More Incredible Results from the Life Planning Process

Check out Craig's story!




At Lead Self Lead Others, we have created an incredible six-month, five-phase Life Planning process designed to deliver the results you’re looking for in your life.  It kicks off November 3 with an intensive one-day workshop at the beautiful Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.  If you think this might be for you, fill out this quick online application. It will help us assess your readiness for the Life Planning process and does not cost you anything, nor does it obligate you to anything at all. You can also see a great overview of the six-month process right here.  

You were made to do great things in this life.  We can help you get from where you are to where you want to be.

Download a 1-page overview to review or share right here!

A Story of Life Planning Results

Life Planning Yields Big Results for You

Some years ago, I was at a very low point in life.  I was a couple years into a new entrepreneurial endeavor.  My family and I had relocated over one thousand miles, we had invested all our available cash and I was working like a dog, along with a team of others, to see this new vision become a reality.  After a couple of years, it became clear I was not going to receive the return on investment I had hoped for; neither financially nor the sweat equity I had invested.  It just wasn’t going to happen, and I had to find a way to deal with that reality. Meanwhile, I had a wife and four young boys at home who needed me to be a husband and a dad. 

Thankfully, I was able to cut my losses and get out of the bad situation I had created.  But that left me as a 39-year-old father of four with no money in the bank, no job, and no real prospects.  On top of that, I was emotionally crushed by my recent failure and I seriously lacked confidence in myself.  My best move, at the time, was to go to work mowing grass for a landscaping crew just to create some income and try and keep my family afloat.  Those were some long days pushing a mower.  With every row I cut, I thought about my failure and descended deeper into my emotional hole.

Thankfully, I had met a leadership coach during my entrepreneurial days who had talked about what he called a life-changing process called life-planning.  He and I kept in contact throughout my transition.  Finally, in July of 2012, I went through the Life Planning process with him and it was the beginning of a wonderful turn around I will forever be grateful for. 

During my life-planning work with him, I gained incredible perspective on where I had been, where I was and where I wanted to be.  With the help of my coach, I created personal vision and values.  I created goals with feasible action steps.  I created an accountability plan for those goals that I could actually keep in play. 

The changes in me began immediately and the results were dramatic.  I began believing in myself again.  I gained a whole new appreciation and love for my family.  I went to work with a purpose in mind, not a weight on my shoulders. I gained a sense of gratefulness and contentment while still holding a clear picture of what my future would hold. 

Now, over six years later, I still see that Life Planning process as the catalyst for nearly every good move I’ve made since.  I’ve achieved the goals I set, and I’ve created many new ones.  I’ve become certified to facilitate Life Planning with others.  I’ve coached many people through this same life-changing process that helped correct the course of my life.  One of my greatest desires would be to help you get clear on where you’ve been, where you are and where you will be in the future. You have that opportunity before you right now.  You have the opportunity to see some of the same results I did and even some fresh results that will be unique to you.  Maybe you’re not at a crisis point like I was.  That doesn’t matter.  If you think there is something more for you in this life, this may just be how you find it.  You may be navigating a personal or professional transition.  You may be in a plateau in your life.  You may be looking to make the jump from success to significance. No matter the stage or season you are in, Life Planning can be an invaluable tool to get you from where you are to where you want to be – even if you’re not yet sure where that may be.

At Lead Self Lead Others, we have created an incredible six-month, five-phase Life Planning process designed to deliver the results you’re looking for in your life.  It kicks off November 3 with an intensive one-day workshop at the beautiful Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.  If you think this might be for you, fill out this quick online application. It will help us assess your readiness for the Life Planning process and does not cost you anything, nor does it obligate you to anything at all. You can also see a great overview of the six-month process right here.  

You were made to do great things in this life.  We can help you get from where you are to where you want to be.

Download a 1-page overview to review or share right here!

 *Jason is a certified leadership and strategic planning coach with Lead Self Lead Others, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He is also a certified “StratOp” facilitator with the Paterson Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The New and Improved Life Planning Process!

I'm very excited to offer this new and improved Life Planning process through Lead Self Lead Others.  This process offers all the personal breakthrough and clarity that it always has, but now adds six months of ongoing accountability and course correction that have been missing in the past.  

It all kicks off with a one-day intensive workshop on Saturday, November 3 at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Tulsa, OK.  

Registration deadline is Friday, October 19 and only six spots are available so that each participant can get special attention from me during the one-day intensive.  The cost is only $750 for this 6-month coaching process!  Half is due upon registration and the balance prior to the intensive.

Get started right now by filling out this short application.  It will help us assess your readiness for the Life Planning process and does not cost you anything, nor does it obligate you to anything at all.  

An overview of the process is below and complete details can be found on our Lead Self Lead Others website, right here.  

What some of our past clients say . . .

"The Life Plan process changed the course of my life and gave me renewed hope and a strategic plan for my life. By reviewing my life's story and identifying my purpose, passions and values, I was able to discern how God had shaped my life and prepared me to fulfill His plan in pursuit of my Kingdom purpose.”  Craig Cross - Independent Oil and Natural Gas Consultant, Tulsa, OK

"If you are serious about setting goals and accomplishing more with your time, The Life Planning process is the perfect way to get started or restarted if you have fallen off.” Ryne Isaac - Missions Pastor, Solace Church, Tulsa, OK

"The Life Plan helped show me how God has guided me through my life and gave me clarity on the plans He has for me in the future." David Haraughty - Custom Body Shop technician, Sand Springs, OK

“For me the most interesting/helpful part of the Life Planning process was creating the life chart. Seeing The overall flow on how we arrived at the present place in our journey and the significant events helps enlighten what the future might look like.” David Gilliam - Lead Pastor, Merge Church, Tulsa, OK

Download a 1-page overview to review or share right here!

If I Could Share Just One Message With You . . . This Is It.

You can tell a story with your life that's worth celebrating.  The question is, will you?  This is a message I shared at Solace Church last year and I believe it accurately reflects what I believe to be my life's message.  I'd encourage you to take the time to watch it and allow it to sink in and begin to affect change inside of you.  You can tell a story with your life that's worth celebrating.

"This is My Story" Jeff & Tawnya Jackson from Solace Church on Vimeo.

Please, please please don't squander the life you've been given by just "getting by".  That's no kind of life to live and there are too many people you can affect for you to just get by. You can tell a story with your life that's worth celebrating.

You can get started living out a great story right here.

LifePlanning is for you!

The LifePlanning process is coming back this Fall and will be better than ever.  The details are still coming together, but the one-day workshop that kicks off the 6-month process is tentatively set for October 13, 2018, at the Courtyard Marriot in downtown Tulsa. 

Who is it for?  

This is for you if you are dealing with . . .

• A major life transition
• A move from success to significance
• Yearning to know what God has prepared you for next
• Burn-out and losing passion for your work
• A desire to find a healthy life/work balance
• Increased fulfillment and meaning in life
• Alignment with who you are and what you do
• True success in your most important life and work priorities

5 Ways To Know Yourself - Living in Alignment - Part 2

I wrote last week about the idea of alignment.  The basic idea is that when we are aligned in various areas of our lives, we're going to be healthy, when we're misaligned, we're going to be unhealthy.   Think of your car.  If the wheels are aligned properly, the ride is smooth and you get maximum life out of your tires.  If the wheels are misaligned, the ride is rough and your tires wear out prematurely.  Misalignment = pain.  Alignment = fully functional.  Alright, it's pretty easy to see that alignment is a good thing, but how do you know if you're aligned or misaligned?

Let's start that conversation with talking about personal alignment.  In the coming weeks, we're going to explore what it looks like to live in alignment vocationally, with your family, geographically and spiritually.  However, in order to gauge your alignment in all these areas, you're going to need some basic understanding of who you are.  We'll call this personal alignment.

Socrates is credited with the saying, "Know thyself."  He was right.  That is the basis for all else in this life.  But, I'd venture to say that most of us do very little, if any, work to figure out who we are.  That's not just a shame, it's a tragedy, considering that God has created each of us as completely unique individuals with a unique purpose in life.  Some reasons we skip "knowing thyself" is that we're busy, we're uninterested or we're afraid of what we may find - all real (but completely invalid) reasons.  However, my experience with people shows me the biggest reason, by far, that you don't know yourself is that you don't know how.  Where do you start? Good question.  Before we get into the how I need you to know that it's going to cost you.  Time, money and effort. You're going to have to invest all three if you really want to get to know yourself.  Below I'll list five ways you can get to know yourself.  Some are free, some are not, but regardless of the financial cost, they will all require you to invest and they are all worth the investment.

1. Counseling - If you have deep emotional wounds or scars, this probably should be your beginning point.  Let me help release the stigma for you.  Counseling is not for crazy people.  Counseling is for very sane people who recognize their need to heal from past experiences.  If you make the effort, you can find both free and paid versions of counseling.  Many churches offer what is called "pastoral counseling" where you can meet with someone on the pastoral staff at the church.  This is helpful in varying degrees, depending on your issues and the skill and experience level of the pastor doing the counseling.  This could be a good place to begin and a good pastoral counselor will be able to tell you pretty quickly if you need to take the next step and see a professional counselor.  If you know you've got some wounds to heal from, I highly encourage you to start with some counseling.  
2. Free Online Assessments - Did you know there are different personality types?  Like I said earlier, you're unique and once you understand some of what makes you unique, you can get yourself aligned in various areas of your life. There are many types of personality inventories and assessments.  For simplicity's sake, I'm going to recommend your begin with one.  It's called the Myers-Briggs and it will help you understand some of your tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses.  You can do a free 10-minute version right here.  I'm an INTJ.  What are you? Let us know in the comments below.
3. Birkman Coaching - The Birkman assessment and follow-up are much more in-depth and will require more of an investment, both in time and finances, but the payoff is more than worth it.  A Birkman assessment with a couple follow-up coaching sessions has been a game-changer for countless people.  It's especially helpful when considering vocational alignment.  At Solace Church, where I serve, we use Birkmans extensively with our staff to help us understand ourselves and one another.  It's been hugely effective.  You can begin the Birkman process for you or your organization here.
4.  Speak the Right Language - We all speak a certain language when it comes to how we express and receive love.  Gary Chapman's book, "The 5 Love Languages" has been huge for my wife and me since before we were even married.  This is going to be most helpful to you on the relational and family alignment areas, but it also helps in your vocational world.  How helpful would it be to know how your boss or your spouse best receives love and appreciation? How helpful would it be to know that about yourself and be able to communicate it to the people who care most about you?
5. Life-Planning - Life-Planning sounds like a big deal because it is.   Earlier this year, I began facilitating 2-day LifePlan Retreats.  It's too much to try to explain here, but the long and the short of it is that you'll get incredible perspective on who you are and incredible clarity on where you're going in the next three years - personally, professionally, and spiritually. You can click here for the basic information.  I will be running my next LifePlan Retreat March 23-25, 2017.  Unfortunately, this one is just for men and is limited to the first twelve who register. I should have registration info posted very soon.  

Well, I hope this has been helpful.  If it seems overwhelming, just pick a place to start.  You don't need to do it all at once, just start someplace.  I'd love to hear where you start and what you're learning.  Leave us a comment below.  Good luck knowing thyself!

Brand New LifePlan Experience dates for Men, Women & Couples! (April 2018)

You've heard it before.  No one plans to fail.  We only fail to plan.  The reason you've heard it before is that it's true. In the last year, over a dozen people have gone through this experience with outstanding results and we are excited to offer this experience again!  For more information on what this experience can do for you, check out the story of one of our past participants below:

"The Life Plan retreat changed the course of my life and gave me renewed hope and a strategic plan for my life. By reviewing my life's story and identifying my purpose, passions, and values, I was able to discern how God had shaped my life and prepared me to fulfill His plan in pursuit of my Kingdom purpose." 
~ Craig Cross - Oil and Natural Gas Consultant

We're very excited to be able to bring this experience to you again this year.  Mark your calendar and save your spot.  We're sure this one will fill up quickly.  It's for men, women or couples, it's super-affordable and it will be life-changing for anyone who engages the process.

This is for you if you are dealing with . . .

• A major life transition
• A move from success to significance
• Yearning to know what God has prepared you for next
• Burn-out and losing passion for life
• A desire to find a healthy life/work balance
• Increased fulfillment and meaning in life
• Alignment with who you are and what you do
• True success, as God defines it, in your most important life, family and work priorities

What are the details?
When: April 13-14 (This is not an overnight retreat.  See schedule below)
Where: Solace Church, Tulsa, OK
Cost: Earlybird Discount before February 23 is $349 per person.  After February 23, $399. (Covers meals, materials, the experience and a follow-up coaching session)
(*Done individually, this experience is priced at $1650*)
Deadline: The final deadline to register is Friday, March 30.  (50% deposit holds your spot)
*It's very likely it will fill up prior to this date, so move quickly.
Other: Maximum group of 12  (first come, first served)

Schedule: (breaks are built into the days)
*Friday (4/13) - 8:30am - 9pm
*Saturday (4/14) - 8:30am - 4pm

Below are two very helpful links that give you an overview and some more details:
One-page LPE overview
Three-page LPE detail 

How can I reserve my spot?

Just click here to hold your spot with a 50% deposit. You'll be billed separately for the remaining balance prior to the experience.

Click here to pay in full.