Lesson #7

The Lesson of “The Wild”

The Lesson of “The Wild.” Being Wild is the original design that was perfection, yet there is a sense of awe, respect for creation and a deep understanding that something is missing.?

“For after years of living in a cage, a lion no longer even believes it is a lion . . . and a man no longer believes he is a man.” ― John Eldredge Wild at Heart

In the heart of humanity lies a primal essence, a wild spirit craving territory and driven by selfish ambition yet yearning for submission to a higher good. John Eldredge, in "Wild at Heart," captures this essence eloquently: "For after years of living in a cage, a lion no longer even believes it is a lion . . . and a man no longer believes he is a man."

The lesson of the wild is one of freedom and inspiration. It teaches that true influence is not merely exerted in times of ease or favor, but in the wilderness seasons of life—amidst hardship, adversity, and rejection.

Unbroken Inspiration

Take the story of Louie Zamperini, recounted in "Unbroken." A former Olympic runner turned prisoner of war during World War II, Zamperini endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of his captors. Yet, through forgiveness, he found healing and redemption.

His real-life story proves inspiration is not a short-term emotional response to motivation. Inspiration capacity is the growth zone where influence and impact meet.

Zamperini's journey exemplifies the power of embracing one's wild spirit while submitting it to a higher purpose. His ability to forgive, even in the face of profound pain, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Billy Graham, deeply moved by Zamperini's story, found it to be a source of inspiration for his ministry. He saw in Zamperini's unwavering spirit and commitment to forgiveness the embodiment of true freedom—the freedom to overcome adversity and find peace amidst life's darkest moments.

Graham believed that inspiration is the first creation—the blueprint from which our actions flow. Without it, our endeavors lack direction and purpose. Yet, when we embrace the lesson of the wild, allowing our untamed spirits to be tempered by higher principles, we unlock the potential for profound transformation.

Zamperini's journey reminds us that even in our darkest hours, we are never truly alone. By embracing forgiveness, resilience, and faith, we can overcome obstacles and find meaning in our struggles.

So let us embrace the wild within us, not as a force to be tamed but as a source of strength and inspiration. In doing so, we discover the true measure of freedom—and the power to change the world.

Wounded or Broken?

Louie endured a brutal trial as a prisoner of war during World War II. After surviving a plane crash that claimed the lives of eight others, he and his crewmate spent 47 harrowing days adrift before being captured by the Japanese. Imprisoned for years, Zamperini faced unimaginable hardship, including torture at the hands of a sadistic guard.

His incredible story, chronicled in the book and movie "Unbroken," offers profound lessons beyond survival. Despite the trauma he endured, Zamperini ultimately chose to forgive his captors, finding it the key to his healing.

I started crying when I learned Mr. Zamperini visited a Billy Graham crusade, angry at God and wounded in life. I was emotional because I had always reverenced World War II veterans, and because Mr. Zamperini was an athlete, it particularly grabbed my attention. He reluctantly entered the tent and was determined to leave when Billy asked every head to bow, respond, and pray. But something drew him back.

Billy's words, "Prepare to meet thy God, oh Israel." And in his head, he began to fight with the reality that he had pain from the past of torments. When he acknowledged his pain, he became changed by a message that gave him the power to turn his untamed wild personality like an unmarked horse into a meek and wild horse ready for battle.

Though our struggles may pale compared to Zamperini's, his inspirational lesson reminds us that we are never truly alone in our challenges. Life, regardless of its hardships, always holds inspiration. By balancing optimism with realism and embracing forgiveness, we can navigate even the most difficult circumstances with grace and strength.

In the face of adversity, Zamperini's unwavering spirit and commitment to profess his pain and respond with forgiveness offers a powerful testament that our deepest pain can become our greatest weapon and Wild freedom. His inspirational story reminds us we can overcome and find peace even in our darkest moments.

Louie Zamperini recognized his story's impact on his life and praised his remarkable resilience and faith.

Freedom from Becoming Victim to our Ambition

The happiest people pursue their purpose with wild determination yet are willing to confront and heal the pain of their past. This duality is beautifully exemplified in the life of Louie Zamperini, whose story of resilience and forgiveness profoundly impacted the renowned evangelist Billy Graham.

Graham credited Zamperini with significantly inspiring his own life. Zamperini's journey of overcoming immense adversity and finding forgiveness served as a beacon of hope, inspiring Graham to continue his ministry and spread the message of hope to countless others.

Zamperini's ability to forgive his tormentors, even traveling back to Japan to confront the guard who had tortured him, showcased the transformative power of forgiveness. Graham saw in this act a demonstration of true freedom—an embodiment of the wild spirit tempered by the grace of forgiveness.

Graham praised Zamperini's unwavering spirit and determination as a testament to the human capacity to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges and find strength in faith. Their friendship deepened as they shared a bond of faith and mutual respect, with Graham playing a significant role in guiding Zamperini to accept the pain in his life and find healing.

Dr. Covey's wisdom in "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" resonates here, highlighting the importance of vision in leadership. Zamperini's journey reminds us that without a clear vision and purpose, we risk becoming victims of our own determination, trapped in cycles of pain and suffering.

As evidenced by Zamperini's story, inspiration is the fuel that drives the first creation—the casting of vision and the pursuit of purpose. By embracing this inspirational lesson, we can transform our pain into passion and find significance in our struggles.

As we reflect on Zamperini's journey, let us consider what legacy we want to leave behind. Like Zamperini, who inspired Graham to continue his calling, may we, too, inspire others by embracing our wild, unbroken spirits and submitting them to a higher, more perfect definition of inspiration.

The Lesson of the Wild: Unlocking the Power of Inspiration

True growth doesn't just bloom in you, it ignites from something much more powerful than us. That's the essence of The Lesson of the Wild. Inspirit is a definition few use in business circles.?

Inspirit defined: “To impart courage, inspiration, and resolution to: animate, cheer (on), embolden, encourage, inspire, motivate.”

And now, I want to propose a new word to replace the word leader just for a test case. I call it the inspiriter. An inspirer inspires people and deposits courage, inspiration, and resolution and encourages people to see who they can become. Why a new word? Because words carry meaning. And so many today either don’t believe in leadership or are tired of the ego-centric elites filled with so much pride that it’s hard to acknowledge their craft or gift.

Imagine the spark of a visionary idea. It ignites in you, but it can also ignite others. People who attract followers have leadership ability and can fan the flames of need, seeking those who depend on their direct influence. Inspiration is the wild fire that leaders get attracted to. Inspirational people understand that nurturing inspiration requires differentiation, not uniformity. They invest time, not just spend it, knowing that empowered inspiration is a multiplying force, not a static addition. It's the difference between 1+1 = 2 and 1 + 1 = 10x.

Finding inspirational people isn't easy. They're rare gems, drawn to challenges and freedom, not stability and rules. A compelling vision and an organization that fosters growth are the lures that attract them. The Lesson of the Wild teaches us to ignite a wildfire of inspiration, one that empowers leaders to lead, and followers to follow, creating a ripple effect of growth that reaches far beyond the reach of any single leader.

Great Awakening founder of Methodism and revivalist preacher John Wesley wrote,?

“Light yourself on fire with passion, and people will come from miles to watch you burn.”?

The real test of leadership is not just your influence; it’s the inspiration of spreading inspiration to other individuals, and the reality is that inspiration is not about you. It’s much more significant than what you can do. Embrace The Lesson of the Wild, and never quit when the emotions or motivation are gone.?

The Crucible of War Displays the Less of the Wild

?Churchill’s experience shows that the lesson of the Wild becomes obvious during times of war.?

Never quit

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“Never, never, never give up.”

Winston Churchill

In the crucible of war, where adversity ignites the flames of transformation, the lesson of the Wild reveals its potency. Please take a look at the journey of Winston Churchill. Despite his multifaceted career as a soldier, writer, and statesman, it wasn't until his sixties that he assumed the mantle of prime minister of England. The chaos and urgency of the Second World War provided the fertile ground for his leadership to flourish. However, as the war drew close, the individuals who had rallied around him now cast him aside.

Reflecting on his role in Britain's leadership during his eightieth birthday address to Parliament on November 30, 1954, Churchill humbly acknowledged that it wasn't his inspiration that propelled the nation forward. Instead, the indomitable spirit and unwavering determination of the people’s inspiration fueled their resilience. He recognized that his contribution was merely a manifestation of the collective inspiration and will of the nation.

Churchill's journey underscores the profound impact timing has on moments of destiny, where one's unique abilities align with the demands of the hour. In seizing that moment, one fulfills their mission and discovers greatness. Churchill's experience exemplifies how adversity, like the crucible of war, can inspire extraordinary bonds and wild results.

A Wild Lesson

John Maxwell is a distinguished New York Times bestselling author, esteemed coach, and captivating speaker renowned for his unparalleled expertise in leadership. With a remarkable track record of selling over 24 million books translated into 50 languages worldwide, Maxwell's influence transcends borders. Recognized as the foremost authority on leadership, he has earned the esteemed title of the most sought-after leadership expert globally, as acclaimed by Inc. magazine.

John Maxwell wrote an NYT best-seller, Failing Forward, in which he explains and illustrates the blessings that await everyone who “hangs in there” through failure or adversity. What took John Maxwell 200 pages in his book, Failing Forward, Winston Churchill took seven words to say the same thing with inspiration.?

Winston Churchill accepted one more commencement address in the winter of his life. The man who stared defeat at the hands of Hitler directly in the eyes and neither blinked nor backed down slowly walked to the microphone and delivered the now famous lecture, “Never, never, never, never, never give up.” History debates if he said, “never quit,” “never give in,” or how often he may have spoken to different audiences, but The Lesson of "The Wild" emphasizes the importance of steadfastness and resolute opposition to the reality that our human nature and freedom is missing perfection. We are not naturally good; otherwise, we could use the world’s defense budgets to solve the world's problems.?

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?” - C.S. Lewis

Band of Brothers

Pain is the catalyst that forges bonds in war between soldiers and the glue that holds atoms together. Passion, in turn, is a leader’s inward response to pain—the motivating quality that produces purpose in life. Growing your passion starts with identifying your inspiration.

Legend has it that Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés issued a rather intriguing order to his men as they began their conquest of the Aztec empire in 1519: "Burn the boats." While the historical accuracy of this account may be debatable, what matters most is the existence of the legend itself. Something must have happened that changed the course of history for that army.

Cortés sent his men to fight a more powerful enemy with more significant numbers and resources in a foreign land. He clarified to them that retreat was not an option, igniting a burning desire to win. This theme is shared among all leaders: the secret to success lies in facing impossible odds with a worthy goal or cause to work towards.

Regardless of the change or pain we face, we must be willing to burn the ships of negative thinking from the past and cut all sources of retreat. Only by doing so can we maintain the state of mind known as a burning desire to win—a state essential to success. And by helping our leaders and colleagues win, we further fuel our passion.

The soldiers under Cortés who longed to return home had to confront their pain before they could understand the stakes. The pain was the reality that they could die and never see their families again. When they accepted this fact and saw their boats burning, they realized they could only return home if they emerged victorious. Their passion to win outgrew their pain, forming bonds and a common cause.

Purpose, often considered cliche, can be viewed at three levels: motivation, inspiration, and impartation. Motivation can only take you so far; inspiration often arises from pain or a lack of fulfillment. On the other hand, Impartation is something only the living God can plant inside you, filling your soul with substance and weight.

The wilderness we may find ourselves in offers lessons for achieving our vision and dreams. We can grow and find purpose by responding with actions that help others facing similar challenges. But how do we commit to our goals when uncertainty arises? The power lies in the journey of hope, belief, and achievement, serving others.

Pain is an opportunity to grow, and passion arises from embracing it. Our efforts lack purpose without following others and working towards a common goal. Just as lifting weights stretches our muscles, facing pain and fear in war strengthens our resilience capacity.

Rise up to the challenge before you, and bring others with you through your positivity and influence. Your wilderness season or circumstances can inspire you to discover what you're looking for. The starting point is now—let your challenges fuel your passion and lead you towards your purpose.

What are you good at?

Most of us try to attain roles at work that are equal to our abilities. Yet, most of us desire a detour to escape our current reality. We wait for the opportunity, hoping, dreaming, and believing more is available for our lives. You are right if you believe the latter statement. If you do not… consider becoming who you have never become so you can do what you have never done.?

"Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks! Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. But you shall be a miracle" (Phillips Brooks).?

Regardless of what failure or challenge you may be facing, consider the giants who came before us, like Norman Vincent Peale, who taught us.

“Change your thoughts, and you change your world…Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”

The power of embracing The Wild is about the inner drive to overcome extreme circumstances, to set yourself apart from everyone else, to be you, and to be fully committed to pressing on and forgetting the obstacles that scare you from achieving your life goals. If you are reading this and are in a wilderness in your organization or business and trying to survive, change your mentality. I think this chapter is for you. Serve the people around you and inspire them to get better together through adversity.

Negative obstacles will happen; there is nothing wrong with influencing people for the greater good during the difficult season. When you are faced with a situation that happens to you, you realize some opportunities come to you. But if you follow the success of Michael Jordan, a basketball legend, you can see my point. In Jordan’s words, “I’ve missed over 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games, which is 26 times. I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed it. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” His actions during his journey made people better just by his attitude. He realized all seasons can become the reason we succeed in the first place.?

Organizational change is the new reality we live in. Reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, workforce downsizing or expansion, the information age, socio-political changes, and political issues that impact many people. Our lives are filled with detours; our responses affect our destinies. Why not develop people with our influence, develop the people you work with during your detours? No matter how badly you want to leave, quit, or be promoted, start investing in lives, and you will discover that the journey is more important than the destination.??

Management training legend Donald L. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., once stated, “Evaluation is not an afterthought to training, but rather is meant to be integrated into the entire learning and development process. Suppose you wait until after a program is designed, developed, and delivered to consider what value it will provide to the organization and how you will evaluate it. In that case, the program has little chance of much value.” When we look at all experiences in life as training, we can unleash all detours to work for us, not against us.?

When we add value to others, the program of trial, setback, detour, and unexpected challenge only makes us hungry to keep growing. When leaders grow, everyone wins.?

The Quarterly Wild Review

Because we will all face wild wilderness moments every day, why not plan on using the lesson of the Wild to our advantage? Every impossible challenge we face makes us candidates for comebacks. When we feel lost in our detours, pause, stop, unplug from technology, and evaluate what happened.

The task of being good enough is never complete. We would not need hope, character, wisdom, or leadership if we knew the direction for decisions, careers, callings, and opportunities. We would need more purpose. How we respond during detours is in preparation for our life work. Even when our jobs do not align with what we were made for, our current reality is a training day for our payday. The next level in our lives starts with our journey; no matter where you are in the organizational chart, this story is for you. We are either coming out of a wilderness or walking into one.?

Journal or reflect on the following questions? to apply the Wild Lesson

1. What am I afraid of? This question confronts you with the reality that there are wilderness situations outside of our control. We must face this and express it in order to overcome the stress.?
2. What am I frustrated about - This question gets to the heart of what is stressing us out. It is so important to list our frustrations so we can see the rhythms of life when we look back and see how we overcame past frustrations. This gives us the courage to drive on and overcome.?
3. What am I putting off? This question helps us create work/life balance and prepare, plan, and provide solutions to our problems.?
4. What are the untouchables in my life? You will learn to examine yourself and see patterns of unhealthy assumed contrasts in your life. When you give yourself room to see areas you need healing, you can begin to evade the enemies of excellence.?
5. How close am I to burnout or burndown? - This single question, written down, will help you learn your breaking point symptoms and prevent you from falling prey to the power of unhealthy stress.? Burnout causes anxiety and down causes depression from boredom. What’s the sweet spot of results and relationships in your life?
6. What am I thankful for? This question helps to remind me that every obstacle or wilderness season in my past has a date when I crossed over or passed over the wilderness season with a victory or answer to prayer.?

The Unknown Factor

I define the unknown factor as any void in your life you do not know is detouring your life or leadership. You may not even realize it, but you could be causing your detours without knowing why. For example, to illustrate a point. It might be a birth certificate that states, “unknown father,” how many people are driven to succeed due to a void? It could be an unknown factor that drives your behavior.?

Psychologist Caroline Leaf’s research demonstrates how important it is to reframe your unknown factors. “You cannot sit back and wait to be happy and healthy and have a great thought life; you have to choose to make this happen…Frame your world with your words…You would never think negatively if you filtered your thoughts.”?

An unknown factor could be assumptions in your thinking that are preventing you from moving forward. Your assumption might be a partial constraint. What if the unknown factor preventing you from making more money is an unhealthy financial self-concept? Or what if the unknown factor is not something you can learn right now? Perhaps the time of discovery is not today.?

Become an inspirational person even without the knowledge, understanding or competence. Be proactive, accept responsibility for your career, approach your manager, and communicate what you need to succeed. We all face wilderness moments in one way or another. We are either walking into a wilderness or walking out of one. My reason for writing is to communicate to as many people as possible that wilderness moments cause pain, and pain gives us passion to fulfill our purpose in life. So, in effect, detours help us achieve our capacity.?

I don’t know why good people die so young, or why children’s parents die, or why depression is so hard. Still, I do know that I always want to follow the person who has been shot at instead of the person who has never been battle-tested. Wilderness seasons give our resume substance, weight, and value and set us apart.

Every leader carries a wound. I have never met a man or woman without a wound. No matter how influential a leader may be, the lesson of the Wild is greater than the sum total of a leader's influence. The lesson of the Wild is: The true measure of inspiration is freedom.?

To be influential, lead during easy times or when you have favor or momentum—To be inspirational, inspire during the wilderness seasons of life -hardship, war, adversity, setback, lack of opportunity, jealousy, rejection etc.

Wild at Heart

In 2017, I discovered our purpose is much more than the intricate events and detours that lead us to our current opportunities. In fact, everything we do in life depends on how we respond to the detours in our lives. “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond” (Charles R. Swindoll).

Our response to proactively move forward and challenge our limiting thoughts is our first step to breaking out into freedom from the enemy of detours. “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond” (Charles R. Swindoll).

In my experience, some wilderness moments happen “to” us; we are forced to accept circumstances from outside forces. Wilderness moments that happen “through” us, our own self-limiting beliefs, decisions, habits, and behaviors we create. The unhealthy coping patterns include overworking, underworking, job-hopping, quitting, drinking too much, sleeping around, overeating, and the list goes on. How we respond and lead ourselves through unforeseen change, heartache, failure, and challenges determines our destinies. And for that reason, how do we not react to our wilderness wanderings?

Have you ever reached a point of no return after a setback? Something beyond your control grips the steering wheel of your life, and you wake up to a reality you never planned. We all know this one. Someone or something causes a detour that affects our life trajectory. We did not deserve this type of detour, and yet it happened. We are left to respond to the new reality we never imagined. Detour.

I remember walking through the beautiful campus of Louisiana State University as a freshman. LSU is a scenic, historic campus with thousands of stately oak trees, world-class landscaping, and Spanish architecture. I loved the large oak trees that surround the campus. One day after a class, I walked by a beautiful magnolia tree with plans to connect with my friends for the weekend. Suddenly, I received a phone call. “Private Stutson, your new unit has been deployed to Iraq; you must report to Fort Hood, Texas, to join them.?

From the pandemic during COVID19 to concerns about WWII repeating to economic freefall and AI, the future is moving fast. The military calls it the age of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity). So how do you inspire others during constant uncertainty for leaders and employees amid exponential change??

The root of the fruit vs the fruit of the root

I love looking at trees. Southern California has some of the most beautiful landscapes, filled with mountains, oceans, valleys, and pathways with unique trees. But what I appreciate about the roots is no one can see fruit during the formative years of growing. It takes years before anyone sees any signs of fruit. Some crops can take seven years before fruit is seen. But the correct type of fruit that grows from healthy roots will last many years longer than the wrong fruit that springs up without healthy roots.?

Many fall into the trap of focusing on the “fruit of the root,” most commonly known as results. Come one. You know what I’m talking about here. ROI. Return on investment, revenue, profit, margin, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, culture, turnover. Or, if you speak to crowds, we can focus on the number of attendees. Or it’s our influence, image, prestige, book purchases, etc. Now, success is beautiful, but lasting significance during detours of the business cycles, events, and opportunities starts with understanding the root of the fruit.?

The root of the fruit is the heart of the lesson of The Wild. The values, character, private sweat equity, or the response to critics count. It’s all about knowing what kind of wilderness you are in and preparing for the critics who will offer their critiques.?

Winning in the Arena of Life starts with not allowing your confidence to compete to insult other people's insecurities.

Real-Life Application

• How do you define Inspirational Capacity? The growth zone is where influence and impact meet in your life and work.
• Please remember areas where you minimize hurt from rejection or ambition to win, which can cause you to burn down/burn out.
• Take a Lesson of the Wild quarterly review, write down the answers, and do the hard things you put off.
• Who are the most satisfied and Wildest people you know who have real-life passion and happiness? Learn how they balance inspirational capacity and put away ambition that is causing you to be restless.
• When your influence drops and your impact rises, learn to be inspired and not minimize other people's concerns.
• When your impact drops and your influence rises, learn to be broken in the areas you should (humility) and unbroken in the areas you should not (confidence).

• How do you define Inspirational Capacity? The growth zone is where influence and impact meet in your life and work.
• Please remember areas where you minimize hurt from rejection or ambition to win, which can cause you to burn down/burn out.
• Take a Lesson of the Wild quarterly review, write down the answers, and do the hard things you put off.
• Who are the most satisfied and Wildest people you know who have real-life passion and happiness? Learn how they balance inspirational capacity and put away ambition that is causing you to be restless.
• When your influence drops and your impact rises, learn to be inspired and not minimize other people's concerns.
• When your impact drops and your influence rises, learn to be broken in the areas you should (humility) and unbroken in the areas you should not (confidence).