Guatemala Photo of the Day – Gringo In Action

The Discipline of Celebration

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the release of my book, On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field.

I’ve learned a lot through the process of writing and self-publishing my first book.  The book hasn’t become a best seller yet, but it has brought me rich experiences.  This is a reason to celebrate.

When was the last time you stopped to celebrate?

In the pursuit of stretch, we sometimes forget to stop and celebrate the good things in our life.

In honor of this week’s milestone, I’d like to invite you to celebrate with me.  For the next week starting TODAY, I have reduced the price on the Kindle version of On Track: Life Lessons from the Track & Field to 99 cents.

Please pass the world along, so others can join in the celebration.

Click HERE to go to Amazon to get the eBook.

How would your world be different if you made the decision to celebrate more often?  How has celebration made a difference in your life?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – This Is How You Do It

The women of Guatemala are amazing.

They shape tortillas with their hands in a matter of seconds. Then they put them on the pan over the fire.  Who needs spatulas when you have hands?  They turn them by hand to make sure they cook through.  And they are ready to go.  This is a skill all the women and young ladies know in the village of Xenacoj.

The Discipline of Being Present

“We’ve fallen into a trap of ever-widening orbits of contact, and there is a total disregard for the present moment.”

Jerry Seinfeld

Yesterday, I wrote about the discipline of showing up.  Now that you understand the importance of showing up, it’s time to make the most of your time here. The discipline of being present is crucial to your overall success in your life.

What does it mean to be present?

Being present means being in tune with what is going on around you. It means really listening to what others have to say. And it means contributing to the conversation.

Being present means engaging with others. It means actively participating in life. It means listening to the others and providing constructive feedback to help others grow. It also means listening to the feedback of others to help you grow.

When you show up, be on time. Introduce yourself to others. Talk to others.  Learn to put aside your other distractions and focus on those in front of you in the moment.

Being present will stretch you to become a better leader and a better human being.

How would your world be different if you made the decision to be present?  How has being present made a difference in your life?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – Tortillas!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s never a wrong time (or a bad time) for a handmade tortilla.

These became a stable at almost all our meals while we were in Guatemala. I’ve tried to duplicate them at home, but I just can’t get them 100% right compared to those produced by the women in Guatemala.

Besides ice cream (of course), what is one food item you would eat for every meal?

The Discipline of Showing Up

Have you seen this excitement and enthusiasm wear off?

Do you sometimes feel like quitting or simply staying at home?

I don’t think you’re alone.

I have singed up for a hundred different activities, events, and commitments.  My initial excitement carries me for a while.  I want to see great things happen, but I get bored, frustrated, or tired.  The initial feelings of euphoria turn into dread as I fight the inner battle inside my head – should i stay at home or should I show up?

This is my story.

I signed up to help with youth group at our church after our youth pastor invited me to go on a missions trip to Guatemala with our church’s teenagers.  I remember the excitement as I attended my first few meetings after the trip.  It was fun to interact with the kids.  I was fueled by the momentum from our life changing trip together.  This feeling lasted for a little while but then it started to fade.  I was one of the older leaders at the weekly meetings.  I felt awkward at times in my interactions with the teenagers.  And there times when I would have preferred to be at home with my wife.

Generally, I kept going.  I decided to show up even when I didn’t feel like it.

Some nights were better than others.  There were many nights that turned into something very positive for me and hopefully for the teenagers I was hanging around each week.  This would not have happened if I decided not to show up.

I signed up for Toastmasters almost a year ago.  Again, I was initially excited about this opportunity, but this hasn’t always been the case as my time with the club has continued.  There our times when my mind is focused on things in my office, and I struggle to shift my brain into a Toastmasters mindset for our lunchtime meetings.

And yet, I have decided to show up.  This has led to many new friendships, tremendous personal growth, and improved self-confidence.  This week, I’ll be giving my tenth speech at our club’s bi-weekly meeting.  This means I will officially become a Competent Communicator – the first in a series of Toastmasters significant milestones.  This would not happen if I decided to stay across the street at my office.  I’m only three projects away from completing my Competent Leader, and this won’t happen if I don’t show up.

At home, there I are times when I come home exhausted after a hard day of work.  I want to be the best husband and father I can be.  I want to be intentional in my interactions with my wife and my kids.  This starts by simply showing up.

Showing up takes discipline.

Showing up will STRETCH you.

Showing up matters.

Showing up can change the world.

How would your world be different if you made the decision to simply show up?  How has showing up made a difference in your life?

Guatemala Photo of the Day – Breakfast of Champions

Here is German and Suzie’s kitchen where we ate most of our meals this year during our trip to Xenacoj.  Most of our meals – even breakfast – included beans and handmade tortillas.

Today, our first morning of the trip, we also enjoyed cereal, Tampico (citrus punch), and apparently Pepsi.  The dining table in Suzie’s kitchen was long with two benches on either side.  Meal times provided an opportunity to sit with our team and to interact with German’s family.

Some day, German and Suzie hope to open up a restaurant just outside their kitchen where Suzie can feed villagers with her unbelievable cooking.  I look forward to seeing this dream become reality.

How Do I Come Up With Ideas For My Blog Posts

I was on a retreat this weekend for high school youth leaders from my church.  As part of the weekend, we participating in a rock wall team building activity.  It was so much fun to climb the wall and to cheer each other on.  Some of the leaders in our group climbed up the wall without any problems.  Others struggled as they overcame some of their fears and anxieties to put the harness on and take their feet off the ground.

My height certainly helped me out initially, but I struggled for a while as I approached the top of the wall where the hand holds where smaller and spread out more.  The activity stretched me to reach higher and to trust my belayer down below.

As I was sitting down on the bench at the bottom of the wall waiting for my turn to climb the wall, one of the leaders came over to me and asked if this was going up on the blog.  To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it.  Her comment though made me think.

Life is going on all around us all the time.  She had clearly seen on my past blog posts a pattern of capturing life’s moments and turning them into posts.  It’s true.  My blog is an effort to capture life’s stretch marks and to reflect on them.  My memory doesn’t work as well as it used to, and the blog helps me remember life.

There is inspiration happening all around us.  Are you capturing it?  Are you enjoying it?  Are you living it?

In order to capture these moments, I have developed the habit of keeping a journal.  I also appreciate my smart phone where I can capture a photo, a video, or a thought to reflect on later.

How do you capture the moments of life?

Yes.  I will continue to ponder what is going on around me.  And don’t be surprised if these ponderings become part of the blog.

What happened in your life this weekend worth capturing, pondering, and writing down?  Tell us about it in the comments.

Guatemala Photo of the Day – The Garden Path

From the dirt road to the homes below lies this path that cuts through the garden. I wonder how many people have used this path to get down into the village.

What path are you on?  And why are you taking this path?

The garden path reminds me to be present right where I am.  Whether I’m in the middle of the garden or walking alongside co-workers down the halls of my office, I am right where I’m supposed to be for now.

Guatemala Photo of the Day – The Garden Below

Along the dirt road between our house and German’s house, we passed a large garden below the road.  The garden was well-organized and well maintained.  It made my garden at home look like a small weed collection.  Every once in a while as we walked along this path, we saw a few women tending to the field.

Americans have an impression that people in Guatemala are lazy.  I generally didn’t see this in my Guatemala experiences.  Many of the people in Xenacoj work very hard.  The garden below represented a lot of hard work, a heavenly provision, and a hope for the future.