Remedial.

Day 23.

I apologize for not writing for 2 straight days.

Let’s just say yesterday was a bust for me. Well, it’s technically two days ago. But I do want to get a load off of my mind.

Or should I even go through yesterday? Let’s just say that the consequences of sabotage are far greater than the instant gratification. Which is why I have a neutral-negative stance against microwaves and the vaccines, and why I enjoy slow cooked pot roasts and exercise.

Let’s also just say that it’s far better for me to just punch my frustration away, as I did after a very long time, technically yesterday, or almost 12 hours ago, at least.

Look, it’s past midnight, so this is technically also Day 24, but I’m making this count for today.

Heck, if I was a little more of a go getter I might type 2000 words right now. But I won’t.

Pretty good to be almost back on track, and especially today. I was able to get my physical goals done, and I just got off the other accounts I’ve had to log into so I’m able to say I was able to be one step closer to fulfilling my role as a provider in this household.

And really, that’s what I was doing in the tail end of this day: Looking into crypto while funding my existing investments with fresh capital. Let’s just say that I appreciate the financial blessings, and I pray to God that all my decisions – or most of them, anyway – are profitable, moving forward.

This is because I honestly don’t see myself working for a salary anymore. I want my main financial workhorses to keep me afloat and soaring high and wide, to be in the form of investments and dividends, and if I was to work, it would be more on honestly adding value to society, instead of milking from it.

I’m technically doing this right now by creating content testifying of the grace of God to the world, and to as many people as possible, while avoiding sounding so stinking religious and just being straight to the point of Christ and His finished work. I do hold the title of Pastor, but I believe that there is much more to be done and so much more to reach by way of the internet, especially during these times. Creating quality content is a huge part of me Pastoring.

And what I mean by quality content is to create anything online that speaks from the heart, without putting too many words into it – the audience adds the words. I mean, writing 1000 words a day may sound a little counterproductive, even hypocritical, but I didn’t really start this challenge for the third time – or, at least the third time as far as I know – for public consumption, but more for clarity, as Francis Bacon would have all of us do.

And on the other fronts, I have been reading to be a full man (by way of Audible – I really think this counts, but if we must be purist about it I have been reading in kindle as well as physical books), I’ve been speaking to be a ready man (by way of the increase in my speaking and facilitating moments in the recent months), as much as I’ve been writing to be an exact man. In fact, I believe I fall short in the latter, and am only making up for it today.

We’ll be talking on the following phrase this coming Sunday:

Initiative Activates Your Talent

My thoughts on initiative: The word was once one I was allergic to when I was working in corporate. See, under the more ambitious and inexperienced of supervisors and leaders, the word initiative was certainly more expected than appreciated from subordinates – Like you were expected to have the initiative. Be proactive. Be the one to look for opportunities to add value. I get that this is something that we indeed need to have in our systems as rank and file, but for people at the top to encourage this behaviour while they themselves are not perceived to be demonstrating it… well, that’s counterproductive.

To their defense, they certainly have had major company-ending struggles at the positions they were, but we certainly were kept in the dark – in our eyes, there were one and many times when management wanted us to implement this in that, not within a timeframe, but yesterday. They may have refused to communicate other details behind every directive intentionally or on purpose, but they certainly got the brunt and they were seen as the ones cracking the whip.

But if I was to go ahead and speak on initiative, I could not avoid speaking on clarification, and open communication. See, sure. Management may have had good intentions in hiding each and every reason behind why we needed to use different forms and procedures each and every time. However, this does not, and should not keep them from maintaining open communication, just enough for everyone who is involved to understand why they needed to do such things.

Don’t get me wrong – signoff sheets and commitments have their place, but you can never replace the effectiveness of just asking subordinates what they grasped out of everything that was shared. Oftentimes you, as a manager sharing authority with others, will hear incomplete, or even completely wrong answers.

Initiative is always partnered with clarity. In fact, once clarity is introduced to the entire process, you can be sure that whoever is involved with move with greater initiative, and therefore, greater activation of talent. If initiative activates talent, then clarity activates initiative.

Everyone needs to understand why what was done was done, in order for us to understand why we should do what we’re told to do. ‘Because I said so’ may have its uses, but more often than not, it is definitely a counterproductive line.

It’s the same case with the finished work of Christ, now isn’t it? The less we understand of the implications around the event, and the repercussions of what He has done, the more we lead people down a painful, religious path – which Christ would certainly make use of for the good of those who love Him, but still, in my mind at least, best avoided as much as possible.

We can all learn from our mistakes.

As I am learning, and making up for, now.

It’s almost 1am. I should get going, to keep going tomorrow.