SOLID GROUND

What are you building your life on?  Things, people, status, money, cars, or clothes?  What happens once you’ve received these things?  We have seen this time after time – people reach what they thought was their ultimate goal (the Lottery, Super Bowl, that big promotion, that “special” person, etc.) and come out on the other side feeling emptier than before, and full of all the wrong things to fill their voids. It begs answering the question”Is this it?”

Shawn Anchor, author of The Happiness Advantage, studied this very question, “Does happiness come before success or success before happiness?”  Anchor, a Harvard graduate, researcher, and educator, found that the theory of our emotional and physical wellness being by-products of our productivity and performance is actually a myth.  Advances in positive psychology show that through deeper investigation the opposite is true.  He writes,

“Study after study shows that happiness precedes important outcomes and indicators of thriving.  In short, based on the wealth of data compiled, happiness causes success and achievement, not the opposite.”  

To sustain happiness, happiness must precede that big thing, outcome, goal, etc.  So how do we become truly happy?…  

By building our life around JESUS. 

The Bible says your body is a temple…your home.  When constructing a home you have to build on solid ground and that rock-solid terrain is Jesus.  Tacoma’s own Rich Wilkerson, Jr, who later moved to Miami and is now a pastor at the Vous Church, wrote a powerful book on this topic entitled, Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World.  He tells the story written in the book of Matthew, when Jesus told the parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock (God).  “The rain came down, the stream rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:25).”  But, when the same storm came, the man who built his house on sand saw his home fall with a great crash.

Many people build their house on sand (things of this earth).  When rain and storms come, that house will come tumbling down and be destroyed.  The common theory is, if we have more, we will be happier.  However, people, money, prestige, power, even religion won’t keep us happy.   A life built on these things will not stand amongst a storm.  Only Jesus will.  God made you unique and special – just the way you are.  Once you understand that, and truly embrace how you are designed perfectly different from anyone else and fully equipped to handle what may come your way, you can withstand and embrace all storms. 

Building your life around Jesus will bless you immeasurably more than you can imagine. Happiness is rooted from an abundant love and eternal life with Jesus. 

Once we have that established, that He is our rock, our stability, our happiness, we can begin to construct the best version of ourselves.  Every house is built within two things: a foundationand a roof. 

 If we build our foundation on GRATITUDE and live under the roof of SERVICE, we can protect ourselves from storms, deception, temptation, and doubt. WE CAN BUILD TRUE HAPPINESS.

Tomorrow, we will dive into the power of gratitude.   

30 DAYS OF GRATITUDE & SERVICE

30 Days of Gratitude & Service is a 30-day series where we will discover how to add passion &  purpose to your daily life. I truly believe that every day is an opportunity for growth and I want you to learn to be the best version of yourself. My goal is for you to wake up every morning believing and knowing that today is going to exceed every expectation, no matter what is thrown your way.

God laid this project on my heart some time ago, and I have without a doubt been convicted and challenged to my core throughout this process, but I can say with 100% certainty that this is a divine appointment and a word from God. I know that this will change your life and I am truly excited to watch it unfold. I believe in it’s ability and HIS ability to change you through this.

Over the next 30 days, we’re going to discuss everything from Goal Setting to Mentorship to Love & to Fear. I hope that you break down barriers and make a change, small or big, in your life and in the other lives around you. Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. 

Come back tomorrow to kick things off! Happy Monday! 

TOOLS

Noun

A thing used in an occupation or pursuit.

Verb

Equip or be equipped with tools for industrial production

You may not know this, but we Henderson boys (that goes for my dad and brother) lack a certain trait that most humans with a Y chromosome possess.  Something that is vital for the human species to grow and prosper…a little thing called “man-skills”.  In prehistoric times, man-skills were very important to survive and continue your namesake , but in the 21st century one can survive just fine by buying new (or calling your neighbor Jeff – God bless that man).  The word Ikea is not in my vocabulary.  For this single reason I married Kendra.  Not because she is the most beautiful woman inside and out, or is an amazing cook, or has a sense of humor that would rival Kevin Hart; the reason I married her is because she is handy with a drill. 

Our first big purchase as a married couple was a brand new 4 burner barbeque.  This baby was amazing!  I couldn’t wait to get my steaks on it (maybe the one man-skill I possess is working the BBQ).  This was a defining moment in our marriage.  The first year is full of discovery and defining of roles.  The inaugural year of marital bliss is where a couple discovers what the term “filling in each other’s gaps” is all about.  Well, putting together a BBQ from scratch is not a gap I was willing to fill (hey a guy sometimes has to draw a line in the sand).  So we problem solved like most loving couples do and compromised, I let her put this beast together while I wrote all the thank you notes for our wedding gifts.  It may have taken us 5 hours, a few shots of whiskey, and a few chosen words, but we got both tasks done.  Oh, and 6 years later that grill still works like a charm (and I swear I have carpel tunnel from writing thank you’s to over 300 guests).  Love you babe!

 Like putting together this BBQ, life is often times all about having the right tools.  Without Kendra’s drill (let me emphasize it’s KENDRA’S drill…that’s definitely not my tool), she could never have assembled our BBQ grill so efficiently.  While navigating and making sense of life, we need tools just the same.  Surgeons, architects, carpenters, and plumbers are only as good as their tools. The same can be said for building a life filled with meaningful relationships, success, happiness, and purpose.  The tools we use are not like a scalpel, ruler, hammer, or drill; but how we think, dream, learn, talk to ourselves, the habits we form, and eventually choose to act each day are the tools we use.  Some can access these tools much easier than others.  Some were naturally born to possess the skills necessary manage these tools.  Others it takes many years, not until they are beyond middle age to fully utilize these skills.

Just like learning any new skill, it takes time.  I’ve often times dreamt of being able to strum a guitar like Eric Clapton, but it took him years of studying, practicing and performing to be one of the greatest guitarists of all-time.  I haven’t put in the time, thus the only thing I can play is one chord of Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty #ladykiller.  If you want real change and to see a transformation in how you see yourself, others, and your realization of your dreams, you need to put in the time and effort.

Check back in for my next post, as I lay out a 30 day plan that will encourage and inspire you to find something inside you that you didn’t even know existed.  These are the tools that I have studied, practiced, and applied for the last 2 years, which have fostered a joy and peace that I have been searching for my entire life.  The core pieces of this philosophy revolve around two things: 1. recognizing all the things we have been given and making the choice to be thankful everyday, and 2. Making it our mission to serve and love others every single day. 

Hence, Project Rise –  30 Days of Gratitude and Service was born.

I’ll lay out a step by step daily process that covers a variety of levels we must tackle and climb, to ultimately reach the top.  

Happy Valentine’s Day weekend! Kendra says skip the red roses and opt for something out of the ordinary, like hydrangeas, ranunculus or a big bouquet of mixed flowers! And Starbucks. Always Starbucks.

EVERYTHING CHANGED

I have always been a spiritual person.  As a family growing up, we went to church most Sundays…barring an athletic game here or there.  From day one, I was brought up in a Christian family going to People’s Christian Church (now called Champion’s Centre) in Tacoma and later All-Saint’s Catholic Church in Puyallup.  I always have had a personal relationship with Jesus, but still felt a void I couldn’t explain. I always seeked out God through prayer and being in his house, yet I didn’t feel at home. 

That all changed in 2007, when I moved back to Puyallup for a job in pharmaceutical sales.  I ran into one of my high school football teammates who was working at a church in town called Puyallup Foursquare.  He told me to come and check it out.  After going for a few weeks and listening to the pastor, Roger Archer (a former college athlete and a far cry from the traditional pastor that we all expect), I felt something different. He used pop culture references, sports analogies, and made church a place that I could relate to, a place that I craved.  I started volunteering and joining small groups and really saw my “void” begin to close.

For the first time in my life I felt spiritually right.  I was reading my Bible, praying more than ever, and making amazing friends within my church. BUT, I still had yet to conquer my inner battles of self-doubt and insecurities. My job at the time was slowly killing my spirit – I had hit my lowest point in my career (despite being a step up in the company). It was the wrong fit for me,  I wasn’t sleeping at night and my physical wellness suffered in turn. I was on blood pressure medicine to manage the stress I was enduring. I reached a breaking point, where I knew I needed to get out.  I needed to jump.  God’s timing is all-knowing and perfect – he threw me a lifeline…in the form of a book that changed my life.  My manager gifted me a book to start the new year – Positive Intelligence, by Shirzad Chamine. 

We all suffer with bouts of self-doubt and occasional negative thinking.  There is always two sides in our brain duking it out fighting over “yes I can’ or “no I can’t” and I unfortunately was often times on the losing end of this internal war whether in my athletic or professional career.  This book by Chamine helped me identify that we all have mental saboteurs in our brain and if we can identify that this internal judge is a liar, a fraud, and a fake, we can stay focused on positive thoughts and keep our minds honed in on the task at hand and concentrate on our strengths.

This book single handedly give me the confidence and the tools to nail my interview with a fortune 500 medical device company, and jumpstarted a 2 year period of enlightenment and self-discovery.  Upon joining this company I was assigned a trainer and mentor named Frankie Pretzel (is that not the coolest name you ever heard?).  Frankie was a seasoned veteran who had won multiple awards and was very successful.  Sometimes I feel God puts people in our lives at the exact right place and time.  Frankie was an optimist.  He knew the power of positive thinking and the affect it has on our lives.  He explained to me a concept I had never been exposed to: the Law of Attraction.  Basically, the Law of Attraction is a concept that is summed up as simple as this:thoughts become things.  Meaning what we think about the most and visualize for ourself is usually manifested somehow someway whether negative or positive.  Frankie gave me a long list of books to read and over the course of one year I couldn’t get enough. I craved these ideas, and the change was revitalizing.

This fresh start and exposure to new ideas, thoughts, and concepts that all dealt with faith, generosity, gratitude, self-belief, and visualization helped me create momentum on what I was searching for while I was on that memorable morning run in Los Angeles with my dad when I was lost at 24.  For one year, I read and listened to more books than I probably have in my entire life.  With each book, my confidence, self-acceptance, and vision of what I needed to do to feel happy and have success was more clear. During this time of discovery I had finally found my professional lane and was flourishing at work and loving every minute of it.  I’m pumped to share with you what I’ve learned along the way – I know it will change your life like it has mine.

Below are some of the favorite books that I read.  I encourage you to be a lifelong learner and seek knowledge and wisdom from books.  There is a whole new world full of enlightenment and discovery.  What are you doing to better yourself?  I challenge you to read a book or download an audiobook to your phone (listen to it in your car or while working out).  Investing in your development and knowledge is the best investment you can make!

• Positive Intelligence, by Shirzad Chamine
• Love Does, by Bob Goff
• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
• Jesus Is___, by Judah Smith

Are you stuck in a rut?  Sometimes a change of scenery can do you wonders.  Have the courage to step outside your comfort zone and create a fresh start for yourself.  Whether you are where you need to be, but want to improve.  Or you feel like you are running in sand and just churning your wheels, I hope that these books may inspire you to make the change in yourself you’ve always wanted.

LEGACY

noun

a thing handed down by a predecessor.

synonyms: consequences, effect, repercussion, aftermath, product, result

As a husband and father of 3, I sometimes catch myself thinking about these things: What have I done during my time on this earth?  Have I done enough? Am I doing enough?  If I died today, who would show up at my funeral?  What would they say about me?  How many people have I inspired, helped, mentored, loved?  What am I doing with these finite days that God has predestined for me?  These questions have drawn me to this place. 

I have had a transfomation recently…an awakening you might say.  To people on the outside, they would have never known, but just like an iceberg, what you see on top is not always what is going on underneath.  For the past two years I have seen a rapid RISEin my understanding of what life is all about.  Before I get into detail about the events that lead me to this peace and clarity, let me share where I started.  I’ve been advised by my blogging expert wife to keep my posts limited to a few paragraphs each time or I’ll lose the reader, but just stick with me here, I need to unpack a few things to set the stage of why I’ve created this blog.  Sorry babe, I’m breaking your first rule of blogging.  I’ll vacuum your car this weekend to make it up…I promise   So, here goes….

My entire life I’ve been a pleaser and on the sensitive side.  Growing up the youngest of two boys, to amazing parents who loved us very much, we had high expectations in our house. I was blessed to have natural athletic ablility and being held back before 1stgrade gave me a clear advantage scholastically as well.  Being the oldest in my class and often times the best athlete, I created lofty standards for myself and I was often times my toughest critic.  As I progessed each year, I felt the expectations from my parents, people around me, and myself grow and grow.  This isn’t much different for a lot of adolescent kids, but I became very affected by what people thought of me…or my perception of what people thought of me.  I would beat myself up if I wasn’t perfect – socially, in the classroom, and with athletics. 

Instead of enjoying the moment, I was trying to live up to unreal expectations, and I would create my self-worth on whether I was the best or not.  I created this lie in my head that all eyes were on me and I wasn’t allowed to fail, mess-up, or be human. However, on the outside I looked confident, up-beat, and it seemed I had everything going for me.  My senior year in high school, I was Homecoming King and was voted Dream Date and Most Athletic (I really was hoping for Best Dancer – damn you Joel Lindberg!).  I had accepted a scholarship to Washington State University to play football and baseball.  You would think I would have been on cloud nine, but really, I felt lost.  I had self-doubt that I wasn’t good enough and I was exhausted trying to please everyone, while giving myself no margin for error.  I feared failure, more than I enjoyed success.  I didn’t have the wisdom to say to myself, “Haters gonna hate…just do your thing boo-boo!”

On top of that I was getting burned out from all the select baseball I was playing.  I have two distinct memories that defined how I felt at that time in my life.  The first came late in my senior year.  I remember my neighbor and one of my favorite teachers (and a fellow Coug), Mrs. Chipps, say to me, “Aren’t you just so excited to be finishing up high school and going to college?  This is the best time of your life!”  I remember later thinking, gosh is this really the best time of my life?…I hear people say that all the time, but I just don’t feel it.

The other memory was later that summer, while at one of many baseball tournaments, I was having lunch with my mom at the University Inn in Moscow, Idaho.  I had some down time before my next game and while we were talking I opened up, which I usually never let myself be vulnerable and do, but this time I felt brave enough to confess, “Mom, I really don’t get excited anymore.”  She said, “What?, What do you mean?”  I added, “I just don’t get excited about doing stuff like I used to when I was younger.”  She did what she always did, which was love me and shared some amazing motherly advice, but it fell on deaf ears.

One of my favorite artist, John Mayer’s song Something’s Missing accurately summed up how I was feeling:  Something’s missing/And I don’t know how to fix it.

So fast forward 5 years to the end of my ride as a student-athlete at Washington State University.  I had a pretty good run.  I was a solid contributor on the football team that went to back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history, one of which was a Rose Bowl (we will get back there under Coach Leach…I believe it!).  After taking two years off from baseball, I joined the team my redshirt sophomore year and was later selected as a team caption my final year, which we finished with our best record in 10 years.  I was flourishing in the classroom as well, being named to the Pac-10 All-Academic First Team list multiple times, as well as earning Academic All-American honors my senior year in baseball.  I made amazing friendships, saw the country, was a part of unforgettable experiences, but like every senior who graduates college, the next question of what lies ahead, is the most challenging one…what do I do next with my life?

You see, up until that point in my life, every hour of every day was most likely planned out by someone other than myself: my parents, coaches, academic counselors, strength and conditioning coaches, educators, etc.  All that was over.  So now what? 

It was fall of 2004, and I was finishing up my last year of graduate school.  The Cougs were playing UCLA in Pasadena and I was down there working for the WSU Athletic Foundation.  My dad came along with me on my trip to cheer our team on to victory (we did get the “W” by the way).  During this 3 day weekend, we were out for a run together and I had feelings like I was right back where I was when I was finishing up high school – lost, unsure of myself and uncertain of my future.  I had aspirations of being an athletic director someday at a college or university (or that’s what I told myself, along with several other people in my circle).  This job was my first step toward that goal, but I really deep down inside had no idea what I wanted to do. 

On top of that, I had just broken up with my girlfriend and was really going through a rough patch.  No more being a part of an athletic team.  No more someone setting my schedule for me; no more people guiding my every step; no more people telling me how awesome I was (first world problems); and I was dealing with a breakup, which for us sensitive people is tough stuff (so sue me if I cry over a good movie…or commercial).  So feeling these emotions of uncertainty and insecurity, I sought out advice from my dad during this fateful run.  I asked “Dad, at what point in your life did it all make sense?  How old were you when you finally got it?  He paused for a moment and said, “35.”  I continued to run pondering that statement. I had an entire decade in front of me.

Maybe my dad was blessed by the prophetic word of God, or maybe he had just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before, but that age always kind of stuck in the back of my mind as a huge momentous year in my life to look forward to.  So here I am right now at age 36 and I must say that he was exactly right.  Or maybe it was just a secret that I didn’t know about at the time that what you think about the most and believe to be true no matter if its reality or not, is manifested by your own mind, by God, or a combination of both.  At age 34, one year after the age Jesus died (another year that I marked as a defining year in one’s life), was the year the light bulb went off for me.     

These are some questions I want you to ponder…what is your legacy?  Who is going to show up at your funeral?  What are they going to say about you when it’s all said and done?  Did you give or did you take?  Did you fully love God, yourself, and others.  Are you maximizing each second you have each day?  Tomorrow is never guaranteed…so what are you doing today?  Follow me for the next 30 days.  Let my stories and words encourage you to be the best version of yourself.  Sometimes in life you need to just take a leap of faith and jump.  In this journey of life, sometimes you just need someone to take that leap of faith with you.  Watch this inspiring message from my main man Steve Harvey.  Let’s jump together.

MUSIC

Music is a powerful tool to get your thoughts in the right frame of mind.  Pete Carroll knows the power of music and how it can set the tone and vibe for his team during practice.  Starting back at USC and now with the Seattle Seahawks, if you go to his practice you can hear the latest jam  in hip/hop blaring from multiple speakers all around the practice facility.  Athletes of all ages and sports know the power that music plays to get them in their routine and to focus before competition.  My official (unofficial) statistic shows that 90% of professional athletes utilize some form of music as part of their preparation – in the car or on the bus driving to the field or gym, and in the locker room getting ready to compete.

Music helps with several key factors that improve performance (I’m not just talking about sports, but to win each day in life).  If the best athletes in the world know the power that music plays in preparation, why can’t we apply this approach outside of athletics? Before you go to work or start each day, designate some time to play music that uplifts you, gets you pumped up, and feeling good (while you are getting ready in the morning, eating breakfast, or driving to work or school).  You can make a playlist (Spotify, Apple Music, or Tidal) or use Pandora and set the channel to songs that you love.  Here is why this a productive strategy to start the day:

1. You are being intentional at setting at least 3 minutes to yourself to prepare for the day
2. Use this time to reflect on 
   • Things that you are thankful for
   • What tasks you need to accomplish that day
3. Use the beat and the sound of the music to feel good inside.  Maybe nod your head or clap your hands.  When you start thinking good thoughts and getting excited for the day, your brain starts secreting endorphins throughout your body. Music helps turn the channel in our brains to a positive one and we can carry out that frequency for the rest of the day.

Seriously – try this.  Play this song and start to feel good and excited for what’s to come for you. Dance, sing or just vibe to the beat. I promise, you won’t be able to help but feel good.

Because like in the song, together through Project Rise………..
I know, we can get higher
There’s levels to your love
And I keep on climbing up!

WELCOME

Yo!  What’s up?  How’s everyone doing out there?   I am so excited to launch my blog Project Rise.  I have lived such a blessed life and have learned so many amazing things that I’d like to share with you.  
So you might be wondering…what is this blog about and what’s up with the name Project Rise?  The purpose of this blog is simple, my goal is to share inspirational stories, concepts, books, and ideas that I have picked up during my life that will help you reach a higher state and be the best version of yourself.

Project means being INTENTIONAL and having a plan to reach a goal.  I believe that life was meant to be spent in community and if we do life together we have a better chance of achieving success vs. riding solo (sorry Jason Derulo!).  With that being said, I hope to hear feedback from you – my goal is that this becomes a place where you can share and where you’re moved by what others have shared.

Rise is one of my favorite words in the English language.  It means moving from a lower position to a higher one.  It also means to obtain an increase in amount, size, or number.  One of my favorite college professors Dr. Len Foster used to say, “You are either getting better or you’re getting worse.  There is no in-between.”  If there’s anything I’ve learned, It’s that we ALL have room for improvement. While I’m still learning, I hope I can share some of the insights that have changed me, and together, we can get better each day.

I’m so pumped to start this journey – I really believe my life & yours will be transformed!