Visibility Vs. Ability

Image Credits: https://york-walker.com/present-not-perfect/

I believe your visibility is more important than your ability.

It is good to be able to perform, deliver, be efficient in whatever task you have. But if you are not there, visible, present, then it doesn’t help both you and the parties involved. Visibility or presence is very key to success. 80% of success is being present. Someone who is available is more ready to engage than someone who has passion, great ideas, and ability but is always not available. Being present today but always absent also does not really help on building a common purpose. There has to be a commitment to be always there. In everything I commit to doing, I’d rather have someone who is always there than someone who has great ideas but always absent.

As a father and a husband, my presence at home is more valuable than I can imagine. Being there in the life of my spouse and my kids is all they ask for. I might be able to perform in all areas of life and even be seen out there as a good husband or great father but if am not present in the lives of the people who love me most, and who I can’t delegate my responsibility to someone else, then it’s all in vain. This has been my learning curve, how do I be present, not just physically there but fully there for my family. To my family, it’s not about how much I make, do or able to do, though that’s key, but at the end of the day, are they my priority.

Image Credits: http://productivityist.com/priority/

Whatever we prioritize we create time for. It’s always heartbreaking to prioritize someone yet to them you are not a priority. There are cases where you may deal with people who you really value yet they probably don’t even care about your existence. They don’t even consider you in any category of priorities in their lives. This is unfortunate. Wisdom may call on evaluating such relationship and seeing how to handle them.

In all the work we have done in Africa Youth Leadership Forum, AYLF, it’s always been based on those who are available. Those who commit to putting in their time. I believe these are the people who prioritize what AYLF is doing. There could be those who are not available due to geographical issues, this is a different case. We have had guys who have come with amazing ideas on how we can push AYLF forward, how we can do this and that differently. Great ideas and wonderful thoughts. But if they are not available, we have always simply moved on with how we do our things and relied on those available to keep the engine running.

Most ideas and projects have not succeeded because those who have the ideas have not prioritized them to a point where they put their time and resource on them. All they have done is talk and talk about them but not really give themselves. The greatest gift you can give to your friends or projects or ideas is to give yourself. For God so loved the world that He gave… Jesus left the glory in heaven and came down to be with us. To show us how to live life and how to follow Him. This was the ultimate gift to humanity. This ultimate gift calls for sacrifice. For any good thing to happen, we have to be willing to sacrifice. Those who have been involved in moving the needle on any issue clearly understand this. Unless someone chooses to give themselves to an idea, project, friendship, all will be in vain. Jesus calls on us to give of ourselves.

Image Credits: https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=Idh_DWk-oKI&u=/watch?v=IT2Dxz5-eSk&feature=share

As I write this, am reminded of the amazing ideas that I have had but since I couldn’t make time for them they fell off. They never materialized. I wonder what are those ideas and projects that have also died because you couldn’t make time for them. Right now, I’m part of a team that is involved in anti-corruption efforts but since people are not available to meet, things seem to be stalling. Some of the team members are already giving up. As a leader, what are those ideas and projects that never worked because you were not available or visible? Or those who were visible changed the idea into something else.

As a following of Jesus, how present are you to move the needle? Are you just full of great ideas and thoughts but you are not there to see them come to fruition?

If this resonates with you, seek to be visible, present, available to the things you value and prioritize. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with… Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of being present. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

Image Credits: http://christchurchcockfosters.co.uk

By Gabriel Achayo. 

Service with Joy

Image Credits: http://janeandersson.com/leadership/blandising-customer-service/   

I believe that service offered without joy helps neither the server or the served.

Many of us find ourselves in positions of service whether for compensation or voluntarily. It’s very easy just to do what you are to do and tick a box. This in many cases doesn’t always bring the expected satisfaction. A service offered deep from the heart with joy refreshes and brings meaning both to the recipient of the service and the provider of the service. This is whether it’s compensated or not.

The best way to serve is to know that whatever service I offer goes beyond the action, the material, the physical manifestation that transpires. It goes deeper and it should be intended to bring meaning, dignity, and significance to both the parties involved. It boils down to the reason we serve; the WHY? Why do I choose to serve? What motivates/inspires me to want to serve?

How do you find joy in the service you offer if the main reason you are doing it is that you have to? Many of us are trapped in things that we really don’t like but we have to do it. We do it to fit in, make ends meet, make other people happy at our own expense. This is a complicated situation and I may not clearly understand you. The reason you do what you are doing. But is it possible to find joy in doing what you don’t like? Is it possible to look at it from a different paradigm? I believe the minute you seek to find joy in whatever you do, then you find significance and satisfaction. This could lead to you being able to find other opportunities and hopefully you to discovering what you like and hence enjoy doing. Some of us are lucky to combine our joys with what we do, but most are not that lucky.

Image Credit: http://daughtersofthedeep.com/2017/01/18/finding-joy-within-faith/

I believe finding joy in what you do starts primarily with how you view yourself in what you do. Whatever you believe about yourself is what you keep communicating to people. So if you are full of joy, you communicate the same to those around you. The converse is true. One of my favorite Stephen Coveys quotes is “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” This is easier said than done. It can just be another statement we say to make us feel good or nicely advise someone. But can this be true in your case? Are you able to truly say, that as much as I don’t like what I do, I will enjoy doing it? What is the one thing that will make you say that? If you can’t find it, then make a change. Don’t be acted upon, act. Don’t waste your precious life? As they say, you only live once.

We quickly would like to think, believe and maybe say, “I’ll find joy when I get that job”, “when I do this or that”. “If I only had a good boss?” “If I could just have more room to do what I please?” We let life pass us by because we are waiting for that day that we will do what we like. One of my very good friend like asking, “Who told you, you will get there?” “What guarantee do you have that your boss will change?” Or “that you will even get married” or “go through the stage you are looking forward to.” Why let the present pass you by as you wait for an elusive future. Why not use the present to prepare you for your joyful future? Why not practice now how you will enjoy what you like one day? Because honestly, this might just be it. You never know when the unthinkable might hit you. Not intended to scare but that’s the reality. I believe what matters most is how we respond to what happens to us in life, or what life throws our way.

Image Credits: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/493425702910797608

I love Gandhi’s story. While people criticised him because he would not join everyone else in complaining and condemning the British Empire, he focused on doing something. He made a decision to do what he could do. He quietly and slowly built a huge amount of influence by responding differently. He gained a huge support, trust, confidence in the countryside. Though he held no office or political position, through compassion, courage, fasting and moral persuasion he eventually becomes who we celebrate now. I bet he found joy in doing what he was doing and that’s why many were impacted. Your circumstance might require a totally different response from this. But are you ready to act on it?

Stephen Covey tells the story of a nurse in one of his sessions who understood that she could choose her response. This nurse cared full-time for “the most miserable, ungrateful man you can possibly imagine…This man has made my life miserable.” As she listened to Covey speak about the fact that no one can hurt you without your consent and that she had chosen to be miserable, she thought that Covey didn’t really understand her circumstances. But she began to ask herself, “Do I have the power to choose my response?” When she realized that she had chosen to be miserable, she also realized that she could choose to not be miserable.

“At that moment I stood up. I felt as though I was being let out of San Quentin. I wanted to yell to the whole world. ‘I am free! I am let out of prison. No longer am I going to be controlled by the treatment of some person.’” (p.73)

If this resonates with you, commit to finding joy in whatever service you offer. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of being proactive and intentionally seek joy in life as this yields significance and satisfaction to everyone directly or indirectly affected by you.  You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

Image Credits: https://www.goodshepherd-naperville.org/connect/adult-ministries/small-groups/

By Gabriel Achayo. 

Followers of Jesus

Image Credits: http://www.bambergfirst.org/templates/default.asp?id=56914&PID=978176

I believe until the followers of Jesus choose to be present, all the efforts to transform the world are in vain.

Many confess to knowing or having met Jesus but we still have broken and failing societies/communities. We have a shortage of true followers of Jesus. We speak about Jesus and his teachings but we are not committed to living them out. I love this quote, "God became man, moved into our neighborhood and became a small businessman; a carpenter.” Many so-called followers of Jesus are waiting to go to heaven. They don't realize that our life here and now counts a lot to Jesus.

The kingdom is to be experienced down here and now as it is in heaven. So the followers of Jesus need to address the concerns raised by Jesus when he say, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'LORD, when did we see you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invited you in, or needing clothes and clothed you? When did we see you sick or in prison and went to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”

Image Credits: https://quotesgram.com/quotes-love-u-honey/

I wonder what these means in your context but all these are clear signs of what Jesus is all about. He came so that we may have life and have it in abundance. Not half, not a percentage but in full. Having life in abundance is not just all about you making sure all your needs and desire are overflowing but is in living out what moved Jesus. It's in loving God with all your heart, mind, & soul and in loving neighbor as you love yourself. It's in acting in the long-term best interest of your neighbor. It's in fighting for the highest possible good of your neighbor. 

We are called upon to follow Jesus in the marketplace, in our daily activities. Nothing is excluded from this. In all circles of influence; self, family, team, organization, and community. As we do whatever we do, we are to live out Jesus teachings. This is not just meant for those in the mainstream ministry, but for all. Whether it's in your business, working for the government, working for someone who you probably don't like so much, you are still to follow Jesus.

Image Credits: http://likesuccess.com/topics/15201/good-intentions/2

We all have good intentions and we judge ourselves by that. But our actions are wanting. It’s our actions that bring impact to people. It’s our actions that show evidence that we are followers. It’s not our intentions. No one can really say, “I have experienced your intentions and I like them. Your intentions have really impacted my life. I am different because you have good intentions towards me”. They might never even know of your intentions towards them. But, intentions are a good starting point. We ought to follow through on our intentions by acting on them. I believe, an intention could be planted in us by God because he wants us to impact others. He wants us to act in the long-term best interest of those He brings our way. So for that reason, He could plant an idea in your head and heart, then you start thinking through it and it becomes your intention. What counts really at the end of all these is what you do. You could leave it at the intention stage or let it come out as an action that will impact on others.

As a follower of Jesus, how are you living out the teaching of Jesus? Are you giving your intentions legs? How are you following Jesus? Are you present? What do you need, as a follower of Jesus, to be fully present in self, family, team, organization, and community?

If this resonates with you, go ahead to evaluate your way of life. Look for a small community of friends who you can do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journeys of following Jesus. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

By Gabriel Achayo. 

Challenging the Status Quo

 Image Credit: https://www.lollydaskal.com/leadership/leadership-challenging-the-status-quo/

I believe in challenging the status quo for real transformation.

Mostly we like to keep things as they are if they are working for us irrespective of whether they have a bad or good effect on those around us. We like to fit in. We like to conform.

We are called upon to be transformed by the renewal of our mind and that we should no longer conform; maintain the status quo. This might make us odd, the strange one, and the misfit - the one who spoils the party. We may face alienation, rejection, failure, conflict etc, but would we rather walk on the wide path to doom or stay on the narrow path to liberation. This doesn’t mean we have to rebel and make all the noise, it just means we have to stand out in the crowd and count for something, do something, obey the call, listen to the small still voice inside you and follow through your conviction.

We are all wired differently; there are those of us who are quick and good at challenging the status quo, while there are those of us who struggle with the thought of it. A major reason why we may not challenge the status quo mostly is always Fear. Fear can make us accept things as they are and just survive through. 

There are four fears that could limit us from experiencing the real transformation: the fear of powerlessness, the fear of rejection, fear of conflict and fear of failure. Whenever we are faced by a situation, we need to ask ourselves, is it fear limiting me from moving forward? If so, what’s the fear? Once you know what your fear is, you need to ask yourself whether you want to cope with it or confront it. Either way, there are consequences to your decision. Coping with fear tends to entrench our habitual use of defensive reactions; whereby, confronting fear tends to strengthen us and diminish the potency of fear. Successfully confronting fear leads to increased ability to maintain clarity of perception and judgment in times of extreme stress. Confronting fear enables us to decrease the fear of failure by increasing our ability to accept the possibility of it. Confronting fear increases our ability to risk and to fight for what we believe. Our ability to know what needs to be done and doing it without conforming comes evident. Our capacity for heroic actions is increased if we confront our fears.

Image Credits: http://www.india.com/health/4-strategies-to-help-you-conquer-everyday-fears-920123/

It doesn’t mean that you will never feel fear and a strong urge to maintain the status quo. What it means is that you will have the ability to overcome fear and act decisively while feeling enormous fear and emotion. You don’t lose fear; you overcome it and learn to respond clearly despite its presence.

Don’t be trapped in maintaining a status quo because of fear, but be willing to stretch yourself, to jump, to go an extra mile because I believe as human beings, the only constant thing is change. We can’t be the same yesterday, today, and forever more. We have to embrace change and the only way to intentionally embrace change is to learn to confront our fears; the four fears: powerlessness, conflict, failure, and rejection, because these four will block clarity in our lives.

I find myself always wanting to enjoy things as they are. But as a leader, I have had to learn how to confront my fears. To face them and rise above the fear acknowledging that it’s better to be liberated than to be the trapped in a status quo. I have had to face the consequences of confronting my fears. Some of them have made me regret while others have brought great outcomes that have made me celebrate. No matter what, we have to move on.

Image Credits: http://itsreallycheryl.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/faith-vs-fear/

I recently had a conversation with someone I respect about being on a journey of faith. Risking it all to jump and letting God take care of you: making a calculated risk to experience something different. God is waiting for us to show that we trust Him to come through. This is faith.

If this resonates with you, seek to wisely challenge the status quo. Look for a small community of friends who you can learn to do this together with. Being accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It’s about building a community of friends to share each other’s journey of faith. You have to be deeply committed to each other and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The community has to be a small as possible so that there is active engagement by all involved.

Find a community around you and see if these conversations make sense to you…

 Image Credits: http://www.businessmalawi.com

By Gabriel Achayo.