What wisdom are you ignoring?
↩️UNFOLLOW University — February 10, 2023
Happy Friday!
My sole qualification for writing about courage is the fact I spent years living without it.
I was raised in the church and excelled at school. I got the rewards and recognition I thought would help me escape the poverty of my childhood, only to discover, instead, I had created a bigger cage called conformity.
Locked behind my favorite lies and half-truths, I pursued religion, work, and money as a way to build the life I deserved.
Guess what? It worked!
I got exactly what I wanted. I was broken, hopeless, lonely and miserable - just like everyone else. Courage showed up for me in the same place it will show up for you: after you take action.
🤯 Radical Truth
Wisdom is often the offspring of defeat.
Writing a newsletter about courage isn’t courageous. Neither is reading one. Courage is the seed of wisdom and it only bears fruit when we act, and sometimes fail. There is no antidote for inaction.
Failure is not the opposite of success - but a prerequisite for it. The actively present dad you see on my social profile was formerly a part-time father with way too many frequent flier miles.
Most mornings I ask my wife, “What can I do for you today?”; but I’m much more comfortable thinking “What can she do for me?”
Becoming a dependable force in the lives of those I love only came after experiencing the isolation of being a sometimey son, brother and friend.
The financial freedom that came from being debt-free was not the byproduct of being good with budgets, but rather the past pain of being dead broke.
So, how does a safekeeper of the status quo finally take action for change? One terrifying, courageous day at a time.
Finding wisdom from failure does not make failure wise. It means failure is not the final word. Wisdom awaits after the effort.
⚡️Courageous Question
What truth am I ignoring? How is it working against the future I really want?
🗣 Wonderful Words
“There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.”
— El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
God, I’m thankful you can use my failures even if they are my fault. Allow me to trust your wisdom when things don’t work out. Waiting on you is waiting with you. Amen.
🎵Trenches by Tauren Wells
🛠 Practical Tool
Three (wise) questions to ask when initiating a transition:
What is changing?
What will be different because of the change?
Who’s going to lose what?
Check out one of the most brilliant books on facing change courageously, Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges where he explores the 3 universal stages of change:
[Source: Karen Mack]
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
🗣 Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
🛠 Practical Tool - An actionable resource
