When you look out the window what do you see? Do you see the same old back yard or the same old street scape? Do you see the same blank cubicle staring back at you? Sometimes I wonder, what do you see? If I'm being honest, most of the time when I look out the window I am unimpressed. Not because I do not enjoy what I see, or because I am not proud of my home or my backyard, but mostly because I struggle with wonder...
I would like to personally thank you for reading this blog and following along with me on this incredibly exciting journey we call life! I wanted to take a moment and invite you to come and celebrate Easter with me and my family at Engage City Church!
Hope to see you there! Be sure to come and say hi!
Brett Esslinger is a Husband, Dad, Son, Brother, Pastor, Speaker, Leader, Writer whose life goal is to help people unlock their potential and fulfill their life's purpose.
Follow Brett on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @brettesslinger and of course over on Snapchat at: brett.esslinger
What am I even doing with my life? What have I accomplished so far? How did I get here? Why am I so dissatisfied with where I am right now? Sound familiar? These are questions that many of us wrestle with on a regular basis. While the frequency might change, from once an hour, to once a minute, to once every 10 seconds, these are questions that we are forced to deal with.
Often we think of inspiration of a mythical beast, a magical unicorn that randomly appears. We like to think of inspiration as a flash of lightning, and I believe we like to do this to take some of the pressure off.
Today is a good day. There were bumps in the road. There were wins and losses. There were a handful of feelings, emotions and situations that tried to de-rail me, but at this point in the day, things are going pretty well. Here are 5 tips to Overcoming A Bad Day.
Yesterday, I was working in one of those hipster, third wave, coffee shops, and no... I was wasn't working on growing out my beard. Depending on the place, and the vibe of the room, I often like to work without headphones. There is something soothing about the gentle roar of non-descript voices chattering away. I find the white noise acts a platform for my creativity, where music for me, at times, can become a distraction in and of itself.
The chatter over my shoulder began to soak the atmosphere of the room, it was even more palpable than the aroma of freshly ground coffee.
We need to embrace the tension points in our lives. I've written before about growing up in Church and then discovering that things aren't always as they appeared. It is in these moments of realization that we usually start getting really, really mad. The reason we get mad is because we feel like we've been deceived, like we've been lied to. We start discovering that things weren't always what we thought they were. We learn that their is a lot more humanity going on than we would like to admit, and our temperature starts to rise. You feel deceived, like you've played the fool, but in reality, all you've done is grow up.
Growing up in a charismatic, conservative Christian environment, l spent a great deal of my youth viewing life through Black & White tinged glasses. I thought I understood the rights and the wrongs, and I lived my life, the best I could according to these ideals. However, the longer I have followed Christ, the more I have come to realize that these same glasses are transforming and I find myself viewing the world through glasses with a grey hue. (You should also know that I struggled over the usage of gray or grey, but went with the 'e" because it looked good next to the word 'hue.')
I LOVE the idea of the road less travelled. Sure, it's an old turn of phrase, but there is something magical about this thought. Innovating, doing something new, doing something that no one has ever thought of, changing the game, these ideas are so incredibly powerful. The the road less travelled is romantic, it's full of feelings of adventure and excitement, and just the thought of it causes our hearts to race faster, and our eyes to fill with wonder...
I am tired of living this way... running on the hamster wheel, only to realize that every night when I head to bed that I haven't made any forward progress.
Have you ever had the thought, I can't wait until _____________________ ? You can fill in the blank with whatever you'd like. I can't wait until I get that graduate, I can't wait until I get that job, I can't wait until I get that promotion, I can't wait until I meet that somebody, I can't wait until I get married, I can't wait until I can buy that house, I can't wait until I have that kid, I can't wait until I have the next kid, I can't wait until I get that car, I can't wait until I get to go on that trip, I can't wait until I can retire, I can't wait until I'm feeling better, I can't wait until I lose that weight...
We all have stuff. We all have baggage. We all have a chip on our shoulder. We all wear masks. We are all compensating for something... emotionally, spiritually, physically, psychologically... we've all got something.
I believe that ART is an incredible catalyst for change. I believe that ART, now matter the medium, is an amplifier, taking our thoughts, fears, emotions, and ramblings and transforming it into an interactive platform through which we can fully engage with the human experience.
First, I want to say something about leadership. I am a little tired of leadership blogs, leadership talks, leadership podcasts, leadership goals, leadership books, etc. What I am interested is people who are willing to make a difference in whatever sphere they are in, and from whatever seat they are currently sitting in. I believe leadership has been miscast and misdiagnosed and whoever is the boss, but the truth is, a leader is anyone, anywhere who is taking a stand, making a change, and making an impact. If you are willing to stand up, speak out and step up, then you are a leader. If you put your money where your mouth is, you are a leader, regardless of where you fit on the organizational chart. If you are working selflessly for the common good, you are a leader, and I want to thank you for realizing that although it may be difficult to transform the whole world, it is definitely possible for you to transform YOUR world.
So if you fit into this category then I would like to submit something for your consideration...
This morning my alarm went off... I rolled over, hit snooze (I SET LIKE 5 ALARMS TO MAKE SURE I WOULD GET UP), and waited for the next alarm. I then repeated this process 4 more times, until all of my alarms had gone off, I wrestled within my head and my heart about all of the reasons why I should get up, and ultimately, my heavy eye lids won the internal struggle, and I dozed back to slip, waking up some 2 hours later.
I FAILED - Day One was a failure before it even began...
We have all had that feeling when you sit down, teeming with excitement, you lean forward, settle in, and prepare yourself to release your creativity. That's when it happens. You stare at your notebook, canvas, screen, typewriter, guitar, piano, notepad, block of wood, and you find yourself stuck... Here are 3 simple ways to beat CREATIVE BLOCK!
We all struggle with loving ourselves... once we discover this and face it, we can begin to open ourselves up to others. Here are the Top 5 Quotes for Today on Self-Esteem & Self-Worth
Often we view PAIN as our enemy... but what if I told there is a purpose to be found in your pain.
This past Sunday I shared a message called My Values, My Future! I shared 7 thoughts about Values based on John 12... so I thought I would share some of my thoughts here.
