Tyson Bradley is a Certified Life Coach and founder of Leading with Thought LLC. He earned a Masters in Human Resources and an MBA at Utah State University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from BYU. Tyson spends his time helping members of the Church learn how to do more, be more, and contribute more without sacrificing family time. He is currently serving as a Stake Executive Secretary. He has an amazing wife, two red-headed girls, and lives in Dallas, TX.
Enter Tyson…
As busy leaders in the Church, we often feel that our personal and/or professional life has to take the back seat to our calling. While putting the Lord’s work high on our priority list, we also need to realize that as we model a balanced life, we are doing much good as well.
It’s Okay to Dream
Do you have a dream job, a dream career, a dream business you’d like to create? If you don’t, then I would encourage you to dream. To let yourself dream of something bigger and better for your life.
Who said you can’t have more money? More time? More impact?
The truth is, the only reason why we don’t achieve our dreams is because of our own thinking.
As a mindset coach, I help members of the church get out of their own way to build the life they’ve always wanted.
One of the biggest barriers to my own growth was the belief that I couldn’t pursue a coaching business because then I wouldn’t have time for my family.
You may feel similarly. Between work, a church calling, family obligations, and everything else that comes up in a week, where’s the time for you? Where’s the time for you to develop yourself and invest in yourself and pursue your dreams?
Do You Find Balance or Make Balance?
I remember going to the temple while in college and struggling to find balance with everything going on in my life. I had the idea to ask an old guy how to create balance in life. I figured that most old men have a lot of wisdom and I might as well seek it out.
So I asked an old fellow “How do you find balance in life?” He paused for what seemed like a long time. And then he uttered the most profound wisdom. He said, “Do you find balance or do you make balance?”
I sat there stunned because I didn’t expect such a great reply. I pondered that question the rest of the time while I was there at the temple and realized the truth within the question.
Deliberate Living
We are the ones in control of our lives. We are the ones that get to choose how long we work, how much time we spend with our family, how much of our day is set aside for our dreams.
Since that time I’ve continuously applied myself to the concept of deliberate living. It’s about choosing everything I do on purpose, ahead of time. For example, once a week I sit down for an hour and I plan everything I’m going to do during the week. I schedule EVERYTHING.
It all goes on the calendar and then I follow my calendar. It sounds simple, but every day I’m faced with all the thoughts and feelings that try and persuade me to do things outside of what I’ve planned.
Lately, I’ve also been planning what I’m going to eat every day, and then I only eat that. This means that when I’m pouring my daughter some cereal in the morning and I have the urge to take a few bites of it, I don’t. Because I’m not allowed, it’s not on the plan.
Imagine what you could accomplish with your life if you did everything you planned. What would happen? What would happen if you decided what you were going to do and then you did it?
Being deliberate with your life is part of the process of becoming like God. When God speaks, it is as good as done. But the problem is that we have family and obligations and children that need us to play with them and bond with them after work.
God Cares About Your Dreams
How can we possibly pursue our dreams or develop ourselves when there are so many other things going on? Here’s some wisdom…
God cares about your dreams. There is a reason why you have them? Not everyone has the same dream as you do. My guess is that your dream is something righteous and good. And Moroni tells us that “…all things which are good cometh of God.” (Moroni 7:12).
So what does someone do when they want to pursue their dream and manage everything else as well?
Here are the steps:
- Commit to the dream – believe you have it for a reason and that’s it’s part of your mission here on earth to fulfill it
- Believe it’s possible – believe that Christ can give you revelation concerning how to make it happen
- Be a deliberate creator – start spending at least one hour each week to plan how you are going to spend your time
- Follow through – respect yourself and your dream by doing what you say you are going to do no matter what
It’s Okay to Want More
Now here’s what you might be thinking, “What about my family? What about my calling? What about all these things I have to do?” I hear you, and I want to tell you that as long as you continue to think it’s not possible to manage all these things, you will remain where you are.
What if God thought pursuing your dream was as valuable as spending time on your calling? From my own experience, I’d say that what I’m creating and who I help in my coaching business is probably creating more good in the world than what I’m doing as a Stake Executive Secretary.
Do I still spend time on my calling? Yes, but I spend more time on my business because I know that’s what will ultimately bring me, my family, and many others closer to Christ.
Question your life right now. Do you like the results you have? Do you want more? Do you know it’s okay to want more?
Allow yourself to dream and then go out there and start making things happen. My promise is that the more you listen to the tug inside you, the spirit’s whisper of the potential that’s within, the more you will see miracles in all areas of your life. This will be a powerful example for good to those for whom you have stewardship for in Church, as well as your family, friends, and career.
I’ll leave you with this scripture from Alma 32:
“27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.”
