Beyond the Crucible Warwick Fairfax

A parent’s worst nightmare. That’s what Gerard Long and his wife, Jeannie, endured in 2005 when their son, Alex, committed suicide. And, inconceivably, it wouldn’t be their last nightmare. Their daughter, Rebecca, was killed in an accident in 2014.
 
How did the Longs bounce back from their pair of life-shattering crucibles? Not quickly. And not easily. The trauma of the events nearly ripped their marriage in two, but as Gerard tells Warwick, they both found their way back to their faith – which not only helped them make sense of the tragedies, but create a life of greater significance and impact in their aftermath.
 
Out of their pain the Longs created Awakened to God Ministries, where they carry out a mission close to their now-healed hearts: Showing others who’ve suffered hard times and loss that God can take the worst things that happen to us turn them for good.
 
As Gerard explains, “Everything that God permits us to go through in our lives is preparation for what He’s got for us later on.”
 
To learn more about Gerard Long, visit www.awakeningtogod.org
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com
 
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Conflicting. Confounding. Confusing. Did you feel any of those emotions when gathering with family and friends over Thanksgiving? If so, we’ve got the antidote for turning those difficult feelings into warm memories.
 
This week, Warwick discussed his latest blog at Beyond the Crucible.com, “Not Feeling Thankful? These Seven Tips Can Get You in the Holiday Spirit.” We recorded this episode before Thanksgiving (the blog had already been posted) knowing you wouldn’t hear it until after Thanksgiving. Why? Because the tips we discuss to truly celebrate Thanksgiving with a capital T will equip you for day-to-day thanksgiving with a lower-case t.
 
The key points touched on here – which include ALLOW YOURSELF TO REFLECT, CRAFT A MISSION FROM THANKFULNESS and BE PRESENT -- will serve you and your relationships the other 364 days of the year that aren’t the fourth Thursday in November. And remember – Christmas is coming.
 
What’s the ultimate takeaway here? As Warwick says, “It’s a lot easier being thankful when you’re serving a mission beyond yourself.”
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com
 
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Doug Fleener, had been living without serenity, joy or purpose since the vise grip of addiction started closing around him when he was just 12 years old. The lowest point came decades later, when he woke up hung over in an airplane that had just landed, unsure how he got there – or how the large sum of cash in his pocket got there.
 
Fleener shares not only how he got clean from drugs and alcohol, but how he rebuilt his personal and professional lives by applying the lessons and practices he learned in recovery to his day-to-day existence. He’s compiled those insights into his book The Day Makes the Year (Makes a Life): Transform Your Work and Life with One-Day Success.
 
The key principle that undergirds it all? “You can’t change something you don’t own.”
 
For more information about Doug Fleener and his book, visit www.dougfleener.com
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com
 
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

It can be a difficult, even scary journey when we set out to accomplish a challenging and noble goal. But that did not stop William Wilberforce, the British politician in the late 1700s and 1800s who fought for years to end the slave trade in his nation.
 
Wilberforce is the subject of our latest episode of the series within the show STORIES FROM THE BOOK CRUCIBLE LEADERSHIP, Warwick’s Wall Street Journal best-seller. What we unpack in our discussion are the ways in which Wilberforce modeled self-sacrifice – the commitment to a cause greater than ourselves – and in doing so changed the trajectory of humankind.
 
Trafficking in slaves, and eventually the institution of slavery itself, were ended because Wilberforce cared more about following his convictions than attaining higher office. As Warwick says, “He sacrificed his career, his self-interest, for a higher purpose.”
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com
 
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com

Image. Identity. Success. Failure. Topics you’ve heard us discuss often on the show. And topics that this week’s guest, Dr. Glenn Williams, covers in discussing his new book, WHEN LEADERS ARE LOST.
 
Williams talks in detail about what he’s learned about feeling lost from his professional setbacks and the personal tragedy of losing his son, as well as insights he's gleaned as an executive coach. He unpacks how not to lose sight of our goals or give up on them when disappointment, failure, and hurt hit us head on.
 
Applying the truth that crucibles and our reactions to them serve only as a detour and not a hard stop, he says, is the way forward to a new and joy-filled life.
 
To learn more about Glenn Williams and his book, When Leaders Are Lost, visit www.lcp-global.com
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com

This week, we discuss Warwick's latest blog at BeyondTheCrucible.com. That piece, and the discussion we have here about it, is designed to show you that if you think your vision is too small, you’re not giving yourself, or that vision, enough credit.
 
We explore seven truths that can change that perspective: from realizing you’re not in a vision competition with anyone else to focusing on what’s on your heart, from connecting your vision to who you fundamentally are and what you’re passionate about, to believing unwaveringly that one life changed is enough, you’ll learn valuable insights and action steps to help ensure your vision is one you are proud of.
 
And you’ll also learn why what Warwick says is true: Your vision has to come from deep within.
 
To explore Beyond the Crucible assets, including our free Life of Significance assessment, visit www.beyondthecrucible.com
 
Have a question or comment? Drop us a line at info@beyondthecrucible.com