George Brett was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played twenty-one years of Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals, finished his career with more than 3,000 hits and 300 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

As he neared the end of his career, a reporter asked him how he would like his very last at bat to go. Everyone assumed that his answer would be to go out with some fanfare—it would be the bottom of the ninth, in the World Series, with the bases loaded, two outs, full count, and he hits a home run to win the game. However, the answer Brett gave was surprising and far less dramatic. He said that he wanted the last play of his Major League Baseball career to be an average play. He wanted to hit a slow-grounder to the second baseman, and he wanted the second baseman to field it easily and throw him out as he was running to first. But when he threw him out, Brett said he wanted to be running as fast as he could toward the bag. He said he wanted it to be said of him that he always gave his best and always tried his hardest right up until the very end.

George Brett is a picture of someone committed to excellence, and his story is inspiring and challenging. He wanted to be known as a man that sought excellence in every play of his career, not just the big ones. This mentality didn’t just make him a good baseball player. It led to a successful 21-year baseball career with a consistently high level of contribution to his team and to the sport as a whole.

Can you say the same of yourself? Do you strive for excellence on the ordinary days, not just the big ones?

In the middle of the mundane, we should commit ourselves to excellence every single day.

I get it. We all get tired, burned out, and go through seasons of discouragement. But in the middle of the mundane, we should commit ourselves to excellence every single day. It’s easy to do this when you’re trying to land the big job, get the big client, or close the big sale, but on the day packed with meetings to attend and emails to return, are you committed to the same level of excellence?

Take some time today to think about the way you walk through your personal and professional life. Do you strive for excellence in the mundane moments? Do you pursue your relationships constantly? Do you strive to produce your best work at all times, even when nobody’s watching?

Trust me, I know it’s a lot easier to say than it is to put this into practice. But if every one of us showed up every single day with excellence as our goal, imagine the impact we could make!

Recently, I was in a meeting with my team at ADDO, and we were discussing possible candidates for a position in the company. We shared evident strengths and potential weaknesses as we evaluated each candidate, hoping to find a new member for our team.

When discussing the potential weaknesses of one candidate in particular, someone suggested, “He seems very ambitious.”This comment puzzled me. I’ve always considered ambition to be a positive thing. After the meeting, I decided to do some research and have been surprised by the varying negative and positive definitions attached to ambition. Let me give you a couple examples.

Dictionary.com defines ambition as “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.”

To me, this definition is negative. Someone who has an earnest desire for power, honor, fame, or wealth and works hard to get these things is self-centered at best. This person is also probably greedy, arrogant, and downright selfish, so yeah, with this definition, ambition is definitely a bad thing. However, let’s look at a different example.

Google.com defines ambition as “a strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.”

This definition is positive; isn’t it? Someone has a goal that will be difficult to achieve, but this person has the resilience and drive to attain this goal. This person is hard-working, a problem-solver, and eager to achieve success.

The greatest difference between these two definitions is how they define success. The first claims success is “power, honor, fame, or wealth” for the ambitious person. However, the second doesn’t clearly define success. It leaves it open and provides an opportunity for success to be a positive thing, even a selfless thing, that achieves something positive for both the ambitious person and the people around him.

Make goals. Work hard. Solve problems. Achieve success. But, do these things for the good of something or someone beyond yourself.

After thinking through these two definitions, I believe that ambition can be a good thing and a bad thing; it just comes down to the motivation behind the ambition. If a person is motivated by greed, their ambition is self-serving. However, if a person is motivated to serve other people, their ambition is admirable and selfless.

Are you ambitious? How do you know if your ambition is admirable or not?

Here are some admirable things worthy of your ambition:

Providing the best products for your customers.

Adding value to your employees and coworkers.

Solving problems that create peace at work and at home.

Growing your influence to impact lives.

Sharing your faith boldly with the people God places in your life. This week, take some time to analyze ambition in your personal and professional life. Make goals. Work hard. Solve problems. Achieve success. But, do these things for the good of something or someone beyond yourself. The world needs more ambitious people eager to improve the lives of the people around them.

This week, millions of people will make New Year’s resolutions. They’ll write lists full of goals—things they want to do or things they want to stop doing next year. Their goals might be professional or personal. They might be focused on losing weight or growing a business. They could be the first step to pursuing a dream or an important relationship. The bottom line is that people will make promises, to themselves and others, many of which will ultimately be broken.

However, the greatest problem with New Year’s resolutions is not the risk that we may not keep them. The biggest issue is that our lists focus mainly on what we are going to do and often overlook why we are going to do it. Have you ever listed not only what you want to accomplish, but the driving force that motivates you to accomplish it?

It’s difficult to identify one single motive that drives what we do each day, but I believe that most of our decisions and actions fall into one of the following categories: survival, approval, fun, and calling.

‍1. Survival:

‍We all make decisions necessary to survive in this life. Many of us have jobs so we can pay the bills, put food on the table, and meet the needs of our family. This desire to survive is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s necessary, but in isolation, it is simply not enough to fulfill us long term.

‍2. Approval:

‍In some way, shape, or form, each of us has a desire to be accepted and respected by our peers, mentors, and subordinates. We feel a surge of excitement when people like our Instagram photos and retweet our thoughts from the day. The words of affirmation cause us to hold our heads higher and swell with pride. Seeking the approval of others drives our decisions and actions, but this motivation only leads to fleeting moments of satisfaction in our boosted egos. And it can actually be dangerous because when the approval flees, our sense of self-worth goes away with it. As Steven Furtick said, “He who lives by the approval of others will die by the absence of the same.”

‍3. Fun:

‍People are often motivated by pleasure. We seek adventure in the places we go and revel in any entertainment outlet offered to us. We seek things that please us and help us escape from the pressures of everyday life. The problem is that we can’t escape forever, and just like the rush that comes with man’s approval, the pleasures of fun won’t last.

‍4. Calling:

‍Survival, approval, and fun are all things that motivate us to act, but ultimately, the only motivator that leads to a life of fulfillment is calling.

Ultimately, we should be motivated by our calling in this life. Your calling is rooted in who you are and what you believe. This calling allows you to exercise your gifts and do something you enjoy that can impact the world around you. A calling does not always have to be a career or a job. For some of us, our jobs give us a sense of calling, but for others, a volunteer organization, a relationship, or a role at home might reveal a personal calling.

A sense of calling may not change what you do, but it always infuses what you do with meaning.

As you go into 2017, begin to think about why you do certain things. If you’re focused on the what the not the why, you’ll leave another year feeling unfulfilled.

Success next year will not only be determined by what you do but also why you do it. Before you make that laundry list of New Year’s resolutions this week, reflect on why you do what you do and let your calling shape your goals for 2017.

Today, I’m on my way back home from a ski trip with my wife, Laura. Laura is an experienced skier and loves the sport. On the other hand, I had only been skiing once in my life before this trip. The prospect of packing and trying to fit all of those big and bulky cold weather ski clothes into my luggage was not something I was looking forward to! It reminds me of a story I told in The Lepers’ Lessons-

The first time I took college students overseas for a study abroad program, the weight limit the airline set for a single checked bag was fifty pounds. We had informed all our students about the airline’s policy, but one young lady must not have read the memo (or maybe she assumed no one would notice). At the check-in counter in Atlanta, she could barely hoist her bag onto the scales. It weighed 110 pounds! In this case, the airline didn’t offer the option of paying an additional fee for excess weight. If she didn’t get her bag down to the weight limit, she simply couldn’t go with us.

Her parents had come to the airport to see her off. The three of them opened her bag and went to work. For the next thirty minutes, tears streamed down her face as she took out shoes, clothes, and other things she had been so sure she needed for our trip. Over and over again, she zipped up her bag and put it on the scales. Each time it was still too heavy, and she had to take more things out … prompting more anxiety and more tears. Finally, she achieved her fifty-pound limit. The moment was marked with equal parts relief and sorrow. I’m sure she thought she would run out of clothes after a few days, but she made it just fine.

Have you ever had to repack your bag at the airport? In some airports there is actually a designated area specifically for this called a “repack zone.” It’s frustrating and embarrassing to open your bag in front of everyone, showing what’s inside, and to sort through your personal property. Your anxiety builds as you don’t want to miss your flight, but you also don’t want to leave without the things you need. As I reflect on this story, my ski trip, and the purpose of a repack zone, it causes me to consider what I am taking with me into this new year. No, I’m not just talking about literal items, but what baggage am I bringing with me into 2017?

Sometimes, when we enter a new phase of life, it’s easy to try to take too much with us. The truth is that we all have baggage, but in this new year, is there anything you are bringing with you from last year that you need to leave in the last year?

Leave the baggage of 2016 in the repack zone, and let go of everything that might prevent you from reaching your goals this year.

When we go on a journey, we need to have the right stuff with us. For this ski trip, I had to pack bulky ski clothes, but there is such a thing as overpacking. There is even a degree of overpacking that can prevent you from getting to your destination. Even though it can feel frustrating and embarrassing, spend some time in the repack zone at the start of this year and evaluate the baggage that you need to let go. Let go of your resentment from the relationship that went wrong this year. Let go of the family argument that happened over Christmas dinner. Let go of the frustration you have toward your coworkers.

Let go of your regret from some poor business decisions.

Leave the baggage of 2016 in the repack zone, and let go of everything that might prevent you from reaching your goals this year.

Decide that today will be repack day. Decide what you don’t want and take only what you need into next year.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices…

During the Christmas season, we constantly hear the word hope. But what does hope mean to you? What kind of hope are you seeking? What makes you feel hopeful?

Perhaps, you’re a student that sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The hope of graduation is just a semester, a class, a paper, an exam away, and you’re ready to embark on a new adventure.

Maybe the phone finally rings, and after six months of being without work, you finally have the hope of an interview and the prospect of a job.

You wake up rested and realize that your six-month-old baby slept through the night for the first time. The hope of restful nights to come give you the extra energy you need to make it through the day.

The scans finally come back clear, and after a two-year battle with cancer, the hope that you are cancer-free brings a sigh of relief and new dreams for your life.

It is amazing what happens when human beings experience hope. It is a thrill when it happens today, and it was a thrill when it happened more than 2,000 years ago.

After 400 years of silence, God finally spoke to his people through the cry of a little baby named Jesus. In a field nearby that little manger, shepherds tended their sheep. Crooks in hand, they watched over their flocks late into the night, ready to protect them from any beast or man that might threaten them. Suddenly, the black night sky burst with a brilliant light that caused the shepherds to cover their faces. Their hearts raced, and they fell to their knees in fear, unable to protect themselves or their sheep. Blinding light surrounded them, but the comforting voice of an angel filled the air:

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” The shepherds’ fear melted into celebration at this miraculous news. The hope of a Savior lay in a manger nearby, and they were going to see him!

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

There are many things for which to be hopeful, but perhaps the greatest is a baby born in the town of Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago.

As we approach Christmas, remember again the thrill of hope found in Jesus Christ. May He be every bit as exciting to you today as He was to the shepherds when He was born.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas;

Let your heart be light.

Isn’t it funny how the greatest seasons of joy and celebration are often also the most busy and stressful times of year? I find this to be especially true as Christmas approaches each year.

There’s the mom who wants Christmas to be perfect for her family. She spends hours decorating, shopping, cooking, addressing Christmas cards, and planning the events that surround this special day, only to find she feels overwhelmed and underwater.

There’s the business professional trying to hit his sales quota for the end of the year.  Instead of enjoying time with his family, he works late into the night, hoping to take time off closer to Christmas.

There’s the pastor planning Christmas Eve services and working hard to make sure volunteers are coordinated and everything is perfect for church members and guests. He is so deep in the weeds that, in spite of his role as a minister, it’s often difficult to keep his focus on the true reason for the season. Amidst the family, friends, food, presents, parties, programs, and end of the year goals, this season provides more opportunities to feel overwhelmed than ever before. As the stress builds, the charge to “let your heart be light” can feel like an impossible task.

But let’s take a step back together and imagine an even more chaotic Christmas than the ones we experience today. Imagine Mary on a donkey, traveling the five-day road from Nazareth to the small town of Bethlehem. She feels each crack and rock on the road beneath her and holds herself steady on the donkey at nine months pregnant. On the dusty road, her stomach churns as she consider the census ordered, and the taxes she and Joseph will have to pay before the birth of their baby. Finally, Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem only to find that there is nowhere to stay. Mary’s heart sinks, and the contractions start. The only place to go is a filthy stable, full of animals, dirt, feces, and hay. The stench is pungent, and setting is unfit to welcome the King of the universe, but nonetheless, his cries pierce the night.

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas; let your heart be light." - Hugh Martin

Perhaps, Mary felt like she had failed Jesus already, as she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and placed him in a manger. To her, the first Christmas must have felt overwhelmingly chaotic. So, what did it take for Mary to keep her heart light? I wonder if as she looked into Jesus’s little eyes, it caused her to stop, rest, and remember the grace that would save the world.

During this Christmas season, take some time to stop, rest, and remember. It doesn’t matter if everything is perfect. Take a deep breath and enjoy your friends, family, this season, and the meaning behind it.

Let your heart be light.

I have the opportunity to be a part of a program that works with more than 17,000 high school students. Additionally, I have many opportunities to speak to audiences of young leaders. There are so many amazing qualities of this generation, but one pervasive quality is quite concerning—many in this generation place far too high of a premium on feelings. In our culture, we have become so afraid of offending someone that we water down facts in hopes of making sure no one could possibly be offended or disagree. A culture where the highest value is consensus is a culture that will crumble under the weight of political correctness. To be clear, I am not saying that listening to others is a negative thing, but our core convictions should not change with every wind that blows.

Former National Football League Coach Tony Dungy said it this way - “Stubbornness is a virtue if you are right.” The ideas that truly change the world are the ones that people and companies have a stubborn unwillingness to change over.

Consider Martin Luther King Jr. He refused to water down his principles because he knew what he believed was right—not always popular at the time, certainly not easy, but right. He maintained an uncompromising commitment to equality for all people and changed the course of American history as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

Or how about Steve Jobs? He was committed to making personal computers that were user-friendly. Even in the midst of discouragement from his peers and after being fired by his board of directors, he relentlessly followed his ambition, and as a result, Apple changed the marketplace for computers and personal technology.

Or how about Malala Yousafzai, someone who made a difference as a teenager? Malala has a passion for education and believes that all children should be able to go to school. Even after being shot by a member of the Taliban for taking a stand on this issue, she continues to fight for this cause and became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

Don’t water down your idea, regardless of what somebody else tells you. This doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk, but it’s incumbent upon you to stand for something that can make a difference. Don’t let this culture of compromise stop you from changing the world.

Don’t let this culture of compromise stop you from changing the world.

The world is looking for bold leaders. The world is looking for passionate people who are willing to stand for something bigger than themselves. Whether these beliefs are focused on a business initiative, a charitable cause, or just a way to do things differently, the world needs your passion.

Our world needs a generation of individuals who have bold, world-changing ideas that are willing to do whatever it takes to see them through. What a shame that some would sacrifice a solution that could change the world simply to spare someone’s feelings. How many profoundly positive products were never created because someone put too much focus on building consensus? Those great ideas go to the graveyard as an unfortunate result of the culture of compromise.

Do you have a belief or an idea that you think could change the world?  If so, the advice is simple: Be bold, have courage, and don’t be afraid to passionately pursue it. Be courteous. Be conscientious. But don’t compromise your beliefs.

Delegation is perhaps the most important and useful tool for organizations and individuals, but it is also one of the most challenging concepts to put into practice.

I find that most individuals, especially young leaders, struggle with delegating. Most of their lives, these young leaders have had an employer or adviser that gave them direction, and now, it is their turn to step up and lead other people. Because of their lack of experience, they tend to fall into one of two categories. Category A) They only delegate work they do not want to do, or Category B) They do not delegate because they are afraid it won’t be done the exact way they want.

In both scenarios, the motives are selfish. Delegating quickly becomes only about the needs of the employer rather than the growth of the employee.

I’m sure you’ve seen this play out. The hourly employee moves up to a manager position, and all of a sudden, she now needs to learn to delegate. For so long, she has worked hard at the tasks she’s been given, not worrying about the work of her peers. Now, her former peers are looking to her for guidance and direction, and she is trying to do the best work she can in this new position. She struggles to delegate, fearing that the work won’t get done well, but she is also frustrated that her employees aren’t pulling their weight and she is stuck doing more work. Sound familiar?

The most effective way to empower people is to delegate responsibility to them. If you need to delegate but don’t know how to do it well, here are a few easy steps to help alleviate delegation frustration.

The most effective way to empower people is to delegate responsibility to them.

1. Create a common language.

When someone is trying to delegate responsibilities to another person, it’s essential that everyone is on the same page. However, too often it feels like they are speaking different languages. In order to create a culture in which you can delegate, the leader must establish a common language. A common language involves a mutual understanding of terms and a crystal clear picture of what success looks like.  

2. Provide clarity around progress.

Imagine a football field where the end zones were not marked. Even worse, imagine if the yard markers were completely removed as well. How frustrating would it be to not know where the goal line is or even where you are along the way? The above illustration seems insane to us, yet so often we delegate without providing a clearly defined goal and forgetting to keep people informed of progress. As you delegate, create a format to share progress or a forum to provide updates. There is nothing worse than embarking on a project and no one letting you know how you are doing.

3. Correct or celebrate.

Leaders (me included) often forget that at the end of a project, they need to celebrate accomplishment or correct failure. To go back to the earlier illustration, imagine finishing a football game, walking into the locker room and having no idea whether you won or lost. Many times leaders are moving so quickly that they forget to acknowledge something that went really well, which can be demoralizing and demotivating to individuals on the team. Other times leaders withhold correction to protect feelings, but in reality, they are hindering someone’s development and progress. This approach can have a much more negative impact on your work environment than feeling bad or awkward for a few minutes.

This week, consider your approach to delegating and be brutally honest with yourself. Are you currently delegating effectively? If not, why not? Take the time today to put a delegation plan and process into place. It will increase your organization’s productivity and grow leaders on your team.

During this season, it’s easy for us to dwell on the things that are easy to be thankful for—our family, friends, faith, and jobs. But what about the specific moments in our lives that have helped us become who we are—the moments that weren’t enjoyable, made us uncomfortable, and maybe even hurt us? This week, I am thankful for one of these milestone moments in my life and want to share it with you.

I am thankful for a time when I was publicly humiliated. Admittedly, it’s a strange thing to be thankful for, but stay with me here. Over seven years ago, I helped lead a group of 50 college students on a Global LEAD trip to Cape Town, South Africa. We invited former University of Georgia football coach, Vince Dooley, and his wife Barbara to join us and our students and speak to them about life and leadership. One day, Barbara talked to us about the life-altering lessons she learned from fighting and surviving cancer. The speech was compelling.

However, I sat in the back of the room, checking sports scores on my phone and updating friends about the trip. Barbara stopped talking in the middle of her presentation and asked, “Kevin, what are you doing?” I looked up, and I saw every face turned toward me. I realized she was calling me out because I was the only person in the room who wasn’t fully involved.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide, but that wasn’t an option. She looked at me with a loving but corrective expression. The room was dead silent for a few seconds, which to me seemed like hours. Then she said, “Kevin, wherever you are, be there. Whatever’s going on out there can wait. You need to be present with us right now. You’re in this place with these people and me. Be here.”

Wherever you are, be there.

I nodded, put my phone down, and paid attention. As a people pleaser, I felt more humiliated than humbled. After thinking about it for a while, however, I realized her words to me meant far more than, “Pay attention.” I realized, not only was I disengaged, but often times, I used disengagement as a defense mechanism to stay aloof from people and to appear to have more important things to do.

In the moment she called me out, it was uncomfortable and awkward, but this instance completely changed the way I interact with the people around me.

Even though I was humiliated, it was a positive thing. It forced me to consider the way I think about things, conversations, and people, and seven years later, this moment still influences how I choose to be present wherever I am. I’m not saying I’m always good at putting this into practice, but that moment seared into my memory reminds me to at least try.

Have you ever been “called out” before? Do you still remember it? How did it affect you?

This week, think about the moments of your life that were uncomfortable at the time, but have helped you grow and become the person you are today. Think about the lessons you’ve learned, and when you’re listing the things you’re thankful for, don’t forget about those.