Tuesday at 2:00pm with Russ

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

Greetings to you!

Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.

Russ...

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up." Rocky Balboa/Sylvester Stallone

What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's summer and I thought I would go a little "lighter" with some quotes over the next few months, and thought I'd start with some thoughts from Rocky Balboa aka Sylvester Stallone.

I remember watching the movie Rocky in 1976. It's a classic comeback movie, but I remember the people in the theatre cheering for this fighter as he came from nowhere to standing in the ring with the World Champion.

When I think of the Rocky franchise, the idea of never giving up is a part of every one of Stallone's stories. Each time, when everything was against him Rocky dug in and refused to give up.

I'm sure you remember the moment in each film when the music changes and we see the momentum shift, either during his training or during the actual fight. He's down and ready to just throw it all in, and he finds a way to come back, finds a way to turn things around.

This turn-around is what we all get excited about, whether it's a film or our real-life story.

I think the Rocky story is extra compelling when you learn about Sylvester Stallone's story and the way he was at the end, but he had this dream and he turned that into opportunity.

Think about a time in your life when you felt that you were done, then the music changed and you caught a second wind. What was it that really changed?

DEEPER STILL:

I remember a basketball tournament I was in during my 8th grade year. We had lost the first game, so we had to take the "long route" to the championship, and our team rallied, we won a couple of surprising games, and ended up in the final and despite being tired from the games we had to play, we were energized and ended up winning the tournament.

I remember the celebration and the emotional feeling of victory because we all had to work hard to make the final game, then to win.

I think I learned then that even when things don't look great, there's still a chance if you:

  • Pull Together: Rally the team and draw on the strengths of others

  • Work Hard: We all have "another gear"... we can dig deep to find the energy and the will power to keep going.

  • Encourage Each Other: When we're all working, we need all the encouragement we can get. Those words mean a lot.

  • Finish Big: The idea that we're going to give it our all and it doesn't matter if we win or lose, we'll leave everything we have on the court.

  • Celebrate: Whether we win or lose, celebrate the effort. Of course celebrating the win is much more fun! Take the time to celebrate.

This model works for the basketball team, but it also works with your work team, your family, or your volunteer team.

It's the David vs. Goliath story from 1 Samuel 17. David refused to be insulted and refused to give up. His God was bigger than the enemy, and when everyone else had quit, he stepped in to fight, and God used him to bring victory and deliverance.

What's your first instinct when you feel like you have no chance at succeeding and all you want to do is give up? What do you do naturally, and what do you want to do?

 

Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:

Source: www.leadermundial.org