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. Sometimes you'll connect with it and other times you'll just blow by it. That's fine. I believe that we're all looking for inspiration, reminders, encouragement and some practical lessons, and if this weekly thought provides this for you in some way, then that's the goal.
Please feel to share it with others who you feel might benefit!
Of We Go Into The NEW YEAR!
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." Albert Einstein
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 easy to focus on productivity and forget something that is even MORE important? Einstein mentions it here in his quote where he talks about VALUE.
Success and productivity don't mean anything unless you are pursuing something that brings "VALUE".
Recently, a friend of mine presented at a meeting and he shared this thought:
"The purpose of any business is human flourishing"
He defined flourishing as meaning "thriving or continually developing". He also connected it to a deeper purpose for those of us as followers of Jesus that we be "continually developing into the people God has created us to be".
This resonated with me. I want people to flourish, not just so they can be successful, but so they can be of "value" or of "purpose" to others and to God.
So today, instead of focusing on productivity, ask yourself the question: Am I bringing VALUE to others? Am I helping other people FLOURISH?
This month, I'd like to share a few of your "PRODUCTIVITY HACKS".
I'll share a few over this month, but if you'd like to share with others, just send me a personal email with a short description of what you have found is most helpful to you, especially at this time of year as you are beginning anew. Please also include if the idea is yours or if you picked it up from someone else. We want to give credit to where it's due. Send your PRODUCTIVITY HACK to me HERE. I look forward to hearing and learning from you.
Here's the HACK today, and it comes from my friends at TBOY and a podcast I listen to regularly. They introduced the idea (don't know if they invented it) but the word is:
PLANUARY
The idea is to take January, and spend significant time planning the rest of your year: calendar, finance, goals, trips, dreams.
When I heard this idea, I laughed because I try to do this, but I didn't have a term for it. Now I do, and you do to.
Celebrate PLANUARY by taking some time to think, pray, plan, prepare and map out the coming 11 months of 2024!
DEEPER STILL:
Last week, I shared the idea of 4 HELPFUL LISTS. You can read it again by clicking on the link.
Today is another tool from Paterson and it's a good one, especially if you want to spend some focused time in PLANUARY working on it:
This is about VISION and the concept is this:
Picture yourself in 10 years from now, and describe what you want to be like in these 5 areas, and write a couple of sentences describing that vision you have of yourself.
The 5 areas are:
#1) PERSONAL. This is everything YOU control: health, spiritual life, personal growth
#2) FAMILY. This is your immediate family.
#3) VOCATION. What you do to get your paycheck.
#4) FAITH. This can be church, faith community or expression of your faith.
#5) COMMUNITY. This can be where you live or friendships.
We will never arrive where we are wanting to go unless we can paint of picture of what that looks like. This is the start of you painting the picture. Just find some time to stop, listen and dream about what you see 10 years from now.
Vision can be defined as: "The ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom". What is your vision of your future?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
I do listen to this podcast most days. It's about 15 minutes of financial stories mixed in with some pop culture and lot's of humour. I enjoy it each day! The TBOY (The Best One Yet) Podcast.
A friend of mine sent me this book to read, Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. I picked it up this weekend and have had a hard time putting it down. I'll let you know more when I finish it! Thanks Eric!
Part of our PLANUARY is organizing our personal budget. We've found EveryDollar App to be a great tool. Check it out!
One of the greatest musical libraries: James Taylor Essentials on Apple. Music I've grown up with and still love!
I lead a Community of Christian Business Leaders here in Orange County California called The Barnabas Group. If you are in Southern California and you'd like to attend our upcoming event on February 8th, please write me HERE for a personal invitation.