Our destiny demands that we de-clutter

I’ve been taking classes online recently. I’m learning how to organize my email; move all my digitals assets off of hard-drives into a cloud, categorize and subcategorize the files, and automate time-consuming online processes.

The thought of doing this was absolutely daunting, but I was thrilled to find out that there are systems that have been developed to help people optimize their digital lives.

Cleaning my digital house has been a blast. I even cleaned up one of my email accounts yesterday from two thousand plus emails down to zero.

You may wonder why I would invest money, time, and energy into doing something like this. I’ll tell you. Even though I know where to find my stuff, I can’t truly delegate and outsource because I’ve lacked organization.

I’ve been meditating on soul bandwidth recently. Asking questions like, “How much is too much?”

I’ve realized that without proper efficiency I cannot truly collaborate or delegate, which means I have to try to juggle a lot of balls.

Juggling kills dreaming. Just saying.

When we lack organization, we usually spend most of our time managing crisis in the present, versus engineering Kingdom change in the future.

So I’ve consolidated all my domains into one hub. DarrenStott.com is a one-stop shop for my radio content, podcasts, information on events, blog posts, and more.

All my email addresses are now going to one secure email account and are organized and systematized so my virtual personal assistant can help save me countless hours of time that’s so easily wasted in an inbox universe.

I believe that things first take place in the natural and then the spirit, therefore this is all one big prophetic drama for the de-cluttering and optimizing of my body, soul, and spirit.

As I free up soul bandwidth, more of my heart becomes available for my family, my leadership teams, my church, and my region.

If we want to be agents of cultural renewal, then we must intentionally commit ourselves to be renewed; purging any chaos that may be attempting to control us.

Our destiny demands that we de-clutter, and get focused.

Directives:
1.) Locate your metaphorical or literal junk drawer and organize it.
2.) As you clean house declare the act a prophetic drama.
3.) Communicate what you’re working on with others. It will inspire them to follow suit.
4.) Share your hacks.

Blessings!

Darren

The tree fort

I once made a tree fort with my kids just shy of our property line, in what is technically city property, and using trees that weren’t the best trees for making a tree fort. But, we did it anyway.

It was a lot of work, it took a lot of time, and it cost me some money.

One year later the city knocked on our door to inform us that they would be knocking down our tree fort.

All that work, all that time, and all that money ended up getting torn down as well, and guess what, I have no regrets.

I thank God that I did not take the time to consider the workload, the costs, or the amount of energy required to build that fort because if I had, I might not have done it.

The truth is, we didn’t just build a tree fort, we made unforgettable memories; memories that were worth every drop of sweat and every dollar spent.

Sometimes we spend way too much time considering all the negative practical factors for why we shouldn’t do new and amazing things. We get burnt out in the consideration process before we’ve done anything.

If you can relate to the above, here are two directives:

1.) Stop analyzing everything to death!
2.) Start already.

So what if it’s a lot of work. So what if nobody likes it. So what if it sucks; at least you started.

What are you waiting for?
Begin, and figure it out as you go.

Do we really need MORE rules?

Little Bobby is angry because his mommy has just informed him that it’s time to turn off Octonauts. Bobby identifies the closest weapons cache he can find, a bucket of blocks. In his indignation he begins World War III, hurling the wooden projectiles at his mommy while repeatedly yelling, “TV ON!”

Mommy lunges for the cupboard and pulls out a lid that belongs to one of her largest pots, flexing it as if she were Wonder Woman and this was her shield. Diverting the flying blocks she slowly makes yardage towards her son while screaming unloaded threats, and after calculating the distance and risks, she throws away her shield and pounces on her son like a cheetah, pinning his throwing arm under her mommy belly. He begins to cry (an adorable little boyish cry) in defeat. He’s so cute when he’s humble.

Meanwhile, daddy selfishly works in his quiet cubicle, sipping on a green tea latte, listening to his favorite Deftones album that is discreetly playing in the background. It’s too much for mommy to think about that right now. Bobby’s behavior is undoubtedly an indicator that daddy works too much.

Mommy slowly unpeels herself off of little Bobby who is still sobbing.

“Honey,” she calmly speaks. “We don’t throw things.”

One last bolt of anger rages shoots through Bobby, and he lunges back for the blocks. Mommy once again pounces like a ninja.

The blocks aren’t the problem.

They are just toys that have become weaponized. If Mommy throws away the blocks in hopes of having a safer home, Bobby will only find something else that can be thrown.

Throwing the blocks isn’t the issue either.

If mommy punishes Bobby for throwing things, next time, his method may adapt, and mommy may have to face an evolved form of retaliation, like a homemade catapult.

Well then, should mommy put on her psychologist hat and go five kinds of Doctor Phil (or Danny Silk if that’s more your thing) on her son; diving into the layers of generational issues that may be accounting for little Bobby’s behavior? Probably not.

What then is a better solution?

Determining and creating the kind of culture that you want in your home – preferably using Heaven as your blueprint.

Life can become a series of compounding widgets and apps; little hacks in behavioral modification and cultural manipulation that make life tolerable and yet desperately unfruitful.

Surface level tweaking demands no accountability, and yet significant micromanagement. At a certain point, a parent won’t even be able to keep track of all the rules they have to create to maintain order.

Consider the marketplace. Many times job descriptions are used to control people’s production versus empowering it; barking orders and delegating tasks lists in the same way that one may command Siri (the robot lady who talks to you on your iPhone) to send a text message.

Treating people like artificial intelligence only prepares them to be replaced by AI in the coming years. Healthy cultures and corporations celebrate one's freedom to make choices, be creative and break through barriers thereby making history.

We’ve got to get out of the weeds and start seeing things from Heaven.

What is the culture of our home, work, church, neighborhood, city, and nation going to look like on our watch?

Don’t begin at home, start in Heaven.

What does the culture of Heaven look like? Now reverse engineer it, frame it and state it.

Leaders don’t need to wear themselves out trying change the culture when they can create new contrasting cultures.

I often tell my children, “In our family, we don’t throw fits. If you were in a different family, then you might get away with it. We are Stotts, and God has big things in store for us.”

My destiny is not personal at all. It’s corporate and generational. The call of God on my life isn’t individualistic; it’s apart of a legacy linage. I have to create a culture in my homes because the culture we create is what will hold me accountable.

When our leadership consists of mostly behavior tweaking, we are passively teaching people how to hack standards and perform at the minimum level required, but when we communicate our desired culture, and then uphold the measures necessary to achieve that result, we are actively displaying the dynamics of the Kingdom that can transform nations.

We don’t need more laws or more swimming pool rules. We need culture creating leaders. It's time to engage heaven for the transformation of the Earth.

Culture > Behavioral Tweaking.

Culture > Behavioral Tweaking.

When our leadership consists of mostly behavior tweaking, we are passively teaching people how to hack standards and perform at the minimum level required

Oreo kisses

I know whenever my four-year-old daughter has had a snack because she wears it on her mouth.  When I kiss Sophia, I usually get her leftovers. For example, last Sunday, I received an Oreo kiss, and it was one of my favorite kisses that week.

This is why people avoid intimacy.  It’s too intimate.  Most people want to make their own choices without having to think about others.  

What we choose to engage with gets shared with those we love, without our consent.  Sometimes this is a blessing.  Sometimes it’s a curse.

Don’t be the, “I just ate a whole order of garlic fries, and now I want to make out with you,” kind of person.  

Remember, you aren’t the only one that has to eat what YOU choose to eat.