Every year, my team and I attend the leadership summit. This year, there is a shadow hanging over the summit as I outlined here, but I’m still trusting that it will have some incredibly helpful content, just like in past years. To capture what I’m learning and to help you grow as a leader, I always share my notes from each session, so be sure to check back after each session and bookmark them for future use.

The second session of the second day featured a talk by Erwin McManus. He looked at what it means to lead a life that matters and how great leaders intentionally build the future.

The following are some takeaways:

1. The greatest battles we fight are within ourselves.
2. We are afraid that we have something inside of us that will never be actualized.
3. We’re haunted that we might never live up to what is inside of us.
4. We know our life is supposed to matter and were scared it won’t.
5. If you put your life in God’s hand, it will go further than you could ever go on your own.
6. I’m amazed at how many people need permission to get started but no one needs permission to quit.
7. You need to treat every moment and day as sacred and essential.
8. Your freedom is on the other side of your fears. 
9. The things of God can only be accessed if you will step through your fears.
10. If you don’t deal with the paralyzing fear, you will never reach where you supposed to be.
11. So many of us only have the structure to lead when the world is at peace and things are easy.
12. Your greatness is on the other side of your pain. 
13. What you fear has mastery over your life.
14. What you fear establishes the boundaries of your freedom.
15. A lot of think our pain is the boundary of our limitations. Our pain is the boundary of our greatness.
16. We need to learn how to walk in our pain.
17. If you aren’t alive before death, you will be afraid of death.
18. For many people, their pain will define them.
19. Your future is on the other side of your failures. 
20. People always want to define us by our worst moments.
21. God does not define you by your worst moments, he defines you by His best moments.
22. We want God to meet us in our faith but He meets us in our faithfulness. 
23. Your faith doesn’t make life easier, your faith makes you stronger.