Book review: Empty Promises by Pete Wilson

In this book, Pete Wilson tackles something that every one of us faces, that feeling that what we have been chasing in life is just hollow. The sinking feeling that what we thought mattered most really doesn’t.  This book also is a resource to peel back the blindfold and really examine our lives and make sure that we are actually targeting the right things.

The book is divided up into two parts. The first really lays the groundwork to understand that much of our lives lived with our priorities out of whack. Rather then having God be the number one, front and center of our lives, we have instead bought into the lie that says something else should be first. With chapters that provide easy examples as well as some gut wrenching questions, the topics covered are things like approval of others, power and even religion. The second part of the book really helps in the area of calibrating your life and really works towards helping your determine if your life is one that is prioritized correctly.

While this book is easy to read, it is challenging. I sometimes have the illusion that my life is somewhat together, chapter by chapter, Pete peeled back the layers and showed how many lies I am currently chasing in my life and how out of order I am. And while there is a hunger that will never be filled because ‘we are not home yet’, Empty Promises helps to guide you back to where you should have been all along. This book should be considered a must-read.

Full discloser: BookSneeze® did provide me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.

Living in tension and balance

There is often a tension within me. The tension of 'just a little more'. This is feed and encouraged by just about everything around. The problem that Seth so brilliantly points out is that the people that are where or with or have what you want also have this pull. As Andy Stanley said recently, there will always be someone with more 'er' then you. They will be smarter, skinnier, richer, younger, etc.

The flip side of this is contentment. Being satisfied with what I have. With who I am. This is hard. It goes against the grain. It isn't natural. To some extent this feels to me like 'settling'. But I think it has to be more then just that. Because we don't want to settle, we want to do better, we want to improve.

And that is the balance. To be content with what I have. With where I am. With me. But also staying hungry for a better me. Hungry to make a positive difference. This requires balance. And it something that I often find myself on a tightrope, waving my arms attempting to navigate this narrow gap.

And I don't have it figure out yet. I may never. But this is something that I will continue to try.

How times have changed.... for teens

This is an interesting look at the difference for teens from early 80's to now....

Regret

This is an amazing talk about regrets, and it causes you to reflect.

Reflecting

There are few things that cause me to reflect more then pictures. This is an incredibly moving post with some images that occurred during this year.

A few that moved me deeply were:

The dog what wouldn't leave the side of his master.

The images from the tsunami that hit Japan

The national security team getting an update on the Osama bin Laden mission

A before and after image of Joplin, Missouri

There are many more that you can check out here.

Say less, get the close

This is a great post about how reducing your chatter can actually help you get the deal done.

I know that in many cases when the stakes are high, I want to make sure that the other party really understands how good and important this is. What happens is that you over share, or over communicate - rather then shutting up and listening.

So close your yap and get the deal done!

Read more here.

What is your manifesto?

This video was linked to @ Ragamuffin Soul. I love the fact that it boils life statements and goals down into something that you can remember. But it also brings to mind the fact that we all have goals and dreams and passions buried inside of us. What are yours? How are you going to take a step towards bringing them to life? We only have one life, and it is short. Let's make the most of it together!

Book Review: Decision Points

I am always intrigued by how leaders arrive and make their decisions. The greater the responsibility or authority of that leader, the bigger those decisions are. These decisions typically have broad implications that are often not realized or known, but a decision must be made. Through studying how the decision making process of various leaders, and the results of these decisions, it has allowed me to improve my own decision making process.

When I had the opportunity to read and review Decision Points by George Bush, I jumped at it. Even if you feel that some of the decisions that he made were wrong or poor (and based on his low approval ratings, most of us did), I don’t know that a recent president has been faced with greater changes in the world then George was.

This book really focuses on the major decisions that George was faced with throughout his life. Each chapter starts with a decision that had to be made, then gives historical background of what lead up to that decision, the various options, as well as giving George’s personal thoughts on what was known at the time as well as reflecting on that decision.

Some of the decisions covered in this book are personal, such as George’s quitting drinking, but many are about the large issues that arose during his presidency. A few of these are the response to September 11th, Katrina, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as increased funding for AIDS and malaria treatments in Africa. What surprised me in reading this book was how personal George is in reflecting on each of these decisions. Not all of his decisions are considered perfect or in some cases even right, he brings you into the evaluation process and the internal struggles that he faced with each of these situations.

 Because of the personal touch in the writing as well as taking a fairly even-handed approach in presenting the various options that were available for each of these decisions, I feel that anyone in a leadership role should read this book to reflect and improve on their decision making process.

For full disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. If you would like to become a part of their program, you can sign up here.

The gift of perspective

I can live in a bubble.
Where the universe is all about me.
Where everyone is really just here to assist me. Do my bidding.

Except the world doesn't work that way.

Which means that when I stay in my bubble it means that I get into a pity party pretty quick.
Where everyone is down on me.
Where my problems are bigger then anyone else's.
Where my issues are what it is all about.

Then I look up.
I realize that the world is not all about me.
There are others.
They are hurting. In pain. Much worse then I.

My job is to help. To try and heal where I can.

A bust bubble is what I need.

A call for less = a call for a happier life

There is something of two-people in me. I love the ideal of a life that is lived in simple ways. A life that is structured in such a way that I am free of the confines of 'stuff'.

Then there is the other side of me that wants every little gadget and new toy. That wants to hold onto certain things because even though they are not relevant any more, I still 'need' them. This is best demonstrated in the two boxes of cassette tapes for years - even though I don't even have a tape player to play them on and don't have any plans to get one.

Sigh.

This video spoke to my first side.



I think it is time to throw out the cassette boxes. And to really looks at all my 'stuff'. Time to focus. Time to be free.

The world is a little less cool....

I saw this posted on Gizmodo and thought it was one of the best images to remember Steve by:

We remember

Throughout history it has been important to tell the stories of our lives so that the next generation will hopefully recall those stories and continue to relay them to future generations. It is in this way that we continue - though our stories. It is also how we are able to keep future generations from making similar mistakes and missteps.

Today being the 10th anniversary of the worst loss of human life in a single day on American soil, it is important that we share our memories, our feelings, our stories. Not because any one story is the most important, but that hopefully generations to come will recall at least some of our stories and continue to remember that day. A day that they may not have even been alive during, but a day that must never be forgotten.

My story:

I was working for Fastenal in Winona, MN and was getting ready to set up some daily reports to run. My manager, Brian stuck his head into my cube and with a worried look on his face said, "A plane has just struck one of the Twin Towers in New York." My first thought was that it was probably some small plane of tourists or something that had gotten too close and clipped the building. I started to search the internet for the story and was able to find a television station that was streaming their news just about the time the second plane hit. I watched with horror as I realized that this was not just a simple accident. Then the stories started coming in about the plane headed towards Washington DC, and the Pentagon. Time seemed to stop and I was glued to my chair while the towers fell. There was no greater feeling of powerlessness.

In the days that followed, we continued to live our lives as though walking through a fog as we struggled to understand what actually happened and then grapple with the implications of those events. Our country rallied and even though it has not always been perfect nor made the best decisions in every situation, we came together. It didn't matter party, creed, or race. We came together.

I hope you are able to remember your story today. I recognize that this is a time of great pain for a lot of people who have loved ones who were lost on that day and also in the days following. We should take not just today but each and every day to stand together. To be the great nation that we can be.

I hope that some way, some how, you are able to remember and share your story.