Bring Your "A" Game?

Picture yourself in a football locker room. You come in from a practice before the beginning of the season and you pick up a copy of the schedule. You immediately look to see when you’ll play your biggest rival. They’re ranked really high this season so your big rivalry game will be even bigger this year. Your teammate in the locker next to yours leans over and says, “you better bring your “A” game when we play those guys from across town.”

Ever heard that phrase before? “A” game? What does it really mean? Usually when someone tells you to bring your “A” game, they’re telling you to make sure you give your best effort. They’re saying, “you gotta give it your all on this one.” But why, in anything we do, would we ever bring our “B” game? Why would we go into a situation giving less than our best attempt?

The phrase, “anything worth doing is worth doing well” applies to all aspects of our lives. Whether you’re an athlete, janitor, small business owner or have any other form of employment, if you’re going to do it you should do it as well as you can! Only bringing your “A” game on certain situations would seem to indicate that it’s ok on some occasions to give less than your best. Some days will definitely be better than others, but to go into a situation and knowingly give less than what you’re capable of is not only disrespectful to those who work with you, but it’s also disrespectful to yourself.

Even in situations that don’t have anything to do with work, giving less than your best is never a good idea. Would you, as a parent, only do your best to raise your child on certain occasions? If a friend needed someone to talk to, would you only try to be the best listener you could be at certain times? Give your best at ALL times. It’s the only thing anyone can really ever ask of you.

“Once a job is first begun,

Never leave it ‘till it’s done.

Be the labor great or small,

Do it well, or not at all.”

-Unknown

Hail To The Good Guys!

A lot of times when we hear people speak on the state of manhood in our society they never seem to have anything positive to say. We often hear the generalizations that “all men are dogs” or “guys never want a committed relationship” or “there are no good guys out there”. We know these statements aren’t true. There are plenty of great guys out there who are carrying their weight as men. They’re faithful, honest, provide time and money, and play active roles in the lives of their children, but are constantly overlooked because of the prevailing perception that men don’t do those things anymore. For the good guys being disregarded or bombarded with the constant negatives about men this can be discouraging. We’re here to tell you, “keep going”!

We don’t carry our weight just to seek worldly praise. We are simply living life as responsible human beings. It just so happens we are men and understand our roles as men. We lead, provide, protect, serve, grow, and cast visions for ourselves and others. The negative generalizations may seem a bit whimsical to you if you surround yourself with men fulfilling their duties just like yourself. The generalizations don’t fit your circle. It’s ok, let others have their say and continue to live life with the eyes blinded to the truth. The ones who matter the most don’t believe in the generalizations, they know the truth. They live in the reality of comfort, security and trust because you quietly handle your responsibilities. You don’t live your life based on the standard society has set for what a man should strive to be, for that is much too trivial for you. Your standards are to a higher bar. 

Keep doing what you’re doing! Even when you feel like you’re the only one trying to go the right way, stand on the fact that even a few can change many and even the world. Whether it is brother to brother, father to son, uncle to nephew, or mentor to child, a simple example can change those who watch and inspire even more to change. To the men who do what is right regardless of the circumstances, regardless if they are appreciated or thanked, take comfort in knowing you’ve positively impacted the people you come across. Your motivation is not in worldly praise or accolades, but that of a much more intrinsic value. Stand up men, and continue to step on those weak generalizations of manhood, for they are proof the world needs you. 

Happy New You

We’ve arrived at the time of year where most Americans are making new year resolutions. From losing weight to quitting smoking, people have vowed as of January 1^st to change their lives for the better. You've probably seen the Facebook and Twitter updates that go something like this:

“Thanking God to see another year! This year will be my best year ever!”

or

“This is the year of change! No more of the old me!”

The prospect of a new flawless year lying before us seems to get us all in the mood for improvement, but when February rolls around most of us are right back where we were on December 31^st. The pressure of sustaining change throughout the entire year becomes more than we feel we can bear and we end up back in the same bad habits we were trying to change. The good news is that we have 7 opportunities each week, 24 opportunities each day to make and act on resolutions to change our lives.

We don’t have to wait until January 1^st to make a resolution to better our lives. If you’re reading this right now, you have the opportunity in your hands to make things better. Try it today. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what’s right.” There’s no need to put a future date on doing what needs to be done. Start NOW!

Whatever it is you want to improve on, start immediately. Change those Facebook and Twitter updates to something that goes like this:

“Thanking God to see another DAY! This DAY will be my best year ever!”

or

“This is the DAY of change! No more of the old me!”

You could even go as far to break it down to the hour, minute, or even second. The point remains; we have new opportunities that pass with every heartbeat. There’s no need for us to wait on the calendar to make a change. Start right now, right where you stand. Don’t let the next January 1^st find you in the same place making the same resolutions as you did last year. Resolve each day, each hour, each minute, each second to be better, then go make it happen!

Be There

Have you ever received a wedding or graduation invitation in the mail that begins with the phrase, “The Honor of Your Presence is Requested...”? It’s a simple phrase, but extremely powerful. The person sending the invitation isn’t asking you to bring a gift, or perform any type of service. They just want you to be present. Simply being there would mean so much to them.

Sometimes we forget how much it means to our children, whether biological or just children of the community, for us to be present. How will our boys learn how to be men without our example? How will our girls know what kind of man they should marry without our illustration? Our presence in the home, church, and community is vital to the next generation coming along. It’s the same reason why instruction manuals come with step by step pictures. Sometimes our words aren’t enough to get the point across. They need our presence, and we need to demonstrate in front of them what it is to be a man.

That’s not to say that the only thing we should do is be present. We definitely should actively council and guide our youth. Sometimes we will have to engage them and interact to get a lesson across, but we can never underestimate the power of our presence. Our silent, living example of what to be and what not to be is invaluable, powerful impact.

It costs nothing to spend some time. So men, as we approach Father’s Day, The Honor of Your Presence is Requested In The Lives Of Our Children. There’s no need to RSVP. Just be there.

The Journey Never Ends

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

I’m sure you’ve either been asked or have asked yourself that question before. It’s a good thing to have goals. It’s even better when we make plans and put them into action to reach those goals. But what do we do when the goal is reached?

Many times after we reach our goal, we become complacent. We soak in all of the enjoyment that comes with reaching what we’ve targeted for so long. We feel proud of our accomplishment. We puff out our chest a little bit; confident and self-assured of our abilities.

Then we stay there.

We sit, enjoy, and rest. “Mission Accomplished” some might say. And as we sit there, satisfied with our position, the world passes us by. Here we are thinking that we've “arrived” only to realize that we've actually stepped off of the moving train of life while it chugs on to the next destination.

Having goals is a very important part of manhood, but beyond that we should understand that each time we set a goal and accomplish it, we should be setting a NEW goal. Whenever you think you've reached the mountaintop, find another mountain to climb. Whenever you think you've arrived, hop on another train. Setting goals, accomplishing them, then setting new goals is fundamental to growth. When you’re content with your accomplishments and no longer have the drive to achieve more, you’re finished. You’re done growing at that point, and anything not growing is dead.

So where do you see yourself next year? In 2 years? In 5 years? Wherever that place may be, once you get there ask yourself the same question again. Set a new goal, make a new plan, and continue to grow, because once you begin to act as if you’ve arrived, it’s the end of the line.