The Lesson of "The Gift"

Why influence-centered elitism doesn’t work and why inspiration does.

Lesson #3

The Lesson of “Gift”

The Lesson of the Gift. Life is a gift, and our time is worth more than our networth. How we invest in our gifts determines the level of our inspiration and network.

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In the spring semester of my second freshman year after my deployment to Iraq, I rode my bike to class after a football workout with the L.S.U. Football team.

Watch my Fox8 Interview Story about how I found my father through Ancestry DNA. The ties that bind: Long lost cousins find out they have been in ...

Enjoying the scenery on this hot summer day as I passed by Alex Box Stadium from the Charles McClendon Practice Facility, I realized that this location held significance beyond just the practice grounds for LSU Tigers football; it was also adjacent to LSU Baseball's practice field on Skip Bertman Drive.

This day differed from my typical college routine; it felt like a flashback to my upbringing in Alabama. Lost in thoughts about relationships, previous workouts, and future tests, I was abruptly interrupted by a pop fly that caught my attention, nearly hitting me as I was riding my bike to class.

Suddenly, an LSU baseball player chased after the ball, calling out, "Joey!" To my astonishment, he identified himself as a childhood friend, Jared Bradford, from Birmingham, Alabama.

Jared Bradford's accolades as a baseball player at L.S.U. are pretty inspiring. He was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason third-team All-America squad. Bradford was also named to the 2008 Brooks Wallace Award watchlist, presented to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame annual induction festivities.

What is even more remarkable about this story is how Jared impacted my life.

Some moments in real-life moments like this do not just happen by chance, it's a gift. This run-in with a baseball was more than a chance encounter. It was almost designed.

Running from my past

I was the focus of the conversations, as, little did I know, I was on people’s prayer list. In the South, we have a saying – “Bless his heart.” It’s not as lovely as it sounds; it’s more like a code for an insult to soften the impact of the opinion.

The truth is that I grew up in a rough neighborhood. My stepfather got addicted to drugs, held up a gas station, and ended up in prison. My mom tried hard as a single mother to make ends meet for my two half-brothers and me.

My way out of the adversity I grew up in (moving from one household to another) was friends, sports, and adrenaline.

I may have grown up illegitimately with less-than-ideal support, but I learned how to legitimize myself with anger, hard hits on the field, and addiction to working out and results.

The high school crowd noticed me in junior high, and I was accepted and invited to work out with the seniors because my strength was uncommon for my grade. The high school football team treated me like a little brother. Sports always allowed me to express and experience the gift of family.

I was spared a lifetime of repeating the cycle I grew up in because of this lesson.

Life is a gift, and our time is worth more than our net worth. How we invest in our gift determines the level of our inspiration.

The Gift of Work

Discovering how to effectively utilize your unique gift at work, especially when they align with the needs of those receiving your work, can be profoundly inspiring. When you offer your skills at the right moment, addressing the specific needs of others, it not only enhances their experience but also encourages them to recognize and utilize their own gifts in their everyday lives.

This symbiotic exchange of talents fosters a sense of fulfillment both professionally and personally, creating a positive cycle of inspiration and growth for all involved.

Organizations and teams promote the most gifted, talented, and committed performers but we often evaluate from subjective perceptions and a blend of soft and hard measures.

Employee passion strongly influences customer loyalty and overall organizational success. Research shows a clear connection between how passionate employees are about their work and how devoted customers become. When employees feel passionate, understand their roles and goals, and believe that their organization treats everyone fairly, they are more motivated to serve customers well.

Conversely, employees who lack inspiration may treat customers poorly. Studies consistently show that when employees are inspired to invest in their gifts and their company, customers are more satisfied too.

Simply put, the way leaders treat employees directly affects how employees treat customers.

In the words of Scott Blanchard, "A bad manager becomes the topic of dinner table conversations."

How we treat people impacts them in real life, and it impacts the profitability of your organization.

I call this cause-and-effect phenomenon the principle of Seven. If you mistreat someone, they will tell seven other people, and it will always come back to you at your dinner table.

In addition to its impact on customer loyalty and organizational success, the Gift of work can also serve as a platform for individuals facing adversity to forge meaningful relationships with their colleagues and customers. When employees feel inspired and passionate about their work, they are more likely to engage positively with others, fostering a sense of camaraderie and support.

"Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life"

The phrase "Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life" is a familiar mantra, often seen on motivational posters and heard in commencement speeches. But does this idea of finding boundless passion in your career always hold true?

In a Gallup survey of 7,500 full-time employees, 23% reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, while 63% said they experience it sometimes.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) included burnout in its International Classification of Diseases, IDC-11, claiming that it "refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context...a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." The WHO noted that the syndrome was characterized by three dimensions:

1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and

3) reduced professional efficacy.

While loving your job or business is admirable, it doesn't guarantee a life of inspiration. The reality is that hard work and grit are an inherent part of any profession, even if you're passionate about it.

Feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or tired doesn't necessarily mean you're in the wrong line of work.

Help me find Real Work Inspiration

Invest in your gifts, and you will feel valued by your organization by matching your fit zone with your team's growth zone.

Become sources of inspiration for your colleagues and customers, creating a ripple effect of positivity and motivation in work and real-life settings.

The way leaders treat and empower employees impacts customer relations and plays a crucial role in nurturing a supportive and inspiring work culture where individuals can find wins, encouragement, and inspiration amidst life's challenges.

Gravitas is defined as “weight or heaviness.” I like to express the definition when the weight of a moment or important event occurs in your life, and everything around you almost stops. It’s that moment athletes experience in the arena.

I call it the Inspiration Factor.

I enjoy telling stories about being vocationally depressed, commuting long hours, working long hours, and doing work I was not inspired to do. The pain of this experience caused years of my life to feel wasted until one day the Inspiration Factor changed everything.

I listened to a message by Les Brown called, You've Got To Be HUNGRY: The GREATNESS Within to Win when I was a General Manager of a retail store in the San Diego area.

After listening to this message over thirty times between the rush of the days, I started noticing the young men who reported to me as needing inspiration and purpose for their real lives.

When I realized I was gifted at developing people, I woke up to realize how important investing in my gift is to build their real-life inspiration. As a result, we started growing our customer relationships in a way and solving store inefficiencies. We created legendary service and turned problems into solutions. They knew I was inspired to invest in their lives, so they were committed to the organization's growth.

We made hard work fun, and we worked smarter and harder!

The Inspiration Factor: How you Commit to developing your Gift Inspires your Grit

The Scottish Himalayan Expeditionary life of William Hutchison Murray distinguished him as a Scottish mountaineer and author.

Murray was a famous climber, especially before World War II. He often climbed with a friend named J. H. B. Bell. When the war started, Murray joined the army and was sent to fight in the Middle East and North Africa. Sadly, he was captured by the enemy in 1942. Surprisingly, his captor was also a climber and they bonded over their shared love for mountains.

Murray spent three years as a prisoner of war, during which he wrote in his book:

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

―William Hutchison Murray

The way I grew up caused me to lack the confidence to know what I wanted to do for work, see the gift I wanted to give to others with my work, and develop the commitment, competency, character, and inspiration so the people receiving my work needed the most in real time or real life.

I lacked awareness of my Gift because my confidence impacted my competence.

As a result, I acquiesced to what other, more confident, talented, and powerful people wanted me to do instead of showing up in life knowing who I was and what I was gifted to do.

Essentially, I was under-challenged and undervalued, and I hoped some mentor would appear out of the clouds one day, see the gift in me, and help me know what I wanted to be.

This never happened until I experienced the Lesson of the Gift.

The Inspiration Gap

Nike has an expression I enjoy saying, "Just Do It."

Ever felt like you did not have the energy, inspiration or capacity to... (lose weight, make more money, make new relationships, get promoted, write a book, create the new model etc.)"

And we hear an equal number of sighs from fitness experts that high performance habits start with doing not feeling.

Here's some news for you: Inspiration is not going to strike you like lightning. It's not something that someone else—a nurse, doctor, family member—can simply make you inspired.

The whole idea of inspiration can be misleading.

Forget about waiting for inspiration to arrive at your door. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, write your goal down and move.

Do it without waiting for inspiration, and then what do you think happens in your real life? After you start taking action, that's when the inspiration comes, making it easier for you to develop habits and behaviors that inspire you with more confidence.

Inspiration is like love and happiness—it's a by-product. When you're actively engaged in doing something, it sneaks up on you and ignites your passion when you least expect it.

One of my favorite preachers in history, John Wesley, always said when he traveled to speak to new, unaware crowds in public settings unannounced.

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

―John Wesley

As Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner says, “You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.” So act! Whatever it is you know you should do, do it.

Like Wesley, whom many say is part of the reason so many others were inspired to preach open air style with influence and a GIFT! That generation attracted new followers by the millions and is credited with a move in history called the Second Great Awakening. Their inspiration to ACT with immediate, decisive, influential actions and innovative ways caused a movement.

If you are working a job and going through the burndown boredom, burnout, anxiety, and crazy cycle I write about, never wait for others to develop your gift.

If you feel inspired to do something but you need more grit or the 10,000 hours of work required to refine your gift. Start today. Do the task, and you will become the miracle.

It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago; the second best time is today.

Then, the doing of your real work will not be the inspiration, but you will become the gift. You become the miracle in doing your inspired work, even if you're doing a job that feels like drudgery today.

We don't have to start movements to be inspirational like John Wesley; we need a little spark to cause a moment to change the way we think about work and the people around us in life. Small two-degree actions today can cause an entirely new direction tomorrow.

The real issue with getting ahead with your gifts and competitive spirit is that there are people who may be personified as “political” who are inspired by their self-gain or need to achieve influence and results instead of a desire for excellence, inspiration, teamwork, consistency, stability, long term results, and great relationships.

The Two Ways

People who rely on results vs. People who rely on politics

Depend on providing value for people vs. Depend on getting something from people

Inspire by action vs. Manipulate by what they say

Build relationships vs. Acquiesce relationships

Provide value by becoming better vs. Jockey for position by doing what you need to succeed

Grit to overcome & help the team win vs. Quit when you can win

Live by vision and values vs. Live by other people’s opinions

Do what the mission requires vs. Do what’s popular

Empower with substance vs. Orchestrate shortcuts

Become better than they appear vs. Appear better than they are

I worked for a highly gifted leader who could build an organization through public speaking, team building, networking, fundraising, and more. I remember how excited I was to be invited to join his leadership group and interact with such an influential leader.

The day I saw behind the curtain and experienced how he treated people who no longer committed to his image revealed how much more important it is not to let someone else's gift prevent you from developing yours!

Ironically, when I reached out, I wanted the "leadership" he was offering in our group. I was hoping for a mentor like him to help me develop the gift of public speaking and to learn how to start an organization like him one day.

I had no idea that my request would cause me to be relegated to no longer getting reps at speaking or impacting in the organization. I was treated like I did something wrong and had a "heart" problem. The area we live in falls prey to the bandwagon effect. This only highlighted the feeling of being in the "out crowd."

I would eventually quit this organization and find more opportunities working for Dr. Ken Blanchard in San Diego! Talk about a promotion!

EGOMANIACS ATTRACT OTHER EGOMANIACS

You can do everything right and get the wrong results in life. Self-seeking people can often time out-influence you with their power, but when you learn to develop your Gift, you inspire more people to have healthy outward results long-term in real life.

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power" (Abraham Lincoln).

We may display principles, skills, values, and credibility when driven by ego, image, platform, or influence. Still, these values often take a backseat to our inner drive for personal advancement.

Influence Centered Controversy

Today's influence-centered controversy is that we can use inspirational concepts like "Servant leadership" to enhance our influence rather than embody it as a genuine part of our character, subscribing to values rather than living them as virtues.

If you have ever fallen prey to politics at work or in life to get ahead, perhaps you saw what the leaders were doing to get ahead and thought you should do what you needed to advance your career.

One way to analyze if you are getting ahead with the wrong kind of inspiration is to ask and reflect on the following questions.

Do you have peace in your motives if someone sees your thoughts?

Have you betrayed the trust of people in the office or your life?

Are there people you campaign against to prevent them from going to the next level in their gift?

Hindsight Revelation

We need to know where we came from and evaluate our past, like looking into the rearview mirror when driving, but we need to inspire people by not getting caught in the past.

The rearview mirror keeps what’s behind us from harming us. We need to learn from our past to understand where we have been. But we must never get stuck in the past or risk the dangers of what’s coming. We must learn from the revelation of hindsight and walk through life with wisdom from our experiences.

However, we must look forward with a vision of where we will reach our destination. If you are still wounded from your past, your gift of enjoying the present is stuck in your past.

Hindsight revelation in life is essential, but to move from here to there to the destination God has for you, you must foresee what signs, opportunities, goals, and growth are in your near future—just far ahead to take the next step, not too far in the future.

The knowledge that today is a gift matters, and it is necessary because life is a gift that moves fast. Significance is peace of mind, which directly results from self-assurance in knowing you did your best (Success) to become your best (Character).

The Third Option

Arguments abound about realists vs. optimists. Is the glass half empty or full? Hindsight revelation from learning from experience should teach you less about how much water you have been given and more about how you respond. Consider the third option, not just realist or optimistic thinking; be an “opportunist,” just pick up the glass and drink it!

Speaking life and walking with a life-giving attitude will give you joy, and others will want what you have, especially if you learn that the gift is not denying the obstacle or reality but persevering and abiding through with an opportunistic third option.

Flow is when all the forms of practice, techniques, and movements become second nature. In the field, arena, or stage, performers just flowing is an inspiring moment sports fans are addicted to watching. It can become addictive when flow happens in your pursuits in business or life.

People who are fired up with passion about a creative, enthusiastic idea, who don’t shrink back but allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts, find that the pursuit of happiness is a worthwhile endeavor and a gift in and of itself.

I enjoyed spending time with Dr. Blanchard when I worked for Blanchard. He taught me a powerful insight about the Third Option that helped me write this lesson in my book.

He talked about a time when he spoke to the Young President's Organization with young, powerful, successful emerging corporate executives or owners of influential businesses.

When Ken and his wife, Margie, first arrived in California, it was during a sabbatical from Ken's position as a tenured professor at the University of Massachusetts. Ken encountered some servant leaders and individuals from the Young President’s Organization who were curious about his plans after the sabbatical ended.

Initially, Ken mentioned his intention to return to Massachusetts. However, they had a different idea for him.

Their suggestion was bold: they insisted Ken stay in California and kickstart his own business.

At first, it seemed like an improbable idea, especially considering Ken's lack of financial acumen – he couldn't even balance his checkbook!

But these YPO acquaintances weren't deterred or EGOMANIACS. They extended their support and imparted invaluable wisdom that fundamentally changed Ken's perspective.

From them, Ken learned some fundamental principles that guided him in his entrepreneurial journey:

• Find something you're passionate about and excel at it.
• Understand the mechanisms to monetize your passion; otherwise, it remains merely a pastime, not a sustainable business endeavor.
• Maintain a careful balance between expenses and income to ensure financial viability.
• Commit to continuous improvement, always striving to enhance your offerings and processes. Develop your GIFT!
• Never lose sight of the importance of giving back to the community that supports you. Your work or gift is meant to be invested into others to add value to them.

These simple yet profound truths laid the foundation for Ken's entrepreneurial endeavors and continue to shape his approach to business and life. My generation might need to be reminded that Ken has sold over 22 million copies of his books and has co-authored with a faculty of world-class leaders.

The Two-Selves

Successful people often find themselves trying to decide what else there is in life. They start moving from success to significance. The world is so busy and our minds are so busy.

Norman Vincent Peale in The Power of Ethical Management said that we have two selves: a task-oriented self that's used to getting things done, and an inner-self that reflects our spiritual nature. It takes longer to wake up your reflective inner-self than your external task-oriented self.

Evidence abounds of successful people who understand their "two selves," and they are very inspirational and charismatic with their gift in real life and work.

Show me your enthusiasm. I will show you your new opportunities. Enthusiasm is a word traced back to two Greek words: En and Theos.

Together, these two words literally mean being “filled” or “full” and “God.” So "enthusiasm" means, in its root concept, "full of God." The lesson of the Gift is that your life and response to what you have are gifts.

Gravitas

This is a word that can have a special meaning. It's like discussing the weight of a critical moment in our lives. Before we knew what "gravity" meant in science, we used “grave importance” to describe something important. It's like how we define one word using another word in linguistics.

But what's important is paying attention to the weight or importance of moments in our lives. Gravitas moments are gifts that inspire us.

Just like we pay attention when something feels heavy, we should also pay attention when something feels important in life.

It's worth mentioning The late, great Norman Vincent Peale, coauthored with Dr. Blanchard The Power of Ethical Management, and he had a saying I now enjoy repeating when I speak or write.

“If you stop learning, you might as well lie down and let them throw the dirt on you — because you’re already dead.”

Never Quit on Your Gift

We all get knocked down; how quickly we respond with our gift and get back up gives us a competitive advantage. A famous Proverb highlights this age-old wisdom:

"For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity" (Proverbs 24:16).

People ask me, “Joey, when are you going to quit?” And I say, “Never! I’m having too much fun learning and doing things. I'm just getting started!" -even after failure or success.

Like many leaders in business with global influence today, they understand the importance of inspiration in real life. These leaders know how to enjoy the Gift of their two selves—balancing the courage and curiosity needed to be inspired with real-life harmony at work and in their personal lives. Who you are is who you are- no matter where you go.

Form, Essence, Spirit—these three words trace back to 4th-century Greek philosophers like Socrates, who mentored Plato and Aristotle and ultimately influenced Alexander the Great's Hellenization of the known world.

The ancient Old Testament also draws from these concepts. Like the weight of a critical moment in our lives, Gravitas parallels the significance of these timeless principles. Just as we pay heed to the weightiness of a moment, we should likewise acknowledge the importance of moments in our lives and business. Gravitas moments are gifts, inspiring us to discern their essence and embrace their significance.

The Lesson of the Gift reminds us that life is a gift, and leaders from the past understood the power of inspiration to seize opportunities and create victories in commerce, business, government, military, and real life.

Just as we value moments of gravitas in our lives, we recognize the inherent worth of our existence and the opportunities and challenges real life presents.

Like a priceless treasure, our time holds greater significance than mere financial assets. How we invest our time and talents shapes the depth of our inspiration and fulfillment by embracing the principles of Form, Essence, and Spirit and acknowledging the weightiness of pivotal moments for us to seize moments as gifts instead of missing opportune moments to respond with immediate boldness.

The Three Gifts

Form: Technique matters. Structure. Content.? Laws. Boundaries. Outward reality.

Essence: Flow. Heart to Heart. Values. Connection. A bridge between Form and Spirit.

Spirit: Inspiration. Vision. Creative ability. Inward reality.

Where can you apply the three Gifts to achieve better relationships and results?

Words define words, and language is evidence for the intelligence, laws, and the Gift that the cause of the universe was not just created things, quantum mechanics, random chance, or even time. Somewhat scientifically, if the universe had a beginning, so did we.

Thought leaders from the last few centuries have written many books about the trichotomist view that man comprises three parts: body, soul, and spirit.

The distinction between "soul" and "spirit" has been a topic of philosophical and religious debate for centuries. Generally, the soul is considered the essence of a person's being, encompassing their emotions, thoughts, personality, and decisions that impact their identity.

It's often seen as the seat of individuality and consciousness, representing the inner self that persists beyond physical existence.

On the other hand, the spirit is often associated with human nature's higher, transcendent aspect. It's typically seen as a person's divine or supernatural component, connecting them to a transcendent God with an immanent connection or inspiration.

While the soul is more closely tied to individual identity and personal experience, the spirit is often seen as God's real-life inspiration.

The soul is considered a person's inner essence, while the spirit is seen as the aspect of human existence that transcends the material world and connects to something greater. However, interpretations of these terms can vary significantly across different religious, scientific, and philosophical traditions.

It is difficult to provide an exact number of people who believe in the concept of humans being made up of body, soul, and spirit, as beliefs and religious practices vary widely across different cultures and regions. This concept is primarily associated with religious and spiritual traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and various indigenous and New Age belief systems.

According to a 2012 Pew Research Center report, 4 Billion people believe in the three parts of

It’s important to note that beliefs and religious affiliations are complex and diverse, and not all individuals within a particular religious tradition may hold the same beliefs about inspiration.

Additionally, many people do not adhere to any specific religious tradition and may have different perspectives on the nature of human existence.

Overall, while a significant portion of the global population may hold beliefs related to the concept of humans being made up of body, soul, and spirit, it is challenging to provide an exact number due to the diversity of religious, psychological, and spiritual beliefs worldwide.

T.A.L.K. Method

Questions allow the deep things in life to become more profound. For example, most people use the t.a.l.k. method to make people believe what they believe to be true.

To inspire people to enjoy work, passion, and real life, we need to learn to value other people's gifts and listen with empathy. Seeing the world the way they see it. So, the opposite of that is we could call it the talk method. That's what we usually do in life.

T - Talking. We start talking

A - Angry. When people disagree, we tend to get angry.

L—Louder. If you don't think somebody's understanding you, you just get louder. It's like being in a foreign country and seeing an American trying to communicate with somebody who doesn't speak English. They think if I talk louder, they'll get it. That doesn't work that way.

K - Kick. So, then the "K" would be you kick them.

So, we want to do something other than the talk method. We don't want to do that. Inspiration gives you the ability to be influential without a leadership title.

For example, I have made connections with people in business who disagree with me because I listen to learn and remain a lifelong learner.

You have heard it said: keep religion and politics out of work. I push back on this because dialogue and free ideas built this nation, not the canceling or silencing of beliefs.

Diversity of Thought

I enjoy talking to people in business because results inspire. I also enjoy talking to atheists who disagree with me because the diversity of thought allows me to sharpen my saw in real life. How can I network with people who believe so differently than me?

I enjoy listening, so I start conversations. Asking people questions gives me the ability to listen. Listening is more inspirational to people because they feel brilliant, and people are brilliant.

We need to ask questions and listen with empathy, not just "active listening" techniques.

When we listen long enough, people trust us, and we can have the opportunity to speak the truth for the first time.

What’s impressive is the number of atheists or agnostics who enjoy conversations like this.

Most believers think blind faith is the answer. However, if Life is a gift, and our time is worth more than our networth. How we invest in our gifts determines the level of our inspiration.

Where modernism from academia embraced the idea of discoverable, absolute truth and textual criticism, postmodernism crept into our cultures in recent media decades and saw the truth as more subjective. The notion of "absolute truth" is primarily discarded in favor of a more relativistic picture: "your truth," "my truth," and so on.

Surveys reveal that people are searching for the truth, not just "their truth," and finding their voices to speak up and inspire others to influence their environments instead of their environments influencing them.

In the name of tolerance, business cultures, academia, Hollywood, culture, arts, churches, and media became intolerant of people who believed differently.?Secularism safeguards individual freedoms by separating religious beliefs from governance, ensuring diverse beliefs are respected under the law. This allows wisdom and reason to provide freedom for the best ideas and market innovation to flourish.

However, when we aren't inspired to seek out the sacred parts of real life, we move too far from the voice of reason. The other side of the coin of the Secular is the Sacred.

In order to be inspired in real life, A 2015 survey by researchers at the London School of Economics and the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands found that engaging in spiritual communities was the sole social activity linked with sustained happiness—even surpassing volunteering for a charity, pursuing educational courses, or participating in political or community organizations.

It’s as though nurturing a sense of spirituality and actively engaging in spiritual practices within a social context acted as a potent shield against the contagion of unhappiness.

I always encourage people I coach in the military to attend a local church even if they do not believe in God, and the result is that they always come back with more friends, personal development in their character, and ways to grow a person.

The Gift of the Pivot

Today, there is a pivot in the other direction towards the sacred.

Regardless of what someone may believe differently than you, they belong to be accepted and respected. It's about maintaining an open-minded and respectful attitude towards others, even in disagreement or differing perspectives.

Applying this lesson in all real-life areas will inspire people in business, marriage, parenting, sports, and adversity.

S.A.L.T. Method

I enjoyed being mentored by Dr. Rice Broocks, creator of the S.A.L.T. Method and The God Test and author of the book, God’s Not Dead that became a movie series.

The S.A.L.T. Method uses an acronym created by Broocks to help people to remember to Start Conversations, Ask Questions, Listen, and Tell a Story. The God Test is the tool he created to help facilitate these exact types of conversations.

The most unique aspect is that it provides 10 questions to use with those who don’t believe in God and 10 questions to use with those who DO believe in God.

Using the S.A.L.T. method will inspire more engaging conversations in your professional and personal life. As a leadership development facilitator and speaker, I have enjoyed applying the S.A.L.T. method in business.

God of the Gaps

The “God of the gaps” is a theological concept that invokes a divine explanation for phenomena not currently understood by science. It suggests that when there are gaps in scientific knowledge, some people attribute these gaps to the work of a higher power or deity.

On the other hand, the Cambrian explosion is a significant event in the history of life on Earth. During this event, a wide variety of complex multicellular organisms appeared in the fossil record over a relatively short period, geologically speaking. This event occurred approximately 541 million years ago and is a subject of debate and study in paleontology and evolutionary biology.

The connection between the “God of the gaps” and the Cambrian explosion lies in the debate over the sudden appearance of diverse and complex life forms during this period. Some proponents of intelligent design or creationism have used the Cambrian explosion as an example of a gap in the fossil record that they argue cannot be adequately explained by evolutionary processes alone and, therefore, must be attributed to the work of a higher power.

Many scientists have criticized this perspective, arguing that ongoing research and discoveries in paleontology and evolutionary biology continue to provide naturalistic explanations for the Cambrian explosion and other gaps in the fossil record.

The God Test Questions https://www.thegodtest.org/

• What is the cause of the origin of the universe? Is it the law of quantum mechanics, physics, time or did it create itself?
• Why is there something rather than nothing? The universe and life always existed? It created itself? No idea?
• What are the main reasons you don’t believe in God? Conflict with science? Evil and suffering? Lack of evidence? Multiple religions? Or something else?
• Do you feel any ultimate purpose or meaning in the universe or real life?
• How do you account for the origin of life? Chance? Laws of nature? Extraterrestrial origins? Uncertain?
• Does evil exist?
• What is the basis of you morality? No basis? Social norms? Evolution? Feelings? Something else?
• Do you think human beings or the human race is special compared to animal or plant life?
• How certain are you that God does not exist?
• Would you like to discuss the theistic response to these questions?

The gift of science

A theist is a scientific person who believes in more than blind faith or what is called (fideism) justified belief. A theist is a person who believes God reveals himself using wisdom, reason, and, yes, faith that God exists.

There is a popular claim that Charles Darwin, the renowned naturalist and author of “On the Origin of Species,” converted to Christianity and prayed on his deathbed. However, there is no credible evidence to support this claim. It is widely disputed by historians and scholars who have extensively studied Darwin’s life and writings.

Darwin was known for his scientific work and contributions to the evolution theory through natural selection. While he did have a complex relationship with religion and spirituality, there is no reliable documentation or firsthand accounts to suggest that he renounced his scientific beliefs.

Before postmodernism, university systems conjectured that theories were scientific truth, at least in practice, as most scientific books propagated their faith.

In history, a scientific belief was not separate from faith in God. Our university systems, like Harvard, included theology as the “upper story” of the science building. Even today in Harvard, the remnants of the location of the theology department are etched on the building for the science department.

In the Middle Ages, great scientific minds like Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, influential figures in astronomy, believed in God.

Nicolaus Copernicus, a Renaissance-era mathematician and astronomer, is best known for his heliocentric model of the universe, which placed the Sun at the center of the solar system. Copernicus was also a Catholic canon (a clergy member) and held religious beliefs. His work did not necessarily conflict with his religious views, and he dedicated his most famous work, “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), to his church.

Galileo Galilei, an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer, is often credited as the father of modern observational astronomy. He also made significant contributions to the development of the scientific method. Galileo was a devout Catholic and believed in God. However, his support for the heliocentric model and his defense of the ideas put forth by Copernicus led to conflicts with the Catholic Church, particularly with the Roman Inquisition. Galileo’s advocacy for heliocentrism and his writings on the subject led to his trial and condemnation by the catholic church. Copernicus and Galileo lived in a time when the relationship between science and religion was complex and often contentious. While they were believers in God, their scientific work and the implications of their findings sometimes brought them into conflict with religious authorities.

God’s Not Dead

The popular book, God’s Not Dead, was written by Dr. Rice Broocks, and it would become a best-selling movie that many in college settings may be familiar with as God’s Not Dead events occur all over universities in the world.? The “God’s Not Dead” event is a multimedia presentation that examines the evidence for the existence of God from science, philosophy, and history. It has been conducted on over 100 US campuses and in over 25 nations. Dr Rice Broocks, best-selling author of God’s Not Dead, hosts this event along with a guest scientist.

Ultimately, Dr. Rice asserts that a “pointless beginning points to a pointless existence” and, without the Creator God, we would not have any ultimate meaning or purpose beyond the self-centered, arbitrary individual goals we set for ourselves.

Working with Dr. Rice taught me so much about engaging people who don’t believe like me.

Life is no Accident

There was a beginning. This points to a fantastically fine-tuned universe designed and engineered for life to emerge. Breakthroughs in astronomy and astrophysics have shown that it began, confirming the first statement in Scripture: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

The Lesson of the Gift inspires people to learn that their life is no accident and that we are responsible for responding in real life no matter the adversity.

It is easy not to enjoy the gift of life when you're hit with the reality that anything alive entropies, decays, suffers, and dies. Businesses also go through this cycle.

Another example is the Dream state of your marriage, which slips into disappointment, discouragement, distance, disconnect, discord, and ultimately emotional divorce if you don't know how to read your marriage map, as Dr. Gary Rosberg teaches in his book The Six Secrets to a Lasting Love.

How many single people do we know want to have a significant other and will spend vast amounts of energy searching for this gift only to get married later and not invest in their marriage?

We get familiar and lose the zeal of our gifts. Children are a gift. Many people want the gift of having children, but competing priorities distract them from putting the first things first. We naturally tend to focus on what we do not have or fear losing what we have. In the process, our gifts become stagnant.

We spend so much time searching for a spouse only to get married and not enjoy the gift we have been entrusted. Others who desire to have kids often get criticized about how many children they have, how they perform, or what culture feels about kids.

Regardless of the subjective opinion, marriage and children are gifts. Life is a gift. You have gifts inside of you, and learning to know who you are and what you're good at will inspire you in ways other people will never be able to help you.

If you don't design your life plan, you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Very little.

-Jim Rohn

Good and evil are no illusion—there is a moral law. The fact that there are things that are universally considered right and wrong, regardless of culture or context, points to the existence of a source of transcendent morality. God defines right and wrong and gives us the power to overcome evil.

Your life is a gift; time is a gift. Life is no accident, and evil and morality are not illusions. When you have suffered or experienced compassion grief for someone else's suffering from an evil actor, you know how important it is to overcome this life and the search for peace and justice.

Growing up without knowing my father's name or his college football career, success as an attorney, his exploits in Santa Barbara, and his ultimate longing to have a son became a miracle to me. My father never knew I existed; I was a Solomon baby. Check out the story of King David having an affair, and you will understand the Solomon baby premise.

This adversity inspired me when I did not understand, and it brought closure to a lifetime of searching when I learned my father was everything I was looking for inside.

Reading his journals, I saw he wrote like me, dreamed like me, prayed like me, and had ambition like me. This revelation gave me more profound knowledge to inspire others and get back up with their Gift when they get hit with real life.

***

“Joey, do you believe in God?” Jared, yes. I told you before that I'm a Christian. Great! Do you believe in the bible as “God’s Word?” Yes, I do, I said. Jared and our friends picked up a giant bible from their book bag. Great, do you know John 3:16? Sure, I do. “Turn to it”. In front of a group of well-meaning people who cared about me, I attempted to turn to the book of John in the New Testament to no avail. I couldn’t even find the right chapter or book in the bible. I felt insecure. I felt exposed and, for the first time, realized I didn’t know God. I just learned a religion of rituals instead of a relationship.

In that moment of reading John 3:16, with the help of my friends, I decided to invest in the gift of my life by going to a small church in a small town near Birmingham, Alabama where I chose to have a relationship with God instead of a religion.

My life was forever changed because of the gift of faith that Jared introduced me to as a young man.

Your Time is a Gift

You will succeed if you make a few critical decisions and then manage them well in your daily agenda. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. Success doesn’t just suddenly occur one day in your life. Conversely, neither does failure. Each is a process. What you become is the result of what you do today.

Real Life Story: The Fight

I was in another transition after moving from Birmingham, Alabama, to New Orleans. At that time, I was looking for acceptance. I was an orphan boy looking for my family and living at my mother’s sister’s house in Covington, Louisiana, because my mom lost custody of myself and my two little half-brothers again.

I was the oldest, so I had to be "the man." I always tried to figure out what a man's dance should look like. I never really understood the moves; I strived to fight in many ways.

I was a bench press adrenaline junky teenager bussing tables for my cousin’s restaurant. My cousin, who owned the restaurant, was a charming West Point graduate who played quarterback for the Army and was stuck in the past. He had much to prove. Jeff was a farm-raised alpha male. His father looked and acted exactly like John Wayne. Jeff was big. He was strong. He was drunk.

I was exhausted after working a thirty-hour week at fifteen and practicing daily with the football team. After our late-night shift at the local fine dining restaurant, we talked in the parking lot. My friends were college-age plus, and I was fifteen years old.

I was young but always had a refined personality that gave me an audience of people older than myself. We were talking and enjoying our conversation when, suddenly, cousin Jeff’s 250-pound frame, complete with muscles bulging out of his Armani suit, joined our discussion. He was not happy. In a drunken stupor, he began voicing his usual displeasure with everyone again. I knew what was coming and was bracing for his assessment of my work in the family restaurant.

I was hoping for acknowledgment that I worked hard, but instead, he cussed me out. Without missing a breath, I fired back that he was a "disillusioned, narcissistic, drunken egomaniac." The next moment, I remember my ears ringing, and an explosion of rage filled my veins. I lost track of what happened.

I also had a reputation to uphold as the tough guy. In wrestling, I had one move: I was 189 pounds and had a swift double-leg takedown.

Without missing a beat, I slammed my much stronger cousin on the ground and began to fight.

No one pulled me off my cousin until he began to bite my chest. I quickly realized I would not win the fight if I let my cousin up. So, I continued to wrestle him. Hanging on for my life, trying not to allow his teeth to break through my uniform, in agonizing pain, I pushed my hand on his nose and forced his head sideways to break the bite. That parking lot became a small crowd. Everyone was cheering me on. No one wanted to stop the fight until Jeff stood up. Jeff was ready to fistfight.

I was no match for this large man. A few restaurant staff intervened and broke us up without missing a beat. Jeff said, “Meet me here at 1:30 so we can finish this.” I said, “I’ll fight you whenever.” It was official: I had stood up to the restaurant bully, and everyone knew it.

Just as success is not an overnight occurrence but rather a result of daily decisions and actions, so are the challenges and conflicts we face.

You can find inspiration like I did that day. Jared introduced me to a faith that works in my life, but you will find that the greater your level of inspiration, the greater the need to fight for your gift through experience, setback, rejection, and struggle.

In the following real-life story about a man fighting for inspiration, his family, his past, his faith, and his results, you see the reality that inspiration needs to be tested.

The Gift of The Fight: Fight + Faith + Family = Fruit

One of the most famous fights with God in history is about a man named Jacob, who you may relate to if you have ever wrestled through life striving for success or a blessing from a father.

So, Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak. “But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So, Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore, to this day, the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the hip socket because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon (Genesis 32).

Gift + Grit = Growth

If you ever find yourself fighting for your life, being in control of your life in areas you can’t win, you might be the problem. Your outward gift may get you to certain levels, but it will not inspire you if your grit or effort does not match your gift.

Preparation is essential to mastering the lesson of the Gift. When you prepare well, you convey confidence and trust to people.?However, winning in real life might start with losing. In seasons and situations, adversity is so great that it doesn't matter how successful or gifted you are. Growth is attracted to your gift with a thousand hours of mastery and grit.

The Gift of Trust

In discussing the importance of trust in talking to you about the Lesson of the Gift, it becomes clear that the messenger's credibility profoundly influences how the message is received.

I learned more from failure and walking in humility than I ever have from power and influence. The lesson of the Gift is that adversity is the breakfast of inspirational people.

Irrespective of one's beliefs regarding existence and the universe's origin, life can be perceived as a gift or an accident. Your gifts in life need to be developed, or they will be unlikely to grow.

The Spiritual Gift of Leadership

When we examine the Bible's definition of leadership, we discover two illustrations: steering a ship and taking care of people like a shepherd.

Some experts argue that leadership is just influence. However, leadership, much like electricity, has existed since ancient times.

Just as electricity is now understood to be both a particle and a wave, leadership isn't solely about influence—it is also about inspiration. This comparison challenges the simplistic notion of leadership as just influence, much like the old belief that electricity was either a particle or a wave before scientific validation revealed its dual nature.

Even though old languages didn't have a specific word for "leadership," in verses like 1 Corinthians 12:28 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12 give an idea of the Lesson of the Gift.

The Greek word "kybernēsis," which we translate as "leadership," originally meant steering a ship. And then there's another word, "proistēmi," which appears in 1 Thessalonians 5:12 as "leading." It's not just about being influential; it's about inspiring with the action of loving people.

So, Biblical leadership isn't just about having power or influence. It's about partnering with people so they are successful. The more you promote other people's success, the more you are influential.

No Trust, No Influence, No Inspiration, No Results.

Few sports narratives or business success stories captivate an audience like the tale of the underdog rising against all odds. Whether it's a determined team defeating a longstanding champion or an unsung athlete triumphing over an unbeatable opponent, these stories resonate deeply and inspire others to pursue their remarkable achievements.

Influence-centered elitism doesn't work because it eventually deprives you of enjoying your real-life results. Inspiration to grow your gift gives you real-life application.

When you apply the Lesson of the gift, you no longer need acceptance or influence from an audience because you genuinely care for them and want to help people succeed. This is an inspirational paradigm shift that gives you more impact and results in the long term.

The commitment to applying the lesson of the gift in your real life is substantial, but so are the rewards. Those who apply the lesson of the gift cultivate organizations of the highest caliber—they forge opportunities that promote and inspire other leaders.

They establish a lasting imprint through their actions. People gravitate towards them because of their essence and the real-life inspiration they carry regardless of adversity.

In essence, their inspiration earns trust. Consequently, those who apply the lesson of the gift often surpass the confines of their role, their institution, and occasionally their field. They rise to the tide!

There’s much more I'd like to convey, yet allow me to leave you with this: Leadership is not about your gift—for yourself, your connections, your efficiency, and your image. A gift is never meant to be for you; it is intended to be given as an action to love others.

You can grow a large organization with outside influence while losing your life in the process.

“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”― Norman Vincent Peale, Power of Positive Thinking

Real-Life Application

• In the spirit of giving, share a time that you’ve been inspired by someone else’s generosity (of their time, advice, money, etc).?
• The Lesson of the Gift is something we claim everyday, not just once.?
• How do you balance the secular with the spiritual in a way that is influential not distracting?

• Share a victory from your own life. What’s something God has given you or brought you through that you now claim as a victory or gift??
• It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking victory is a one-time gift, and not something continually given to us. What are some areas of your life where you want to start proclaiming victory over??
• Is there anything keeping you from believing in God or spiritual inspiration to find victory in your purpose? How can you take a practical step this week towards growing in that area??