I once read somewhere recently that the reason so many people like blogging vs. journaling is because people actually read it…that it provides an interactive source where people can comment (if one’s comments would actually work) and feedback so one knows that they are “normal” …and also accountable. I think this is a very good thing for me today, that I have y’all – whoever y’all are – to keep me accountable to practice what I preach. For today, I found myself walking right into a lion’s den…into Temptation Island.
It’s been a super long day. I awoke after a dead sleep thanks to my gratuitous use of NyQuil last night…and while my sinus pressure was gone, I was quickly reminded why I do not typically use Western meds as a first choice. For the first 8+ hours I was awake, I had to fight to keep myself in an upright stance…not just cause I was tired, but my sense of balance was also off. Not so good when you are at a fitness conference folks. Besides this, I was dehydrated and really out of it for the first part of the day. In my first session with Lawerence Bisconiti – group fitness guru for A.C.E. – I fought to keep up with his fast paced, high energy, mucho information format in a hazy state I was in.
After a super long day…I just wanted to grab some food and head back to the hotel. However, the walk – which was longer than expected this morning – was even longer this evening. I stopped for some yummy sushi – where I wrote most of this blog. Then remembered it is to rain tomorrow morning, and I would need a taxi to get down to the conference….and that this was all complicated by the fact that I had no cash on me. So I probably added another 1 mile onto my almost 2 mile hike as I backtracked to find a place to get cash. Needless-to-say, about 10 mins away from my hotel I was wondering if any kind stranger would pick me up and drive me the rest of the .01 mile back to my hotel. I didn’t chance it though…and then – then the site I had been longing for the last hour or so. Scott Street and the big blue sign looming in the distance, my hotel just beyond reach yet it was there! I could make it…just keep putting one foot in front of another…don’t sit down, don’t give up – I’ll make it!
Somehow I did make it up to my room, checked in on FB with all my friends, checked my stats for this blog (a little new addiction I have developed, well besides FB)…had a little hydrotherapy…and here I am! Writing to you all and telling you about my Temptation Island experience.
I was recently reminded of this sleazy show in — where else but a sermon. Cannot remember which one, but I am sure it had to be from Scotty Scruggs as he is the only one I can imagine from MPPC mentioning this show. I was never a fan of this show, but knew the basic premise: couples would sign up to fly to this island, putting themselves in very precarious situations just to test the strength of their relationship by — what else but temptation.
For me, it seems coming to a conference in my favorite American city, I have put myself in a similar situation. Now, while being at a fitness symposium with young, fit, good looking individuals who also have the same drive and ambition as me to motivate and inspire people to be their best could certainly be the temptation I am talking about here — this is not my biggest temptation that is lurking in the midst. No, my biggest temptation is just there…in the shadows. Can you see it? Right there, behind the amazing people, inspiring talks and motivational workouts…my shadow mission is waiting to come screaming out of the dark places and engulf me in its gray mass.
If you have been reading for a while you will remember that a shadow mission is defined loosely as this: Some thing in your life that gains the majority of your focus, attention, energy – whether good or bad. However, it is simply a shadow of what your true mission on this earth is to be. It uses all your talents and gifts, callings…except the focus is just 1 degree off…maybe just .5 degree off from what would really take you to that next level. The difference from being just 90% of who you can be…to becoming 100% of what you are meant to be.
For me, this means finding out why in the world God put me on this earth….how my unique set of talents, gifts, etc. can be used for His calling to bring love, peace and yes Joy to his people, whomever they are. Yet, as I walked into the symposium this morning exuberant, high on the possibilities I can see God bringing down the pipeline…realizing that I was figuring out how to take steps towards following the path I needed to take to reach His promises…by the end of the day my REAL mission was fighting to maintain its rightful place as the shadow mission was creeping out of the woodworks.
All day my mind was on “brew”, generating ideas…pretty typical of my ENTPness as “the visionary”…creating revenue streams in my mind as I molded the new classes of the future. Since becoming more involved in the Wellness industry many years ago, I have often wanted to be able to rise to the top, become a leader, innovator, presenter…one that is looked up to, revered for inspiring and encouraging greatness in people’s lives to achieve more than they thought possible. If I couldn’t go to the Olympics as an athlete…maybe I could become just as well known as a fitness guru of some type in some specialty.
I am not saying this could not very well happen…for I do have ideas that I am praying about pursuing…and I did realize that fitness is a great way to start the conversation about wellness with people…and wellness includes all aspects of a person: mind, body and soul. A perfect gateway in to sharing my love for Jesus in a non-threating and loving way. So, only time and God will tell.
Yet, I am really glad that just before I started to spiral out of control with my ideas…that I had taken time at lunch (after only one session) to start mapping out my 35+K vision for my life…writing down the promises I have heard God give me and a plan on how to start pulling all the “random” pieces of my life together in order to start pushing towards that vision. As I sat down to analyze my excitement about the day over dinner for 1 at sushi…I remembered one of the most important points from a talk today by Todd Durkin (coached/trained high profile athletes – like my home boy Drew Brees!). Our homework was to create 2 lists that he called the BIG 5:
1) BIG 5 for your life
2) BIG 5 for the next year of your life
If you are like me…which I am sure some of you are…you get easily distracted with life, people, ideas, kids, jobs, school, etc. I think in the past I have not had a strong hold on what the big vision, the BIG 5 is for my life and have allowed these distractions to pull me off course, into my shadow mission. Yet, now looking back over what I had written down at lunch, I can move forward asking myself pointed questions in order to make strategic decisions on my game plan…so that I can hopefully reach the vision, the goal of my REAL mission in life.
This is where I will leave you tonight…with a little homework: Think, mull over and write down your 2 lists from above. Start with the first one…then use the 2nd one to work backwards into the first. Be open to them changing as you continue to think and mull them over during the next few months. Once you feel certain you know your BIG 5 for life, the rest will fall into place much easier.
With the New Year just looming around the corner, now is as good as any to start thinking about making this next year a defining one. One that when you look back in the rearview mirror you will be able to say, “Yes, 2012 is when I started living my life on purpose, with intentionality and direction…seeking my REAL mission over my shadow mission.” Sometimes we need to call the TO (time out) on our lives for a weekend, a day or even a few hours over a couple of weeks and start working on forming this direction – through a short list. Or make this list into a vision statement for your life if you are more of a sentence type person. Whatever the case, it doesn’t have to be a big investment of time and energy – whatever you can carve out…even a little planning for those of us that like to fly by the seat of our pants can go a long way.
In the end, this little bit of planning for the work you will do next year to take you one step closer to your life vision – is it not worth it? To know what to accept, to invite into your life in order to get you to your vision – won’t it be easier to keep your eye on the prize this way? If you have a vision for where you are going, then the rest of your life will center around that. Make this vision list or statement about who you are, why you exist and what you will do in order to reach your full potential. Then leaving Temptation Island and your shadow mission in the dust…
As for me, I am off to sleep so that I can once again face my Temptation Island…Mr. Wellness Industry.
