Criticism vs Contribution

The deception about adopting criticism as a major operational method is to think or feel that one is now at the level of those you are criticizing.

You only get to appear in the same sentence with those you criticize for as long as the criticism continues. Once it’s all over, you quickly descend back to your world of non achievement, while those you’re criticizing continue with their lives in the world of overachievement. So I’d rather you contribute more than you criticize.

Like they say, if you don’t want to be criticized, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. But I pity even more those who feel that the only meaningful contribution they can make is criticize. What a pitiful existence!

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

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Allow For Failure

As long as you are working with human beings, and not machines, allow room for failure. Of course that has to start with yourself. If you give enough grace room to yourself to fail, so should you for others. It’s just how life mostly works.

Keep going.

Mosze

Abandon Annually

Rick Warren said, “Divert Daily, Withdraw Weekly, Abandon Annually.”

Most Ugandans try and do this in December somewhere in the week leading up to Christmas into the first week of the New Year. This is highly recommended. The only challenge is we go to the village, where there is a different set of social expectations. So we come back rich socially but tired!

Maybe it’s time for you to figure out a ka get away for yourself and if married with your spouse, just to catch up and connect with yourself and those you love. Life is at a frenetic pace in the city. Get a week and get out there. Remember life and your calling, whatever it is, is a marathon, not a sprint. Abandon Annually!

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

Mosze

Day Off

In the Bible, God instructed Israel to work six days and rest on the seventh. God had Himself set up this pattern in the creation story. Not only this, He also asked them to rest the land every seven years. In fact we see later that this failure to rest the land was the primary reason they were sent into exile.

This may sound like ancient wisdom and yet it still applies today. We may think that we are making progress by burning both ends of the candle, but that’s deception. The Jews, who still practice this principle are generally on average much wealthier and have made great contributions to science and culture than other people groups by far.

Since I work over the weekend, Monday is my day off; my Sabbath. Even though I’m still growing in this discipline, I’ve made significant progress.

How about you? When do you “switch off for maintenance”? Steve Covey talks about sharpening the saw in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Depending on your work schedule, find a day of rest. You can not negotiate yourself out of this principle.

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

Mosze

Home Early Days

Because I work at a church, in addition to other responsibilities, my evenings can be filled with meetings. This is because the bulk of the work force at churches are volunteers who work elsewhere. So most meetings and appointments during the week end up being in the evenings when people leave work. At some point, I was getting home late almost everyday.

I noticed that this was having a toll on our family. So Ary and I came up with “Home Early Days”. These are days when sunset must find us at home. We have two fixed ones and two flex ones. I won’t tell you the days. But now most weeks I’m home early 4 nights a week. When we have to be out on some of the fixed nights, we take the kids with us.

I don’t know your work situation and what adjustments you need to make to be home early. But if you have a spouse or kids, figure out something. You have more power than you think.

Decide and execute. Fix some days where you see the sunset at home, and then spend the evening with family. Refer to yesterday’s blog about the no phone zone once you’re home early.

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

Mosze

No Phone Zone

 

I recently started reading a parenting book that has caused me to repent in dust and ashes. Now, my kids will tell you that I’m a good parent and make time for them regardless of schedule, but this book has shaken me because I see the gaps.

One of the things we’ve started doing at home is have dinner together at table on three specific days a week. The kids know them and so there is expectation. We had already been trying this out but not consistently sometimes. But the more important issue is that I have started leaving my phone in my bedroom for that dinner time which runs for about an hour and a half. The result? The kids are TALKING. They are talking so much so that we sometimes have to just stop the kaboozi so we can go to bed.

I’ve been thinking, why weren’t they talking that much and sharing their lives that deeply before when we were at table together? I think that they noticed our preoccupation with our phones even when we were present with them, and they held back. Now that the phones are away in a different room, we get to focus on each other as we talk. The “no phone zone” that is our dinner table is doing wonders for my family. Would you consider doing the same for yours? It’s a small price to pay to be away from your phone for an hour or two to affirm and sow greatness in the next generation.

So, try the no phone zone at your house this week. If you have a hectic schedule with evening meetings, designate some “home early days” and stick to them. When you get there, leave the phone in the bedroom. No one will die because you didn’t pick their call in that one or two hours.

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

Mosze

Exercise & Patience

I bought a treadmill. Results are starting to come in. However it’ll take sometime for me to look like I’m exercising.

The manifestation takes some time. So be patient with me. Be patient with yourself too.

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep leading.

Mosze