A picture perfect life
- At July 24, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
My Canadian passport has come in quite handy over the years. Aside from getting me where I need to go, this standard document has provided endless hours of entertainment. How so? Whenever my wife needs a good laugh, she opens it up and looks at my picture yet again. I laugh too. It’s a terrible shot. Truly hilarious.
How all those border guards were able to keep a straight face, and let me into their countries, I will never know. Although I can probably guess what they talked about during their coffee breaks.
There must be a school where you can learn how to take horrible pictures for official documents somewhere. A place where the goal is to make everyone look like they just woke up at three in the morning. This training might give people in power a psychological edge. Come to think of it, the guy on my driver’s licence does look suspicious. After one glance at my new photo I.D., I felt like making a citizen’s arrest and turning myself into the local authorities.
Perhaps you can relate.
Then again, it isn’t always easy to take a good picture, one where everyone and everything looks just so. Talk to anybody with kids. Talk to any wedding photographer after another nerve-racking day. Talk about a stressful job! In fact, getting a good shot is incredibly difficult at times – at least for me, and on either end of the camera.
An informal photo shoot for this website, for example, turned into a resounding gong show some time ago. Or in other words, it was an exercise in complete futility. How the delete button works is no longer a mystery.
If I had wanted to appear to be half awake, dazed and confused, grouchy and miserable, or completely disoriented, etc. most of the pictures would have turned out fine. But, of course I was hoping to come across as a happy, well-adjusted, and moderately successfully person who was coasting along quite nicely (thank you very much) through this life.
Unfortunately the camera did not want to cooperate. Confounded contraption.
But anyone who knows me, knows full well that I do not have a picture perfect life anyway. How many on this planet do? Really, how many people can back up the polished images they sometimes prefer to display?
Sure, there is something to be said for focusing on what is good, or even on a positive vision of what life could be like some day. It isn’t necessary to always dwell on the dark side, to be excessively realistic, or to fixate on personal problems. We don’t need to constantly air our dirty laundry. We all understand, as we pose to have our picture taken, that no one goes around smiling perfectly 24 hours a day.
Which is to say, that it’s perfectly okay to try to put your best foot forward. Why would anyone search for the worst possible picture they can find?
But the problem, as you know, is that it’s possible to quickly cross the line and go on to misrepresent who we truly are. It’s all too tempting for many of us to fabricate a life that barely exists, and then place this artificial image where it can be prominently displayed.
Strolling through a beautiful tourist town the other day, I was struck by how people could visit this bustling street – filled with expensive cars, well-dressed people, trendy stores, attractive restaurants, etc. – for all the wrong reasons.
For a moment, it felt like I was standing by the exit door at an image factory.
*This brief reflection about being authentic is also available in an audio format
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.
Seeking a new perspective
- At June 25, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
It would have been better to read Os Guinness’s book the way he intended: only one chapter per day. Blazing through The Call: Finding and Fulfilling The Central Purpose of Your Life in a couple days was too much. Reflecting on ten pages each day over twenty-six days would have worked much better. My brain is overloaded and I’m feeling a bit numb.
An illustration perhaps that discovering something as substantial as your core life purpose doesn’t usually happen overnight. No, these things take time – a whole lot of precious time.
Not that I came away with nothing of value. There was, of course, the initial reminded that a deep sense of personal value and worth – not to mention a clear sense of calling – isn’t emphasized in every culture, philosophy or religion. While many people assume that this conviction is common everywhere, sadly, it just isn’t.
Unfortunately, large groups of people are taught to deny their true individuality, and talk about personal dignity and unique potential is routinely brushed aside. At the same time, many individuals carry on as if their lives matter although when pressed to give a reason are unsure exactly why; they live, coasting along, without compelling answers to critical life questions.
For the record, Dr. Guinness writes passionately about personal purpose as a committed Christian. And this is not a coincidence. Could it be that Christ’s arrival on the earth did more to affirm the value of each human being than anything else? For that matter, how much positive energy on this planet could finally be traced back to this source? Pausing to gaze east out of a western window, I wonder.
What else stood out during this supersonic survey?
Well, even a quick glance at the title of this book suggests that each person is called in some sense. It isn’t The Call: Becoming a Pastor or a Priest or The Call: Leaving your Family and Friends to Serve in Another Country or Culture Forever and Ever. Not at all. Who knows? It might even be perfectly normal to feel “called” to read a specific book and then write about it, or to do whatever you were doing before you decided to visit this website.
There is a word of caution here for all who desire to feel profoundly called and deeply inspired each and every moment of their lives. But at the same time, this book is written for all who aspire to have a greater sense of calling. And all of life is in view here – not just a small part of it.
Each chapter begins with a story, usually about somebody famous: William Wilberforce, Vaclav Havel, Andrew Carnegie, Pablo Picasso, Wolfgang Mozart, Ferdinand Magellan, and many others come up in the conversation. But Dr. Guinness also takes the time to tell about his family history and talk about his own story to introduce an aspect of calling. And yes, if “Guinness” sounds like the name of a famous Irish brew, you might be on to something.
Dr. Guinness has studied at Oxford, worked at L’Abri, reported for the BBC, and written or edited over 30 books. He has also served as a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum in the USA for many years. And yet, after reading his book, I am reminded that while calling certainly involves what we each do for a living, it also includes much more than just that. Calling is complicated, mysterious, all-encompassing and very much connected to the Caller.
One final observation: Discovering a greater sense of purpose often involves learning to view your life from a whole new perspective.
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.
What is right for you
- At June 03, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Effective living
- 0
“It’s too bad the moral relativists got to define this phrase,” my thoughtful wife said one evening during dinner, “for so often what is right for one person is not what is best for another.” Setting my fork aside to pay more attention, I wondered what she was getting at.
As we talked, the problem became more clear: An observation that had some merit (i.e. “That is right for you but not right for me”) had routinely been applied in situations where it didn’t make sense. Go figure. And now, this distorted use of language had become so entrenched that it was almost impossible to talk about legitimate individual freedoms and preferences without being misunderstood.
A useful phrase had been hijacked and in the process an important emphasis had been obscured. Did it sound too strong too put it that way?
From the vantage point of our kitchen table, it was appropriate and even urgently necessary to find a meaningful way to talk about significant personal distinctions because, well…let’s face it: A lack of understanding is all too common as is outright control. Treating potatoes exactly like broccoli wouldn’t make for a tasty meal or result in winning any cooking awards. But that’s what tends to happen when human beings mix and mingle. Bob the tomato gets blended together with Larry the cucumber into one big indescribable mush.
One word aptly describes this culinary concoction: Yuck.
It needs to be said that this radical redefinition can be unconscious and unintended; it just happens – almost as an aside. But this distorted way of relating can also be very active and intense.
Be warned: For every person who genuinely wants you to thrive as a distinct human being you are bound to meet dozens who merely want to plug you into some program or make you fit into what they’ve got going on. In the process, if all goes well you will appear to be a little bit less successful and so make them feel good about themselves. Sadly, it’s the way things work in this be-like-me world.
This prevalent pattern does make a person sometimes wonder if there are any truly secure people on the planet.
Western culture is usually considered to be highly individualistic, and it is comparatively speaking. But even in Canada, the USA, or Europe, etc. you will find no shortage of people and organizations who try to control very personal aspects of your daily life. Yes, you can count on being controlled even in the center of the free world.
Is it possible to have too much freedom and too much control, too much of one and too much of the other? Apparently it is. A cultural tendency to deny real boundaries and bedrock truth in the name of freedom doesn’t seem to prevent very many from trying to force their opinions on others. This harmful way of thinking and living results, more often than not, in people being way too open and much too closed, critical and controlling at the same time. It’s a lose-lose situation. Not good.
We fail to take a stand when it is necessary; and then turn around and take a stand when there is really nothing much to stand upon.
People can believe anything they like or nothing at all. Oh yeah, the universe will be sure to quickly adjust. But, doesn’t everyone know, for example, that proper and normal English is only spoken in southwest Saskatchewan by third generation Scandinavian immigrants? Didn’t know that? Well, now you do. And with any luck the Supreme Court and the U.N. will be sure to remind you.
Each person has some weird idea lurking deep in their soul that they might feel inclined to force on others if given the opportunity. Don’t they?
To be fair, it isn’t necessary to be a part of the controlling liberal tradition in order to fall into the very same controlling mindset. Denying the truth about human beings is one way to take the tumble. But ignoring the truth will work just fine.
Working through a well-established personality inventory not too ago, it became apparent that I was quite a bit different from the woman I had married. How about that? Actually, I discovered that we were different in almost every way. Amazing. Isn’t it strange how you can know someone for many years and yet not really know them at all? And suddenly it also became uncomfortably obvious that my personality had been on a covert mission over the years to control the personality that happened to be close by.
“Why can’t you be more like yourself?” Has anyone asked you that question lately?
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.
Empowering more people
- At April 30, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Leadership
- 0
Career & Life Direction welcomes Dr. Barry Slauenwhite as he reflects on personal initiatives which have helped Compassion Canada to grow and thrive.
I have been serving with Compassion Canada for almost 30 years. The first ten years was spent as VP of Marketing and Communications and the last 20 years as President & CEO. Over this timeframe I have seen a lot of changes…most of them ones I have initiated. Some out of necessity and some out of innovation. None without their fair share of stress and hard work.
When I was first appointed to the role of CEO I asked the board for one year of no growth so that I could concentrate on rebuilding the foundation of the organization. Although we had experienced modest growth over the previous ten years, it was obvious that the organizational structure would not sustain stronger growth and the potential was much greater than what we had realized. We had experienced consistent deficit budgets and struggled to meet our financial obligations. Although we were bringing in new donors we were not doing a good job of servicing and retaining them.
And now, 20 years later, Compassion Canada has grown by 900% and we are considered to be a leader in donor retention.
The first move I made was to build a new organizational culture. Staff morale was low as was productivity. I took the staff away on a two-day retreat and introduced my new philosophy of how we work together emphasizing the Fruit of the Spirit mixed with excellence in how we carry out our work. This one exercise proved to be a valuable investment in boosting staff morale and productivity.
The second step was to create a team style leadership. Our leadership tended to be more autocratic and staff felt their giftedness and skills were being undervalued. We emphasized collaboration, empowerment and joint decision-making. I formed an executive team that continues to be the backbone of how we run the organization. Work teams were created along with cross-functioning ministry teams to ensure communication was flowing to all levels of the ministry.
Engaging the staff and giving them a voice in decision-making produced almost immediate results. Morale dramatically improved and productivity soon followed. Then I turned my attention to more structural issues such as board governance.
The potential was much greater than we had realized
Compassion, like many NGOs, was heavily dependent on government funding. This created somewhat of a laissez-faire attitude towards fundraising. We had not developed a strong private donor network which positioned us to be quite vulnerable to government funding whims. Hence a significant portion of our funding and subsequent program activity followed the roller coaster agendas of the government foreign aid agenda. After coming to grips with the long-term implications of this funding model we developed a private donor strategy that replaced government funding and created a whole new network of donors that continues to be the backbone of our funding program.
Lastly, we created a national volunteer strategy to mobilize current and future donors to passionately promote the ministry cause. Initially just a handful of committed people, this network now numbers over 2,000 and has become a significant component of our marketing strategy and is responsible for a sizable portion of our overall revenues.
To help measure the effectiveness of my strategies, I engaged the services of the Best Christian Workplace. This tool gives me an accurate pulse of how the staff is doing and what areas I need to give attention to. It provides a mechanism for staff feedback and overall staff health. The data from this feedback helps me adjust my strategies in tweaking what is weak and building on what is strong.
Over these 20 years as CEO I have learned the value of surrounding myself with good people. People who are passionate for the cause, committed to Christ and His church and competent in their skill set. I have learned that character is more important than skill and that people thrive in an environment where they have a cause and are able to express themselves in responding to that cause.
Dr. Barry Slauenwhite has been serving with Compassion Canada since 1983. He is a leading voice in the Canadian Christian community, speaking on behalf of the poor. Barry and his wife, Sharon, live in London, Ontario, and have two adult daughters and two grandchildren.
Consider crowdfunding
- At April 16, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
The last time I checked, Audrey Assad had raised $71,933 USD to record her first Independent album. In fact, she raised so much money that it looks like she is going to record two. That’s not bad for a month-long campaign. Not bad at all.
How how did she do it?
Like so many others creative types, Audrey turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter.com. You see, her contract with Sparrow Records had recently come to an end. And now Audrey was an artist struggling to make it on her own once again. But with the help of this amazing fundraising platform, she was able to appeal directly to her fans.
As it turned out, Audrey wasn’t all alone after all.
Kickstarter won’t necessary kickstart everyone or everything; it is limited to creative projects and, as far as I can tell, isn’t available in Canada. Wherever you live, though, a crowdfunding website of some sort is likely within your reach. Indiegogo is one site you might want to explore. Rocket Hub is another. And there are many more, in various stages of development, including Boumchicaboum.
This type of techo-fundraising tool just might be what you need to bring a project you are passionate about to life.
How does it work? The crowdfunding people in New York (Kickstarter) or San Fransisco (Indiegogo) or wherever provide the technical expertise and take a 5-10% cut. Meanwhile, you provide detailed information about your worthy project and come up with some creative rewards. You will need to create a compelling video and also write about the purpose of your project. And then, people who are interested in what you are doing hopefully kick in the cash. This, of course, is the hard part.
One weakness with this approach is that you basically need to have a crowd of people who are interested in what you are doing before you start. While you will gain some exposure, this system doesn’t primarily create support. Rather, this online tool provides a way for people to express their support. In other words, this method works best if you already have a community, a network, or a fan base of some sort.
As well, giving from such a distance implies a large amount of trust. For unlike a nonprofit organization, a governing board will not oversee how the money is spent. No audits are required. No financial statements will likely be forthcoming. This means that your project will need to instantly have obvious merit aside from meeting pressing personal needs.
People will need to have very good reason to feel confident that you are not a crook or a crackpot looking for some easy cash.
After taking the time to explore the Kickstarter site, it appears that more than a few loons have landed in this virtual fundraising pond. Would an Indie debut recording featuring 12 monotonous tuba solos receive the same kind of support? Probably not. Some people might get paid more if they promise to stop playing.
And while I am sitting on enough material to create my very own “Weird Nathan” album complete with potential hit songs like “Big Yellow Tow Truck” and “We Didn’t Start that Fire” inspired from listening to Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel…I think I’ll wait.
At Kickstarter, less than half of the projects advertised on the site actually reach their fundraising goals. Pause for a moment and let this sobering statistic sink in. This implies that anyone looking for a money tree to shake should probably look somewhere else. But at the same time, this online platform certainly has potential. Actually, it has an amazing amount of potential. Anybody can make use of it. And it is free.
This online service might just be what you need to bring your dreams back to life. What have you got to lose if you give it a try?
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.
Searching for answers
- At April 06, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Career & Life Planning
- 0
No one arrives on this planet knowing everything they need to know. Then again, one exception comes to mind; one solitary life stands out.
But for most of us, humility always make sense. For there is so much that we do not know.
If knowledge equals power then people like you and me are obviously lacking in both. It’s a no brainer. It is so obvious. We all need help. Human knowledge is as limited as the day is long.
Trying to make a major decision? Keep in mind that you likely do not intuitively know what you need to know in order to do that. No offense. Don’t be insulted. That’s just the way it is for each person reading this. You will need to spend a significant amount of time gathering information. If you haven’t done that yet, you will need to. Sorry, but there is no other reasonable way to go about it.
Do you really want to routinely make critical decisions in a way that is random or reckless?
Even if you tend to rely more on your emotions when making a decision (and to some extent that is okay) make sure you make the time to take in accurate images and pictures which will in turn shape and inform your feelings.
This friendly word of advice is offered while taking a break from a very extensive information gathering process. This process has gone on for several years now and, frankly, I am getting tired. But there is no other option – none that I can see anyway. Either you wait for the appropriate information to come to you, or you need to make the effort to go out and find it. And usually a bit of both takes place during any significant research project.
It is encouraging every now and then when timely information drifts in your direction. But finding information and sorting through information usually takes a lot of hard work. There is no way around it.
So what do you need to know right now? Identify the information you need, and then be prepared to exert a large amount of energy to find it. Roll up your sleeves. Get ready for a workout. Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you. Grit your teeth, as they say, and then get at it.
Let’s say that you need to make a major career decision. Well then, be sure to carefully consider what you are thinking about doing before launching out decisively in that particular direction. A lack of quality research now could be very costly down the road. Now is the time to get started. Now is the time to do your homework. And yes, I speak unfortunately from experience.
Lots of enthusiasm and a lack of knowledge is a bad combination. Little enthusiasm and a lack of knowledge might be even worse. But the ideal, of course, it to be well-informed and enthusiastic. Take the time, make the time, to become knowledgeable. Make an effort to learn as much as possible when faced with a big decision.
Did I mention that searching for answers will be time-consuming and difficult?
Life isn’t easy down here on the earth. Are there any inhabitable planets where daily life might be easier? Perhaps you have pondered this question looking up into the night sky after a very long day. Maybe someone has an answer. But as far as I can tell, we could be living on this one for quite some time.
Might as well make the best of it, I guess.
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.
Whacking the wasps
- At March 19, 2013
- By Nathan
- In Effective living
- 0
Would you prefer to be known as a spiritual person or a religious nutcase? Which word combination has the most positive connotation? Take your time. Think it over.
And yes, this would be one of those annoying (okay, very annoying) rhetorical questions. Sorry about that, but I needed a snappy introduction.
In many social circles, spirituality is viewed as being neutral and entirely positive. It’s all good. Meanwhile, religion – and particularly Christianity – is said to be negative and oppressive; it isn’t considered to be modern or moderate or progressive. Which is to say, that it’s almost all bad. No, it doesn’t take long before you get the distinct impression that traditional religion is out and designer spirituality is in.
From this precarious vantage point, bad things are sure to happen in post-modern paradise if too many people get too religious. That would be dangerous and very scary.
That’s right. Spirituality is said to be a bright ray of inclusive and politically correct sunshine in a dark and dogmatic world. This sophisticated lingo sounds lovely; it gets the certified stamp of approval. We hear it all the time. Many people take it on their tongue. And many in the West also take the tonic that is implied by this term. For this is how folks with a materialistic mindset attempt to chase their bad old nihilistic blues away.
It isn’t, however, much of a news flash to say that this technique doesn’t work. How could it? But some people still try to inject meaning and purpose into their lives by way of this long shot and haphazard method. They grasp at anything and everything.
Even now, my brain is beginning to shut down and the haze is setting in at the mere mention of this magical term.
It is interesting how a limited step of faith is rejected nowadays in favour of a wild and reckless leap into the spiritual beyond. Which brings up the question parents often ask their kids in the context of less-than-positive peer pressure; a question I was asked the other day in the context of my poor driving habits:
“If that guy up ahead of us decided to drive off a cliff, would you?”
Well, no, not exactly, I mean of course not. But I did seem to be drifting in that general direction. And it’s a good thing my wife was paying attention.
Longing for meaning and direction in life, searching for guidance, some young people unfortunately do what amounts to just that. In the name of freedom and individuality, they wander towards the edge of some well-known precipice and dutifully get in line to drive or jump off. Each new generation makes the same sad mistakes.
Spirituality isn’t all bad but it certainly isn’t all good either.
What am I getting at? Simply this: The spiritual world has a well-established dark side. While making contact with a variety of spiritual beings is possible, it is not recommended. There are consequences, and sometimes very unpleasant one. In other words, you really do not want to be messing with some powerful spiritual beings. Sure, people do it all the time – barging on in where angels fear to tread. But please, don’t go there. Don’t do that.
Of course I take it as a basic fact of life that unpleasant spiritual beings actually exist. For every crank who makes this sort of talk sound foolish, there are ten common people who will tell you in plain terms that this is so. For every condescending professor who has the leisure to live in his head, there are at least twenty ordinary guys who must deal with larger realities.
And life is hard enough without going out of your way to connect with dangerous spiritual realities. So put the stick down and back away as quickly as you can.
© Career & Life Direction 2013. All rights reserved.