Written in Heaven

I was talking to my man Grant this week. He and I have been friends since day 1 of college and have been basically best friends since. We talk about our own spiritual journeys with one another and challenge one another’s leadership. One of the things that is becoming more apparent in our conversations is basically what separates the real leaders from the posers: follow through.

The majority of leaders in the world can come up with solid strategies or innovative ideas. The difference is actually following through on those ideas and making them reality. That’s hard. The reason it’s hard is because it requires discipline and work. It’s a lot more fun to daydream and analyze about what we should do or what could be than to put in the hard work to make the changes that we need to make.

The same is true personally. It’s a lot of fun to talk about reading the Bible or praying, but when it’s time to do it, many folks struggle. Just like it’s a lot of fun to talk about bench pressing 300 pounds or running a marathon, but when the alarm goes off at 5:00 am to begin training, well, it doesn’t seem as fun or exciting.

The point is as leaders we don’t have to be great. We can plug along and live with status quo. If that’s the case, then we should shut up about greatness and stop dreaming, because it’s simply a waste of time. For the rest of us, dreaming and strategizing is just the beginning. To be great requires more than just desire, it requires action and discipline to stick with the game plan until we see the dream become reality.