The topic for this 30-day period is understanding and developing self-confidence based upon Brene' Brown's book The Gifts of Imperfection. Brown is an accomplished researcher, author, and public speaker. She explores the dimensions of self-confidence and offers 10 guidposts for living confidently. Though I don't always agree with her conclusions, the material frequently connects spiritual ideas to common circumstances in a warm and personal way.

All of us, sometimes nearly every day, think about how to manage our imperfections. Brown says we should value them as gifts and I agree. A Biblical understanding of our imperfections allows us to experience grace as both receiver and giver. Recognizing our own limitations positions us spiritually, mentally, and emotionally to serve and lead others. Employing a weekly webinar format, I will summarize and highlight concepts from the book and lead a discussion about your understanding and use of the information. I will also provide tools to reflect and take action as we progress through the material.

Henry Cloud's book, Integrity, the Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, serves as the main resource for this 30-day initiative. Cloud is a well-known psychologist, writer, and speaker. What I like about this book is its emphasis on accepting reality as the basis for thinking and decision-making. It is tempting to avoid or deny unpleasant facts about life in general, workplace situations, or other people. People sometimes create personal histories - or reinterpret scenes from their lives - to prop up scenarios for success or avoid personal failure.  More commonly, we ignore certain facts, hoping they will have no impact.

Cloud contends facing reality allows us to clarify problems and move efficiently to sound solutions. This creates real success and eliminates the need to generate illusions. Telling yourself the truth settles your mind and emotions. It also helps others build an important perspective toward you - an orientation of trust. Cloud wisely connects personal integrity to others' instinctive need to rely on people of integrity.

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In weekly webinars I will summarize main points and lead discussions on how people recenter their thinking on reality and build practices to stay on track. I will provide other resources to help you reflect and apply the material between sessions.

In this quest we will rely on John C. Maxwell's book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, to guide our thoughts on how to impact others for their benefit, in ways they will remember, as we complete important tasks. Maxwell is well-known as a writer and motivational speaker. I must confess I find the material in many of his books to be simplistic - so broadly true, yet difficult to reconcile with features of challenging situations. Kind of like: If you win, you'll be a winner! Right.

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Throughout this book, however, Maxwell consistently relates his trademark broad themes to specific, actionable scenarios. For a few of us, connecting is naturally energizing, -  sometimes more stimulating than completeing the tasks that frames the relationship. For others, connecting is a chore, leading to fatigue and sometimes avoidance behavior. Both styles can inhibit performance and set us up for failure in the future. Maxwell knows how to connect, and he shares his insights in this book. 

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In each weekly webinar during the 30-day focus I will summarize several points and lead a discussion about how to apply the concepts in daily situations. Resources for thought and practice will be provided.