Fantasy Football is around the corner. There are many guys that while reading this may be researching and planning their strategies on a game that will consume their free time and if I’m not mistaken also their hours that they should be working. Yes, I speak from experience. I too will be drafting my own team in 2 weeks with my buddies from high school.

Fantasy Football is our yearly tradition. It is something that we look forward to. It is what brings us together on a weekly basis via email or face to face time. It gives us guys something to talk about.

Now I pose this question. Why is there so much hype over Fantasy Football but not the church? Why?

The reason why is because there are not enough men hyped up about church. How many guys do you know that can’t wait for Sunday not because of football but because it is the day that we have open to worship the God that gives us breath of life?

A man can talk for days about their draft, their wins and their losses but they probably forget the church message right after it is spoken. Again I speak from experience.

I have gone to church my whole life. Most of the time against my own will. Most of the time I used to think it was a waste of time because I never understood the message or I was too distracted watching football on my phone to have even heard it.

I didn’t like church before and there are many that feel that way today because there is a lack of desire amongst men for the church. The desire is not there because there is not enough men talking about it and if this continues your kids  will have no desire for church either.

Men, why do I say we need faith more? Because we are called to lead and to fight. If we don’t, no one else will. We need to fight for our marriages, our kids and our neighbors.

I want to share with you this alarming statistic to show you why we need to lead and fight. In a study done in England it revealed that  “if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of the practice of the mother, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers (regular and irregular).”

Men, I challenge you to lead your families to church on Sundays, lead them in prayers and teach them about the Great and Almighty Father that sacrificed His only Son for us. We need to worship the Father that gives us breath of life and gives us the ability to enjoy Fantasy Football.

William Wallace from Braveheart said, “Everyman dies, but not everyman truly lives… They may take our land, but they will never take our freedom.” Men the moment we start fighting is the moment we will have the freedoms that is offered in the best selling book and most frequently stolen book of all time, The Holy Bible.

I WANT TO KNOW. WILL YOU FIGHT WITH ME?

When I first lost my job earlier this year I counseled with my buddy Eric. Since he worked in the HR department I figured he could help me find a job.

I asked him how much I could make if I applied for a non-managerial job. A job that didn’t involve me supervising anybody. A job that I could just do and collect a paycheck.

He replied, “You could make $40,000 to $50,000 a year.” I was surprised with his answer so I asked, “What about closer to $100,000?” He replied, “Those positions are reserved for the leaders.”

Why did I inquire about a non-leadership role? It should be obvious that I didn’t want to manage anybody. I just wanted to do my job and be on my way.

All my life I’ve tried to avoid leadership roles but for some reason they keep knocking on my door. Fear has been my main roadblock to accepting the challenges put before me. Fear that I will look foolish, fear that no one will follow, fear that I would fail.

Now that I’ve learned how to get past my fears, I can now take on the challenges that lay before me.

One of the most important things I learned about leadership is the “Me First” attitude. Before I can ask anyone to do anything I must do it first. Before I ask my kids to eat their veges, I must eat mine first. Before I ask my wife to clean the house, I must do it first. Before I ask anyone to walk like Jesus walked, I must do it first.

The “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality is out the door once you decide to follow Christ. Once you grab hold of the “Me First” attitude your journey with Christ will be a lot easier to understand.

Oh how I enjoy writing to you all. Believe it or not after writing this article I will be sitting eagerly waiting to write to you again.

Today I want to share with you some business wisdom. As I’ve mentioned before I lost my job earlier this year. As a result of my displacement from the job market I decided to make use of all the books I’ve bought over the years. The books on how to start a business, how to be a trusted adviser, and how to get out of the rat race.

My journey has been far from perfect. There are moments when I feel like I’m doing the right thing. Then other times when I feel like quitting and going out to get a real job.

When I was an employee of a company I worked X amount of hours then made X amount of dollars. I worked my hours and got paid, guaranteed money.

Now as a business owner I have to find my own clients and work. Basically, I need to fish for my own food.

In my journey I’ve learned some great lessons. The lessons are great because they can be used if you own a business or not.

First of all you must DECIDE to change. I’ve had many conversations with people who disliked their lot in life. They are tired of the extra pounds and dissatisfied with their job.

When it comes down to it, you can think about it and you can talk about it. True change will be birthed when you stand up and say, “I’m sick and tired of my situation!” “I will no longer take it anymore!” Say it and say it with purpose.

The next step is to PLAN. You need a plan. Remember, “A man without a plan is like a ship without a sail.” or “If you fail to plan then you plan to fail.”

You need to first write down where your are in life. Next write down where you want to be. Then write out what it will take to get there. Without a clearly defined plan you will just be floating out in the middle of the ocean.

Finally you need to TAKE ACTION. You see you can decide to go to Hawaii. You can plan out your trip. But if you never buy your ticket and get on the boat, you’ll never get there. All you will have is a dream.

All of the above seems easy enough. Your probably thinking I can do all that. I leave you with one more piece of advice. Get a mentor or accountability partner. Share your journey with others and ask for their help. Not only is it more helpful to have a coach, it is also more enjoyable to share your successes with others.

This story was submitted by my Auntie Trifina

Leadership is about change. If you need no change, you need no leader. In times of change, people seek  out more and better leaders. Those successful sought-out leaders embrace the following thought. “The best reformers the world has ever known are those who began with themselves.”

Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must be the change that we envision.”

Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

The following comments are about personal change:

1. One person cannot change another person.

When I started as a young leader, I thought that a leader could change the people; and boy, did I work at it. I said, “All right, I’m going to give them thoughts, ideas, and principles; and I’m going to change people.”

After several years, I awakened to the thought that the only person who can change himself or herself is himself or herself. You can change yourself, but I cannot change you. You see, I am responsible to you but I am not responsible for you; and there is a world of difference between those two. I am responsible for teaching you good leadership, I am responsible for sharing things that can help add value to your life; but you are the only one who can take responsibility to change yourself, and that is what this whole article is about.

2. Most people need to look at the way that they look at change.

How many times have you heard somebody say, “I sure hope things will change.” The only way things will change for me is when I change. It has nothing to do with hope. You can’t just say, “Well, I just hope things will change around me,” and expect results. The only way that things will change for me is when I change.

I have also heard this before, “I don’t know why I’m this way.” Well, you are the way you are because that is the way you want to be. Let’s expose it for what it really is.

3. When you make the right personal changes, other things begin to turn out right.

So when people say, “I’d like things to turn out better for me, I’d like things to turn out right, I’d like things to turn out better in the organization, or in my family,” I say to them, “Start by making personal changes.”

The following are six steps to successful personal change:

1. When you change your thinking you change your beliefs.

2. When you change your beliefs you change your expectations.

3. When you change your expectations you change your attitude.

4. When you change your attitude you change your behavior.

5. When you change your behavior you change your performance.

6. When you change your performance, you change your life!