The
Reluctant
Leader

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Tag: Family Time

Mute Notifications to Hear Life

When I muted my notifications, I finally saw how much of my life had been shaped by other people’s urgency. Silence did not disconnect me. It restored my clarity. It reminded me that Ants react, Lions translate, and Eagles watch the horizon. Attention is leadership. The less I react, the more I can truly lead.

Be “SMISE”

A simple car ride with my children reminded me that life demands more than being smart. It requires wisdom to choose what is right, not just what is impressive. SMISE is the goal. Think well. Live well. Align well. Smart helps you rise. Wise keeps you standing.

The Life Assumption

We live as if time is guaranteed, yet the truth is sharper. We will die, but we do not know when. This single awareness changes how we parent, lead, forgive, and choose what matters. The opposite of living is not dying. It is assuming we still have time.

Protected: With Open Arms

Today reminded me that paradise is not a place but a posture. I saw it in Aden’s piano exam, in Evan’s gratitude, in the tiny moments of presence. I felt it again at Rachel’s wedding, where loving with open arms meant blessing someone even as she walked into a new season without us.

Wasted

Consistency: Superpower or Struggle?

3 Dreams

Most people chase dreams that look good on the outside and quietly betray them on the inside. I almost did too. Saying no to the family business and the money was not the hardest part. The real cost was disappointing those I love to live a life I can own.

Chicken Bone With Love

I used to think my mother loved chicken bones because she always gave me the drumstick meat and ate the bone herself. Only years later did I realise she had been giving me the best and keeping the rest. Love is often silent. Misread. And only recognised when life finally trains our eyes.

The Million-Dollar Ability

A 2 hour meeting rarely changes the calendar, but it can change a life. 24 hours of travel forced me back into identity, responsibility, and the hidden truth of leadership. Growth is not found in convenience. It is found in presence, in courage, and in the willingness to show up when others will not.

1000 Strikes, 1 Root

For years I thought the opposite of a wasted life was hard work. These two days reminded me that you can be extremely disciplined and still miss the point. You can swing a thousand times a day and never touch the root. The real danger is not laziness. It is busy waste.

Go Backward to Move Forward

Going old school was not nostalgia. It was clarity. A printed manuscript, a physical Bible, a handwritten note, a real meeting. Every step backward revealed what digital life kept stealing, attention, presence, depth, and purpose. Sometimes the fastest way to move forward is to return to what keeps us human.

The Gateless Life

A gateless life is not reckless. It is a life guided by clarity instead of fear. When fear becomes your compass, leadership collapses. When purpose takes its place, you can live with nothing to hide, prove, or lose. This is the posture that builds trust, integrity, and legacy.

Protected: The Wisdom of Serpents, the Heart of Doves

I used to believe that if something cost me a lot, it must be valuable to you. Then coaching, cashflow, and conscience collided. I realised the real test of leadership is this: can you honour the past, protect the relationship, and still say, “This is no longer worth what we are all paying,” and stay kind while you do it.

When the Day Feels Disgusting

A day does not have to be busy to be brutal. Sometimes it is our own reactions that drain us. The faster we return from emotion to awareness, the more power we reclaim. Leadership maturity is not about avoiding chaos, but about shortening the distance between falling and finding peace again.

The Night Nezha United Us

It was just a movie night. Sofa, snacks, and the 2019 hit Ne Zha on screen. Yet when I paused the film to wait for my wife, three boys burst into tears. That night, I realised something simple. The real power in a family is not speed. It is willingness to wait.

The Paradox of Labels and Liberation

What Is Influence?

Influence is not how many people listen to you. It is how you respond when no one is watching. The more I tried to control my wife, my country, my circumstances, the smaller I became. The moment I shifted from reacting to choosing, from blaming to stewarding, my world quietly began to expand.

The Night Eann Turned 7

The night Eann turned seven, I learned that trust is not taught. It is patterned. Love has a sequence, and leadership does too. The same rhythm that calms a child is the one that steadies a team. Predictability is not boring. It is sacred. It keeps the fire burning when everything else fades.

Strength, Sin, and the Shopping Cart

We laugh at Samson for losing his strength over a haircut. Yet every sale, every click, every indulgence is our own version of the scissors. Consumerism cuts quietly. The real strength today isn’t in earning more. It’s in wanting less, giving more, and remembering that community is the antidote to greed.

The 1% Begins Here

It started with one reluctant walk and became ten years of obedience. Real excellence isn’t perfection but endurance, the quiet faithfulness of showing up again when comfort says stop. The 1 percent are those who keep walking when no one else is watching.