All of us have something that occupies our days.  Something we either decide to just get through, or something we decide to excell at.  I try to come at everything in life with an expectation of excellence.

Sometimes the goal is money and sometimes fulfillment.  As with all things, I think especially in the day job, it needs to be with excellence to God.

I am in my own estimation, a very good engineer.  I am discovering that I am a good mentor and potentially a very good leader.  Part of going through this process of refinement, has been with a clear attitude toward what most people call, “The Day Job”.  I think life needs to balance so that what you choose to do for a living, what you choose to explore with your gifts, has to be treated as something that is very important.

I love Jim Rohn’s statement “You need to get FROM the day, not just THROUGH the day!”

I have always had three rules of employment and I share them with you now….

Rule 1: If you are happy with your job (the environment, the people, the work, your satisfaction as to your contribution), then be happy.  Don’t stagnate, reach for excellence every day, and do what you’re paid to do.  Don’t support the grumblings of others, it will reflect poorly on you.

Rule 2: If you are unhappy with your job in any way, take steps to fix the situation.  Be candid, be flexible, but be pro-active.  You don’t always have to accept the way things are.

Rule 3: If you are unhappy with your job and you can’t overcome, ignore, or adjust your perspective, then you must consider change.  Look, I’m not talking about minor annoyances, I mean you are doing your best, and you have had honest conversations and you can’t get resolution on something that makes your day to day less than pleasant, you need to consider change.  There is only one person responsible in the end, for your career, and that is you.

I recently accepted a new postion with an area company, and I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this very welcome change.  I made it very clear to my wife, close friends, and myself, that a change was not an escape, but about growth and  opportunity.  I don’t take these things lightly, and never accept a position that I don’t feel strongly that I can do with excellence!

In the midst of discussing the mission and refining purpose, I have not said a lot about this very real part of my day.  So many people in the world are doing something they hate or at least strongly dislike, just to pay the bills.  You have to ask, if you didn’t have bills, would you choose to do what you are doing if you could choose anything?

So in adjusting the mission, exploring and reflecting on career, I needed to look for an opportunity that better suited both my gifts and my personality.  We don’t always have a lot to pick from in life, but when we do, we should choose wisely so as not to either fool ouselves, or disappoint our employers, our families, or ourselves.  it is part of being a good steward.  We should always move toward doing what we love, what we are wired to do, and we should do it with patience and respect toward those who would give us new opportunities to shine and expand on our gifts, so abundantly given by God!

Remember to get from the day, not just through it.  Find the place you fit and make a contribution.  Help someone build something and find those whose philosophy of business and life are in line with yours!

It is human to wrestle with these things.  I have learned that to do so in a vacuum is not as productive as doing so with people who trust and believe in you!

I have a lot of experience, if you use a portion of a pile of years like the one I have learning new things, building relationships, and paying attention while doing so, you will gather a certain amount of expertise and definitely build opinions.  As my wife will attest, I have a head full of useless information that is occasionally useful if you can find an application for it.

What I have learned to do at my advanced age is to step more boldly, what I need to learn at times is to continue preparing and sometimes, step more quickly!

All of us fail to reach our potantial at times for lack of the singular task of developing a plan and setting goals!

You can’t hit tomorrow the goals you don’t set today!  Zig Ziglar gave the analogy one time that he could outshoot the world’s greatest archer.  All he had to do is blindfold the archer and spin him around a few times so he had no idea where he was aiming!  Can you imagine the world’s best basketball team running onto the court only to find that someone removed the goals?

I have discovered that we are all programmed to the American ideal to some extent and automatically do a bunch of things we’re “supposed to do”.  I didn’t have some master plan to be married by 25 and buy a house and raise 2 kids.  I mean I had a general idea that I should, but it was kind of wired in.  I wouldn’t trade my family for anything, but many of us our living by rules we didn’t sign up for sometimes to the detriment of the plan God has for us.

How many guidance counselors in HS ask you what you want to do?  Very few.  Mostly they test you to see what career you would best be suited for.  this idea is very new and very old.

It looks so bizare to some people to see someone doing full time music ministry, but not to see a career musician.  We know many people who own their own businesses and know about guys like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.  Keith Mohr is that kind of person, right?  He surely didn’t get Indieheaven from a guidance counselor, right?

If we didn’t build unusual debt, and make ourselves slaves of the weekly paycheck, we could still work hard at what we dream of doing and feed our families.  It is not built on either convenience or someone’s Normal ideal of what “normal people do” for a living.

So  I don’t know where that came from except to say that I am trying to be very honest about that conversation and thinking while planning better while listening to God, reducing debt that chain’s me to a certain reality, and working on the next set of skills that will propel me to where God would have me be both happy and effective in my life.

OK, so I know the process of defining a mission, and it occured to me over the last month or so why I haven’t done what is taught.

I know that if i commit to a clear mission statement that it does a more important thing than define what I am, it more clearly defines what I am not.  I know that to have a lazer beam clear mission, that I need to weed out.  What is giving me hope that it is OK, is the peace and joy I feel when I get rid of the physical clutter in my life.  My fear, is one of loss.  I realize that I am struggling with the giving up part.  What am I agreeing to NOT do anymore, to become effective at the things that I am not only called to do, but enjoy doing even more.

I want to thank Sean Smith, because he gave me the analogy that set this ball in motion back in May.  “You can use a knife as a screwdriver, but eventually it won’t be good for either job.”  It was the set up for the Song Real… “Trying to recognize the face in the mirror …”  Well I feel like a drawer full of knives.

I’ve been defining what it is I do, and found I am juggling not 3, but 4 balls in the air.  I also find that I am doing like a dozen things because of that…  “Jack of all trades, Master of some.”  I have lately become weary of juggling.  Of all of the skills, gifts and tasks that I enjoy, I enjoy juggling the least!

I just want to publically say that I am working on this because I trust you all.  I am moving toward a conversation with Sue Ross or someone like her, to help me wrestle through this a little faster.  I am very good at big picture thinking and visualizing.  I am very good at single task execution, but i am terrible at large scale planning, goals, and general persistence.  I embrace distraction.

Look at these guys and their mission statement….
Five Guys

I want to end up that clear as I set out on the next several years of my life.

I don’t just want your prayers, I’d love input, and I think I am going to start a blog about this partly to journal my progress, but also to maybe help someone else who is going through the same thing.

For me, I wear a lot of hats … Artist, Promoter, Producer, Web designer, Consultant, Writer, Songwriter, Worship Leader, Sound Engineer, and on and on and on… Not to mention, Software Engineer, Troubleshooter, Church leader, Father, Husband, Son, Sibling, and Encourager ….  Add to that list Plumber, Electrician, Drywaller, the pentultimate do-it-your-selfer…..

Time to seek peace and joy in the calling and find focus.

I’m growing wearing of being a hat rack.  Time to lose some weight.