Dale Childress

I got up this morning with the buzzword of the day ringing in my head. That word was "LEADERSHIP". I must admit that I have an affinity for great leadership books. That does not make me an expert by no stretch however it does make me well versed. As I approached my dormant keyboard to try and arouse it to life I had in my mind the words of wisdom that had enveloped in my brain during the waning hours of the morning. Those great speeches I had heard over the years as well as the admiration for passionate authors that can convey the desire to lead, it all was to come out with each stroke of the key. BUT WAIT, something interesting happened.

As I sit down in my favorite computer chair something strange came to mind. I thought, of course we all desire strong leaders to guide or influence our lives but is there still more that causes us to misdirect ourselves or worse wander aimlessly into the abyss of life with no particular place to go. Then it came to me, we are all wandering generalities searching for meaning. As the words began to form in mind I knew the LEADERSHIP blog had to wait.

What exactly influences your life? I am not talking about those outward snippets that give us the flavor of the day emotions, I am talking about something much deeper. What drives your thoughts and emotions, you know those feelings that only you understand. In our final act on earth we will most likely be flat on our back with our friends and loved ones walking by looking down saying something like, "he was a good man". The reality though is what took place prior to that final breath as we consider two powerful statements, "I wish I had, or I am glad I did". Life is real and so is death. This is not a practice session to see how the next life should look, this is IT. What will you be saying then, or what are you saying NOW? I wish I had or I am glad I did. The awesomeness is this, if you are reading this blog you have the ability to say "I AM GLAD I DID".

The influencer in all of our lives can be as subtle as the controlling mechanisms that slowly creep into our minds almost without our knowing. Then one day when we wake up and the years and relationships have passed us by and we ask ourselves "what the heck happened". Even though my mind is going ten different places in this blog I can only imagine that you are beginning to see and feel exactly what I am talking about. For most of us our lives have become everyone else's and not ours.

It is crucial to pave your own way in life and do it with integrity and respect for others. Even though my leadership blog has to wait it is also in the here and now. We must find the courage to guide our lives in a direction that focuses on our hopes and dreams. Anything less is a mockery to the God that created us. Last week I wrote a blog titled "Life without Parole". In it I mentioned how we lock ourselves away with little to no hope of ever being released. This is not the life God intended for any of us. To make life WORTH living we have to move out of yesterday and into a new space called today. The mistakes we made are the guide to today's victories. The martyr mentality sad to say usually brings about carnage that is so unfair to the people around you. We are the guidepost to the one and only life we are given. We can live it in regret, we can live it in some delusional state with an elusive future date of victory, or we can get up shake off the dust and make something happen.

Our spiritual being is so dependent on our human self. Some may tell you that your humanity is dependent on your spirituality but I say that is getting the cart before the horse. We are human first in a life long search for our spiritual being. That search is what should drive us to climb the highest mountains, write the greatest words, accomplish what others say is impossible, dare to experience the bold that others run from, be willing to stand where others fall. Be yourself in all of your humanness and your spirituality will surely find its way into your being. Be the leader of your own life. The one of whom we must build our trust and respect is the person looking back in the glass. To find love you must have love and the greatest love is to love that which God created and that just happens to be you. You are the natural born leader of your world. Guide it with vigor, passion, and spirit. When that final moment comes let our words we speak to ourselves with a smile in our heart be "I AM GLAD I DID"

peace to you
Dale