1st and Ten, Let's Do it Again!

"Our goal is 100% participation!"

I sat in church listening to one of our congregation leaders talk about this lofty goal during Missions Sunday. This statement had been preceded  by a who's who of team leaders providing an overview of each specific mission focus, their accomplishments and their needs. All worthy causes.

As I listened to the final speaker talk about the audacity and aggressiveness of 100% engagement, I began to wonder if there was anyone else in the audience who, like me, felt overwhelmed. My introspection carried my mind to imagine all of the church members jumping up and running for the door because they all felt as I did; all of these efforts are important....I should be involved in them ALL...I just don't have time...which one should I choose.....CALGON take me away!

After reining in my over-active imagination, I thought about the "goal" that had been set. I wondered how many other people really are like me and so overwhelmed with choices and the need to do good deeds, that they become victims of philanthropic paralysis. I can't do it all, so I retreat into my own space and do nothing. 

In the aftermath of my own personal storm of conscience, I lay washed up on the deserted beach of my own making and had a profound thought (It doesn't happen often...wait for it :) ). What if I just did ONE thing?

What if, instead of feeling like I needed to participate in EVERY event, I just chose ONE? What if, instead of investing a very small amount into a variety of causes, I found ONE about which I am very passionate? What if, instead of NOT doing anything because I have been tasked with the mind-boggling metric of 100% achievement, I chose to do ONE thing to help ONE person? 

As I pondered this much smaller and more do-able objective, my mind drifted to thoughts of football. I should pause here to say that this is not because I am a football fan. I really only enjoyed football when my sons were playing and because I really like the colorful outfits! (Yes, I know that they are called uniforms...I just like making my sons cringe).

In the game of football the GOAL is to make it to the end zone to score points. The OBJECTIVES needed to get to the end zone would be; achieving first downs, carrying the ball down the field to score, a caught forward pass or a field goal kicked through the uprights. Each one of these is JUST ONE THING!

The same can be said of effective leadership. We have a mission statement...that is awesome! We have a vision statement....equally as great! We have stated values.....go team go! As a leader....... where do I even begin?

It is at this point that new leaders (and established leaders as well) may struggle to find balance between the big picture and the day-to-day challenges that are part of every work environment. But, what if they just started with ONE? 

"Quit cold turkey. Run a marathon. Cut out carbohydrates. Reduce calorie intake by half. You may believe that drastic changes are the only ways to achieve the results you want, but that's hardly the case.

"When changes are too big, they may be too overwhelming," said registered dietitian Ellie Krieger, author of "Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life." "People don't want to start, or they don't know where to begin so they don't at all."

Small lifestyle changes are easier to achieve and maintain. When successful, they are more likely to become habits and can lead to increased self-confidence.

"Most successful goals or changes are things you can literally check off and say, 'I did this,'" Krieger said. "If you say, 'I am going to eat better,' you can't track or net that goal. But when you set and accomplish small, tangible changes, you get an immediate sense of gratification, and that is self-motivating." https://www.huffingtonpost.com/livestrongcom/small-changes-big-results_b_911269.html

What if every leader began each day by choosing to encourage just ONE of their direct reports? What if every leader chose to begin each week by saying ONE prayer? What if every leader chose to change just ONE thing in support of  their team?

How much power could be harnessed through the effort of MANY  people who each chose to make ONE change for the better? What kind of difference could we make in the lives of others and in our own lives if we really looked at a problem and chose to make just ONE small change?

This is my quest...not to change the world....simply to make one change at a time. My goal? To make a change each day that will make someone else smile. 

A phone call..a handwritten note...a text? Tomorrow,  I might not be able to travel to Africa to care for orphans, but I CAN do JUST ONE THING to serve a friend or co-worker where I am.

Who knows....maybe by helping another person find a smile on a bad day, I will have encouraged that servant heart to achieve their own personal "1st and 10" in ways too big to even imagine.

New to my resume this morning....Reta Clyde...servant heart....put me in, coach!