Gratitude, Leadership & the Pursuit of True Joy
Do you ever have those moments where you find joy welling up in you in the quiet of the moment? This past week was spent traveling for work. On Sunday, I drove to Victoria, Texas, to check out a market where we provide service that I had not yet seen. As I spent a few days on the coast of Texas and away from home, I couldn’t help but reflect on the last few months with this new job and how incredibly grateful I am for it. It came at precisely the right time in my life when I had achieved precisely the right skills to succeed in it. I am not someone known for his patience, I am someone who bulldozes for the finish line, constantly trying to get to the next thing and then the next. I want to be able to dictate the timeline of my life, and yet, ultimately, in these moments of writing and reflection, I am grateful for the fact that I am not in control, and God alone truly knows what and when the best times for change. As I was thinking through this, I was also reminded of Ecclesiastes 3, which says
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God.”
This is a truth I too often and too easily forget: God, who is ultimately and supremely in control, has not been surprised by me and the choices I have made. He is and has been faithful to provide all things in their due season. All we have to do is trust, obey, and wait. These are all things I all too often struggle with, as much as I might wish to say I have conquered them. But as the verses above say, all things have their season. So, I hope this can be encouraging to anyone who, like me, wrestles to rest in a season of life that seems to have overstayed its welcome.
Currently, I am reading “Your Next Five Moves” by a favorite businessman of mine, Patrick Bet-David. A man who is originally from Iran and has built his own business empire through deliberate planning and by surrounding himself with people who will drive him. He was also recently a guest on the “Modern Wisdom” podcast, where he and Chris discuss many of the ideas of this book as well as his other book, “Choose Your Enemies Wisely,” the next on my list of books to read.
Many of the ideas of this book are primarily focused on how to lead and succeed in business, but they also translate into practical life applications, and since these are both areas within which I am trying to succeed. Within my current role as a Manager, there are many tasks that I have to focus on, but one of the most important is building a strong team that will do the work and do it correctly the first time. One of the things that is often most frustrating is that it is easy to find personnel who will show up and work, but finding and building a team of personnel who will strive to do the job correctly the first time is significantly harder. Learning how to cultivate an atmosphere where a team like this can exist and thrive has been at the forefront of my mind. Many of the struggles and issues I generally end up dealing with on a day-to-day basis are a lack of motivation and drive to do the job correctly, which in turn ends up hindering not just the company but them as professionals as well.
I have found this is truly a challenging mentality to try and help someone overcome as it often is partnered with a victim mentality or a sense of entitlement and them believing that they are owed something more than what they have. And many would generally rather complain about their plight rather than work hard to earn the things they want. I used to think this was only an issue with the younger generation, but as I’ve continued to work in this role and been exposed to this mindset from all ages, I have found it is more of a mind virus that has infected the young and old. So many today chronically live online, and as they watch the picture-perfect, air-brushed lives, many find themselves believing that they, too, should have that kind of life, and rather than admit that they have failed to do the things they should have, they instead complain rather than spend time working toward their goals.
As I return to the thoughts of Thanksgiving, I want to do my best to take inventory of my own life and circumstances and ensure that I am not doing the same things that I find most challenging to deal with in others. Sitting here post-Thanksgiving, having had incredible food, fun conversations, and great laughs, I can say I am once again deeply grateful for many of the incredible people in my life. I received an invitation to join my brother and his soon-to-be in-laws for Thanksgiving, and I had an incredible time. I was initially rather uncertain about going, but I had not made any other Thanksgiving plans, so I joined them, and I must say I am glad I did. They are an incredible family that is truly welcoming and shows true hospitality to those around them. Watching them love and welcome my brother as their family, I can say I hope I, too, love people as well as I’ve seen them do over this weekend. I, too, want to be someone who has a heart for loving others and making them feel welcome and at home. I want to be someone who can and does always welcome those who feel alone and outcast. So many of our world problems would be resolved if we all just did a little better job loving those around us rather than seeking only our own interests in the world.
I've often thought it silly how, right after Thanksgiving, we have Black Friday a day which is known for its violence as people go out seeking to fill the void that the previous days' food could not. I hope to be someone who spends time in quiet meditation instead, being grateful for the experiences I am blessed with, such as this weekend and the new friends I’ve made during this time. There are so many simple pleasures of life to be enjoyed rather than pursuing the next material thing that will only satiate the appetite for things for a moment. The memories of moments lived with others in laughter fill the empty moments of life far better than the new iPhone or the new car ever could. The hunger of the human heart can not be satisfied by the materials of this world, though we often do try. If joy could be bottled up and sold, someone would already be doing so. And they would be far wealthier than any of the companies who rule today. True joy can not be injected, nor can it be found in the newest tech gadgets, six-pack abs, or a plastic implant. True joy is found in the company of friends and family and in quiet moments of prayer. True joy is found in being satisfied with what we have and honestly working toward the things we want.
As ever, thank you for joining me, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
