters as ordinary, do we? Many times we attribute to them almost super-human powers. Most of the time that is not the case. They were people just like you and me. They had problems, fears, doubts, and worries just like you and me, yet God is able to use them. In fact, that is a major theme of the Bible.

Joseph was an ordinary man, but He was a man God could trust to be strong in the midst of crisis. He was strong and resilient enough to protect his family. Matthew says it this way, “He was a good man.” In other words, he was a man of honor. Did he have concerns? Yes, but he was a man, as the Scriptures tells us, that was “good.” Joseph was an ordinary man, yet he was a good man. What that means is that Joseph displayed moral courage. Joseph displayed the character of God in his own life. That’s tough to do sometimes, isn’t it?

We can only imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found out that Mary was pregnant. His natural response would have been that she had been unfaithful to him. He knew the child was not his. She must have been unfaithful. What emotions do you think he would have? Shock, disappointment, embarrassment, sorrow, anger…Probably a mixture of all. Yet Joseph’s character enabled him to keep a rein on his emotions. His love for God and for Mary compelled him to seek a way to protect her.

Joseph faced down his own emotions and courageously chose to protect Mary. Can you imagine rumors that must have spread through the community? The neighbors would have thought that they had broken the law. Obviously, the neighbors thought that they were having a sexual relationship.

Regardless of what others say or think, we must do what Joseph did. It is always the right time to do the right thing. God gives us the courage to face our own doubts and fears and also the rumors of others.

It would take unrelenting courage to deal with the life that Joseph had to face.

In the case of Joseph, he was given a vision – a dream to help reinforce his faith. He knew the neighbor’s opinion of him would change. He knew the rumors would be flying. But he also knew that God had spoken to him in a special way. The scriptures say, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.”

More than likely, we will not receive a divine vision when we face times of crisis, but we do have the entirety of God’s Word available to us where all of the answers to life’s questions can be found.

When we face doubts, when we face fears, when we face an uncertain future, we are tempted to avoid the wilderness. We like our comfort zones. If we are approaching an area of the unknown, we try to find another way around or to make a U-turn to avoid it. We are afraid of the wilderness. There might be Giants there. There might be bullies there. There might be rumors and teasing. There might be hardships and struggles. It is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land. If we make the journey, God will be with us. Think of what Joseph had to endure and remember:

God gives courage to ordinary people like you and me and Joseph.
God gives the courage to face our doubts and fears.
God gives the courage to face the future.
Trust in God – believe in Him. No matter what you are going through He will be there with you.

What a marvelous story of courage that we find in this ordinary and humble man, Joseph. Dare to be a Joseph. Dare to be ordinary but good. We can be courageous and remain good in the face of hardships, ridicule, and slander. We should all endeavor to be like Joseph in our lives.

“God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”

Look at how Paul states this fact in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”