Last year I was invited to speak at the Born to Win leadership conference at Impact Church in Jacksonville. The pastor of Impact is George Davis, who's a very influential leader, and one to keep your eye on for the future. At the conference, the other speaker Pastor Davis invited was Sean Moore, pastor of Faith Christian Center in Phoenix. Sean's message was brilliant. He asked an unusual question:
Are you committing adultery with your vision, purpose, and calling?
What an insightful concept! For so many of us, we feel we have a purpose or calling, and yet at numerous times in our career we "cheat." We dabble with this or that - mostly out of insecurity or fear. But if you're trying to achieve "mastery" of your skill or creative calling, monogamy with that calling is absolutely essential. Sean used the illustration of Jesus when He taught on pruning. Today we face far more options, activities and distractions, so it's harder than ever to focus. But if we're going to be truly creative leaders, then it's time to prune a few things and focus on the dream you feel called to accomplish.
I'll leave you with two other thoughts from Sean:
1. Stick with your idea long enough to make it happen. I can't tell you how many clients I've worked with over the years who have bailed just before they might have succeeded. They're not willing to spend time in the trenches, working at their craft until its ready. But the bigger the dream, the longer it often takes to happen.
2. You'll never be able to fulfil your calling if you're not willing to be misunderstood. I've spent too much time in my life being a "people pleaser." One of my great regrets is that I wish I had been more willing to stick to my guns no matter what others thought. In my desire to make everyone happy, I believe I damaged the possibilities of what I could have accomplished with my life.
