Stewardship

What comes to mind when you hear this word? It is a very significant word both in the bible and in daily life. In the Bible, it is used to refer to someone who is left in charge of the affairs of another and expected to manage them as though the owner is present all the time. Management is an exercise of stewardship because as a manager you are expected to oversee the affairs of the concern given to your care on behalf of your appointing authority. 

There are two words in the Greek language that describe the word steward. The first one is epitropos which means a manager, foreman or steward. This gives you a clue about what this person’s responsibility is. I like the word foreman in this regard. On a construction site, the foreman manages the day to day operations of the project on behalf of the contractor. It is his responsibility to oversee the other construction workers and ensure they are delivering on their expectations. He makes sure they are supplied with all they need to do their job effectively. When the word is applied to governance it refers to a governor, procurator or guardian. In this sense, it is an administrative role charged with taking care of the government's business within a particular jurisdiction. It can be used to describe our regional and county commissioners in today’s government structure. 

The second word is oikonomos which is translated steward, manager or administrator. All these words boil down to someone who is entrusted with running the affairs of another entity and expected to do well in this regard.

Stewardship has been defined as the careful and responsible conducting, supervising and management of something entrusted to one’s care.

In Genesis 1:28 it is described as follows. Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Good stewardship not only concerns itself with exercising dominion or authority, but it also begins with being productive and having a multiplying effect on what has been entrusted to you. Genesis 2:15 talks about man’s responsibility to tend and keep the garden in shape. A steward needs to have an ability to nurture that which has been entrusted to him and maintain its status. 

At the basic level, you need to take responsibility for yourself and all that has been entrusted to you. In my book Blessed to be a Blessing, I explore some of the things entrusted to your care and suggestions about how you can make the most of them all as the good steward you are expected to be. Make sure to stay alert and secure yourself a copy as soon as it is out. It is sure to be a great read. Call/text me on +254725832477 if you would like to order the Ebook version.

A winning Approach to Goal Setting

Acceptable Goal Setting.

It has been preached to us that SMART goals are the way to go when it comes to setting goals. This has been the default approach for a long time. I have used it myself all the time I am setting goals. It is a very effective approach and some of what I am going to discuss here will still capture elements of the acronym. Let me get a few things out of the way first before I delve deeper into the discussion.

There is no changing the fact that goals must be specific. If they are not specific then they do not mean anything. They are just statements of intent. Goals must also be measurable meaning they must be quantifiable in terms of size and magnitude. I am also persuaded that goals need to be achieved within a particular set timeframe lest they become wish lists or someday items. I have a problem with attainable and realistic because they are limiting words. Goals need to stretch and scare you. Attainable and realistic mean if you stretch just a little bit you will be there. That does not excite me at all. 

Winner’s Goal Setting.

How does Grant Cardone approach his goal setting? In his book ‘The 10X Rule', he suggests setting goals 10times bigger than you normally do and be willing to do 10 times than you do. According to him, we set our goals too low and put in too little effort and end up disappointed. 

Goals need to excite us and pump up our blood. They need to scare us when we think about them and achieving them. It is when we are looking for average results and an average life that we set attainable and realistic goals. We tend to dabble in attainable and realistic because we want to fly under the radar. When you start talking big, there is no way you will fly under the radar. Everyone will be watching you. Some will even take it upon themselves to keep you accountable. The mockery you will receive from others will drive you even more. If your goals do not scare your peers, be prepared never to rise above them. 

Attainable and realistic goals guarantee that you will live beneath your potential. 95 percent of us live beneath what we are capable of. It is a case of poor stewardship of our abilities and if you are religious I bet it is sinful. Why would any of us want to live beneath our capabilities? 

The exciting way to do it is to set big goals. There is a need for a shift in mindset from us so that setting big, scary goals becomes the norm. There are many reasons for this. What we think we need turns out never to be enough courtesy of the many variables that come about. When this happens, only those who had outsized goals will weather the storm. Big goals provide enough motivation for you. They inevitably make you realize that you have to step up your activity levels. Big goals hold our attention. When they are small or attainable with little effort, we tend to lose focus and drift into other more exciting things. The bigger and more unrealistic goals are and the more aligned they are to your purpose, the more they’ll energize and fuel your actions according to Grant Cardone.

If you must follow the examples of others, then be careful about those you choose to follow. You have a responsibility to set your goals against the benchmark of those who have achieved massive success. This way the goal is so scary you are almost sure you won’t attain it. Anytime you think your goal is easily within reach, the goal is not big enough.

As you do it, realize you have been raised, educated and conditioned by restrictions. You are more conscious of what you can’t do than what you can do. From our parents to our teachers, we have been taught to think in terms of limits, to be real. Whenever we looked like going too far out of line, we were punished and brought back into the fold. We have been taught moderation which isn’t a bad thing but still comes as a limiting mindset. It is possible even your environment at work tells you to play it cool. Maybe they sneer at the very idea of ambition. With a history of limited thinking, your default approach is ‘I need to be realistic.’ This means that a lot of times we are capable of so much more. Keep this in mind as you set your own goals so that you are challenged to target higher.

Advantages of Unrealistic Goals

They help us exploit our potential more often than not. Using up our potential is often a hit and miss kind of thing. One of the surest ways to improve our odds is to set unrealistic goals and commit to massive action to realize them. 

They also have a greater reward. If I achieve 30 percent of a small goal and 30 percent of a big goal in the same area, the results and rewards are surprisingly different.

Big goals motivate. We need to be in pursuit of big things to remain focused throughout the journey.

They also cushion you from inevitable shocks. When you achieve massive success, you stand a better chance of conquering shocks that come your way from whatever quarters. 

What will you do with your current goals? Are they big enough? Do they need a fresh look? What about your team’s goals? What is your takeaway from this post? Share in the comments below.

If you need someone to walk you through setting and tracking your goals going forward, feel free to DM me or comment below. 

A happy New Week.  Share Widely.

Your Goals and COVID 19

COVID 19: Succumb or Innovate

Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got-Art Buchwald

 

This post is about what to do with your goals in the face of COVID 19. I don’t know what your reaction has been towards this pandemic so far but I would guess it falls somewhere on the spectrum between Succumbing and innovating.

For me the two broad reactions are succumbing or innovating. Those who succumb will not realize their goals. Those who innovate will find a way to get things done and reach their goals? Which camp do you belong to? 

Succumbing is the easy way out. It does take some effort though to just let go of your goals. The weight on your mind can be as taxing as what it takes to get things done. In succumbing you are saying ‘I am helpless in the face of this pandemic.’ You are surrendering to the circumstances you find yourself in. 

The question you should be asking yourself is when are you ever going to get things done? You see many times we quit on our goals at the slightest challenge standing before us. We keep waiting for when the weather will be perfect for us to go out. The truth is the weather is rarely perfect for anything. Today we are battling COVID 19, tomorrow we will be battling something else. For farmers, it is said those who observe the wind can never sow. This is the way of life. 

Succumbing says, you have zero effect on what is happening. It is giving up the title before the fight. Think about any challenge as the obstacle that stands between you and your destiny. When you succumb you are saying that your challenges are greater than your destiny. We all know that that isn’t true at all.

Succumbing means settling for less than what you know is possible. When you set your goals at the beginning of the year or whenever you set goals, you knew that it was possible to accomplish these goals. Why would you change your mind at the slightest sign of trouble? 

Succumbing means you remain where you are or go back on your commitment. It is costly to succumb because you remain in limbo or even become worse off because many other forces will keep pushing you back. 

The good news is that you have another option. The other option is innovation. 

Those who will sail through this moment and maintain momentum are the innovators. It is said necessity is the mother of invention. If you are hungry enough for it, you will find a way to get it. The reason we quit on our goals so easily is because they were never really goals in the first place. They were more of wish lists and fantasies. Fantasies cannot stand in the face of opposition. Goals will stand no matter what. If you cannot do without it, then you will not flinch in the face of opposition. If your life depends on it, you will do whatever it takes. Our goals need to attain a life or death significance in our minds. Only then will we have the wherewithal to push through opposition.

The best thing to do is to anticipate opposition and prepare for it mostly mentally. If we are set to roll over any opposition, we will easily conquer all. With your goals, you must go in to make it happen. The moment your mind is still in a state of trying, you are easy to push aside. When you are committed to your goals, opposition just spurs you on.

Innovation is about finding a way through, above, beneath or around the challenge. It is about you asking yourself now that the way I expected things to go is no longer viable, what options are available to me. You have to be good at thinking on your feet. If you had started on a particular path and cannot proceed because of a lockdown or whatever is happening, you don’t simply go home and say I am done. You ask yourself how else can I move forward?

God has blessed you with a brilliant mind that is capable of thinking through challenges. To innovate, you have to put this brilliant mind to work. Others who have accomplished great feats have also been where you are right now. They have faced obstacle after obstacle. Instead of quitting and going home to sulk, they have risen to the occasion and found a way through. They didn’t have any special gifts. They just had the grit to stay on course as best they could. You have to do the same. More often than not, our success is not the result of some genius or advantage rather it is success against the odds.

You need the mental fortitude to innovate your way through this and any other crisis in the future. Your spirit must become unbreakable. Nothing can stand in your way when you know where you are going are determined to get there no matter what. You will overrun every obstacle and reach your destination. Challenges are there to test our resolve. Once it is clear that we are the real deal, they cease to be a bother. 

Innovation helps you to push through the obstacles. It is ok to make tactical retreats and retrace your steps. The problem comes when you retreat and fail to come back. How do you tell the difference between the two? In the first instance, you retreat and look at the drawing board trying to find another way around. In the second one, you go home and do nothing. 

So what will your choice be? Will you succumb to the opposition before us now and pick up on your dreams after COVID 19-who has any idea when it will end-though we are all praying it goes away like yesterday. Or will you innovate by thinking through all the possible ways you can keep advancing on your agenda in spite of the pandemic?

As for me, I have chosen to innovate. That is why I am working on all the aspects of my business and ministry I can work on from home. It is why I have to make use of media like this to communicate with the world outside from my living room. Yes things have become a bit complicated and for some time I was also thinking we are done until this is over, I quickly reminded myself through some little reasoning that I can still remain productive through this period. I will finish by a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson

‘This time like all times is a very good one if we but know what to do with it.’

In what ways can you advance on your agenda in the midst of this pandemic? Share in the comments what you have been doing to stay on track with your goals since we were disrupted.

Are you lost on your goals and do not know which way to go from here? Is your business/ministry/career in need of help in moving forward? Feel free to share your situation with us in the comments below. Whatever you do, make sure to stay on track and advance on your agenda.

Staying the Course

Staying the Course

Every time you set out to do something, many things arise that stand in your way of going on to complete it. You should never accept to be pulled back and shackled by anything. You can get slowed down or thrown off course by any circumstances. My experience has shown me that the greater the significance of that which you are trying to accomplish, the greater the opposition you will face. Therefore if you are facing heavy duty opposition, distraction and waves, it is highly likely that you are rattling some serious rattlesnakes and ruffling heavy feathers.

How can you ensure that you stay on course at all times?

1)      Anticipate distractions. You must constantly check around you and you will know beforehand some of the sources of your distractions. When they come with your prior knowledge or prediction, you are able to handle them more confidently because you saw them coming. Try as much as possible never to be caught by surprise. There should be very few things that catch you by surprise and you will handle your distractions much more easily.

2)      Make a plan for tackling anticipated distractions. If it has a chance of happening, then by all means prepare for it. You should have in place your response mechanism for distractions so that you waste as little time as possible in dealing with them and maintain your focus on the most important thing.

3)      Know what the main thing is and keep it that way. When you have a thorough understanding of what it is you are chasing towards, then you are able to easily tell what it isn’t. Those who are aiming at nothing will constantly hit their target irrespective of how disappointing it is. You should know what you are chasing so well that anything else that is not it stays out of your view.

4)      Accept that hardly everything goes according to plan but still move on. You must get to the point of understanding that even with the best anticipation and planning, there will still be a few surprises along the way. These should not make you quit. You must continually pick yourself up and move on towards the all-important goal.

5)      Develop thick skin. Resolve in your heart that nothing is going to break you until you receive the thing you are chasing. Those who get there choose to push ahead with what they are chasing Thomas Edison who invented the light bulb. It is said that he tried to do this same thing over 10000 times but each time something happened that was not right. The guy did not allow any of these happenings to faze him. He stayed the course until he delivered a working light bulb to the world. Which brings me to my next point.

6)      Think constantly about the people who will benefit if you get to the end. There are times when we need to talk to ourselves about the significance of what we are trying to accomplish. There is need to think of what you are doing in terms of the impact it is going to have on those who are waiting for it. That should push you harder to make it work. The very idea of knowing that someone will benefit immensely from what you are doing keeps you doing it. I have toiled on businesses sometimes not because they are making money right away but because I have thought of the benefits when I make money and the benefits to the customers who will be served by these businesses. It has kept me going during the times when I would easily quit.

7)      Get yourself a coach. We all need someone urging us from the outside. Even the best athletes work under a coach because it gets the best out of them. There are days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed to go and do what you need to do. During such times, a coach will help you in spite of yourself. You will get out because there are certain expectations upon your life which you cannot quit on no matter what. The presence of someone constantly checking and analyzing your movement pushes you to deliver the best for yourself and them all the time. Find a coach who can push you, who you respect and whose commitments you want to honor.

8)      You must develop a never say die kind of attitude. It is good to constantly rise up, dust yourself and move on. The constant knocking should not get you quitting. Like the champion that you are, you must never allow anything to bury you permanently. There is need to constantly wipe off the dust and carry on the fight. Your withdrawals must only be tactical to allow yourself to gather your strength afresh before you go on. Never give anyone or anything the pleasure of bragging about how they made you quit. If only you can rise up one more time, there is always the possibility that you will win. Never say die. Stay the course until you receive your reward. A lot hangs on this decision.