YOU ARE HERE

,

We have all done it. You park the car and confidently open the oversize doors of your local mall. You pay attention to where you are parked but not as much to which side of the mall you should have parked on. You are focused on finding Wetzel Pretzel or some other thing you don’t really need, and then in a moment, you realize that you are lost.

Suddenly you see that odd structure proudly presenting the map of the mall. As you make your way over to the board you see a few other folks who are just as lost as you are. This informational display has now become a water cooler for people who don’t have all the answers but know where to go if they need them. Behold, there it is, the red dot proclaiming YOU ARE HERE.

That red dot is quite profound. Just when you think you and those around you are lost that little red ray of hope appears. The truth is most of us are lost because we parked ourselves on the wrong side of reality. Being lost assumes that you’re in the wrong place. I disagree, being lost while earnestly seeking being found is a magical place. It’s a place that leads to a deep and triumphant revelation about who you are and where you are supposed to be.

It would be fantastic if these maps were in plain site throughout every stage of our life. The reality is the maps are there they are just not utilized enough. The maps for your life come in the shape of real friends, real community, and real relationships. These real signs tell us the truth when we think we are lost. These living breathing signs affirm that you are here, and you matter.

Make it a great week,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

/by

GROWTH WITH PURPOSE

,

Did you ever have growing pains as a kid? I did and they were very uncomfortable and painful. The bright side was that I knew that pain had a purpose, and it was a clear sign that I was growing. When purpose is identified in any activity our perspective changes.

Today we honor Martin Luther King Jr. He was not a perfect man by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a man with a purpose. He was quoted saying life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others? His purpose was clear and as result, he bettered our country and inspired growth around the world.

Let’s take your health for example, maintaining your weight requires a balancing act between exercise and discipline. It would be fantastic if you could establish a health standard for yourself and hit a maintenance button that required no work. Unfortunately, there is not an app for that.

Growing with purpose is different than pursuing growth. To acquire new business or new relationships for the sake of growth is shallow and an exercise in futility. Pursuing new business or relationships for the purpose of serving others is deep and long-lasting. As your Chief Encouragement Office, I want us all to grow this year, but I want us to pursue growth that is generational. Growth is good, Growth with purpose changes the world.

Get Growing,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

/by

CULTIVATE COLLABORATION

,

Collaboration is a skill that requires maturity, humility, and want to. On paper, it seems obvious that we should all be working together. So why don’t we?

Personally, I think we don’t collaborate because we don’t relate. How can one be asked to set aside differences and co-labor if we don’t know which differences to set aside? In order to build a relationship, one must spend time with the other person. This time doesn’t have to be intense or groundbreaking. When developing any new relationship, the quantity of time seems to be more important than quality. As the relationship matures, that paradigm will shift. We all have friends that we don’t see very often but once we are together it’s like we never left.

When we are in a relationship with others the goals get bigger and broader. The goals set in a collaborative environment can only be accomplished with the others around you. This is where the fun begins. This is also where we need to circle back to the relationships. Many relationships get lost in collaboration. The reason being, some will take advantage of those relationships and become entitled in their approach to collaboration. Nurturing the relationships throughout any collaborative process ensures that future success is ahead. Fail to acknowledge the importance of humility and you will be jettisoned back to selfdom.

What is done by you will be enjoyed by you. What is done with others will be enjoyed with others.  This simple sentiment is the key to collaboration. As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I encourage you to Dream Big! Dream so big that you will fall flat on your face without the help of those you share a relationship with.

Happy New Year,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

/by