Take charge of your life!  I told myself that so many times as I was building my professional career because I knew I had the ability to do whatever I needed to do. But I often found myself exhausted from taking charge at work, home, church, in relationships, in by health…on and on and on.  So I would have what I referred to as a “crash weekend”.
“Crash Weekend” recipe; do nothing, plan nothing, don’t get dressed. I would stay in my PJ’s and let the world go by. Then on Sunday evening I would almost in anger; start to put my week together; like picking up pieces of a broken bowl.I would talk to myself, “OK, get it together’, take charge of your life, girl! You have what it takes…just do it! Nike shoes had just come out with that unforgettable slogan and I applied it to everything in my life…’just do it’, which silently meant, take charge of your life.
I worked in that frame of mind for over 2 decades and life was like a roller coaster ride; living hard like I was pulling myself up a long hill, to the exhilaration of letting go, throwing my hands in the air as I rolled along the tracks of life and around bends.  Then I would quickly grab the bar of sensibility as the unexpected through me around a new bend…trying to take charge of where I was going and how fast.  Can you relate?
Take Charge: The act of assuming control, command or responsibility of a pre-existing situation, circumstance or opportunity.
Here is just one example: You are asked to help with an event at your church, and you walk in and as you sit there; your friend looks directly at you and  says “Jane, you are so organized; how about to take charge of the advertising campaign.”  Now, your mind is saying, What?  How much time will that take? But, everyone has already moved along and “because you ARE organized”; they never doubt you will do an outstanding job!  So, you take charge. It is a good cause, I love these people, so take charge I will (knowing that a crash weekend is in my future).
Take the Lead: The act of setting the course after informed thinking; resulting in the ability to give direction, utilizing flexibility and influence to arrive on time with a sense of completion and fulfillment.
Here is the same situation, with a different outcome: You are asked to help with an event at your church; and because you have decided to take the lead of your legacy; you are full aware of your other commitments, so you answer with this, “Lori, I would love to be a part, how about you pencil me in as a volunteer for the day; just let me know who I report to when I arrive about 9:00am.  I will come ready to work until 4:00 pm.” “Thanks for asking me to be a part of a great event”.
So when you get an invite to the planning meeting; you can respond with, “I have already got with Lori and I am available as a volunteer from 9:00 – 4:00 that day.  Looking forward to it!”

Taking the lead allows us to value our life, time and craft our legacy; while helping others to craft theirs.

3 Differences between taking the lead versus taking charge:
1) Taking the Lead reduces our regrets that cause us to blame others, instead of taking responsibility for our responses.  Let our yes be yes and our no be no!
2) Take the Lead allows us to learn from our mistakes; because we made a decision with the information we had at the time, verses because we felt pressured.  Make every experience a learning experience.
3) Take the Lead lets us craft our legacy according to our purpose, plans, and destiny; because when we take the time to find our purpose, plan our ordered steps and know our destiny; we can leave our seasons in peace and grace. What we are remembered for, is our legacy.
Using the example of working with a group at your church, if we continue to take charge, we will end up not giving our all to what we do with them; because we will not be “present”.
And people know when we are just going through the motions. So what legacy are we leaving, when the day is over?
But if we take the lead, we can show up that day (that you have set aside), with joy and expectation, being present to give them, you, that day from 9:00 – 4:00.
Your legacy is written that day will be what we all want.  We will be able to show forth your heart and encourage others to do the same by being the example of being in it, as we said we would be.
Converting from in charge to lead, is a process. It is my desire to inspire you to begin to make the change today to Take the Lead of your Legacy.