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Tuesday, July 28 2020
 Men! Each Monday brings yet more and more...it's unbelievable how much is being thrown at us right now. It's almost unfathomable what the world is willing to do to distract us from Truth and our responsibilities. There are things you need to be thinking of and understanding.
There is most certainly a battle ongoing of good vs evil, light and dark. The battle has already been won and yet needs to play out. We are in the middle of much of this right now. You need to know that you are here for a reason in this time and place to serve a purpose beyond the one you may see currently. You are the right man, for yourself, your wife, kids, business and community. You need to trust in God, something beyond your own reason to combat this. You need to put down the bottle and be sober and alive and present. You need to NOT watch the porn or instagram or newscast and love and care for your family and community. Now is the time to KNOW your family and get to KNOW them daily so you can meet each other's needs when the time arises.
You can do it, it will all work out...Be the Man, Endeavor with Purpose and don't look back!
Freedom in Failure
My youngest daughter is now 6 yrs old. She's an absolute trip. Nothing, I mean nothing slows her down. You could say she's like the Tasmanian devil, that is super sweet and kind yet also a whirling dervish of sorts. She also has a knack for coming up with super-witty one-liners despite some serious processing disorders and learning challenges. The kid always has a smile on her face and very rarely gets down on herself, despite things not going her way often.
When all this craziness of life got on we were discussing how our family would handle this and the attitude we would choose to confront all these challenges. She spoke up..."so dad, we're gonna be busy living life, not dying life!" Bingo!! She nailed it, not bad for a 5 yr old. So, how are you living life?
Freedom in Failure
Many of you have heard of Sara Blakely by this point. She started the company Spanx and turned it into a billion dollar a year revenue business. Pretty impressive.
She credits her dad and the question he used to ask her each week with her success: 'What have you failed at this week?' Think about that, sitting at the dinner table and he asked her what she failed at...when she told him, he praised her! If she didn't try he asked her to find something to fail at.
It's absolutely brilliant. We are all apprehensive about the future and most of us are apprehensive about not living up to our expectations into the future. Yet here this man taught his daughter what it meant to fail and fail well so she would not have that fear or apprehension.
Let me tell you, I've been using this for a year with my kids. They 've done things I never thought possible for their age because they were given permission to fail and fail wildly with no repercussions.
Action time: Give yourself, your wife and kids permission to fail at something the need to be trying.
Freedom in Failure
If you haven't failed lately then are you really living a life worth living?
I implore you to seek out failure.
I give you permission to do so in a grand way.
We have a purpose greater than we are living into, how can you get there if you are not pushing yourself beyond the boundaries? How can you make it to the next level without some opportunity to not pass the test? Why choose easy when you already know the outcome?
So, how have you failed lately?
Come on now, you're a man, choose something this week and go big or go home! After all we're called to be "busy living life, not dying life!!"
Seek failure and the returns of successes and self-realization will abound and that inner leader, the real you will spring forth and a whole new world will blossom before you.
Action item:
- Ask your family to try to fail at something weekly
- Lead them by trying things to fail at yourself weekly
- Share your failings openly with yourself and others, humanity needs more authentic men
Don't Fear That Day!
Jonathan Kennedy, Jr.
Monday, July 20 2020
 Happy Monday to you All!! Another awesome week to embrace the opportunities, trials, tribulations and beauty of life!
Remember things are happening FOR YOU not to you, embrace the things that are tough and relish in the things that are easy while choosing tough things to tackle to strengthen your next endeavor. One of my favorite quotes is:
"Hard choices, easy Life. Easy choices, hard Life." - Jerzy Gregorek
The Thing about Hard Things
Many times in life the events that seem to be the most trying are also the most rewarding. I find this true in personal growth: both mental and physical, in building relationships with others, choosing who to spend your time with or who not to spend your time with, in growing my faith and dependence on God, in marriage and raising a family and in serving clients. The truth-laden hard choice is the one that gets most rewarded. How often are you pursuing hard choices?
The Thing about Hard Things
Most often we choose the easy way because well, it's easy. What would happen to you if you flipped your script and decided to choose the hard thing each time you make it to a decision point? What if instead of taking the path well worn you jumped on that path less traveled? I already know how that looks. At first you will be euphoric and excited that you made a decision for growth. Then shortly afterward you'll hit a bump and you'll be miserable and rueing the day you made that choice.
Now you're at another inflection point: abandon ship and sulk away OR double-down and make it happen. If you want to be a resilient endeavoring man, the man God created to impact and influence your family and those in your community it's time to double-down and keep choosing hard. Finish the job and appreciate the tenacity it took to make it happen and the growth you experienced from not giving up or giving in to the easy way.
The Thing about Hard Things
There is a mental default that if we cannot do something that is Hard we have failed. I'd argue that if you hadn't tried something Hard you would've failed. The act of trying to accomplish the Hard Choice is where you win, it's when you make that conscious decision to do the Hard thing that the victory occurs. What happens after is inconsequential. It's in the handling of Hard that we are formed and transformed toward who we've been created to be.
If all you're doing is skating by on the Easy choices of life what's the purpose? Or perhaps you haven't identified your purpose and you are unwilling to choose things to push you down that path. Resist the urge to join the cancel culture and sit at home!! Jump into the pool of life with both feet! Go ahead, you can do it, watch how your kids do it, they can be great reminders of the mental shackles we've allowed to bind us over time.
The Thing about Hard Things
Isaiah 30.21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'."
Since the world fell into sin through Adam and Eve we've been given the chance to make Hard Choices or Easy Choices. We know deep down the path for us, we know deep down if we've made the decisions that we've been called to. Remember you are here for a reason to fulfill a purpose; make the choices that will sustain, grow and nurture your purpose, NOW! Don't wait, tomorrow is not promised.
This weeks action items:
- Look in the mirror and assess the choices you've been making
- Write down 5 choices that need addressing
- Resolve to rectify those choices immediately
- Stop making Easy Choices
- Start making Hard Choices
- Do this weekly or monthly as you see fit until you've addressed all poor choices
Don't Fear That Day!
Jonathan Kennedy Jr.
Tuesday, July 14 2020
 Men!
It is MONDAY!!! It is even Monday the 13th alas, I'm not Garfield so I continue to exhort, extoll and try to muster some inspiration to you to Endeavor to greatness today because it is never too late to decide to be great.
Remember your chips are on the table and you're in the game, be grateful for the seat and play to win!
What Time is It?
This afternoon I knocked off early to go to the pool with my family. Definitely an abnormality for me these days. It was nice to be there at 4pm on a Monday. And surprisingly void of participants. I did notice quite a few dads there with their families and that made me smile. I was there because at 7am tomorrow morning 2 of my 3 favorite kids will be having tonsil surgery. I'm not gonna lie, I'm super anxious about them being under anesthesia and getting cut on. It's only a 20 min surgery. The recoverys a bear at 2 weeks. I figured a few extra hours of fun were in the works and it was so worth it. The best part was I didn't even tell them why, I just did it and they just accepted it because they are kids and we love each other and like to hang out. It was awesome!
Action item: find something your family is doing that you don't always get to participate in...show up unexpectedly and participate...they'll love it!
What Time is it?
Of course the answer to the question is GAME TIME!!!, followed by some guttural sounds and whooping. When I played football in high school we used to use this phrase to get pumped up prior to the game. Shoot we used this phrase more at our tailgates and flag football games in college than ever in the history of sports. It even made its way to our text chains amongst our friends in anticipation of the next event...the game, the show, the culmination of all the hard work, a time to perform.
Action item: it's time to perform, what are the top 3 things you do to get ready for your performances? (yes, meetings at work where you present are really performances)
What Time is it?
As a man, God has uniquely built our minds and bodies to perform. In fact we relish performing; at work, play, in the gym, bedroom, etc. It's how we're wired to have a little bravado to go along with our skills and abilities. In fact when you're living in your Unique-ability and you are really crushing it no one can stop you. You know that feeling when things are clicking on all cylinders, it's like being on top of the mountain surveying the valley below, suns out, wind in the hair, leaves rustling, that's the deal, that's when life has a certain sweetness.. How often are you able to get there? What are you doing to get there more often and stay there? Who do you need to add/subtract from the team to make that happen? What is the smallest thing you can do now to make that happen consistently?
Action item: Visualize your best performance; the courtroom, the boardroom, golf course, gym, wherever it was. What were the factors that made it the best? Write them down...DO THEM AGAIN, EVERYDAY! No excuses. The results will enhance every aspect of your life, personal, spiritual, work, family, physical, all of it. Do it now, write it down, post where you can see it everyday.
So Men, What Time is it? Time to be who the Creator made you to be. Time to be the man, husband, father, worker, boss, parishioner, friend, brother you were made to be. No more excuses, no more waiting around. Do it. You can, it's why you are here now. It's why you weren't here a generation ago and why you won't be here next generation. You got this, you are just the man created for this time, with the people you are with, for the things you are doing. Don't stop. And if you want to quit, call me (804)8749531and let's discuss.
Don't Fear That Day,
Jonathan Kennedy Jr |
