Where ARE We Going?

“We ex-pats see more of the U.S. in a few years than many of you do in your whole lives!”

I heard this from the corporate CEO of an organization I’m working with, while we were in the fitness center of the hotel, last night.

He’s from Germany but has lived in the U.S. on a couple of occasions and recognized that during his first 5-year period here, he was able to see far more of the national landmarks, major parks, and relevant cities than most Americans do in their entire lifetime.

This thought was not new to me, but then he added something. He said, “When I first came over, I knew I had between 3-5 years to see everything before my contract was over. So, we made sure to see everything in the first 3 years.”
When I heard that, I thought to myself, “Wow! Now THAT is the power of intentionality!!” Why do residents rarely do/see/experience as much as visitors? It’s because we lack intentionality.

You see, when visitors come, they come with two things:
1. A limited amount of time.
2. An agenda for that time.

With those two factors, it obvious why they see/do/experience more. They have a purpose, a plan, an agenda, etc.! They are intent on making the most of the time they have.

Now the idea here is not to encourage residents to get out and do more (although that would probably serve us ALL well). The idea I wish to share is the principle of life that, when we don’t have intentionality, we rarely end up going anywhere.

Too many of us literally just exist. We don’t thrive. We don’t achieve. We don’t do the things that leave a legacy.
Sure, we work. We engage our social clubs. We watch TV (or YouTube, etc.). We bee-bop our way through life without a care in the world. And then we can’t figure out why we don’t feel like we have purpose. We wonder why our impact seems shallow. We rue the lack of respect and achievement that we gain. We wonder how we could live our whole lives and not accomplish what we wanted.

The answer is intentionality. Steven Covey would tell us to “Begin with the End in Mind.” Elleanor Roosevelt would tell us that, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” E.L. Cole would say, “Those without an organized system of thought will always be at the mercy of those who do.”

Just like great things are not usually seen accidentally, great impact is not usually made accidentally.
I want us to make an impact. But, we’ve got to be intentional! Can we do that, today?

For a more personal perspective on this conversation, check out my YouTube channel in the coming days, where I will be posting a short video on this same subject. You can subscribe by visiting: https://lnkd.in/ee-_JdYc. Or, connect with us in general by visiting https://lnkd.in/gK7ZSfcR