The Joy of Being Fully Engaged, Your Commitment to Excellence, The Author of Your Life
The Disciple-Leader Newsletter #49 // December 30, 2023
Discipleship. Leadership. Mental Performance.
DISCIPLESHIP
“Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing.”
Phil Jackson
You can learn so much from studying the lives of people who've reached the pinnacle of success in their field. For good and for bad. One of the things that used to always confuse me about "successful" people is how many of them were unhappy.
That doesn't confuse me anymore.
Two months ago, I shared some quotes from Matthew Perry, an actor who had made it big in Hollywood. In his autobiography, he reflected on what he had learned: "I couldn’t believe what I was about to say, but I said it. I said, ‘You know what, Craig? It doesn’t do what we all thought it would. It doesn’t fix anything."
This experience is much more common than rare not just among the rich and famous, but among humans in general.
We search for happiness in all the wrong places.
This is why Phil Jackson's quote holds so much weight to me. He was an 11x champion head coach in the NBA. He'd coached MJ, Pippen, Shaq, and Kobe. Like Matthew Perry, he won. He reached the peak. 11x.
In fact, Jackson won so often that he developed great clarity about what really brings joy, as evidenced in his quote. Full engagement, not winning, is what fueled his joy.
Full engagement is about the process. The journey. Winning is about the finish line. Think about these two statements:
"Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable. Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end? Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Those times when you get up early and you work hard, those times when you stay up late and you work hard, those times when you don't feel like working, you're too tired, you don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That's the dream. It's not the destination, it's the journey." - Kobe Bryant
The scriptures talk about being made alive in Christ. Jesus taught that He came to give us a more abundant life. He desires to dwell in us. He does this through the power of the Holy Ghost. With that said, it's important to realize there is a direct correlation between the level of your engagement with life and the measure of the Holy Ghost you experience, or in other words, the degree to which Christ lives in and through you.
Jesus didn't do anything half-hearted. He still doesn't. Thus, the Holy Ghost doesn't accompany any half-hearted actions. Half-heartedness actually drives the Spirit away. Christ can't dwell in a half-hearted individual. It is against His nature.
Consider these verses.
"For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such" (Moroni 7:6-9).
"Come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them" (3 Nephi 18:32).
Note, the phrase "full purpose of heart" appears in the Book of Mormon 4 times, this instance coming from Jesus Himself. Clearly, doing things with full purpose of heart is crucial to everything Jesus stands for.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24).
Whatever you do. Not just whenever you pray, go to church, or do something else spiritual. Whatever you do.
"Anything that you cannot (do not) do wholeheartedly is sin." - Baal Sham
If you are struggling to feel joy, or at a deeper level, if you are struggling to experience the presence of God on a consistent basis, one of the best questions to ask yourself is, "How often am I living/acting half-heartedly?"
Close that gap and you'll be amazed at the difference in your life.
LEADERSHIP
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Vince Lombardi
Take a moment before the new year to reflect on 2023. Think less about your circumstances and more about the choices you've made this year. Think of the things you have full control over.
How do you feel about your year?
What do you feel good about? What are you proud of?
What do you wish was different?
You'll notice a connection between what you feel good about/what you're proud of and your commitment level to that thing. For example, if you feel good about your family relationships, it's probably because of the time and work you've put into them. If you feel good about your body, it's probably because of the work you've put into it. If you don't feel good about your body, your relationships, or anything else, think about your commitment to excellence in that endeavor.
Chances are, you just aren't that committed.
Vince Lombardi's quote is a law of life. Your satisfaction with anything is directly tied to your commitment to excellence.
So if you're not satisfied, here's your 2024 New Year's resolution: Stop complaining. Start committing.
MENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
"If something is humanly possible, it’s attainable by you too."
Marcus Aurelius
It's been said that the best way to predict your future is to create it. Remember, you are the author of your story. You hold the pen. Just like J.K. Rowling wouldn't hand over the pen to write Harry Potter, why would you hand over the pen to your story? You're the author. Your life is what your thoughts + actions make it.
"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward" (D&C 58:27-28).
Here, God confirms the absolute truth that you have the capacity to do great things. That power is in you. Not only that, He desires that you do great things.
God is for you. Are you for you?
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).
Disciple-Leadership: Jesus-led. Lead like Jesus.