in late July 2005 a younger more
striking version of myself was was
taking a stroll through checkpoint 1 in
Baghdad Iraq after checking on my men
and Iraqi army counterparts at the front
of the checkpoint I turn to walk back 12
o’clock
Iraqi army soldier find his machine gun
that’s the sound of all hell breaking
loose a vehicle bomb suicide bombers
attacking US forces at a passing
military convoy what I do do I run it
hide no it’s not my style
do I shoot no do I throw my grenade no I
left that back at base stay calm
what’s the first most important action
you take just drop to one knee
put your earplugs that was close and I’m
back in Hero Mode I could begin
directing soldiers and combat vehicles
like a traffic cop you see life and
thousands of not so dramatic military
experiences have helped me navigate
through stages of understanding towards
a fundamental truth to live by actions
over ideas always win you see today this
truth is cluttered by the noise of the
social media hustle praised by likes
loves thumbs ups and smiles Rosa Beth
Kanter describes at a Harvard Business
Review article for reasons any action is
better than none she describes two
realities the first in an active or
passive culture run made decisions pile
up
opportunities are lost the other
inactive culture high levels of
innovation people take initiative they
don’t wait to be told
pretty clear right if we’re to believe
actions over ideas always win why aren’t
we leading better or more aware of what
needs to be done
I believe it’s um cuz in many cases
we’ve told ourselves we weren’t good
enough or found ourselves living or
supporting someone else’s dream and have
not yet released ourselves to be
successful the goal is to combat these
old rules by making an agreement or
contract that embodies follow through in
January 2015 I found myself after twelve
and a half years of honorable active
duty service transitioning from the
United States Army into a world I
believed was ready for all of this
well joke was on me after nine months
and hundreds of job applications not a
hint of a job offer where did I fail
along the way it wasn’t failure
I was trying too hard to make things fit
before the first time found myself
experiencing an identity crisis I thank
my wife Jeffrey for shaking me out of a
funk I was sending myself into with a
reminder of who I was and what I was
made of for me it was reconnecting to a
core belief that provided a clear
purpose vision and direction to live a
life with meaning
I see purpose defined as doing those
things that if you woke up tomorrow you
would do them anyway because of the joy
peace and fulfillment that you were
impacting the world what if a chance at
tomorrow was earned with the actions of
today would you do anything different
starting a business you develop a
business plan in life I believe we
should do the same today we’re going to
follow the leadership law into action
our life agreement will the life
agreement will was created on a
necessity to apply structure to chaos in
my life in my way of trip
the course to action would navigate
through phase 1 put me in phase 2
knowing show in phase 3 work it phase 1
we say put me in when really we’re in a
state of euphoric idiocy think about a
time where you were excited or anxious
about a life career or relational
transition or thoughts that finally
write in that book you knew what you
were doing right here we don’t know what
we don’t know it was important for me to
manage expectation and connect to a
cornerstone in my life of being selfless
through service to help bridge the gap
between where we are and where we desire
to be the foundation to help us get
moving and is shifting into other levels
has found the development of a smart
plan that is specific measurable
achievable relevant and timely this plan
helped me get in the game by serving my
church local nonprofits connected me to
my first job and started my business
phase 1 is the foundation everything
else once I began executing this plan I
was finally begin to see and experience
some wins this is system with the
transition to phase 2 no one show where
we find ourselves gathering information
around the plan and now know what we
don’t know we begin to use this
information to become aware of what we
want to accomplish we go after it more
consistently however this is where the
fear and doubt of knowing versus doing
can cause us to pause ask a question is
like did we do that right who can we ask
for help as our confidence grows we
become aware of role players along this
journey the raid veracity of our actions
will help decode the right and wrong
type of relationship I could recall
being connected to a corporate recruiter
who only seen my resume had already
formed opinions and perceptions that I
later understood as his lack of
knowledge of service members with a
blanket generalization he told me in his
experience service members didn’t
transition to the corporate environment
little rascal almost got me
after taking a minute before responding
I trashed his comments the actions I
have been taking combined with a strong
inner circle were crucial to continuing
to help me see myself correctly while
staying focused on where I was heading
you see there’s no true pull myself up
by my own bootstraps story trust me I
ask the right questions you’ll quickly
come to understand the person telling
you that they had help the bottom line
of phase 2 is to know who and where your
support is coming from and build
confidence through your actions the
third and final phase work it as we
become subject matter experts James
Erskine loves jr. said the highest
degree of excellence is not what you set
by someone else it is measured by your
own potential it’s a comparison between
what you do and what you’re capable of
doing in this phase we are working on
gifts talents established skills and
abilities here we have planned it tried
it refined it and repeat but this is not
a culmination of gifts and talents it is
however an opening for evolution in its
phase we’re beginning to see ourselves
as the resource or a potential missing
link to someone or something because of
our expertise in Phase three we are
getting tuned into position to connect
others to our next level of
understanding in action the key in Phase
three is to be vigilant and intentional
with what we do I stand before you today
the proud owner of my defining moments
supported by continually working my life
agreement will good bad and different
the gift of life presents us all the
opportunity to speak and be the change
connecting purpose to passion by showing
each other grace love empathy and having
the courage to tell the truth we tap
into a bravery that connects us to
becoming the catalyst for transformation
in our spheres of influence I challenge
you today to take hold of your earplug
moments and walk the walk through your
own life agreement wheel by getting in a
game with a smart plan like phase one no
show and do like Phase two
and become a vigilante for
intentionality like phase three because
when you do well listen to what you say
but we’ll hear how you act actions over
ideas always win
thank you [Applause]
striking version of myself was was
taking a stroll through checkpoint 1 in
Baghdad Iraq after checking on my men
and Iraqi army counterparts at the front
of the checkpoint I turn to walk back 12
o’clock
Iraqi army soldier find his machine gun
that’s the sound of all hell breaking
loose a vehicle bomb suicide bombers
attacking US forces at a passing
military convoy what I do do I run it
hide no it’s not my style
do I shoot no do I throw my grenade no I
left that back at base stay calm
what’s the first most important action
you take just drop to one knee
put your earplugs that was close and I’m
back in Hero Mode I could begin
directing soldiers and combat vehicles
like a traffic cop you see life and
thousands of not so dramatic military
experiences have helped me navigate
through stages of understanding towards
a fundamental truth to live by actions
over ideas always win you see today this
truth is cluttered by the noise of the
social media hustle praised by likes
loves thumbs ups and smiles Rosa Beth
Kanter describes at a Harvard Business
Review article for reasons any action is
better than none she describes two
realities the first in an active or
passive culture run made decisions pile
up
opportunities are lost the other
inactive culture high levels of
innovation people take initiative they
don’t wait to be told
pretty clear right if we’re to believe
actions over ideas always win why aren’t
we leading better or more aware of what
needs to be done
I believe it’s um cuz in many cases
we’ve told ourselves we weren’t good
enough or found ourselves living or
supporting someone else’s dream and have
not yet released ourselves to be
successful the goal is to combat these
old rules by making an agreement or
contract that embodies follow through in
January 2015 I found myself after twelve
and a half years of honorable active
duty service transitioning from the
United States Army into a world I
believed was ready for all of this
well joke was on me after nine months
and hundreds of job applications not a
hint of a job offer where did I fail
along the way it wasn’t failure
I was trying too hard to make things fit
before the first time found myself
experiencing an identity crisis I thank
my wife Jeffrey for shaking me out of a
funk I was sending myself into with a
reminder of who I was and what I was
made of for me it was reconnecting to a
core belief that provided a clear
purpose vision and direction to live a
life with meaning
I see purpose defined as doing those
things that if you woke up tomorrow you
would do them anyway because of the joy
peace and fulfillment that you were
impacting the world what if a chance at
tomorrow was earned with the actions of
today would you do anything different
starting a business you develop a
business plan in life I believe we
should do the same today we’re going to
follow the leadership law into action
our life agreement will the life
agreement will was created on a
necessity to apply structure to chaos in
my life in my way of trip
the course to action would navigate
through phase 1 put me in phase 2
knowing show in phase 3 work it phase 1
we say put me in when really we’re in a
state of euphoric idiocy think about a
time where you were excited or anxious
about a life career or relational
transition or thoughts that finally
write in that book you knew what you
were doing right here we don’t know what
we don’t know it was important for me to
manage expectation and connect to a
cornerstone in my life of being selfless
through service to help bridge the gap
between where we are and where we desire
to be the foundation to help us get
moving and is shifting into other levels
has found the development of a smart
plan that is specific measurable
achievable relevant and timely this plan
helped me get in the game by serving my
church local nonprofits connected me to
my first job and started my business
phase 1 is the foundation everything
else once I began executing this plan I
was finally begin to see and experience
some wins this is system with the
transition to phase 2 no one show where
we find ourselves gathering information
around the plan and now know what we
don’t know we begin to use this
information to become aware of what we
want to accomplish we go after it more
consistently however this is where the
fear and doubt of knowing versus doing
can cause us to pause ask a question is
like did we do that right who can we ask
for help as our confidence grows we
become aware of role players along this
journey the raid veracity of our actions
will help decode the right and wrong
type of relationship I could recall
being connected to a corporate recruiter
who only seen my resume had already
formed opinions and perceptions that I
later understood as his lack of
knowledge of service members with a
blanket generalization he told me in his
experience service members didn’t
transition to the corporate environment
little rascal almost got me
after taking a minute before responding
I trashed his comments the actions I
have been taking combined with a strong
inner circle were crucial to continuing
to help me see myself correctly while
staying focused on where I was heading
you see there’s no true pull myself up
by my own bootstraps story trust me I
ask the right questions you’ll quickly
come to understand the person telling
you that they had help the bottom line
of phase 2 is to know who and where your
support is coming from and build
confidence through your actions the
third and final phase work it as we
become subject matter experts James
Erskine loves jr. said the highest
degree of excellence is not what you set
by someone else it is measured by your
own potential it’s a comparison between
what you do and what you’re capable of
doing in this phase we are working on
gifts talents established skills and
abilities here we have planned it tried
it refined it and repeat but this is not
a culmination of gifts and talents it is
however an opening for evolution in its
phase we’re beginning to see ourselves
as the resource or a potential missing
link to someone or something because of
our expertise in Phase three we are
getting tuned into position to connect
others to our next level of
understanding in action the key in Phase
three is to be vigilant and intentional
with what we do I stand before you today
the proud owner of my defining moments
supported by continually working my life
agreement will good bad and different
the gift of life presents us all the
opportunity to speak and be the change
connecting purpose to passion by showing
each other grace love empathy and having
the courage to tell the truth we tap
into a bravery that connects us to
becoming the catalyst for transformation
in our spheres of influence I challenge
you today to take hold of your earplug
moments and walk the walk through your
own life agreement wheel by getting in a
game with a smart plan like phase one no
show and do like Phase two
and become a vigilante for
intentionality like phase three because
when you do well listen to what you say
but we’ll hear how you act actions over
ideas always win
thank you [Applause]
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