Journaling

Everyone loves meaningful and/or inspiring quotes. People hang great quote signs on their walls or post them on Facebook. I tend to write quotes that really grab me in my journal and reference them often in work situations, small groups, personal interactions, etc.

If you Google “great quotes” you’ll get 722M results. The same action with “inspiring quotes” and “leadership quotes” yields 47M and 70M, respectively.

I looked back through hundreds of quotes in my journal to find those most meaningful to me. I tried to narrow down to those quotes that go beyond offering a temporary burst of inspiration, but rather have led to real changes in my behavior. In no particular order here is my list, which could broadly be categorized by leadership, business, family and faith (and many of the quotes go across multiple categories).

“Something is fundamentally dismantling when you say the right things but have the wrong actions. That is, talk like a leader, but act like an anchor.” Kevin Myers. I find this quote applicable in work, family, friendship and faith.

“When those who are the closest to you and know you the best, love and respect you the most.” John Maxwell on the definition of success. This quote has greatly reshaped how I think about the question “what is success?”

“Quality time comes at the most unusual moments. You never know when it will happen. It usually makes an appearance somewhere in the realm of quantity time.” Steve Farrar. This quote always reminds me to be present with my family.

“Every time you make a choice you are turning the control part of you, the part that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, you are slowly turning this control thing either into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature.” CS Lewis. Lewis was a master of packing deep content into everything he wrote.

“My fully exploited strengths will always offer more to the organization than my marginally enhanced weaknesses.” Andy Stanley. I find I most often apply this quote in a business environment.

“It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.” Billy Graham. This quote all to frequently reminds me that I focus too much on the two former jobs and not enough on the latter one.

“Idealism increases in direct proportion to one’s distance from the problem.” John Galsworthy. Anyone who has worked for a large company and takes direction from afar is familiar with this. So is a stay-at-home mom trying to manage a household with a traveling husband’s input.

“Someone living close to us will take no notice of any attempts to tell them about Christ if our lives are not demonstrating the truth of the message we claim to believe.” Unknown. A constant gut check for how I am living.

“Materialism begins where your income ends.” And “Envy begins where your influence ends.” Ed Young (I believe?). Who came into your mind first? How often do we simply need to look in the mirror?

“I doubt when I get all hung up on what is unexplainable and lose sight of what is undeniable.” Andy Stanley. Just a great quote on doubt and faith.

“A good apology has three components. (1) It’s specific. (2) Forgiveness is asked for. (3) There is no whining about the consequences.” Craig Groeschel. My children can quote this one too by now!

“God, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.” David Brainerd. A great quote to help me think bigger about what I might offer.

“Someday is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you.” Tim Ferriss. I have many friends who have contemplated leaving corporate America and becoming entrepreneurs. Many suggest the timing isn’t right but it will be someday. When the right timing keeps getting pushed out, this quote often comes to mind.

“The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you probably made a hiring error or a seat error.” Jim Collins. I constantly apply this quote in the work environment.

“The interest rate on culture debt is crushingly high.” Unknown. This thought goes through my head any time I’m hiring someone, especially in a small company environment where one wrong hire can tank the entire culture.

Incidentally, none of the quotes in my list appear in the Top 100 Inspirational Quotes as determined by Forbes and Quoto. Regardless, I hope some of these inspire you and you find a place to apply them in your life.

What are your favorites quotes (i.e., the real difference makers) and why?

For the last several days I’ve been telling myself I really need to journal all of the things that have been happening in our lives. It’s so easy for me to let “life” take over and ignore the urge to write things down, but each time I read my journal I am so thankful the younger me took the time.

Why I started journaling: I began journaling in 2008 although I had considered doing so well before then and on many different occasions. Two occurrences convinced me it was finally time. First, I utterly forgot something I was sure I would never forget, that I had boldly claimed “I’ll talk about this at her rehearsal dinner”. And yet I forgot until I was reminded years later when the critical details had faded. God knows what needless information had taken the place of this precious memory over the years. Second, I saw the real value a mentor and friend of mine (Corey Baker) got from his journal.

What I journal: I suspect a journal is as individual of a thing as one’s own thoughts. For me, I write down inspiring or funny quotes I want to remember, thoughts about each member of my family, fun experiences, personal goals, scripture I’m contemplating, etc. Lately I’ve been using a Journal App (myMemoir) but I’m not convinced I won’t go back to a hand-written journal.

How I benefit from journaling: I frequently read my journal and I’m reminded of sights, sounds, emotions, etc. that I know would have faded from memory if not for my journal. Doing so helps me refocus intentionality on the most important things in my life. For example, many years ago I completed an exercise called Tribute Statements (also at the advice of my friend Corey Baker) – below is an excerpt from that exercise that I journaled regarding what I would hope to hear my four girls say at my 80th birthday party. This is one of my most personal and important journal entries.

“My dad never gave up on me when I strayed or fell or didn’t believe in myself.”
“My dad always encouraged me and emphasized my positives.”
“My dad showed me and told me every day how much he loved me.”
“My dad cherished my mom every single day.”
“My dad was the spiritual leader of our family.”
“My dad set the bar high for the type of man I married and raised a family with.”
“My dad always stood up for the innocent and weak.”

I ended the above list with the entry “I need to make sure my thoughts, expressions, words and actions are always aligned with accomplishing the above outcome.” Or to quote Stephen Covey, “Begin with the End in Mind.” I’ll confess it’s hard for me not to get a bit emotional when reading and thinking about this list, however, every time I do so I give myself a mental score on how I’m doing and think of ways to be a better father.

Reflections on what I have written over the last five years helped drive our decision to spend a year in Costa Rica and how we will utilize our time. I suspect events and feelings that lead to journal entries over the course of the next year will help influence where I land next professionally and also have great impact on my personal life.

I encourage you to pick up a pen (or a keyboard) and start journaling about those things most important to you … that you are just sure you will never forget.