My PASSION Magazine

My Passion - Issue 1 - April 2015 | 31
Mark: I told you a little about the
process I went through when I was
33. I love to do sessions and seminars
on intentional growth plan or
life plan. But at 33 I developed a
one-year, five-year and a twelve-year
plan. My twelve-year plan took me
to the age of 45 (that is this year).
By the time I was 45, I had 42 things
that I wanted to accomplish. Now
remember this is in deep reflection
and prayer, so I believe that these
things were inspired by God for me.
I wrote down 42 things. But let me
say this first, at this time, I was a
telephone salesperson for John Maxwell.
I would be on the phone trying
to get people to come to Catalyst.
John and a guy named Andy Stanley
was doing an event called Catalyst.
When I came up to my yearend
review, I said, “In twelve years
I want to be the CEO of a leadership
development company.” I did
not say John’s leadership company.
I didn’t even know if John’s would
be around. But I wanted to be a
CEO. I wanted to be the leader.
I wanted to co-own an organization
that helped develop people. I
wanted to start a non-profit organization,
and if at that point, I was
not married, I wanted to be married.
I listed including earning potential
goals almost ten times my salary at
that time.
I just did my 12 year-end review
plan. The Lord has helped me to
accomplish these things: 86% of the
42 things I have been able to check
off. So, I feel like that I have been
really blessed to accomplish some
things that were lofty for me at one
time.
I think, where I am currently, is to
be as effective as possible at the
areas of responsibility that I have.
That is a given. That does not feel
like future tense. That is making the
most of what I have been given today.
But a big goal of mind, and it sounds
really simplistic, but it is very hard
to do, I want to live out what John
teaches. I want to be the demonstration
of John’s leadership principles.
I don’t want to communicate
them, but maybe I will one day. I
don’t want to write about them, but
maybe I will one day. I want to live
them out!
When you open the dictionary and
you see the word “great communicator”
or “world-renown leader,” you
will see a picture of John. If you open
the dictionary and you see the words
“who is the guy that most lived out
what John teaches regarding leadership
and what he should look like,” I
want that to be my picture.
One more thing for all your readers,
I have had the privilege to hang
out with some incredible leaders not
just John Maxwell, but I have hung
out with some world renowned leaders.
I have hung out with Mikhail
Gorbachev. I have hung out with
presidents of countries, the president
of Paraguay, the president of Guatemala,
meeting with presidents and
heads of states all over the world, not
just the US, great athletes like Peyton
Manning and others.
Two of the most impacting times
that I have had was with a guy name
Andy Stanley and with John Maxwell.
The questions were asked of
Andy, “How do you have one of the
largest churches in America and one
of the most influential churches in
America?” Very similar questions
to John were, “How did you become
this leadership guru? What was the
incremental way that you set goals
to accomplish this?”
Their answers were very strikingly
similar in two different contexts.
They never heard each other, but
they both said, “We never set a goal
to accomplish these things. We set a
goal to be the best we can be in the
moment and live out the most effective
way we can our purpose in that
moment and the results is what we
accomplished. The results is not the
accomplishment of a goal.”
I grew up in an era where it was said
to set lofty goals and the more discipline
you are in trying to achieve
those goals, the more successful you
will be. However, these two men in
very different fields, very much successful
in those fields, say just the
opposite: “Don’t set the lofty goals.
Set the goal of being the best you
can be today and tomorrow will
take care of itself.” So that is what
I strive to do.
Dr. P: Do you believe it is the favor
of the Lord where you are today?
Answer: I firmly believe in the favor
of the Lord.
There is a scripture that says, “Some
water, some plant but God gives the
increase.” I think that we as humans
think our works have qualified us or
helped us to be successful or helped
us to be saved. We have missed the
incredible understanding that any
success of significance we have is because
of others, and in my case, it
is because of my God. However, let
us not forget that we have to plant;
we have to water; we have to do due
diligence.
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