In any kind of life or leadership lore, you will quickly hear about the need for a strong foundation.  We need to be rooted in values or principles that will last when the storms come.  You also hear about people talking about their "roots" and how it sustains them for what lies ahead.

That talk is great, but leads to a posed question - is it talk or is it reality?  This photo reveals what many people, unfortunately, have as their roots - yep, they certainly exist but they are hanging in the air.  Those roots are not attached to anything and, as such, are worthless.

No doubt this tree has lived a long time and has other roots that provide it valuable nourishment and anchor it to the earth, but what about you?  Are your roots real or are they just hanging around?  If you want to know if your roots are deep and real, then try to live without them (and not just talk about them).  If you cannot, then they are real.  If you primarily talk about them and do not match them with a walk, then those roots are worthless and will erode when the storm hits. 

If you ever wonder can you, as one person, make a difference, then look at this photo.   

The one little rock protruding from the water has created multi-directional ripples that go off and bounce off other rocks creating more directional ripples.  One rock!  

Yes, you can make a difference; but, it requires you to make a difficult choice.  It means that you intentionally go against the flow.  It means that you have to stand out and, at times, take a beating.  It also means that someone may not see the difference that you make.  But, as this photo shows, someone may notice and then tell your story!

So many great lessons can be discovered just sitting around a campfire and thinking about life and leadership.  "Captured Moments" is too short of a section to deal with them all, but here is one from tonight - to keep the fire burning (your passion), sometimes the fuel needs to be moved.  Tis easy to leave everything as it is; however, even the biggest fire will burn out.  That shift breathes oxygen into the fuel and a reigniting occurs.  The same is true of your passion - changing your position, sometimes, promotes your purpose.  You are the one that has to decide if a change is necessary.   

Bird poop.  Yes, you did read that right - the reflection upon this image is all caused by bird poop on the "power towers."  See the darker line near the top of the tower?  That coloration is not due to sunset but comes from the inclusion of more metal acting as a shield (technical term is "anti-avian security") over the power lines. What would these lines need to be shielded from?  Yep, you got it - bird poop. I had no idea until my friend, who owns this property, explained all of this to me.  While you may call me crazy, just like I called him crazy, read this article for more information.

​​It is not just the presence of any bird droppings that causes the issue; however, a large accumulation of "streamers" (a nice way of saying bird poop) on the power lines creates the problem.  The severity can go from the minor (decreasing operational efficiency) to the major (causing a reactor shutdown described in the article above).

This path did not always exist.  I got tired of walking through the high grass on the way to my special spot of reflection and prayer, so I decided to make the path.  In slowing my walk to that place, you can see many different animal tracks revealing that others have taken it too.

In life, just like in leadership, you either choose to follow the path created by others (learning) OR you create a path that others will follow (legacy).  It takes wisdom to decide correctly depending on your current circumstance.  You cannot always be a "trailblazer"  because there is much for each of us to learn.  It is only after you have learned and experienced something special that you can begin leaving a legacy that others will follow.

Find your place of reflection and prayer.  Once you find it, the learning and legacy will naturally come together.  Commit to doing that today!

By far, this is the best no filter picture I have ever taken with any camera (and this was taken by a cheap cell phone).  What did it take? 
Purpose or desire of wanting to get this picture instead of extra sleep. 
Planning to get up at the right time and be in the exact location necessary. 
Patience to wait in the dark and slowly watch the sun rise on the horizon. 
Persistence to take photo after photo without stopping to check the quality of each photo taken. 
​Presence to be right there focused on the task at hand (and nowhere else).

For successful life and leadership, they require the same "Ps." 

I took this photo after a miss with my bow.  The deer was well within my range, and my technique was just fine.  So, what exactly happened?  Commitment.  Truthfully, a lack of commitment.  This buck was a little one that I normally let walk, but he was "gimpy" and would not survive much longer.  One side of my brain said to let the arrow fly thereby saving him what the coyotes will do BUT the other side was arguing that the effort (dragging and cleaning) was not worth the reward.  Which argument won?  You could say both did - an arrow flew and I did not have to invest time and effort afterwards - but the clear winner was lack of commitment.  What a lesson as I paused to reflect and captured the moment of that amazing sunset.  If you are not fully committed to a course of action, don't try to fake it.  The resulting lack of success will tell everyone that your commitment was missing.  Simply put, be all in or don't go in an all.

Have you ever noticed an increase in mental negativity when you get tired? It happens all the time with me. This picture challenged because I discovered this flower at the end of a long day. You see, I spent a couple days working for a men's ministry to prepare for our fall retreats. We got started early, faced poison ivy and mosquitoes, had a sandwich for lunch, and had not yet eaten although after sunset. Mentally and physically, I was tired and grumpy leading to silent complaining as I was hoping to leave and get something to eat. As an introvert, I separated from the group and took a walk to be alone with my thoughts when I saw this flower. It's color stood out brilliantly as the light faded. That forced a question - why was I not just as brilliant, although tired, as the light faded? It was my choice and I had chosen poorly. Learn from my mistake!

The peace and stillness at this spot along the Missouri River produces tranquility for a modern-day journeyman.  Nearly 110 years ago, however, this same spot was the scene of tragedy and turmoil.  The Hauser Dam collapsed sending floodwaters downstream causing much damage but, in good news, limited loss of life.  What happened?  Pressure undermined the dam's foundation leading to the structural failure.  Interestingly, metal shards from that first dam can still be seen in the river today as a memory of that awful day.

Fast forward to my 2016 visit, I fished this spot but caught nothing.  Honestly, I was enjoying the scenery more than fishing and relished the opportunity to watch a master craftsman at work.  My friend knew this river and the fish within it.  His expert knowledge and deliberate action was art in motion.

Think about that - same location but different experiences. 

Leaders would do well to learn from this spot.  Yes, failure is costly but does not have to be the end.  Scars of that mistake remain - to be learned from - but have become a simple brush stroke of beauty within the frame.  Embrace mistakes.  Learn from them.  Take the time to heal.  Then step back and look at the masterpiece those mistakes helped forge.  ​

Why is this place such a favorite for me?  You may think it has to do with the picturesque nature or simply being outdoors, but that's not it.  The soothing sounds of the water flowing over the dam relax me and have taught me much.  Let me show  you with a question:  does it do any good to scoop up water at the dam's bottom to run back to the top side and pour it out again?  You are laughing because you realize the answer is no.  Why is it, however, that we do not do that with people and issues?  When "settled," we keep bring them back later just to watch them flow over the dam one more time.  The effort is futile and meaningless.  Freedom and relaxation comes through the defining moment of letting those negative instances go over the dam and continue away from you down river.  My advice is simple -- let it flow so that, in life, you can grow!