Pushing the Envelope

On Monday- Wednesday of this week I had the chance to attend a sort of Leadership Summit for Youth Pastors from this region. There were guys there from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. The overwhelming take away from this trip is that no matter who you are, or what your vocation is, there is a good chance that you could be more creative, more relevant and create a better product for whomever it is that you are trying to impact. For me and what I do, this challenge is directly connected to the spiritual health of the individual and the environment that I am creating for change and inspiration to happen. It was a reminder for me that I need to constantly be "Pushing the Envelope" in what I am doing, never becoming content or satisfied with the "product (environment for life-change and community)" I am putting out. Because of the nature of my work, it is arguable that this point is infinitely more true.

Just last week I was shown a video that talked about how the happiest people in the workplace, become happiest. The video (see below) makes the claim that when people are given freedom to fail in their job, ability to be creative and true responsibility (not being micro-managed) that not only do they do their best work but they are also most fulfilled in the work they are doing. In my view, the problem for me and many others at times, is not that we aren't in places that give us those opportunities, it's that we become unwilling to take them because we are satisfied with our results or unwilling to take risks that will require extra time/work or a chance for failure. It has been a reminder that "Pushing the Envelope" is always worth it!