Big Is The New Small

Posterized - A slang term depicting a play in basketball. In said play, a player dunks the ball over top or in front of another player, making a play so picturesque that it may appear on a poster, hence the term, posterized.  (Blake Griffin makes a living out of posertizing NBA players.)

For those of you that follow sports you know that @blakegriffin is a freak of nature and is an ESPN top 10 highlight reel waiting to happen.  I happen to know Blake and his family, as they attended the LifeChurch.tv Campus that I pastored for many years. (casual name drop)

Blake has always had an amazing knack for the rim and ability to finish with a power dunk.  With the recent addition of one of the best point guards and floor generals in the game, Chris Paul, it’s power dunk to the nth degree.  So much so that the LA Clippers arena is nicknamed Lob City because of what Chris Paul combined with DeaAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin can do with the alley-oop.

Recently Blake Griffin did a monster dunk on OKC Thunder Big Man, my man Kendrick Perkins. The dunk has received over 3 million views and counting on YouTube.  You can check it out here.  I personally have seen way more powerful dunks by Blake Griffin than the Kendrick Perkins contested dunk.

The next game after the Big Posterization dunk on Kendrick Perkins, Blake Griffin and the Clippers faced the Utah Jazz.  Every time Blake got close to the rim, players were scurrying like a bunch of scared mice, because they didn’t want to get posterized.  It’s not only happening with Blake Griffin, but often times you will see players vacate the scene because they don’t want to get posterized.

In life or in basketball, if you want to be successful and you want to be a winner you must be willing to get posterized.  Don’t back down from a challenge, a promotion, taking a risk, facing an opponent or contesting one of the most prolific dunkers in the game.  Go after em’, give it what you got and be willing to get posterized.  Kendrick Perkins’ response to the posterization sums up what I’m trying to say, “It happens… At the end of the day, if you’re a shot blocker, you’re going to get dunked on.” At the end of the day if you give it all that you have in life, business, sports etc. you’re going to get dunked on.

The ones that will be successful in the end are the ones that are willing to take a risk, the ones that are willing to get posterized.  That poster is a symbol that you were willing to try and not run away like a scared coward.  I’d much rather have a guy like Kendrick Perkins on my team than these other guys who are running scared.  That timid business is just weak sauce…  no matter the task; give it all that you have.

Our 26th President Theodore Rooselvelt spoke about those that are not willing to get posterized,

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Why is this generation a generation that is unwilling to get posterized?  Share your thoughts on this new generation of cold timid souls.

No matter how you slice it, encouragement means more than you know.  There are tons of success stories that were inspired by someone encouraging someone with simple words like this, “You have what it takes.”

I remember reading an article in Southwest Airline’s Spirit Magazine about Baltimore Ravens Offensive Tackle Michael Oher that brought truth and reality to this very thing.  Michael is the famous NFL player whose life inspired one of my favorite movies “The Blind Side.”

Michael mentioned how he remembered his 4^th grade teacher Ms. Logan saying, “Can’t never could and ain’t never would.”  He also said he remembered later on in his schooling times when he thought about giving up Miss Sue would say, “You can do it!”  Those simple words were empowering and still impact him today.

For as long as I can remember I have remembered my mom telling me, “Son, you can do absolutely anything.”  Each and every step of my life that I had questions, whether it be college, grad school, starting businesses, big-time leadership roles, being the youngest prison warden in the country…  When I had questions and doubts my mom never had doubts.  “Son, you can do absolutely anything.” 

Throughout the years I’ve had mentors that have said some version of the same thing.   This encouragement coupled with a genuine belief that God is saying, “Son, you can do anything” has made a believer out of me.

As a result, I always try to be a genuine believer in most everyone that I get to work closely with.  One of the pastors that I used to work with told me that I was “Barnabas” to him and that attribute of encouragement saved his career and ministry calling.

It’s pretty amazing how this simple cycle works – I believe in others and in return they believe in themselves.   I have been accused of believing in people too much and I’ll take that criticism any day.  Fortunately, I worship a God that believes in His children too much.

Encourage someone today…  It Means More Than You Know.

Do you make it a habit to encourage others?  Do you know someone that does a great job of encouraging?  Share your thoughts and experiences.

Life is all about the decisions that we make, as well as the decisions that we don’t make.  Unfortunately many people sit on the sidelines holding onto dreams that they have never attempted or have never even tried to put into play.

The bottom line is this, you were made for more; however you’ll never realize the more you were made to be by sitting idle.  You will not reach your potential if you don’t dream big and you simply settle for mediocrity.

The older I get and the more older, wiser and experienced people I talk to, the more I realize this statement to be true, “You will regret the things that you fail to try, way more than the things that you try and fail.”

“If you got a dream, you gotta protect it…  If you want something, go get it. Period!” ~Will Smith – Chris Gardner (Movie Pursuit of Happyness)

 Have you regretted things that you’ve failed to try?  Share your thoughts.

Belief in people is of paramount importance as it relates to the success that they will have.  As a matter of fact, believing in others is the fuel that propels them down the road to success.

What should you do when those around you don’t believe in you?  

You should find a different group of people to surround yourself with.  If the people that don’t believe in you are friends and family, limit your interactions with them, tell them they’re wrong and more importantly prove them wrong.

“Some are destined to succeed, some are determined to succeed.” ~H.H. Swami

You tend to become who those closest and most important to you think you will become. Choose those that are most important and closest to you wisely.

Share your thoughts and experiences with both sides of this coin.

Leadership, Leadership, Leadership…  it seems to be the point of discussion no matter what the subject is. If you turn on SportsCenter you might hear about Tom Brady, Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant’s Leadership.  If you turn on any national news station you might hear about the leadership or lack there of, for the Republican candidate hopefuls or President Obama.  If you look in your social media streams you will see someone sharing a leadership quote or recommending a leadership book.

Everyone is always talking about leadership, many people are writing about leadership and everyone wants to be a better leader.  Leadership expert and author John Maxwell has written countless leadership books and has sold over 19 million copies – a great illustration that people desire to become better leaders.

It doesn’t matter how many leadership books you read, how much leadership intellect you have or if you have obtained an awesome leadership role.  The Cold Hard Facts About Leadership are this:

• 1. If your actions don’t inspire those around you to be more, do more and believe in themselves more; there is a good chance that you are not leading.
• 2. If you are more focused on how you’re perceived than you are developing others and helping those around you win; you’re not leading.
• 3. If you are unwilling to change or lead from the “my way or the highway” standpoint; you’re not leading, that’s called dictating.

Delusive leadership gets delusive results.  Keep it real, care about your people and help others win.  The end result will be better team members, a better organization and an overall better product for the consumer.

Share your thoughts, opinions or experiences with these Cold Hard Facts About Leadership?

Just imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had Twitter or other social networking applications at his disposal, his message would have been even more world changing.  He was known as one of the best orators of his day and one of the top in the history of the country.  The exponential impact of his sound bites and oratory skills would have been extremely powerful with a tool like Twitter.

I believe we take for granted the fact that our message, story, voice and thoughts can literally be globally shared at our leisure and by the push of a button.  This year in the United States we set aside Monday, January 16th. to honor the life of a civil rights leader, pastor and social justice martyr.  MLK positively impacted the US and the world in so many ways, I think it’s great the US has an official holiday in his honor.

My wife and I are in Atlanta and in honor of MLK Holiday we will visit the Atlanta Memorial and the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church that Dr. King pastored.  It will be a great way to bring a different context and memory to the MLK Holiday.  This year I thought it would be great to share some of Dr. King’s memorable quotes that could have easily  been tweets. Not only are they tweetable at (140 characters or less), they are all short enough to be retweetable (122 characters or less).  Quotes can have such power, as a matter of fact I used a number of Dr. King’s quotes to illustrate some power points in my book.

25 Retweetable #MLK Quotes

• 1. Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or darkness of destructive selfishness. #MLK
• 2. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. #MLK
• 3. To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing. #MLK
• 4. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. #MLK
• 5. I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. #MLK
• 6. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. #MLK
• 7. The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict. #MLK
• 8. We are not makers of history. We are made by history. #MLK
• 9. We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. #MLK
• 10. We must face the sad fact that Sunday morning when we stand 2 sing, we stand in the most segregated hour in America. #MLK
• 11. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. #MLK
• 12. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. #MLK
• 13. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” #MLK
• 14. The measure of a man isn’t whr he stands in moments of comfort, but whr he stands @ times of challenge & controversy. #MLK
• 15. If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live. #MLK
• 16. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.  #MLK
• 17. We must use time creatively — and forever realize that the time is always hope to do great things. #MLK
• 18. The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.  #MLK
• 19. The time is always right to do what is right. #MLK
• 20. I have a dream my 4 little children will 1 day liv in a nation whr they will not B judged by the color of their skin. #MLK
• 21. Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see. #MLK
• 22. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. #MLK
• 23. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. #MLK
• 24. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. #MLK
• 25. When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative. #MLK

There are so many more tremendous quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  These are just 25 retweetable quotes that have stood out to me over the years.  Please share your favorites from the above list or any other #MLK quotes that you like.  If you can share them in 120 characters or less, please do so.   This will allow them to be retweetable.

Happy #MLK Holiday!  Please take a few moments on #MLK Holiday to share some quotes, watch a speech, serve in the community, attend the parade, talk to your family about his impact over dinner, communicate to your team that you value the holiday and what Dr. King stood for…  Do something!

As coach Les Miles was interviewed by Erin Andrews on his way off the field at halftime.  He was asked, what he’s going to do get his offense that’s not clicking going in the second half.  Les responded with the quote below:

“We had cadence issues, fumbled snaps, every possible mistake was made… What’s gotta happen at this point is we have gotta chunk that and do things that we came here to do.” ~Les Miles

I’m writing this post during half-time of the game where Alabama has just hit it’s 3rd field goal and lead Les Miles’ Bayou Bengals 9-0.  I don’t have any idea what the outcome will be; however I do know that Coach Miles’ advice doesn’t only apply to football, it’s the story of life.

When things are going wrong and every possible mistake is happening, you gotta chunk that stuff, get focused and do what you came to do.  A key element is during the interview Les Miles didn’t seemed to be worried and was as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Chunk it and do what you were created to do!

I read a profound African Proverb last week that challenged my thinking and it should challenge yours as well.  It should challenge you to not get distracted by people, events and thoughts that in the grand scheme of things really don’t matter.

Don’t get distracted by the critics, successes, bumps in the road, temporary setbacks or things that you don’t understand or don’t have any control over.

The result of those distractions will be a premature exit from the road to success.

The primary reason people fail is not because they don’t have the skills or abilities, they fail because they get distracted.  There will always be plenty of opportunities for success and there will be even more opportunities to get distracted.  Stay focused and Don’t Get Distracted.

“The lion does not turn around when a small dog barks.”

~African Proverb

Are you getting distracted?

At the conclusion of each calendar year I start to plan, plot, dream, think and prepare to make things happen in the upcoming year.  I have a “System for Success” comprised of quarterly goal setting and tools for follow-through that contributes to making things happen in the upcoming year. Putting God first coupled with this “System for Success” has produced colossal results for my family and I.

As I was thinking of my motto for 2012, two words simply came to mind.  Those two words are “Go Big!”  My blog and personal mantra has been dream BIG. think BIGGER. for the last four or so years. Go BIG is a close cousin to dream BIG. think BIGGER.   This year I will use #goBIG when leading my family, my clients, mentees and as general encouragement for others.

What is #goBIG all about?  It’s simple: Go BIG, Take Risks, Don’t Play It Safe, Step Out, Put Your Cards On The Table, Pursue Those Dreams, Start That Business…

• #goBIG For God
• #goBIG For Family
• #goBIG For Everything else

Theologian Williams Shedd says it this way, “A ship is safe at harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.”   The same is true for you, you are safe on the sidelines, you are safe doing more of the same, you are safe settling for what is rather than searching for what could be, you are safe settling…  That’s not you were made for, you were made to #goBIG.

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes-God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed. ~Ecclesiastes 9:7-11 MSG

Each day is God’s gift, open your gift daily, Seize Life and #goBIG.

This week my family will gather at the table to set individual and family goals.  We will implement game plans and systems for success in 2012.  I will encourage everyone to dream BIG. think BIGGER. with the caveat this year of “#goBig!”

2012 is the year to #goBIG!

Are you committed to #goBIG in 2012?  What’s your motto for 2012?

Success is one of those things that many want to achieve but only a few are willing to put in the work necessary to achieve it.  Success is a journey, it’s a road traveled and if you want it, you must go after it.  If you want to succeed you must have an unwavering determination.

We have all heard the sayings, the quotes, the inspirational speeches etc.  In a nutshell, “If you want to succeed, you have to stop talking about it and be about it.  Talk is cheap.  Hard work pays off and there is no substitute for determination.”

In the words of our 30th President Mr. Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”

There is power in pressing on…  Be determined, be someone who presses on.

Why are so many people unwilling to press on?  Why do so many people quit before they succeed?  Why are more people not willing to do what the mouse is doing in the above picture?