(book) The Purpose Driven Life - [Christianity]

Anda Diciptakan untuk Sebuah Misi

Allah sedang bekerja di dunia, dan Dia ingin Anda bergabung dengan-Nya. Tugas ini disebut misi Anda. Allah ingin Anda memiliki pelayanan di dalam Tubuh Kristus dan juga misi di dunia. Pelayanan (ministry) Anda merupakan pelayanan (service) kepada orang-orang percaya (Kolose 1:25; Korintus 12:5), dan misi Anda merupakan pelayanan (service) Anda kepada orang-orang yang belum percaya. Memenuhi misi Anda di dunia adalah tujuan kelima Allah bagi kehidupan Anda.

Misi kehidupan Anda bersifat bersama dan spesifik. Sebagian dari misi tersebut merupakan tanggung jawab yang Anda pikul bersama semua orang Kristen lainnya, dan sebagian lainnya merupakan sebuah tugas yang khusus bagi Anda.

Kata misi berasal dari kata Latin untuk "mengutus". Menjadi seorang Kristen berarti diutus ke dunia sebagai wakil Yesus Kristus. Yesus berkata, "Sama seperti Bapa mengutus Aku, demikian juga sekarang Aku mengutus kamu." (Yohanes 20:21)

Yesus dengan jelas memahami misi kehidupan-Nya di dunia. Pada usia 12 tahun, Dia mengatakan, "Aku harus mengerjakan urusan Bapa-Ku" (lihat Lukas 2:49) dan 21 tahun kemudian, sementara menjelang ajal di atas kayu salib, Dia berkata, "Sudah selesai" (lihat Yohanes 19:30).

Misi yang Yesus jalankan ketika ada di dunia, sekarang menjadi misi kita karena kita merupakan Tubuh Kristus. Apa yang Dia lakukan dengan tubuh fisik-Nya harus kita lanjutkan
sebagai tubuh rohani-Nya, yaitu Gereja. Apakah misi itu? Menuntun orang-orang kepada Allah! Alkitab berkata, "Melalui Kristus Allah membuat kita berbaik kembali dengan Dia, lalu menugaskan kita supaya orang-orang lain dimungkinkan berbaik juga dengan Allah." (2Korintus 5:18)

Allah ingin menebus manusia dari Iblis dan mendamaikan mereka dengan Diri-Nya supaya kita bisa memenuhi kelima tujuan yang untuknya Dia menciptakan kita, yakni: mengasihi Dia, menjadi anggota keluarga-Nya, menjadi serupa dengan Dia, melayani Dia, dan memberi tahu orang lain tentang Dia. Begitu kita menjadi milik-Nya, Allah memakai kita untuk menjangkau orang lain. Dia menyelamatkan kita dan selanjutnya m engutus kita. Alkitab mengatakan, "Jadi kami ini adalah utusan-utusan Kristus." (2Korintus 5:18) Kita adalah pembawa berita tentang kasih dan tujuan Allah bagi dunia.

Pentingya Misi Anda

Memenuhi misi kehidupan Anda di dunia merupakan bagian penting dari hidup untuk kemuliaan Allah. Alkitab memberi alasan mengapa misi Anda begitu penting.

Misi Anda merupakan Kelanjutan dari Misi Yesus di Dunia

Sebagai para pengikutnya, kita harus melanjutkan apa yang telah dimulai oleh Yesus. Yesus memanggil kita bukan hanya untuk datang kepada Dia, melainkan juga untuk pergi bagi Dia. Misi Anda begitu penting sehingga Yesus mengulanginya sampai lima kali, dengan lima cara yang berbeda di Alkitab (Matius 28:19-20; Markus 16:15). Seolah olah Dia berkata, "Aku sungguh-su ngguh ingin agar kamu menerima misi ini!" Selidikilah kelima amanat agung dari Yesus ini dan Anda akan mengetahui rincian dari misi Anda di dunia, yaitu kapan, di mana, mengapa dan bagaimana.

Dalam Amanat Agung Yesus berkata, "Karena itu pergilah, jadikanlah semua bangsa murid-Ku dan baptislah mereka dalam nama Bapa dan Anak dan Roh Kudus, dan ajarlah mereka melakukan segala sesuatu yang telah Kuperintahkan kepadamu. Dan ketahuilah, Aku menyertai kamu senantiasa sampai kepada akhir zaman." (Matius 28:19-20) Amanat ini diberikan kepada semua pengikut Yesus, bukan hanya kepada para pendeta dan misionaris saja. Inilah misi Anda yang diberikan oleh Yesus, dan ini bukanlah pilihan. Kata-kata Yesus ini bukanlah saran agung. Jika Anda merupakan anggota keluarga Allah, misi Anda merupakan kewajiban. Mengabaikannya berarti ketidaktaatan. Anda mungkin tidak sadar bahwa Allah mengangap Anda bertanggung-jawab atas orang-orang yang belum percaya yang hidup di sekitar Anda. Alkitab mengatakan, "Kalau Aku berfirman kepada orang jahat: Engkau pasti dihukum mati! -- dan engkau tidak memperingatkan dia atau tidak berkata apa- apa untuk memperingatkan orang jahat itu dari hidupnya yang jahat, supaya ia tetap hidup, orang jahat itu akan mati dalam kesalahannya, tetapi Aku akan menuntut pertanggungjawaban atas nyawanya dari padamu." (Yehezkiel 3:18) Anda merupakan orang Kristen satu-satunya yang pernah dikenal oleh beberapa orang, dan misi Anda ialah memperkenalkan Yesus kepada mereka.

Misi Anda merupakan Hak Istimewa yang Mengagumkan

Sekalipun merupakan tanggung jawab yang besar, dipakai oleh Allah juga merupakan kehormatan yang luar biasa. Paulus ber kata, "Allah telah memberikan kehormatan kepada kami unutk mengajak semua orang supaya menerima anugerah-Nya dan diperdamaikan dengan Dia." (2Korintus 5:18) Misi Anda meliputi dua hak istimewa besar: bekerja bersama Allah dan mewakili Dia. Kita menjadi rekan Allah dalam menjadi membangun kerajaan-Nya. Paulus menyebut kita "teman-teman sekerja" dan berkata, "Kami bekerja bersama-sama dengan Allah." (2Korintus 6:1)

Yesus telah menjamin keselamatan kita, memasukkan kita di dalam keluarga-Nya, memberi kita Roh-Nya, dan selanjutnya menjadikan kita alat-Nya di dunia. Hak istimewa yang luar biasa! Alkitab mengatakan, "Jadi kami ini adalah utusan- utusan Kristus, seakan-akan Allah menasihati kamu dengan perantaraan kami; dalam nama Kristus kami meminta kepadamu: berilah dirimu didamaikan dengan Allah." (2Korintus 5:20)

Memberi Tahu Orang Lain Bagaimana Mereka bisa Memiliki Hidup Kekal merupakan Hal Terbesar yang bisa Anda kerjakan bagi Mereka.

Kalau teman Anda menderita kanker atau AIDS dan Anda tahu obatnya, merupakan suatu kejahatan kalau Anda menahan informasi yang bisa menyelamatkan nyawa itu. Yang lebih buruk lagi ialah merahasiakan jalan menuju pengampunan, tujuan, damai sejahtera, dan kehidupan kekal. Kita memiliki kabar terbesar di dunia dan menyebarkan kabar itu merupakan kebaikan terbesar yang bisa Anda tunjukkan kepada semua orang.

Salah satu masalah yang dimiliki oleh orang-orang yang sudah lama menjadi Kristen ialah bahwa mereka lupa betapa sia-sia rasanya hidup tanpa Kristus. Kita harus ingat bahwa tidak peduli seberapa puas dan berhasil tampaknya manusia, tanpa Kristus mereka benar-benar terh ilang tanpa harapan dan menuju perpisahan abadi dengan Allah. Alkitab mengatakan, "Hanya melalui Yesus saja orang diselamatkan." (Kisah Para Rasul 4:12) Semua orang membutuhkan Yesus.

Misi Anda Memiliki Makna Kekal

Misi tersebut akan mempengaruhi masa depan abadi orang lain. Itu lebih penting, ketimbang pekerjaan, keberhasilan, atau tujuan apa pun yang akan Anda raih selama kehidupan Anda di bumi. Hasil dari misi Anda akan berlangsung selamanya, sementara hasil dari pekerjaan Anda tidaklah kekal. Tidak ada apa pun yang Anda kerjakan yang akan bernilai sebanyak menolong orang memiliki hubungan kekal dengan Allah. Karena itulah, kita harus bersungguh-sungguh dengan misi kita. Yesus bersabda, "Kita harus mengerjakan pekerjaan Dia yang mengutus Aku, selama masih siang akan datang malam, di mana tidak ada seorangpun yang dapat bekerja." (Yohanes 9:4)

Jam berdetik terus menuju saat dimulainya misi kehidupan kita, jadi janganlah tunda sampai hari berikutnya. Mulailah misi Anda untuk menjangkau orang lain sekarang! Kita akan memiliki seluruh masa kekekalan untuk dirayakan bersama orang-orang yang telah kita bawa kepada Yesus, tetapi kita hanya memiliki waktu seumur hidup untuk menjangkau mereka.

Ini tidak berarti bahwa Anda harus menghentikan pekerjaan Anda untuk menjadi seorang penginjil purna waktu. Allah ingin Anda membagikan Kabar Baik di mana pun Anda berada. Sebagai seorang pelajar, ibu, guru TK, wiraniaga, atau manajer, atau apa pun yang Anda kerjakan, sebaiknya Anda terus-menerus mencari orang-orang yang Allah tempatkan di jalur Anda dengan siapa Anda bisa membagikan Injil.

Misi Anda Memberi Makna bagi Kehidupan Anda

William James berkata, "Pemanfaatan terbaik dari kehidupan ialah menggunakannya untuk sesuatu yang berlangsung lebih lama daripada kehidupan itu sendiri. Yang sebenarnya ialah hanya Kerajaan Allah yang akan berlangsung selamanya. Pada akhirnya, segala sesuatu lainnya akan binasa. Karena itulah kita harus menjalani kehidupan yang memiliki tujuan, yaitu kehidupan yang diserahkan untuk penyembahan, persekutuan, pertumbuhan rohani, pelayanan, dan pelaksanaan misi kita di dunia. Hasil dari kegiatan-kegiatan ini akan bertahan
selamanya!

Jika Anda gagal memenuhi misi pemberian Allah di dunia, Anda tentu menyia-nyiakan kehidupan yang Allah berikan kepada Anda, Paulus mengatakan, "Hidupku sama sekali tidak berharga kecuali jika memakainya untuk mengerjakan pekerjaan yang ditugaskan Tuhan Yesus kepad aku, yaitu pekerjaan untuk memberitakan Kabar Baik kepada orang lain tentang kebaikan dan kasih Allah yang ajaib." (Kisah Para Rasul 20:24) Ada orang-orang di planet ini yang hanya Anda yang bisa menjangkaunya, karena tempat Anda tinggal dan karena untuknya Allah telah menciptakan Anda. Walaupun hanya satu orang yang akan masuk surga karena Anda, kehidupan Anda tentu membuat perbedaan bagi kekekalan. Mulailah melihat ladang misi pribadi Anda dan berdoalah, "Tuhan, siapakah yang telah Engkau tempatkan dalam kehidupanku agar kepadanya aku bercerita tentang Yesus?"

Bahan diedit dari sumber:
Judul Buku : The Purpose Driven Life
Judul Artikel: Diciptakan untuk Sebuah Misi
Penulis : Rick Warren
Penerjemah : Paulus Adiwijaya
Penerbit : Yayasan Gandum Mas
Halaman : 309 - 316

ARE YOU IN IT - TO WIN IT? - by Chris Widener

Have you ever heard this? "It isn't whether you win or lose. It is how you play the game." I am sure you have. But do you know who said it? Some guy who came in second place!

You see, I have a problem with that statement. It presupposes, or at least strongly suggests that winning and playing the game "right" are mutually exclusive propositions. Perhaps we ought to have this as our goal as we pursue success: We want to win, while playing the game right! I totally disagree with the statement that we should win at all costs. Instead, we should do everything good that we can to win at this game we call life. And we ought also do all that we can to help others win.

With all of that...here are some thoughts on being in the game - to win!

Any "game" worth playing is a game worth pursuing a win in. If I get into a game, I play to win. What nobility is there is playing like a slacker? What virtue is purposeful mediocrity? None! I live my life to be a winner - Spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally, relationally - every area of my life! If it is worth doing, it is worth playing for the win!

It is good to win. We live in an age now where people have reacted to sore winners by saying that we shouldn't strive for winning. Many of our schools have abandoned the idea of competition, and our educational scores show that. Kudos to all of the teachers out there who still tell their kids that they can be winners! It is good and noble to win! It is something to strive for. It is good to push ourselves, to stretch and reach for victory. It is a grand thing to want to win!

There doesn't have to be a loser in life. Yes, in teamed competition, there are always losers (but more on that in a bit), but in life, you can all win! We can all strive for the best and give it our all to win.

Winners are the ones who move families, businesses, organizations, cities and countries ahead. Winners are the ones who push progress. You don't think that couch potato is the one who will cure cancer or open up the next great technology do you? No - it will be a person who has chosen to be a winner!

Losing can mean winning. Just because your score in a game or contest is the least at the end of the game doesn't mean all is lost. You can still be a winner in that you gave it your all, you competed at your highest level, you learned new skills and strategies, and you became a better player and person. That is winning in my book!

Winners help others win. That is right, good people, people who pursue winning by excellence, are also people who stop to help others so that they, too, can enjoy the spoils of victory. Pursue the win, but help others achieve all that they can as well! Winners make everyone better. When I get into athletic matches I want to play against the best. Yes, I may come up short in the score, but I will be better because that winner will make me grow in every area of my game! Winners stretch the losers so they can become winners too!

Questions for reflection:

Are you afraid of winning?
Do you think it is wrong to win?
Are you living each area of your life as though you are a winner?
Are you enjoying your wins?
Are you helping others win with you?

Friends, we need to be in the game of life full force! We need to be in it, and we need to be in it to win it!
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Sources: DailyInbox: From the Masters - 04-05-05

SET UP A LEARNING RESOURCE AT HOME - by Denis Waitley

SET UP A LEARNING RESOURCE AT HOME AND AT YOUR PLACE OF BUSINESS WITH BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS
by Denis Waitley

Every office conference, lunch, exercise, and recreation room should be filled with personal enrichment materials including videos, audios, books, magazines, newsletters, and software.

Convert a special area of your home into a learning center, especially if you have children. The trend globally is to combine a coffee house like Starbucks, with bookstores like Barnes and Noble, to create a relaxing learning environment. In the twenty-first century, gaining knowledge will blend into our lives as part of our leisure time. There are several ways to create more of an ongoing learning environment at your place of business. Many companies are asking employees to volunteer to read a specific trade or business magazine and clip or scan articles relevant to the organization. Regular e-mail dispersal and fax dispersal are also popular.

In today's fast-forward, knowledge-based world, if you're not moving ahead you are falling behind.

Action Idea: Make two files in your computer: one for personal development and one for professional development. Download articles and e-mails that educate and inspire you in these files. You also can scan articles from magazines into these files. Look at these files at least once per week.
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Source: DailyInbox: From the Masters

Change Management Learning Center - Key activities for change management leaders, sponsors and executives

Change Management Learning Center - Key activities for change management leaders, sponsors and executives

Managing an IT project usually is about managing changes, the page shows a survey result about change management from the user's perspectives. We may be able to understand our user's concern better the next time.

HOW TO GO FROM THINKING TO LIFE CHANGE By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Step #1: When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs.

I am going to work you through a six-step process of how to change, and it begins with thinking. It begins with the mind. Beliefs are nothing more than a by-product of what you have thought long enough about that you have bought into--always remember that. What you believe is a collection of continual thoughts that have formed themselves into a conviction."Although not all change is the same, there is one common element to change, and that is thinking." That is a great truth. That is not mine; it's out of a book called, The Seven Levels of Change. When you break down the process of thinking into manageable number of steps, you reduce the perceived risk associated with change. Being creative is when you think about your thinking, being innovative is when you act on your ideas.

Step #2: When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations.

Belief is the knowledge that we can do something. It is the inner feeling that what we undertake, we can accomplish. For the most part, all of us have the ability to look at something and know whether we can do it. So, in belief there is power: our eyes are opened; our opportunities become plain; our visions become realities. Our beliefs control everything we do. If we believe we can or we believe we cannot, we are correct. Accomplishment is more than a matter of working harder; it is a matter of believing positively. It's called the "sure enough" factor. If you expect to succeed, "sure enough," you will; if you expect to fail, "sure enough," you will. We become outside what we believe inside.

Step #3: When you change your expectations, you change your attitude.

I love Ben Franklin's quote: "Blessed is the one who expects nothing, for he shall receive it." I heard a story the other day about a man who went to the fortuneteller who looked in the crystal ball and said, "Oh, my. This is not good. I look in this ball and see that you will be poor and unhappy until you're 45 years old." The guy said, "Oh, that's terrible. Well, then what's going to happen?" The fortuneteller said, "You'll get used to it."Your expectations are going to determine your attitude. Most people get used to average; they get used to second best. Nelson Boswell said, "The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed."

Step #4: When you change your attitude, you change your behavior.

William James was right when he said, "That which holds our attention determines our action." When our attitude begins to change, when we become involved with something, our behavior begins to change. The reason that we have to make personal changes is that we cannot take our people on a trip that we have not made. Too many leaders try to be travel agents instead of tour guides--they try to send people where they have never been. We give them a brochure and a "Bon Voyage!" And off they go and we wave to them, and we ask them to tell us how it was when they come back. A tour guide says, "Let me take you where I've been. Let me tell you what I have gone through. Let me tell you what I know. Let me show you what I've experienced in my life."

Step #5: When you change your behavior, you change your performance.

Leroy Eims said, "How can you know what is in your heart? Look at your behavior. There is no better sign of the heart than the life." The truest test of where a person is going is their behavior.Unfortunately, most people would rather live with old problems than new solutions. We would rather be comfortable than correct; we would rather stay in a routine than make changes. Even when we know that the changes are going to be better for us, we often don't make them because we feel uncomfortable or awkward about making that kind of a change.Until we can get used to living with something that is not comfortable, we cannot get any better.

Step #6: When you change your performance, you change your life.

Change makes a person feel alone, even if others are going through it. You say, "Oh, man! Goodness! I know the others are changing, but I don't think they're having the difficulty I'm having." There is something about the awkwardness and the time that it takes to make proper changes that just seems to isolate you from everyone else, even when a group is going through it together. You just kind of feel, "But my situation's a little bit different, and I think I'm just not quite as fast as the other ones," and there's a tendency to feel isolated, lonely, and withdrawn when you're going through this change.It is easier to turn failure into success than an excuse into a possibility. A person can fail and turn around and understand their failure, make it a success; but I want to tell you--a person who makes excuses for everything will never truly succeed. I promise you, when you excuse what you are doing and excuse where you are, and you allow the exceptions, you fail to reach your potential. Don't you know some people who just have an excuse for everything? Why they could not, should not, did not, would not, have not, will not. If "ifs" and "buts" were candies and nuts, we would all have a Merry Christmas. It is impossible to turn excuses into possibilities.Hope is the foundational principle for all change. People change because they have hope. If people do not have hope, they will not change. You are responsible for the changes that you make in your life, but the good news is, you can make the changes you need to make in your life.

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It is by no accident that John Maxwell has come to be known as a leader of leaders and mentor to thousands ? his path and his purpose have been a single, straight thread since childhood. From the pulpit to the boardroom, his focus has always been to equip and inspire leaders at all levels. Source: taken from the inspirational message from the masters August 13, 2004

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Summary:

• Step #1: When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs.
• Step #2: When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations.
• Step #3: When you change your expectations, you change your attitude.
• Step #4: When you change your attitude, you change your behavior.
• Step #5: When you change your behavior, you change your performance.
• Step #6: When you change your performance, you change your life.

So if you want to change your life, start thinking.

YOU ARE A POWERFUL MEDIUM by Nido Qubein

If you want to send a powerful, positive message to the people with whom you work, or to whom you sell, follow the principles in this article. A sure formula for success!
You can't find a more powerful medium of communication than yourself -- your character, your personality and your principles.
If you want to send a powerful, positive message to the people with whom you work, or to whom you sell, follow these principles:

(1) You manage the process, but you LEAD people.
An organization runs smoothly when its people function smoothly. Dealing with problems in engineering, production, marketing and sales without dealing with the human element is like dealing with a flat tire without dealing with air. The finest steel-belted radial is worthless without the air that holds it up. The finest engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales and servicing systems are worthless without the people who keep them functioning.
In an interview with Harvard Business Review, Robert Haas, chairman of the board of Levi Strauss, called production-management "the hard stuff" and people management "the soft stuff."
Under the old philosophy at Levi Strauss, he said, "The soft stuff was the company's commitment to our work force. And the hard stuff was what really mattered: getting pants out the door. What we've learned is that the soft stuff and the hard stuff are becoming increasingly intertwined."
So pay careful attention to the human side of your business.

(2) Inspire people, don't just drive them.
We can inspire people by showing them how to be their very best. Ed Temple, the Tennessee State track coach who worked with some of America's top women's track stars, liked to say, "A mule you drive, but with a race horse, you use finesse." Treat your people like Thoroughbreds instead of like mules. They'll get the message and respond.

(3) Be easy to respect and look up to.
You don't gain respect by sitting in an ivory tower and looking down on the work floor. Be accessible to employees and let them see your human side.
Employees are turned off by executives who pretend to be infallible. Observe high standards of personal conduct, but let your employees know that you're human. Talk to them about your bad decisions as well as your good ones. When you blow it, grin and admit it. Your employees will respect you for it.

(4) Be easy to like and get along with
Employees like leaders who are human -- who make mistakes and acknowledge them. It's all right to let them see your vulnerability. If you made a bad decision, talk about it with the people you lead. Let it be a lesson for them as well as for you.
Don't feel that you have to know everything. Acknowledge that the people you lead may know much more than you do about certain things.

(5) Help people to like themselves.
Robert W. Reasoner, a California school superintendent, who headed a statewide task force on self-esteem, identified five basic attitudes that foster self-esteem. They are:
A sense of security.A sense of identity.A sense of belonging.A sense of purpose.A sense of personal competence.
Secure people are comfortable with who they are and with what others think about them. They know their roles in the organization and are confident that they can fill them.
People with a sense of identity know how they fit into the work place and how the work place fits into their lives. To them, work takes its place among family, friends and community as an important and fulfilling component of their lives.
When employees have a sense of belonging, they identify with the company's vision and goals, because these things have personal meaning for them. They personally share in the success and the prestige of the company.
Employees obtain a sense of purpose from knowing the company's goals and knowing how their efforts contribute toward those goals. Management needs to take employees into its confidence and give them a role in planning and goal setting. You can give employees a sense of personal competence by educating them for their jobs and giving them the freedom to succeed or fail on their own.

(6) Help people to believe that what they're doing is important.
My friend Stew Leonard, the grocery-store wizard from Connecticut, once told me that he refused to use job titles that he perceives as demeaning. Once he noticed a job listed as "popcorn maker." He immediately ordered a more dignified title.
"How would you feel if someone asked you what you did for a living and you had to answer, 'I'm a popcorn maker'?" he asked me.
Are there any demeaning titles in your organization?
Medtronic, Inc., has a heartwarming way of dramatizing the importance of what its employees do. Each year at Christmas time, the company holds a party for employees. Guests of honor are people whose lives have been prolonged by Medtronic cardio-pulmonary devices.
Can you think of ways of dramatizing to your employees the importance of what they do?

(7) Be responsive to people. Listen to people. Read people. Respond; don't react.
Leaders should be accessible to the people they lead. Let your staff and associates know they can come to you with problems, concerns, ideas, suggestions or complaints. If they bring you usable ideas, adopt the ideas and give the employees credit.
Welcome bad news as well as the good. What you don't know can hurt you. Don't ignore complaints. Listen to them. Find out what you can do to rectify matters, let the employees know what you plan to do -- and do it.
If you put these principles into practice, you will be constantly sending out a powerful and positive message: Yourself.
Humans have a variety of ways to send messages. We "speak" with our eyes, our facial expressions, our posture, our clothes, our grooming, our lifestyles, and many other aspects of our persons. But the most familiar and most explicit form of communication is with words.

Source: taken from the inspirational message from the masters July 16, 2004

From MOTIVATION to MOTIVE-ACTION by Denis Waitley

With the passing of every new year, each of us needs to understand the magnitude of social and economic change in the world. In the past, change in business and social life was incremental and a set of personal strategies for achieving excellence was not required.

Today, in the knowledge-based world, where change is the rule, a set of personal strategies is essential for success, even survival. Never again will you be able to go to your place of business on autopilot, comfortable and secure that the organization, state or government will provide for and look after you. You must look in the mirror when you ask who is responsible for your success or failure. You must become a lifelong learner and leader, for to be a follower is to fall hopelessly behind the pace of progress. The power brokers in the new global arena will be the knowledge facilitators. Ignorance will be even more the tyrant and enslaver than in the past.

As you look in the mirror to see the 21st Century you, there will also be another image standing beside you. It is your competition. Your competition, from now on, will be a hungry immigrant with a wireless, hand-held, digital assistant. Hungry for food, hungry for a home, for a new car, for security, for a college education. Hungry for knowledge. Smart, quick thinking, skilled and willing to do anything necessary to be competitive in the world marketplace. Working long hours and Saturdays, staying open later, serving customers better and more cheerfully. To be a player in the 21st Century you have to be willing to give more in service than you receive in payment.

These are the new rules in the game of life. These are the actions you must take to be a leader and a winner in your personal and professional life. By mastering these profoundly simple action steps, you will be positioned to be a change master in the new century.

Action Step Number One - Consider Yourself Self-Employed, But Be a Team Player.

What this means is that you are your own Chief Executive Officer of your future. Start thinking of yourself as a service company with a single employee.
You're a small company that puts your services to work for a larger company. Tomorrow you may sell those services to a different organization, but that doesn't mean you're any less loyal to your current employer. Taking responsibility for yourself in this way does mean that you never equate your personal long-term interests with your employer's.
The first idea is resolving not to suffer the fate of those who lost their jobs and found their skills were obsolete. The second is to begin immediately the process of protecting yourself against that possibility ? by becoming proactive instead of reactive.
Ask yourself these questions:
How vulnerable am I? What trends must I watch? What information must I gain? What knowledge do I lack?
Again, think of yourself as a company. Set up a training department in your mind and make certain your top employee is updating his or her skills. Make sure you have your own private pension plan, knowing that you are responsible for your own financial security.
Entrusting the government or an employer, other than yourself, with your retirement income is like hiring a compulsive gambler as your accountant.
You're the CEO of your daily life who must have the vision to set your goals and allocate your resources. The mindset of being responsible for your own future used to be crucial only to the self-employed, but it has become essential for us all. Today's typical employees are no longer one-career people. Most will have five separate careers in their lifetimes. Remember, your competition is a hungry immigrant with a laptop.

Action Step Number Two - Be Flexible in the Face of Daily Surprises.

We live in a time-starved, overstressed, violent society. Much of our over-reaction to what happens to us every day is a result of our self-indulgent value system, where we blame others for our problems, look to organizations or the government for our solutions, thirst for immediate sensual gratification and believe we should have privileges without responsibilities. This condition is manifested in the high crime rate and in the increase in violence in the work place where employees blame their managers for threatening their security.
I have learned how to be flexible in the face of daily surprises, which is one of the most important action traits for a leader. I really haven't been angry for about 17 years. During that time, no one has tried to physically harm me or someone close to me. I've learned to adapt to stress in life and reserve my fear or anger for imminently physically dangerous situations. I rarely, if ever, get upset with what people say, do or don't do, even if it inconveniences me. I do react emotionally when I see someone physically or emotionally abusing or victimizing another. But I've learned not to sweat the small stuff.
The Serenity Prayer, "Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.", is a valuable measuring tool we can apply to our lives. Simple yet profound words to live by.

Source: taken from the inspirational message from the masters August 2, 2004