GRACE

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Grace.....

VS1:
GRACE IS ON ME LIKE WATER
GRACE SURROUNDS ME LIKE RIVERS DEEP
YOUR GRACE

GRACE IS SINGING LIKE ANGELS
GRACE IS WASHING THE NATIONS FEET
YOUR GRACE, YOUR GRACE

CH:
POURING OUT, POURING OUT
POURING OUT, YOUR GRACE, UPON ME

POURING OUT, POURING OUT
POURING OUT, MY HEART TO THANK THEE

VS2:
GRACE IS LEADING ME ONWARDS
GRACE IS TEACHING ME TO FORGIVE
YOUR GRACE, YOUR GRACE

BR:
WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT
THE BLOOD OF GOD FOR SOULS OF MAN
MY KING AND REDEEMER
YOUR LIFE HAS GIFTED SALVATION

THERE, BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, GO I....

The Sidney to Melbourne endurance race is 875 km and is considered to be one of the world’s most gruelling ultra-marathons.  Due to the demands of the race, world-class athletes (usually aged less than 30 years old) must undergo extreme training and are often backed by major sponsors like Nike.

Imagine the start line in 1983….. 

A field of aspiring athletes are warming up when a man, aged 61 years old, turns up wearing farmer’s overalls and work boots.  Initially everyone assumes he is just another spectator until he collects his race number and goes to take his place alongside the other athletes.  The organisers become anxious.  Should they allow him to run?  Eventually they come to the conclusion that it is not safe so they tell him that he is not allowed to take part.  The man immediately questions why he is not allowed to run and asks them to show him the rules which prohibit him from competing.  Unable to find any written rule about age or dress code that would preclude him from competing the organisers eventually concede and reluctantly agree that he can run.

Eagerly the crowd and media watch the race.  The whistle blows and the athletes are away.  It is not long before they are lost in the distance and the man is left well behind.  Some of the crowd even begin to snigger as the man cannot even run properly – he appears to “shuffle” – but most continue to cheer him on his way whilst fearing for his safety and welfare.

At the end of the first day, the athletes all break for a 6-hour sleep…except for the man who continues to shuffle his way through the night.  The following day he continues to jog, running on through the second night, as the athletes once again rest overnight.  Amazingly the man just keeps running, on and on without a break, slowly closing the gap between himself and the leading competitors. 

By the final night he is in the lead and on the fifth day crosses the finish line as the winner - to everyone’s surprise he has not only won the race at the age of 61 years old but has also set a new course record!  All of the six competitors who manage to complete the race that year break the previous record but this man succeeds in beating the previous course record by almost two days with a winning time of 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes!  No-one can deny this is a truly remarkable achievement.

Furthermore, when presented with the prize of $10,000 the man exclaims he had no idea there was a cash prize.  He states that his only aim had been to take part in the race and he has no need for the money – he then promptly shares it out amongst his fellow competitors who had completed the race.  This act of generosity is almost as remarkable as the feat of winning the event and he immediately secures a place in many Australian hearts.

The man’s name was Cliff Young.  Born in 1922, he had worked most of his life as a potato and sheep farmer, claiming that his ability to run for long periods had resulted from running continuously for two or three days at a time rounding up sheep.  During the race he had successfully motivated himself by imagining he was still trying to find a lost sheep whilst outrunning a storm.   Cliff Young made a significant impact that year and influenced the future of the event - competitors no longer rest during the night and now run continuously just like Cliff Young had done and many ultra-marathon runners have even adopted the “Young Shuffle” as it is considered more energy-efficient!

Cliff Young believed he could win because he never believed he couldn’t!

What an inspiration!

·         It is amazing what all of us can achieve when we say “I CAN” or “I WILL”, even when it looks like the odds are completely stacked against us!  Strength comes from within - we need to have a strong positive attitude and believe in ourselves.  Establish a goal, focus on it and believe we can achieve it

·         Hard work pays off – many of the things we appreciate the most can only be obtained after a significant investment of time and effort, but these same things also often give us the greatest fulfilment

·         Many people may appear to have been given a head start in life but these are not always the ones who achieve the most and cross the finish line first – often it is the one who works the hardest, wants it the most and enjoys what they do!

·         Taking part and trying is important – if we never try we will never know just how much we can achieve and we will never have an opportunity to show others our full potential

·         Never discriminate – always look for the value and skills in others.  Everyone has potential to achieve great things but may be prevented from doing so by other people’s misplaced opinions or judgements

·         Not everyone is motivated by money – indeed some of the greatest motivations in life bear no relation to financial gain at all

·         Be humble – take pride in success but never lose sight of humility.  Remember we all started somewhere and the greatest respect is given to those who share their success with those around them

·         Our actions may influence other people – the way we “shuffle” through life is important!

·         It’s never too late!

“There’s more in you than you think” – Kurt Hahn

“All glory comes from daring to begin” – William Shakespeare

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been” – George Eliot 

When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher

There, but for the grace of God, go I……

© CJC 2012

IT PAYS TO WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS!

 Why do 3% of Harvard MBA graduates make ten times as much as the other 97% combined?

MBA programs are often very competitive and none more so than The Harvard Business School who today only admits approximately 15% of applicants.  The average Harvard MBA graduate secures a starting salary of $115K with a $20K signing bonus but this “average” is deceptive as Harvard statistics show that 3% of Harvard MBA’s make ten times as much as the other 97% combined! 

So HOW and WHY?

Well, the answer may lie in a study carried out over a 10-year period……

In 1979, interviewers asked new Harvard MBA graduates just one simple question.

“Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?”

·         84% responded that they had no specific goals at all

·         13% had goals but they had not committed these to paper

·         3% had written clearly defined goals and plans on how to accomplish them

In 1989, the same graduates were re-interviewed with staggering results:

·         The 13% of the class who had goals but had not written them down, were earning on average twice as much as the 84% who had no specific goals at all

·         The 3% who had written clearly defined goals and plans were earning on average ten times as much as the other 97% combined!

It clearly pays to take the time to write down your goals – if you don’t have time to write down your goals, how are you ever going to find the time to achieve them!

IF THE WORLD WERE 100 PEOPLE.......

If the world were 100 people, there would be:

57 Asians

21 Europeans

14 from North & South America

8 Africans

52 would be female

48 would be male

70 non-white

30 white

55% of the world's wealth would belong to 6

80 would live in substandard housing

70 would be unable to read

50 would suffer from malnutrition

1 would be near to death

1 would be near to birth

1 would have a college education

If the world were 100 people………………

Which one would you be?

Which one would you want to be?

Which one would you want to help?

TREASURES IN THE DARK

I feel so much pain and deep is my fear
I am all alone and no-one is near.
What have I done to deserve this fate?
Someone please help me before it's too late...

I stand alone close to the edge,
Head in my hands I start to retch.
I cannot cope, I am now too weak
I can no longer cry, I can no longer speak.

I have tried so hard but it's all in vain
I have lost it all, don't want to start again.
I want to give up - it feels like the end
No fight in me left, my life cannot mend.

     But hey!  What's that?
     A small voice inside
     Says think again
     Before you decide!

     Remember your friends who will always care;
     Remember your family who will still be there.
     Learn to accept the love they give -
     Hold out your hand and fight to live!

     Reach deep in your soul and answer that prayer
     Look around you - so many who care.
     Ask for help and have faith in your friends
     They've always been there and can help make amends.

     Have faith in yourself, let God pull you through,
     He's here with you now in all that you do.
     You can never go wrong with him by your side
     Call on him now and turn back the tide!

I listen to that voice all alone on the brink,
In a world far away I start to rethink.
A glimmer of light in the darkness appears,
The fog starts to lift, the shadows to clear.

I stop to draw breath.  What does this mean?
I've come this far, not as bad as it seems....
Why am I here?  What have I done?
Is it really so bad that I have to run?

I stop for a moment and think of others -
Lots of suffering amidst our sisters and brothers.
What of the hungry?  What of the poor?
What of those hurt, bleeding and raw?

There are far too many much worse off than me,
Their lives trapped in misery, waiting to be freed.
I want to reach out, to share in their grief
To offer myself and give some relief.

I open my eyes, my courage starts to grow;
I find the strength to make a difference which shows.
I hear God's call deep in my heart
I know now is the time to play my part.

I had to feel loss, be pained and chastised
To know what its like so I can now empathize.
It's part of a plan I need to discern
I have opened my mind, willing to learn.

In the dark of the night, in the depths of despair
I have found love and hope which will always be there.
To be good for others and to make my mark
I needed to find those treasures in the dark.

© CJC - 02/2012


"I wondered why somebody didn't do something, then I realised I was somebody" - Anon

"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something" - Anon

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light" - Norman B Rice

FEAR AS A FRIEND

I recently came across the following article and felt it spoke volumes to me.  We all experience fear in so many ways - fear of failure or acceptance, fear of snakes and spiders and numerous other phobias, fear of changing course or looking for a new job.  Maybe our biggest fear is simply fear of change....

Fear can be so negative it is almost paralysing.  However if we change our view and begin to see fear as something positive we can then start to face up to what is creating the fear and use the fear to drive us into action.  The fear will melt away and we will be filled with a sense of achievement and fulfilment.

But, as in all things, we need to make sure we act and not react!  Action is inspired by planning, experience and the desire to achieve the best outcome in the longterm but reaction is all too often a short-term knee-jerk reaction which in itself often propagates the inital fear which caused it. 

"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react" - George Bernard Shaw

FEAR AS A FRIEND: HOW IT CAN LEAD TO WISDOM & LIBERATION

by Rasheed Ogunlaru

Without doubt, fear is perhaps the most misunderstood and paralysing ‘feeling’ that you may wrestle with in life.  Sometimes simply because of its name, we feel that we should be afraid of it. But this is not the case.

By understanding and being mindful of fear we can actually appreciate it, value it, learn from it and find deeper wisdom and liberation through it.

FEAR IS YOUR FRIEND

Fear is not your enemy. It is a natural happening that is there to alert you, serve you, protect you, warn you and encourage you to find you.

Fear – like most things – only becomes problematic when we don’t understand it, deny it or fear it.

FEAR AS AN ALERT

Fear is there to alert you to a situation. A car or wild animal rushes toward us. You feel fear. The adrenalin in you makes you take drastic action to get out of the way. If you are hurt the fear-released chemicals in your body help numb the pain.

Fear lets you know you need to act fast. In this way fear will save your life. Fear will stop you doing something that is life-threatening.

FEAR AS FUEL

The nature of our world is change. Fear can help you stay awake and up to date. You are afraid that you’re not going to have enough money left at the end of the month so you start cut out all unnecessary spend. You learn that the company may be shut down, so you’re alert and this fuels you to update your CV and start looking for new positions.

Fear in this case is again about helping us to survive progress and move forward.

FEAR AND SELF-REALISATION

I have a saying: “Sooner or later you will hear what your heart has always been telling you; stop being who you think you should be – become who you are”.

You see sometimes the fear you feel is because you are not listening to your ‘self’. Instead you‘re constantly trying to please everyone else. You feel these nagging doubts and fears but ignore them. You think it is a scary thing but actually this type of fear is inviting you to stop being overly caught up in your mind and to discover who you are at your heart.

Once you hear this calling it will lead you to a deep sense of understanding, joy and wisdom.

Fear will always be there but you will know it is far more a friend than a foe.

INSPIRED BY A BIKE!

Anyone who knows me will know I struggle with cycling – as much as I love sport and the great outdoors the ability to develop the specific leg muscles required  to power the pedals, the desire to wear luminescent shades of lycra and the will power to venture further than a couple of miles along the local river paths still eludes me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my bike – it has earned a special place in my home (alongside my unicycle!), has been enhanced with some highly desirable technological gadgets and accessories, has been perfectly maintained and tuned by my mountain-biking enthusiast son but, despite all this, its shiny paintwork and lack of scratches and obvious signs of wear and tear is perfect testimony to its distinct  lack of use!

I was very fortunate in the past week to meet with a group of very aspiring people, many of whom have worked closely alongside senior executives in blue chip companies and/or athletes working in the highest levels of sport.  But I was also privileged to meet an aspiring cyclist who, whilst working as a senior manager for a very well-known company, is working passionately hard as an athlete to hone his skills and experience to achieve his goal of winning a professional race whilst also becoming a fully qualified scuba diving instructor and skiing instructor.  The passion he exudes for his sport will drive his ability to succeed.

So what is a bike?  Well as everyone knows, bike is an abbreviation for bicycle.  In simple terms, Wikipedia defines a bicycle as follows – A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.  A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or bicyclist.

But a bike is, in reality, so much more than this – it is potentially a very powerful machine made up of many component parts, all finely tuned and, when powered by the rider, is propelled forward in a specific direction and at a speed determined by the rider.  There are of course many varieties of bike and varying qualities of component parts – for example the decision to buy a Truvativ Hammerschmidt  FR chainset as opposed to a simple Elektra Classic crank will be determined by the type of bike and its purpose, the particular desire and attitude of the rider and also the disposable budget available.  However, ultimately the performance of the bike depends on the synergy between all the component parts, the rider and the support team around.

When thinking about a bike, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the wheel – a strong hub surrounded by a myriad of spokes emanating from the hub outwards towards the rim and tyre.  One hub but lots of spokes.  So what is more important – the hub, the spokes or the rim/tyre?  In reality they are all equally important and the wheel ceases to be functional in the absence of one of these elements.  The hub is the strongest component in terms of inherent strength but the wheel cannot exist without the spokes, each of which must be accurately positioned – one damaged or missing spoke weakens the structure of the whole wheel and hence increases the risk of damaging the rim and reducing the overall performance and ride of the bike.

A bike is synonymous with a business.  Everyone has an important part to play within an organisation.  A visionary leader or CEO sets the course – like a cyclist, he will determine the direction he wants the business to go in and the speed he wants the business to attain its targets.  In consultation with his management team, he will determine the race and pedal his team towards the finish line.   Powerful nurturing, continual review and investment in his team (maintaining and oiling all the component parts of his bicycle and enhancing the performance with technological advancements as they become available) will develop the core strengths and overall performance of the entire business.  Success starts from within – the desire and passion coupled with the ability to set realistic goals and the determination to achieve them.

Bev James (author of Do It or Ditch It) stated recently that “Life is like a 10-speed bike – most of us have gears we never use”.   Bicycle gears or gear ratio refers to the rate at which a cyclist’s legs need to turn compared to the rate at which the wheel turns.  Generally lower gears require the rider to pedal at a faster speed or cadence but with less force whereas higher gears conversely provide a higher speed for a given cadence but the rider will need to exert a greater force.  Different terrain and rider preferences will most likely determine the selection of gear, but unless you are a seasoned cyclist, it is highly probable you (like me) will select just a very small selection of gears which enable you to continue to ride within your comfort zone and if you are really like me, when a hill comes along, you may even be tempted to get off the bike all together! 

The same is true in every business, whether a new start-up or a well-established corporate enterprise.  There are many ascents to climb, tour stages to attain, competition for the inside track, periods when we can freewheel and take advantage of the slipstream in the peloton and even times when the temptation to backpedal is overwhelming.  With coaching, support and training we improve our knowledge and fitness and may just experiment using a different gear and working at a different level….

Sound familiar?  Yes, because life in general is the same too!

Each one of us experiences success, frustration and disappointment in both our personal lives and business but at all times we continue to have choices.  We choose to lead or we choose who it is we want to follow.  Everyone is important and together we become stronger by playing a part in a bigger picture – each cog interacts with another to increase/decrease the torque to overcome obstacles along the way and hence allow us all to move forward with greater power, speed and energy to cross the finish line.

A bike (group, family, business) needs a competent rider (leader, parent, CEO) for direction and a solid support team (coach, friends, suppliers) to achieve its goal – the energy of the collective sparks the dynamo and illuminates the finish line. 

We cross the finish line together and congratulate the team mindful that, although one race is now behind us, in life and work there will always be another race to run!