Keep the End in Mind
Savvy Saturdays - 9/26/20
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!👋
I’ve been listening to a leadership podcast recently by Craig Groeschel, and it’s been a blessing to find this golden nugget in the vast mine of the internet. (shoutout to my pastor in Austin for finding & sharing it 💪)
Resources that join spiritual and practical living are rare, and to be able to hear influential leaders share their stories before they became famous, as well as clear practical steps on how to lead with consistency & integrity, is food that quenches my leadership soul.😭
Recently, I listened to an interview with Michael Hyatt on the podcast about having a Vision for the Future, and a takeaway I’ve gotten from it is keeping the end in mind.🏁
You can watch the whole interview here:
In it, Michael Hyatt shares how at the beginning of COVID-19, he took a step back as a leader to cast a clear vision by beginning with the end in mind.
Rather than allowing the day by day to overwhelm their team, Hyatt took the time to imagine how the team would transform and maintain a standard throughout the pandemic. Things like:
Evolving their online experience to become better than their in-person experience.
Ensuring that the whole team stays on by the end of the pandemic, a.k.a. no one gets laid off or fired.
With that vision of learning not only to survive, but to thrive, Hyatt and his team were able to focus on adapting to their circumstances, trim the fat, and keep to their business with the quality and commitment that they had before the quarantine.
As someone who personally struggles with leadership, whether it’s leading a bible study or making decisions in a startup, I’ve been inspired to keep the end in mind.
Seeing this big picture helps me better understand the end goal I envision, work backward to plan out the steps I would need to take, and commit to a decision that goes towards that goal.🏃
What aspects of your life can you begin with the end in mind, in order to reorient and focus your life?
Topics to consider: Relationship with God, Business, Health, Marriage, Work, Friendships, Finances, etc…
Thanks for checking in on this update!
A lot has changed the past week in the sense of habits for me.😬
Because of the takeaways from the sermon I shared in my last update, I’ve been trying to take a step back and be more intentional with my time, the way I consume content, as well as be more open to what God wants to happen in my life.🧐
Through that decision, I have found myself humbled, broken, & swept away at times (darn you, God, for your ways of working in lives), but also I’ve been able to have deep conversations, where vulnerability & growth have arisen.
You could say I’m in the middle of a mini transformation, and though change is tough, I’m excited for what God has in store, because I know that He works it all for good for those who love Him!
Anyways, here are several photos from this past week (a.k.a. a lot of extraverted enjoyment 😄):
(Had a surprise visit from friends during the workday. 😳A blessed interruption it was 🙂)
(Catching up with the roomie ft. midnight snack. 😄Chik-Fil-A never tasted so crispy 🍔)
(I made Taiwanese Braised Pork bowls with marinated eggs! 🤤Couldn’t have done it without a last-minute roomie’s bike trip to a couple friend’s place for cooking wine 🙏)
(Life Group dinner before our College Access Gathering👌)
I’ve had too much Chik-Fil-A this week… but the fellowship is worth it. 😅
With that, stay safe, keep it savvy, and I’ll see y’all in the next update. 😊
Eric
Weekly Collections
Faith
“The way I like to say it is this: the reason God gives his people money is so that we can use money in a way to show that money is not our God, but that God is our God.
That’s why we have money.
That’s why we have everything. And I think it’s important to emphasize that God does intend for Christians to use money.
Money itself is just money. It’s not good or bad; it’s just stuff: it’s paper or coins or potential for value.
Seven Ways to Gauge Greed (in the context of a bonus):
Appraise the project - Is the project for which the bonus is offered itself virtuous? Are you being asked to do something good?
Feel the danger - Do you feel a fitting danger that the desire to be rich is a perilous desire?
Check your contentment in Christ - Would you still be content in God, happy in God, if the bonus did not come through?
Remember what’s most blessed - Is your heart continuing to experience the truth that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)?
Preserve trust in God’s promises - Is the desire for the bonus a loss of confidence in those promises?
Evaluate your love for God’s word - Do you detect in the desire for this bonus any lessening of your joy and desire to be much in the word of God? Or would this bonus enhance your motives for reading and meditating on God’s word?
Root your life in Christ - Do you detect that this bonus is encroaching on your very sense of being alive in Christ? Is there a sense that to lose the bonus would actually diminish your sense of life in him?”
—Money Motivates Me to Work Hard — Is That Okay? | Ask Pastor John
Entrepreneurship
I was reading a recent newsletter by The Hustle, and it shared a lot of cool insights about Gen Z by the creator of Zebra IQ. You can download the slides here, but here are some pictures of it.
Gen Z Word Cloud:
Gen Z Interpretation of emojis:
Gen Z Hangout Hot Spots:
Gen Z Side Hustle Generation:
Gen Z Influence:
Once again, you can download the slides and see more on it.
—Everything you ever wanted to know about Gen Z | The Hustle
Productivity
“A person's track record of success is the most important factor determining whether he or she gets hired, right? Well, maybe not. According to Stanford and Harvard Business School studies, we have an unconscious preference for potential over actual, proven success…
The researchers theorize that because potential is less certain, it is more interesting to us and we tend to pay more attention to it. All that extra processing could lead (unconsciously) to a more positive view of a person or company.
So if you don't have any experience in a job you want, don't worry about it. Focus your pitch on your future rather than on your past, Harvard Business Review recommends, and use the power of potential to your advantage.”
—Emphasize Your Potential Rather Than Your Accomplishments When Selling Yourself | Lifehacker
Weekly Reflections
Verse of the Week
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Challenging Quote
"Successful people do consistently what average people do occasionally."
—Craig Groeschel
If you guys have found the newsletter to be helpful, I would love to hear from you on what’s been good, any suggestions for improvement, and anything else you’d like to see!
Please don’t be shy to let me know and thanks in advance!