One Week. (Stick With Something)

Today marks one week that YLP has been going. What is also exciting about this is that this marks the longest I have ever blogged consecutively. One week right? Big deal? Well to others maybe not but to me yes...it's a HUGE deal.

Sticking with something is important to leadership. Who wants to follow someone who starts something but never finishes it? So many ideas that we have would be life changing and set a new standard for leadership if we just stuck with it. I would weigh 30 pounds lighter if I could just stick with my diet and workout plan. Im sure some of you could be the same way.

So how do we stick with an idea? I think of several ideas I have had that I did not stick with and regret tremendously. Teenagers that got excited about something we had just started doing but then fell through on my end. I remember seeing their faces and having to answer questions about why the idea failed. That is not fun, and that is a road I would like to stay away from for now on. I began to think about why they failed and came up with a list of ways to keep your ideas from failing:

1. Plan for the long run. Think weeks, months, years in advance and plan for those. The third month is just as important as the first week. The first week is simple. The idea is fresh on your mind, it's new so of course it's going to be successful. But if you stick with something for the long run it gets tougher. People get comfortable with what is going on and want to see something new, thoughts become harder to find the longer you go into something. If you plan months in advance then you are always on top of things, won't be scrambling at the last minute, and gives you some extra time to prepare.

2. Ask someone for help. Believe it or not you are not in this alone. Whatever area you are leading there are other people in the same boat. Im sure they are looking for help just as much as you are. Find someone to bounce thoughts off of, help with an event, the lighter you make your load the better quality leadership you will produce. You might want to read that line again. Actually Im just going to type it again. The lighter you make your load the better quality leadership you will produce.

3. Push through the pain and the stress. In the beginning it may look like you're never going to make it, but with the longer amount of time you spend with an idea comes success. A mega church doesn't happen over night, an addiction isn't broken in a day, not every instrument player shows up one Sunday and tells you they want to play worship music, you don't start a fortune 500 company over night. Through time you will be successful, only if you stick with it and never give up.

All of the examples from number three have one thing in common. They started with an idea. What's your idea? What are you doing with it?

peace be the journey.
///tres