Tuesday at 2:00pm with Russ

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

In this New Year I'm going to continue to explore some leadership quotes that might challenge us, inspire us or remind us of different aspects of the leadership journey. This is part of my personal journey to keep growing, learning and being stretched! Join me each Tuesday at 2:00pm (PST). It will take you just a few minutes to read through the 2 sections of this post, but don't miss the final section where I share some of the things I'm reading, listening to and enjoying this week.

You can find past posts on my website HERE.

Enjoy!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“Giving up something now for something better later is not a sacrifice. It is an investment.” Andy Stanley


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


A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're continuing to look at some quotes from Andy Stanley this month.

Every once in a while, after hearing a message from multiple people for years, you hear it again, and you actually listen to it and think about it.

That's this quote for me.

I've always heard people talk about learning to say NO.

Jim Burns, a lifelong mentor in my life, taught me that message early on.

Steve Jobs, Ted Engstrom, John Maxwell, Ghandi, Warren Buffett, Stephen Covey, and many other leaders I've followed over the years have all spoken about the importance of saying NO to the wrong things, and YES to the right things.

Stanley's words around this common theme add another layer to our "NO's" by defining it as an "investment" rather than a "sacrifice".

I really like this idea.

Saying NO to things that I want to do is a discipline. I only have a given amount of time, and everyday I have to make really difficult choices.

When I fix my eyes on the long-term, on the results of the decisions I'm making today, it gives me courage and clarity to make the decisions I really need to make.

Think of ONE THING you said NO too that was an "investment in the future" decision? How do you feel about that decision?

DEEPER STILL:

A friend of mine (thanks Aaron) recently sent me a podcast to listen to from Adam Grant called Re:Thinking. I'll put the podcast link below.

In an interview with Brian Little, they have a conversation about project management in our lives, and Little said a couple of times in the podcast that sometimes, the projects that we love doing or even get energized from that we do on a regular basis are the things we need to stop doing.

I stopped the recording and listened to that part again, and I've been thinking about that in my life.

As leaders, we often hold tight to the things that we love to do, but in doing this, it eliminates opportunities to do something else that might even be more important, or potentially more satisfying in our lives.

I tend to hold on to things I love to a point of an all out DEFENSE position: Don't challenge me... I have some things in my life that are sacred, that can't be changed, that I'll "NEVER" let go of (be careful when you say that).

I've learned over the years that it really comes down to a moment of TRUST. If you TRUST your calling, your life purpose, and the voice of God, then saying NO to things gets a little easier.

I've said NO to some really significant things in my life, and the funny thing is that I don't have regrets about those decisions.

But, I never want to get to a place where I won't let go of something that has become important to me. (I'm in the middle of processing that statement right now in my life with some key projects!)

Is there something in your life you need to say NO to as an investment decision? What are you afraid of?

 

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

Source: www.leadermundial.org