Living in the One Percent

I've had the opportunity to stand on nine or ten summits over 14,000 feet in my life. I've been blessed to travel to Russia fifteen times and another trip is on the horizon. I've hiked for days near the Matterhorn, one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. I got to take a zipline from next to the Great Wall of China across a lake flying hundreds of feet in the air.

And in each of these scenarios and others like them I wondered to myself:  What percentage of people in the world have done this or been here? And of course I don't know the amount but I'm pretty sure it's quite small, less than one percent.  I remember thinking, "I am so fortunate to be here because very few have experienced this."

But I also know this . . . those moments were some of the most alive times in my life. Most of them required sacrifice, hardship, pain and/or fear but they were worth it. They were opportunities that the majority of other people either couldn't or wouldn't take advantage of because in many cases they were too busy doing what everyone else does.

Is that you  and your family too?  Just accomplishing a lot of great things but doing what most other people do every day. Are you just a clone in a busy culture but with little uniqueness of your own?

And before you think I was just off doing special adventures let me explain what led to the above activities. The mountains were largely climbed with one or more of my kids or my wife. They were special family moments we would never forget.

The trips to Russia have been to teach, help, encourage and train others in ministry, to help them more effectively share their Christian faith with their people. The Matterhorn trip was a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary trip with Jackie and the Great Wall opportunity was part of a trip to see our daughter and son-in-law serving God in China.

REMEMBER: If you want your one percent choices to be extra special do something that involves things that truly matter - ministry, family and helping others.

It is so easy to just coast through life making money, getting stuff and trying to just be happy. But living in the one percent is more about finding joy, giving things away and discovering that the things that are worth the most actually cost the least in everyday terms. You don't need dollars, pesos, rubles or Euros to buy them.  But you do have to plan them, look for them, pray about them and be intentional about living life differently from the masses.

Look for a cause, a mission, a neighbor to help. Find an adventure that your family will never forget and yet which teaches eternal truths and makes a lifelong difference in someone. And when you do you will find that your life is alive in a way you've rarely experienced before and you will never go back.

Start now.

Whose Name Is Most Important?

On a recent day off my wife and I were walking around two large outlet malls near Austin. And while I'm sure I've seen them before, I couldn't help but notice this time how many stores and their products focused on one name: Guess, Prada, Gucci, Coach, Liz Claborne, Polo . . . the list is long.

And of course there is nothing wrong with wanting quality and nice things but I saw scores of people go into each store willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for items that they could have bought comparable ones for somewhere else for far less money.

It was pretty evident that they were willing to spend their hard earned resources largely because of the name.

Let's face it, a name matters. There's something powerful and fulfilling about having a name that people respect, value and honor when they hear it. It certainly helps when you're trying to sell something. But far more important is that we live our lives in a way that our name elicits the same kind of positive response.

How does that happen? Well first, we do our best to be people of integrity. We don't cut corners, we have each other's backs, we don't live our lives merely for our own personal gain. We do what is right in the little things and when no one else is looking.

Second, we add value to the lives of others. We try to make them look good, we do what we can to help them be successful and we let others brag on us, not ourselves. We look for opportunity to serve others and give them credit for doing well.

Third, we do what we do with excellence. If we sell a product, write a blog or provide a service people must know that we do it all well. We send the message that we want them to return again because what we gave them was something they desire more of in the future.

Remember, it takes a long time to build up a name, develop a reputation. But as we see almost weekly in the news, it only takes a moment to ruin one. Be sure you're concentrating on celebrating the right name. And then make it one that people will remember, respect and revisit.

Don't Park Where You Don't Belong

Have you seen those parking spaces labeled, For compact cars only? The problem is there are almost always large sized cars parked there. People see a space so they fill it.
The problem is the car doesn't fit and it keeps other people from parking safely.

In the same way, we can sometimes grab the first spot we see in life thinking that it's a good place to be and it's not. Our circumstances and situation don't fit and as a result we're miserable.

For example, others tell us it's time to move forward so we believe them and think we should be able to do what they tell us. Or others tell us we're going too fast so we slow down when we're actually ready to make some progress. You see their idea of a parking spot isn't necessarily what will work for us.

Or, someone else handles their grief or depression or loss a particular way so we just blindly follow their lead. That is usually a disaster. Our road and journey are unique and while we can learn from others we dare not try to simply imitate them.

Our car doesn't fit their space!

So, as you climb your personal mountain remember that your way of scaling it can and must be unique. You never need to do things the way other do or park your car in their space. It usually won't work but it's OK. Be yourself even during the challenging times of life. It will make your climb that much easier.

The Uniqueness of You and Your Journey

I'm not a big soda fan these days but I know many of you are. In fact some of you are actually connoisseurs of your favorite beverages. However, I hear wait staff, flight attendants and others who serve drinks say to people all the time, "We don't have Coke, is Pepsi alright?" or vice versa. And for some people that substitute is just fine, but for you experts, no way, right?

You know exactly what makes your favorite beverage special and a substitute is not acceptable! Why? Because you know there's a difference and it matters to you! You appreciate and can delineate the little nuances that make your prime soft drink your favorite.

In a similar way our mountain journeys are unique and yet people will also try to substitute another, sometimes their own, for ours. And we must graciously, but firmly decline. We can learn from them, receive encouragement, even ideas, but our treks will still be distinct.

And we must give ourselves permission to reject their path as the one we should take.

Some people want us to follow their route because their journey was successful. And good for them. But that doesn't mean we must comply with their request. Others don't know what to say to us and understandably want to lesson our challenge or pain. Even so, we will need to remember that our climb is still ours alone and we cannot and need not embrace even the most well-intended substitute.

So climb on. Never quit. And savor the distinctive taste of your own special ascent. Accept even the difficulties as your own, learn from them and grow as a result. The view from the top is worth it.

The Place Of Risk When You're Climbing

We were at a zoo recently and became quite amused watching a young giraffe trying to eat next to its mother. The two animals were under a high feeding perch which the mother could nibble from quite easily.

The baby however was only tall enough to barely lick the bottom of the container. It couldn't really get anything nourishing but it kept trying!  If it were just a little bit taller.

I also remember being at the sport climbing gym watching all these terrific (and younger) climbers who could reach holds and climb routes that I couldn't. Now and then I would try to do what they did but it simply didn't happen.  I was a little like that baby animal, thinking and hoping that today I could be like them.

Now is there anything wrong with trying or practicing more or getting better?  Of course not. We ought to grow and to grow we'll need to take some risks and reach beyond our usual limits. But sometimes we need to accept where we are and what we can do for the moment.

This is especially applicable when we're climbing our own personal mountains. We watch others, see their progress or watch the steps they take or holds they can pull off and wonder why we can't do the same.  And if a nudge or some incentive is all we need then, sure, use that to improve.

But sometimes they're just taller, better or father along and we'll need to wait for awhile until we can go where they go. Like that baby giraffe we will grow and someday eat just like mama.  But for now we may need to find another place for success, a different form of progress than others enjoy.

And when we do, we will go forward, we will keep climbing and we will get farther up the mountain. Reach high, go for the top, but remember it's OK to stay within your limits.

Your Climb Is Unique and It's OK

I love reading climbing magazines. They usually contain all sorts of articles about new equipment, places people love to climb and awesome pictures of mountainous areas around the world.

But they usually have a story or two about some of the new routes people climb both on known cliffs and others that have never been climbed before.  Of course most of the great climbers like to outdo the person before them and stretch their limits to new extremes.

Yes, some of you climbers out there are pretty amazing! You push the envelope and inspire others who need to be challenged to do something more difficult.

But new routes don't pertain only to those who climb on rock. Those who are climbing their own personal mountains also have to chart new routes. Yes, there are lessons to be learned from others who have climbed before you, but don't think that your experience has to mirror those of others who you talk to or read about.

Your "route" will be determined by a number of factors - your particular struggle, your personality, your resources, your time frame and your fellow climbers.  Push aside many of the comments from well-meaning friends and family who say things like, "Well, when that happened to me . . .," or "I heard about a friend who went through the same thing and she . . . ."

Sure, learn what you can from their experience but remember your route doesn't have to follow anyone else's route.  Chart new territory, be OK with the uniqueness of your experience, climb differently than all the others if you need to.

You see while using the example of someone else to spur us on can be healthy, comparisons have a way of deflating us. We can subtly begin to think that we should or have to or must do what they did and it's rare that we can anyway. We don't have their skills, personality and life circumstances. It's a lie frankly that somehow we must always equal or top other people.


Instead, the beauty of life is that each climb, each journey and each mountain route is different. Embrace that truth rather than shun it or war against it.

Just don't quit. Keep going.  Never quit climbing. The views on the way up and the one from the top are all worth it.