Shared Experience

Recently, I received a landmark in my career as an author when the local chapter of a national book club named my latest book (Be Known for Your D.E.E.D.S.) as their selection of the month!  A HUGE honor!  To make the honor even more impactful I was invited to speak at their next meeting.  The great feeling just kept getting better!

Upon arriving at the venue (a restaurant) it rapidly became apparent the ambient noise level was going to be very high outside the reserved private room, and presenting a 30-minute program would be quite a challenge.  At this point in the story it would be easy to go on about the noise and the resulting difficulties, but let's change lanes and look at this from the perspective of the audience.

Too often, we, as speakers, tell of the drama we encounter when a venue, the material, or the audience are not set up perfectly for our style or message.  And those tales can be instructive, but rarely do we read (or hear) about the equally difficult challenge faced by the audience.  In this case, they were welcoming a speaker into a noisy space which necessitated they adjust their own ease and comfort to get the most out of the program.

My wife, Denise, had traveled with me and she commiserated with the club's members.  In so doing, she became a bridge to their view, and helped me to have a more balanced takeaway of what had just transpired.  Having this knowledge has me re-thinking experiential encounters.  Too often we only consider one perspective...our own.  Far fewer times do we even acknowledge that a speaking engagement, a graduation ceremony, a school play, a book signing, or other analogous gatherings have two sets of participants; those on stage and those in the audience.

In a very real sense both are dealing with the same experience.  For my moment in the sun as an author relishing the moment of recognition it was a noisy venue with wait-staff interruptions.  For the local members of the book club, guess what?  It was a noisy venue with wait-staff interruptions!  We both were immersed in an environment not in the least conducive to the planned program.

How often is it the case with so much else in life? The atmosphere of the restaurant is all wrong, there's no shade at the tennis match, the flight was delayed for mechanical reasons, etc.  We must try to get outside our own selves and attempt the viewpoint of others.  When we do we will draw closer to that place of understanding; that place of walking in the shoes of our brother or sister.  What could have been a disaster became a common bonding experience because each party realized we were united in the experience.  As a result, it was an unqualified success and both parties gained a fresh perspective about each other, and on the shared experience.

Fearlessly,
JD

Be a Finisher!

I have just finished publishing a book for a gentleman in Florida.  He worked diligently, thoughtfully, and finished his manuscript.  Then he sent me the completed manuscript which I edited and published.  Completion is a beautiful thing.

A dear friend of mine by the name of Dennis Mwanza was visiting with me in 2005.  In a Bible Study he led, the message was, Have a Finishing Anointing.  You see, many people are terrific at beginning projects.  Other folks are equally adept at picking up a project mid-stream, and working it.  It seems, however, that far fewer people have the ability to start a project, and see it through to a successful conclusion.

Most projects of any size and difficulty require a tremendous amount of discipline to see them through to completion.  Within Discipline (adherence to character) are the Four Keys to Project Completion. #1 is Demonstrate Resolve (determination in the face of opposing odds); #2 is Show Dedication (avoiding the distractions that will arise); #3 is Have Ambition (achievement leading to promotion); and #4 is Provide Leadership (ability to inspire others).

The gentleman in Florida set about to write a book.  He began with inspiration like so many do.  His inspiration was enough to begin writing.  How many get inspired and start strong?  When the natural inspiration began to wane, he had to generate his own.  He had to remember why he had started the book (project), and the resulting benefit to himself and others once it was completed.  Then he had to keep writing.  He had to write on the days he loved to write, and he had to write on the days when he'd rather do anything else.

He had to maintain discipline.  With discipline he brought his manuscript to completion.  A project, more than 100 pages in size, with a difficulty anchored in the unknown - he had never written a book.  Who could have blamed him if he threw in the towel 40, 50, or 60 pages in?  The excuse would be, "I'm a little burnt out.  I'll pick it back up next week," or perhaps, "I've got writer's block.  I need some fresh inspiration."

The end result in most cases of 'burn out' or 'writers' block' is months pass, excuses mount, and the project languishes on the scrap heap of other abandoned, inspirations.  If you recognize yourself here, then you know the book could be any number of projects we undertake but never quite finish.  As my friend from Zambia noted, "We tend to lack a finishing anointing."

The next time inspiration hits try this simple exercise...

1. Find real paper (the back of an envelope will not work!), and write down the inspired idea.
2. Write down the date of the idea
3. Imagine the project completed, and create a start-to-finish outline of your successful project
4. Don't quit this exercise until it is fully realized, and do it in one sitting.

You will have gone further and done more than 99% of the project starters on the planet. You owe yourself a pat on the back, but not a long one.  Now sit back down and plot a realistic timeline for completion.  Then crank up your discipline, get busy, and finish strong!

Fearlessly,
JD