The Every Day Leader: The Clacking of Time

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Somehow we always seem to think that time will never end…that it will keep on going and we have forever days.

When in fact, time has a definite beginning and ending.  We often take time for granted. We try to squeeze as much as we can into it or out of it. Other times we just waste precious moments – but we somehow always  believe that we always have more just up ahead.

But do we? 

None of us knows our tomorrow and what it will bring. 

We often hear and we even know deep down that we should embrace every moment.  We know that each moment will never come again, we cannot get it back once it is gone.

Yet, it just doesn’t seem to sink in.

Every day leaders know that each moment matters.  We know that each moment we have is a gift that cannot be squandered or foolishly wasted.  As kids the days seem to last forever, as adults they fly by each one getting faster than the other. Just ask any mother who has grown children.

The years are short, but the days are long. The moments disappear.  As much as we would like to think it is true, our time doesn’t go on forever. 

Every day leaders long to make the most of every moment that has been given to them.  They know that we each have limited days and the clacking of time passes all to quickly.

Every day leaders celebrate each moment making the most of each one of them to make a difference in the lives of others. They invest in those around them, seeking to leave a legacy far greater than themselves.

They invest not only in actions, time, words, but even in writing, knowing that through their encouragement to the next generation they are helping them succeed to do far greater things than they did.

Let us be Every Day Leaders who impart wisdom to those younger than us. Let us be intentional to mentor, guide, and encourage those that want our attention and time that we can mold them into the leaders that God intended them to be. Time indeed has an end and one day we will depart this earth but may our legacy live on in those we mentored.

The Every Day Leader: Footprints on a heart

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”  Billy Graham

Our days are numbered.

It is something we all know, but struggle with really knowing how to make that concept come alive in the midst of our busy lives.

 How can we possibly be concerned with leaving a legacy and making our days count, when often we are simply trying to survive and get everything done that we need to?

 Many times we think that leaving a legacy means that we have to be older and mature or having done something great to be able to pass on.  I love what the quote above says:

“The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives”

Age doesn’t matter.

 Experience doesn’t matter

 Knowledge doesn’t matter

 What you own doesn’t matter

 The amount of wealth doesn’t matter

 Your accomplishments don’t matter

 

What matters is how we intentionally live each day to make a difference.

 We all have the opportunity to begin leaving a legacy today.

It is in the how we live. 

We as every day leaders choose to invest in the life of another through what we model, how we love, and how we walk each of those numbered days. It is daily that we can make a difference in the lives of others.  It may even be a difference  that can impact generations. 

This is how we make each of our days count.  This is how we leave a legacy, the legacy that is not based on your age, your experience, your knowledge, your possessions or wealth, or anything great thing you have done but instead based on…

How you live.

 Your legacy is the footprint you leave in the lives that you touch

Everyday leaders know that our days are numbered. This is why we intentionally live our lives and take advantage of every opportunity God gives us, to leave a legacy.

Intentionally making each day count.  Touching lives.  Making a difference.  That’s what everyday leaders do.

The Every Day Leader: The Simple Leader

Corrie Ten-Boom, A quiet, everyday person willing to do what she thought was right.  She never saw herself as a person of influence – yet she had a huge impact on the lives of many, simply by speaking from her heart. I have been fascinated since High School by the life of this every day leader, who never knew the legacy she would leave.

Corrie Ten-Boom, along with her family, hid Jews from the Nazis during the war and was later captured and ended up in the concentration camps.  Despite all she endured, she always took the high road.  She loved others, no matter what they had done to her.  She forgave.  She kept the right attitude, even during the worst of it all.  She remained thankful in all things, even in a concentration camp!

She was as simple a leader as you could get. It wasn’t about what she looked like, what she wore or even saying the right words. She understood that life and people are a gift and often that is all we have. It is our choice how we manage that gift that has been given to us.  She also knew that she could sit back and do nothing and be safe or she could jump in and do something and make a difference in the life of another.

Corrie Ten-Boom.  Simple.  Quiet.  Obedient.  Everyday Leader.  Lasting Impact on the Lives of Many.

What about you? Each of us is given a sphere of influence, what are YOU going to do with yours? Are you willing to be all that you can be and make a difference, never knowing what legacy you may leave behind?

This every day leader wants to live like that!