I finished reading this book 30 seconds ago. I am moved by its stories. Donald Miller is a kind of writer that I will never be. That bothers me, like a kid who wants to throw away his air guitar after seeing a real rock star. But at the same time I am grateful that he wrote and that I get to read it. He writes things out loud that I try not to think in silence, and I admire him for it.

This is a book that looks at life and story, and the choices we have about what kind of story we live, and what kind of character we are in the story. This book makes me want to live differently, to step outside my world of ideas more often, and engage with the real story that’s going on with all the people around me.

You can buy A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, on Amazon and lots of other places. (That’s not an affiliate link. I’m not even close to going there.)

I don’t think everyone will like this book, but I did, and I think it’s a book worth reading.

Photo by Jenn Aardsma.

No analogy or profundity here, just a shy creature,  photographed by my wife in our backyard this afternoon.

A friend wrote a comment to me yesterday that got me thinking. Regarding an intimidating change I am making at work, she said

You can always change direction if need be but at least you are moving. Didn’t your blog say something about that. :)

I realized, yes, I did say something about that, and now I am acting where I was too intimidated to act before. Is there a connection?

I think the act of writing these posts is affecting where I focus my thoughts, and perhaps helping me practice what I preach. Maybe it’s helping me put my values into action because my values are more fresh and clear in my mind when I write about them. Journaling is not a new idea, right?

I know many of you are writers. Are you changed by your writing? What’s your insight on how and why? I’d love to hear your comments.

Mission and vision are not the same thing.

A mission is what you do. Every organization needs to know this. Think mission in the military sense. “Your mission is to defend this position.” Here’s Wal-Mart’s: “To help people save money so they can live better.”

A vision is different. It’s about who you want to become and where you want to be at a time in the future. Wal-Mart’s vision at one time was “To be the worldwide leader in retailing.” Notice the difference between mission and vision.

Clarifying and communicating both mission and vision are key tasks for leaders.

If you know your mission but your vision is unclear, try these questions. I asked them yesterday at a church leadership meeting and I think they helped bring our vision into focus.

1. What is our mission in a nutshell?
2. What kind of organization must we be to be great at that mission?
3. If we become that kind of organization and do a great job on our mission, where could we be in 5 (or 25) years?

If you’re like me and you worry about making a decision you’ll regret, let me stress you out even more. Doing nothing is dangerous too. Any sense you have that passivity reduces the risks and dangers of life is an illusion. In fact the opposite is true. Taking action is the most fundamental key to overcoming problems and reaching your goals that I know.

One reason we are attracted to passivity is to avoid blame and guilt. If we do nothing, and the worst happens, we can throw up our hands and say “I didn’t do it”. If we initiate a big change and the worst happens, someone points a finger and says “It’s your fault”, and we feel terrible.

Life is risky and dangerous and you can’t change that. Bad things are gonna happen and some of them will be your fault. Don’t aspire to die having made as few mistakes as possible. Don’t be reckless, stay off the limb, but be brave. Focus on getting the best outcome, not on getting the least blame. Hang around friends who will congratulate you for trying and failing, not those who will condemn you. Be proactive. Doing nothing is risky too.