The Monday Memo from John Stanko

Monday Memo 307: Be A Deviant!

I am in Chicago right now, but I want to write about something I learned this week in Seattle at The Pacific Institute. Lou Tice, the founder and president, talked to us about being a deviant. No, he wasn't urging us to get involved in some deviant or unacceptable behavior or lifestyle. In Lou's opinion, most people tend to stay in their comfort zone, doing pretty much what they know to do or have always done. When he talked to us about being a deviant, he was exhorting us to be high achievers and went on to outline the five aspects of this kind of deviant behavior that he felt were critical. Would you like to learn what those five aspects are? If so, read on. If not, read on anyway -- you may learn something!

FIVE POINTS

Here are the five characteristics common to all high-end achievers:

1. Purposeful - Now there's a novel idea! Purpose! Being a deviant starts with some overarching reason for doing what you do. Of course, I am interested in seeing the will of God be the purpose that drives you beyond what is considered normal. I have devoted the last 16 years of my life to helping you and others like you clarify their purpose. I was delighted to hear Lou say that purpose is where it starts. I am signing my latest book, Beyond Purpose, however, with this motto: "It starts but it doesn't end with purpose."

2. Others-focused - If you are or want to be a high-end achiever, you are motivated by purpose, but your purpose always helps other people. In my Seven Steps of a PurposeQuest seminar, I teach that when you know your purpose, you often become a servant-leader because you know who you are and you have something that others need. Thus you can't help but devote your life to making the world a better place for other people by serving their highest priority needs.

3. Self-determined - If you are a deviant, you find the energy and motivation to do what you do from within. No one can force you to do what you do, not even the Lord. You are self-driven and that generates the creativity and energy to succeed. No one forces me to write this Memo every week, or my books for that matter. I write because I choose to write. I hope the results bear out that reality.

4. Self-efficacious - Efficacy is a word you may not use every day, but it simply means to make things happen. Efficacious people pull things off, usually things that others consider impossible. If you are efficacious, you try and don't worry about failure. You think, "I can do that" or "I am good at this or that." You don't look for reasons why things won't happen; you look for ways to make things happen.

5. Courageous - If you are a deviant, you go where angels fear to tread! Someone once said that courage isn't the absence of fear, it's learning to function in the midst of fear. If you wait for your fears to subside or lessen, you may never try anything out of the ordinary. People who make a difference often have to face criticism as they become positive change agents. I hope that you are exhibiting courage as you make your best effort to clarify and fulfill your purpose.

DEVIANT BEHAVIOR

I guess the bottom line is that deviants don't follow the norm; they do things that others can't or won't do. Again, I trust you understand that I am not urging you to engage in bizarre behavior. I am, however, recommending that you follow your heart and see where it leads you. If you do, it may just cause you to do something that those around you never considered or imagined. You will then move beyond the norm to deviate from everyone else.

As you start this week, you may want to give yourself a score in the five areas above. Go back and give yourself a number from one to five for each of the five characteristics of a deviant, five being the most and one the least. What is your total score? The goal, if you want to be a person of purpose, is to have a score as close to twenty-five as possible. Are you satisfied with your score? If so, good for you! You are a deviant! If not, what can you do this week to help earn you that label? I truly hope that you understand what I am urging you to be and that you will join with other deviants as together we move forward to change our world. Have a great week!

Monday Memo 306: Christian-itis

I finished up the cruise to Alaska last Saturday and now I have a group of friends and associates over here in the States from Zimbabwe. I will be with them for the next two weeks. The cruise was great. Michael W. Smith is the "real deal" -- a nIce man with a great family.

I have noticed a strange malady circulating in the body of Christ. It is not fatal, but it afflicts many people. It's something that I jokingly refer to as Christian-itis. It is a virus and it spreads from one believer to another. No one is immune, but there is a cure. For someone to be cured, however, they must admit that they have the disease. Furthermore, they must see that the disease can against them clarifying their purpose. What is Christian-itis? What are the symptoms? I'm glad you asked. To learn what it is, however, you will have to read on.

THREE SYMPTOMS

1. The first symptom is what I call "Godspeak." Most people don't know their purpose because they have never asked and kept seeking until they got an answer. When they do ask, they use "Godspeak" lingo and style. "Godspeak" causes you to say God's name every third word when you pray. It makes you use a lot of words that sound spiritual but aren't. "Godspeak" can even cause you to change your voice so that, when you pray, you don't use your everyday voice when you talk to God. It can even cause you to use King James English, using "Thee" and "art" when you pray.

I found my purpose after a painful business failure. I wasn't looking for purpose; I was angry with God. Yet my honest question, "If You didn't create me to start this business, what did you create me to do?" elicited a response from God that my purpose was to "create order out of chaos." Believe, there was no "Godspeak the morning I said what I did. I was honest with God and He, in turn, was honest with me!

2. The second symptom is false humility. That is when you are so concerned with what people may think of you that you deny who you are and what you can do. For example, someone says, "That was great!" You say, "It was nothing. The Lord did it. I had nothing to do with it." When employing false humility, you may go out of your way to find fault with who you are or what you did so that no one will think too highly of you or your work.

If you deny that you can do something well, when in reality you can, they you have false humility. Humility isn't denying the reality of who you are what you can do, it is acknowledging that, while God made you with the gifts and talents you have, you still have a role to play in their effective expression. While false humility seems like it honors God, it does not. It only seeks to confuse you as to who you really are and cause people not to pay you a compliment.

3. The third symptom is inactivity. When you have this aspect of Christian-itis, you say, "I am waiting on the Lord." You don't wait on the Lord like you wait on a train or bus to arrive. Faith without action is dead and when you are doing nothing, you may think you are renewing your strength as stated in Isaiah 40:31. I like the translation that says "those that hope in the Lord will renew their strength."

I am believing God for a best-selling book. What am I doing while I am hoping, waiting and believing? I am writing! No one can buy a book I haven't written. While it sounds spiritual to say, "I'm praying about that right now," it's also spiritual to act on your faith projects. To not do so is symptomatic of Christian-itis.

THE CURE

Each symptom of Christian-itis has a simple cure. For "Godspeak," you must be honest with God. For false humility, you must have an accurate assessment of who you are and who you're not. And for inactivity, there is action. While all three remedies are simple and straightforward, they are difficult to employ. Why? Because Christian culture feeds and perpetuates the symptoms! They are actually held in high esteem by many.

So what say you? Are you ready to be cured or are you satisfied to stay in your present condition? Are you ready to go against the norm and act differently than you have in the past? If not, then purpose will always be a fantasy for you, a destination you would like to reach if it doesn't require too much. If you are ready to apply the remedies, then you are ready for your PurposeQuest -- and you will not be disappointed. I urge you to choose the latter option and get on with the work that God has for you to do. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. Have a great week!

Feel free to add your comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

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I released my new book, Beyond Purpose, several weeks ago. The cost of my new book is $15 US. If you order in July, I'll pay the domestic shipping or give you a $3 US credit toward international shipping. You can use PayPal to pay for your book. Just use my email address, [email protected], and they will notify me when your payment is in my account. Just include your address with the payment and we'll get your book(s) out to you right away.

If you can't use PayPal, then send me an email and we'll work something out, but order today.

Speaking of money and payments, every now and then I like to remind you that I live by faith. I send out thousands of Memos and weekly Bible studies free of charge and I enjoy doing it. If you have been blessed by my purpose message or work, however, would you consider a contribution at this time. You can go to my website and donate using PayPal, or you can send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA, 15221 USA. Just think of your donation that will help make my schooling possible. Thank you for considering my request.

Also, I am thinking about sponsoring my own cruise to Alaska in 2008. If you would like to be a part of that, please drop me an email to let me know and I will send you the details when they are available It will probably be next July.

Monday Memo 305: Ask What?

I am writing this from a cruise ship by the name of Oosterdam, sailing someplace between Seattle and Alaska. I left yesterday on the Michael W. Smith cruise and today is our day at sea. This is my eighth Alaskan cruise and I always enjoy the scenery, not to mention the food. I am thinking of hosting my own Alaskan cruise in 2008. If you would be interested in coming along, drop me an email and let me know.

Yesterday, I was reflecting on my being here and formulating some questions for the week. These will be things I am asking the Lord while I am onboard. One of the things is to understand how Michael W. effectively uses his website. I won't share with you what the others are, for they are personal. I think we are to seek the Lord and part of seeking Him is asking questions that only He can answer. So let's talk about that this week.

QUALITY QUESTIONS

I think I first heard Tony Robbins say, "Quality questions lead to a quality life." I totally agree. What's more, when you ask quality questions, you get quality answers, answers that will help you lead the kind of life that satisfies you and glorifies God. Yet, most people aren't asking quality questions, or they don't hold those questions until they get the answers. That is how I would define seeking the Lord: Asking good questions, the answers to which will benefit you and other people.

Many people who encountered Jesus on His earthly visit asked Him useless questions. I know that many did not realize that they were talking with God when they talked with Him. Most knew, however, that they were talking with a prophet at most or an effective rabbi at least. Yet they used their audience with Him as a time to ask trivial questions. I know people today who do the same. What were some of these trivial questions.

In Matthew 15, the Pharisees wanted to know why Jesus didn't wash His hands like the elders, giving them a thorough scrubbing up the elbow, like a modern-day surgeon. In Mark 11, the leaders wanted to know by what authority Jesus did the things He did. They weren't interested in how He healed or why they could not. They wanted to ask God self-serving and self-seeking questions. They had a golden opportunity and wasted it.

ASK WHAT?

Yet there was one man who asked a good question in Mark 12. He asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment and Jesus answered him. When the man responded with integrity and insight, Jesus promised the man that he wasn't far from God's kingdom. Jesus was so enthused by the man's question and response that He went on to delight the crowd with insight into Psalm 110. I guess that proves it's possible to get God excited with a good question, one that will elicit more and more godly insight.

So what are you currently asking the Lord? What insight are you seeking? What answers do you need so desperately that you will spend time and effort obtaining those answers?

In my opinion, one of those questions should be: "What is my purpose?" Once you clarify that, your second question should be, "How do You want me to express or fulfill it?" Don't just ask those questions once or twice. Keep asking until you get answers. Then get busy doing ordering your life so that you can apply the answers.

I have my journal out to hear the answers to my questions I am asking this week. As I watch snow-capped mountains and glaciers go by, I will be asking God why I am here and what He wants from me. You may not be on the ship with me this week, but you can be asking meaningful questions because you have access to God. Don't waste time this week asking God meaningless things, and by all means don't have any questions at all. When you ask, ask for significant insight and be ready for significant answers. Those answers in turn will make you a significant person. As you ask, I pray that you will have a great week. I know I will.

Feel free to add your comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

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I released my new book, Beyond Purpose, last week. The cost of my new book is $15 US. If you order in July, I'll pay the domestic shipping or give you a $3 US credit toward international shipping. You can use PayPal to pay for your book. Just use my email address, [email protected], and they will notify me when your payment is in my account. Just include your address with the payment and we'll get your book(s) out to you right away.

If you can't use PayPal, then send me an email and we'll work something out, but order today.

Speaking of money and payments, every now and then I like to remind you that I live by faith. I send out thousands of Memos and weekly Bible studies free of charge and I enjoy doing it. If you have been blessed by my purpose message or work, however, would you consider a contribution at this time. You can go to my website and donate using PayPal, or you can send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA, 15221 USA. Just think of your donation that will help make my schooling possible. Thank you for considering my request.

Monday Memo 304: Goals

As you read this, I will be on my way to Atlanta, Georgia and the annual Christian Booksellers Convention, where I will premier my seventh book, Beyond Purpose: Keys to Unlocking a Life of Productivity and Fulfillment. It is a 52-lesson guide to a more creative and productive life and I am pleased with the outcome. You can find out how to order a copy at the end of this Memo.

This week I feel like updating you on some things going on in my life, with the hope that these things will spur you to set some goals and set about achieving them.

WRITING

I have a goal to earn more revenue from writing so that I can spend more time writing. I regularly visualize myself in a major bookstore somewhere, sitting behind a table, busily autographing my books for eager, paying customers lined up around the store. Any time I am writing, I keep that image before me and it encourages me to write. Today and tomorrow I will have a book signing hour for bookstore owners from around the world. I already see long lines forming to get my latest book at that event.

I had a toy typewriter when I was a child, and I used to spend hours typing out articles and chapters from magazines and books. My goal as a 10-year-old was to have a pile of papers next to that typewriter that was the size of a manuscript. I didn't write anything original then, but I knew I wanted to write something that had substance to it. Today, I am doing just that.

SCHOOL

I have always enjoyed school and was a good student. I graduated in the top ten percent of my university class, went on to graduate school for economics and then earned a doctorate in pastoral ministries in 1995. I have decided it's time to go back to school, so in August I will start a doctorate in ministry program at the Reformed Theological Presbyterian Seminary here in Pittsburgh.

It is a two-year cohort program, which means I will be with the same classmates (my cohorts) throughout the program. Then I will have a ministry project to do and will hopefully finish in not much longer than the two years the classes will take to complete. Right now I am in the midst of the 18 books I have to read for the start of classes on August 6. I guess when I graduate, you will have to call me Doctor-Doctor.

My goal is to enroll for something every year that will add to my effectiveness. Last year, I attended the training at The Pacific Institute, and that changed my life in so many ways. This doctoral program will fulfill my training goal for the next two years and help direct my reading program to relevant and helpful material.

GOALS

My book and school are the direct result of goals I have set for myself. No one forces me to set or achieve those goals. They are things I want and choose to do. There may be more income for me from those goals, but that is incidental to why I set them. I want to be the best that I can be at what I do and writing and study help make that possible. I have other goals that I won't mention here, but I hope you get the picture.

So what are your goals? Do you have any? Can you set some more? If you don't have any, why don't you? What are afraid of? To help you understand the goal-setting process even more, I have attached an excerpt below from my first book, Life is a Gold Mine: Can You Dig It? Take some time this week to read this article, examine the goals you have and set some goals you would like to achieve. Then get busy visualizing and actualizing how you will accomplish those goals. Who knows, one day you may be sitting at that table with me and we may be signing some books together. That would be great, wouldn't it? While you're dreaming and planning, I hope you have a great week! I know I will!

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The cost of my new book is $15 US. If you order in July, I'll pay the domestic shipping or give you a $3 US credit toward international shipping. You can use PayPal to pay for your book. Just use my email address, [email protected], and they will notify me when your payment is in my account. Just include your address with the payment and we'll get your book(s) out to you right away.

If you can't use PayPal, then send me an email and we'll work something out, but order today.

Speaking of money and payments, every now and then I like to remind you that I live by faith. I send out thousands of Memos and weekly Bible studies free of charge and I enjoy doing it. If you have been blessed by my purpose message or work, however, would you consider a contribution at this time. You can go to my website and donate using PayPal, or you can send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA, 15221 USA. Just think of your donation that will help make my schooling possible. Thank you for considering my request.

Download goals article: Personal Goals.doc

Monday Memo 303: Joy Feast

I am in Nairobi, but I'm on my way home! It's been 10 weeks away, so I'm anxious to get home to my wife, summer weather, reliable electricity and water, and the Fourth of July. I am not complaining, for I've had a great trip and will be back on the African continent the third week of August.

During this trip, I reconnected with my favorite book, Proverbs. As you know, I published a book in 1997 entitled A Daily Dose of Proverbs. It is still one of my best-selling books, in which I wrote one page of devotional material focusing on one verse from Proverbs for every day of the year. (I recently wrote a blog entry about Proverbs if you would like to read it.) While reading through the book this month, I ran across a few verses on joy that stood out to me in light of the discussions we have had about joy in Monday Memos 297 and 298. (I am also attaching the July excerpt from my Proverbs book below for your use and enjoyment.)

JOY VERSES

The first verse that caught my attention is Proverbs 14:10:

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

No one can tell you what you should like or not like, energize you or not. You know what your heart is telling you when you love to do something, and when something is a drag. You can't explain it, justify it or dismiss it. It just is. I love to write. I love to work in Africa. That joy is my indicator that those are things I am supposed to do. At the same time, I was depressed when I was the pastor of a local church. A pastor does a noble work, but there was no joy in it for me. So I stopped being a pastor in 1993 and I have never looked back or had any regrets. I didn't leave church work; I just pursued work in that world that gave my heart joy.

The second verse is found in Proverbs 17:22:

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Joy, or lack of it, affects your physiology. If you have joy, you have a better chance for health. If not, then you are in danger of dried up bones. How often do you laugh every day? More importantly, how often do you laugh while you are working or doing whatever it is that you do all day, like going to school or tending your children? Laughter is good medicine, so doing what you enjoy is a health tonic of sorts. Not doing what you love is a prescription for illness, pure and simple. No wonder I feel so good these days!

JOY FEAST

The one verse, however, that really caught my attention is in Proverbs 15:15:

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

How many people I know who hate to get up and go to work. Their days are wretched and that means they are oppressed. How so? They have to do what they do and they somehow feel that this is noble or God's will. God does not oppress you by placing you in situations that you don't enjoy or find happiness. He may do that for a season to train you or develop some aspect of your character, but He won't do it for long.

Yet those who find what they love to do and then do it have a continual feast. They constantly feed at a table of creativity, innovation and significance. They have energy and an attitude that says, "I don't have to do what I'm doing; I get to do what I'm doing." Every day is a "ten" on a scale of one to ten when you do what you love.

So at what table are you feeding? Is it a table of meager fulfillment and occasional joy, or is it a table where there is an endless supply, a feast, of joyful energy? I refuse to spend one day at the wretched table of oppression, but only want to sit and serve where I can access the abundance of joy. I invite you to sit at the table with me, for there's plenty of room and there is no end to goodies that joy can provide. In fact, why not determine to take your place at that table today! If you do, you won't just have a good week in general, but a good week filled with seven joyful days.

Feel free to add your comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

Download July Proverbs: July.doc