SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

Choosing to Serve and Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” How are you going to answer than question this year?  By coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. We can all make a difference in our own neighborhoods and communities and in turn change our cities, states and nation.  This is the twentieth anniversary since the designation of a day to serve.  We together can celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his dream by serving and helping others as he would have done.  By choosing to live to our potential and using ways of non-violence to improve our communities, we too can empower others and build bridges to heal the nation. By taking the day that most of us have off and transforming it into a day on in our communities we can begin a trend of service that can heal our country. So take a little time out of your busy day off, go out and serve others and in turn you will be serving yourself.  I will be heading out to share sandwiches, clothes and the gospel with the homeless in my city today.  What will you choose to do to continue the dream?   Blessings, CJ

Coachable Moments

Coaching can be a slippery slope if the coach and coachee are on different pages. Being the coach or better yet being coachable can make all the difference in someone’s future. There are some simple tips that make the coaching relationship seamless and beneficial to all. Be Comfortable We can only lead and coach from our own comfort zone.  If your heart is not in it your coachee will know.  Transparency is key to coaching properly. Feed Feedback Build your coachee up rather than break them down.  Using positives instead of negatives will induce engagement.  Positive coaching creates a culture of confidence. Storytelling Tell your story, everyone has one, use it as a teaching tool.  Your own mistakes become lessons.  Opening up and sharing your heart will build trust. Input and Advice Keep your coaching private, this is not something to share with others.  Be real, no pulling punches no one wins that way.  Share the truth, be candid and open with your coachee.  Privacy is key to maintaining coachabilty and trust. Gratitude in Attitude Recognize achievements, keep ongoing praise to continue involvement.  Appreciate the moment, be gracious in the wins, humble in the failings.  Be sure to acknowledge the coachee even in the small successes. Be real in your coaching, strive to encourage them every step of the way. Coaching is a privaledge be humble in serving as a mentor to another. If you do not have a coach, find one, seek someone you respect and ask them if they would like to meet […]

Leading is a Humbling Gift

Everyone wants to be a leader or do they? Most of us go through our days wanting to hide in the shadows and complain about those that lead.  We are quick to judge and criticize but slow to step up or recognize.  We allow fear to paralyze our ambition and rather than lead we rather be submissive. Leaders have to be strong … right? Well that guy is just more confident than me. He must be a born leader destined to win.  I don’t want all that responsibility, they can have it.  Strength comes through weakness, a true leader must humbly serve or they can never lead. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3 A true leader sets aside his ego, does not focus on what he can gain, turns his attention to those he leads. Take a moment, reflect, is there a leader in you? Every man is born a leader, as we all are born into a humble beginning, it is our decisions that determine how we will be.  There are more leaders in the followers than in the leaders that forcefully lead.  Put the needs of your fellow-man before your own.  Turn your eye towards God’s word.  You too can be a leader others will see as worth following. “He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30 Blessings, CJ