Good morning, Team!  It’s Friday!

Most things are.

•Spend a week in nature without tools or tents or equipment, fresh water or a protein source and no matter how beautiful it might be, it’s hard.

•Spend time away from family / loved ones for work or military service (missing birthdays, anniversaries and all the attention, affection, and things that soften the heart)

You get hard.

•Have you ever tried to do something that hadn’t been done before or you didn’t have training, instruction, or mentoring? Carving a new trail is…

Uh-huh.  Hard.

•Reinventing yourself.  Having the courage and stamina to walk away from “good” because you know you’re capable of more?

-It’s easy to settle.  The human condition is to seek comfort.

-It’s also easy to recognize when conditions require attention and you need to improve your situation:

Hungry  =>  eat food

Thirsty  =>   drink

Cold      =>   find warmth

Pain     =>    Seek relief

So

Comfort  =>  enjoy,

right?

Not me.

Why? … No idea.

I don’t make the rules and it only took 54 years to figure out my discontentment is my super power.  My motivator.

I’ve been denying this trait because I thought I was a (normal) comfort seeker.

Most people, when asked, would be willing to tell you I am not “normal” in most other areas.

I recently heard words to live by, “Serve where your gift is needed most.”  It resonated.  It didn’t say, find the path of least resistance then serve where your gift is needed most.  It didn’t say, get comfortable, then look for a convenient place to serve and maybe you can put your gift to marginal use.

I have, over time and through experience, accepted that we live in a broken, messy, challenging world.  To make progress, we need to tackle the hard stuff.  To make a difference, we need to grab the bull by the horns, not run from it like a Sally, worrying about getting poked in the ass by the horn.  To build muscle, we need to stress it and tear it and push ourselves, or we grow weak.

Life is hard.

Giving in is easy.

Refusing to compromise, fighting for what you believe is right, presenting a counter point, not to be belligerent but because you cannot sit quietly as someone tries to dictate rather than collaborate or facilitate robust discussion…can be terrifying, the first time.

Realizing your limits, your potential, your GIFT

-Maybe it is candor

-Maybe it is dispute resolution

-Maybe it is creating an excellent environment

-Maybe it is leading others to find their inner leader

whatever you realize your gift is,

Have a blessed weekend!