One of the best ways to learn is not reading a book, listening to someone talk or studying a subject. In my humble opinion, the best way you can learn something is to… Do It! Nothing can replace the value that comes through experiencing something first hand- trying, failing, succeeding and learning from the process.

When I was a home builder, the best training I received for building homes was to…build homes. In real estate, the best way to become better was to…practice real estate. Leadership goes the same way- the best way to grow as a leader is to…lead others. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for study, for preparation or for wise counsel. There is. It does mean that some of the best growth you can experience is by getting in the game. Do It!

At the end of the day, you’ll never know what the water feels like, unless you jump in the river! Get in the game, get your hands dirty, get off the couch and get to it! Do It! I’m not sure what this looks like for you, but I want to challenge you to get out there and go for it! Do It!

What are your thoughts? Why do we often want to know the outcome before we even get in the game?

My wife recently wrote this up on the wall at our home.

It was there when I got home one day from work- thinking I had all the answers, thinking the world revolved around me. It just showed up and spoke to me in a number of ways as I hope it may speak to you. I thought about how crazy it is to think about God actually opposing someone, working against their efforts. I thought about how even more crazy it is that God would extend grace to those would humble themselves. Humility creates an opportunity to receive grace. Often, we want it the other way around. In our pride, we want to be forgiven, and then only then will we consider humbling ourselves. This verse from the book of James asks us to do the opposite.

What are your thoughts? Why is it so tough to humble ourselves and not be prideful?

Check out this video about what it is like to work with my church, LifeChurch.tv. Some people call it a job. We say it’s a calling!

Think you’ve got what it takes? Go here to lifechurch.tv/jobs to see what positions are available. If you are a musical worshipful type, come work with me in Fort Worth!

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I try to tell our 4yo Meg all the time that she is an artist. She still isn’t convinced, even though she does some of the most amazing creative things. As we grow up, I think the world convinces us that we are not artists. Our culture, if we are not careful, can straight up beat the creativity right out of us. I read this blurb from Seth Godin and was inspired to share it with you…

From Seth Godin: Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.

What makes someone an artist? I don’t think is has anything to do with a paintbrush. There are painters who follow the numbers, or paint billboards, or work in a small village in China, painting reproductions. These folks, while swell people, aren’t artists. On the other hand, Charlie Chaplin was an artist, beyond a doubt. So is Jonathan Ive, who designed the iPod. You can be an artists who works with oil paints or marble, sure. But there are artists who work with numbers, business models, and customer conversations. Art is about intent and communication, not substances.

An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artists takes it personally.

That’s why Bob Dylan is an artist, but an anonymous corporate hack who dreams up Pop 40 hits on the other side of the glass is merely a marketer. That’s why Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, is an artist, while a boiler room of telemarketers is simply a scam.

Tom Peters, corporate gadfly and writer, is an artists, even though his readers are businesspeople. He’s an artist because he takes a stand, he takes the work personally, and he doesn’t care if someone disagrees. His art is part of him, and he feels compelled to share it with you because it’s important, not because he expects you to pay him for it.

Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. The medium doesn’t matter. The intent does.

Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another.”
— Seth Godin (Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?)

Do you struggle with your definition of an artist or real art? Why do you think we do this? Love to hear your thoughts…

9 reasons to switch from Facebook to Google+ by Mark Sullivan, PCWorld. The following article is reprinted from PCWorld.com. I see the points, but I’m still not entirely convinced that Google+ will ever beat Facebook….

When people ask “can Google+ beat Facebook?” they’re misstating the question. It’s not about one site versus another site. Google+ is bigger than that. The reason Google calls it the “Google+ Project” is that Google+ will become a central part of Google’s whole identity. It will reshape the company. So the real question is “can Google beat Facebook?” Put that way, the contest seems a lot more even.

Facebook, of course, has a huge head start, but there are good reasons for people to seriously consider dumping Facebook for Google+.

1. Integration with Google Services
The biggest wedge Google has for driving people toward using Google+ is integration. That is, Google will build Google+ social networking features and tools into almost all of its existing online services from Search to Documents to Video. Google+ is already integrated into the navigation bar at the top right of almost all Google products; this lets you monitor all Google+ events (updates, messages, etc.) as well as share content with friends without ever leaving the Google service you happen to be using. Millions and millions of people use Google’s free services (Gmail, Docs, Search, etc.), and with Google+ bound so tightly to them it may start to seem silly to jump out to some other site (Facebook) to do your social networking.

2. Better friend management
Google is right that the “Circles” concept is more in line with the way we make friends in real life. We have many different kinds of friends, and we interact with them and communicate with them in very different ways. Facebook’s Groups feature lets you form ad hoc groups of friends, but compared to the way its done in Google+ it seems cumbersome. After all, Facebook’s Groups feature is pretty new; it was “built on”, while friend “circles” are the bedrock of the Google+ platform.

3. Better mobile app
If you’re an Android user, you may find that getting content from your phone to your social platform is easier, cleaner more functional with the Google+ mobile app. The app is already great, but Google will seek more and more ways to make your Android phone a seamless appendage of your Google+ social platform. Google hopes to use its huge Android user base as a wedge against Facebook, whose mobile app, while nice-looking, is a little clunky to use.

4. Easier to find stuff to share
Google+’s Sparks feature is another important differentiator from Facebook. Spark is Google leveraging its search engine to do something Facebook can’t do—give users an instant wellspring of relevant information to share with friends. Because Facebook has no search engine, its users must leave the site to find shareable data or wait for their friends the share it with them. The question “how do I find stuff to share” is immediately answered with Sparks.

5. You can get your data back
Facebook is notorious for its poor stewardship of personal data. You are forced to make certain parts of your personal data “public” for example, and It is very hard to permanently delete your Facebook profile. Google, on the other hand, makes it possible for you to pick up all the data you’ve banked at Google+ and walk away. This is done through a Google+ tool called “Data Liberation.” With just a few clicks you can download data from your Picasa Web Albums, Google profile, Google+ stream, Buzz and contacts.

6. Better photo tagging
When viewing photos in Google+ you can “tag” the people in them similar to the way you do in Facebook. You draw a little square around a person’s face, then type in their name in the box below it (or choose one of the names Google+ guesses). But there’s a big difference in the way Google handles the privacy aspect of photo tagging. When you tag someone, you see this note: “Adding this tag will notify the person you have tagged. They will be able to view the photo and the related album.” Facebook, on the other hand, does not make an effort to warn people the they’ve been tagged (possibly in an unflattering or compromising photo) and give them an immediate chance to remove the tag.

Also, Google has wisely decided to shy away from using facial recognition software, which Facebook now uses to automatically identify people in photos uploaded to user albums.

For the rest of the original post, go HERE.

What do you think? Will you or have you tried out Google+? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

What are your favorite July 4th memories? Mine involve family, my mom and dad, thinking about our freedom and fireworks- lots of them! This video reminded me of firework warfare growing up….times 10.

Ok, so what is your favorite July 4th memory? What did you think of the video??

Here is the article of the story I mentioned in the above video (the man tragically drowned & the little girl and mom were saved by a biker).  Let’s say you knew you had one day left on earth…  What would you do with one last day to live??  Seriously, we’d love to hear in the comments!

New to TheWayItCouldBe.com? This is a site promoting cultural impact through personal and spiritual transformation. Post topics include creativity, family, faith, culture, social media and leadership. Feel free to browse around by category. If you dig the site, you can subscribe for free email updates by simply entering your email address in the sidebar out to the right.