One Way to Enjoy Life (and Leadership) More

• Are the routines and details of your life getting you down?
• Is the direction of your life not turning out as you planned?
• Are you stressing so much about things that are happening — or not happening — that you can’t enjoy the good things already in your life?
• Do you continually compare yourself to others?

Here’s one suggestion I have learned the hard way to better enjoy life (and leadership):

Throw away the scripts.

Throw them away. The script you’ve written about how life is “supposed to go”, where you should be in your career by now, or what perfect relationship you should have – throw it away. In the trash.

I’ve learned that any script ( could write likely won’t work anyway – most of the time.

You can throw away the script in:

• Your career
• Your relationship life
• Your health
• Your finances
• Your personal walk with God

Also, the script you’ve written for what your children will and will not do — throw that script away also.

Throw them all away.

I know we like scripts.

Most of us have written scripts in our minds about how life supposedly will work for us. It’s easier. It’s less messy when we can script things out the way they should work. The way we want things to happen. It’s cleaner. Life is more tidy with scripts.

But, scripts simply don’t work – most of the time. The fact is, life doesn’t follow the script we write for it. In fact, it seldom does in my experience.

For example, you’ll seldom be able to script how long you work at one place. Just try. You’ll seldom be able to script your relationships; specifically, how others respond to you – and, even the way you respond to them. Try as much as you want and you’ll still say the wrong things, be misunderstood, and have to keep working on the relationship. I know some great relationship attempts, which failed – again, from experience.

You’ll seldom be able to script your health. Some of the healthiest people I know got cancer. You’ll seldom be able to script your bank account. One tragedy and everything could be gone. I have seen it many times. I’ve lived it. Script and all.

And, you’re walk with God. You’ll seldom be able to understand all the ways of God. Strive the hardest to please God, follow Him closely, and you’ll still have unanswered questions about why God allows some of the things He allows in your life. Testimony after testimony proves this; including mine.

And, just when you said your kid would never – your kid will – or so the story goes for so many.

I’m not saying to not have a plan.

I’m not saying not to set an end goal or destination. That would be dumb. Really dumb. You’ll seldom hit a target you didn’t aim to hit.

I’m talking about the script. I’m talking about the “dialogue” with your mind along the way and the exact setting and all the characters and the special effects you have pre-scripted. Don’t be afraid when your story sometimes colors outside the lines – or goes off script.

Sometimes it’s good just to throw away the script.

I watch so many people stress about the details of life – the things outside their ability to control – that they miss the joy in the journey.

When people completely rely on a script, they sometimes fall ap art when things don’t go exactly as written. They have a hard time getting back into character. And, they have a hard time adjusting to the other characters in their life who went off script.

Things will seldom turn out just as planned.And, yet, the show must go on.

Granted, having a plan helps you adjust accordingly and more easily, so I say have one – I even write posts telling you how, but the script will seldom live up completely to the paper upon which it’s written. Certainly not in every scene.

Throw away the script. (You’ll stress less when you can’t remember your lines.)

And, if you’re wondering where I got some wisdom:

“In his heart a man plans his steps, but the Lord determines his steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” – Ecclesiastes 11:5

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the LORD’s declaration.” – Isaiah 55:8