How To Pick Your Team: A.I.M.

"People come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime..."

"Don't mix seasonal people with lifetime expectations."

These are a couple of the advice offered to me and now I am passing on to you as you take up today's #BreakingLoose Challenge.

Not everyone batting, catching or playing mid-field is meant to remain in either that position or on your team forever. As any good and experienced coach will tell you, players get injured, complacent or simply cannot continue to meet the physical requirements of the game.

You are the head coach, the boss, the CEO - whatever title you prefer - of your life. You determine how the game will be played and you select the players to go out on the field with and for you.

Sentiments and sympathy will not "win" you this game.

Before anyone takes offence to what is meant by my chosen words, let me define how they are being used:

• Game - daily living
• Players - friends, family members, influencers in your life
• Field - your scope of choices
• Win - success according to your understanding

Often I have made reference to T.D. Jakes' Three Types of People in Your Life. Earlier today on my Facebook page, I posted a diagram about "The Circle of Five." Now, I am offering you my own combination of these two concepts as you set out to complete a review or performance evaluation if you like of your team.

The most important and fundamental thing to understand is that it all starts with You.

You are the visionary - the dreamer, the leader, the head cook and bottle washer of your Life. It starts and ends with You. The "game" is played according to your choices or lack of choices. You select the players based on how you want to play the game. You decide which player remains on your team.

Once the vision is clear, refined and fine-tuned - and you do this every year, every month, every day through your vision boards, journals, meditation/spiritual exercises, etc - you write your guidelines. These I prefer to call "Values for Living," and they are those principles that will not change, they are who you are. My Values For Living include: 

• Love
• Honesty 
• Trustworthiness 
• Loyalty 
• Faithfulness
• Kindness

We all have a story for our lives, one that we edit, adapt and expand as we play this game. Knowing your story and ensuring that only you are holding the pen is critical. The pages of this story is written every day. It is the daily walking of your vision, it is the game and you get to choose the players, companions and supporting actors. My suggestion is that each of these persons are chosen based on their:

• Appreciation and understanding of your story
• Interest, ability and willingness to support you moving your story to the next stage
• Mission in their own lives

Basically, the A.I.M. of your team members will and ought to determine their seasonality, reason or lifetime membership on your playing field.

For as long as their appreciation of you and your journey is well expressed and evident, they might remain on the team. This does not mean they are yes people. It simply means they love you enough to tell you the truth as they work side by side with you to correct the course.

If a team member interests change or dwindle; should they become unwilling or unable to continue catching your vision for the game, their season is over. No hard feelings necessary. It is simply time to move on.

Each of us have a mission for our lives and part of that includes being an active player or supporter on another person's team. We are social beings and our natural instinct is to help another. For as long as that support is mutually beneficial, life-enhancing for both parties - game on! However, missions change, adjustments get made and what was once compatible evolve not necessarily into conflicting goals but are no longer viable. Do not hang on out of habit. Thank and bless the player. Retire their number and give them a golden handshake however that looks in your life. Then start recruiting.

There you have my 3-point strategy for playing your game. Evaluate your current team based on their A.I.M. and take your life to the next base.

Be blessed and have a great game day!