It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
All of our past posts have been placed HERE if you want to go back and read one.
I'd like to spend the next few weeks sharing some things I've learned over the past year and encouraging you to consider engaging with me as we prepare for a New Year! Each of these things has implications for both our personal lives as well as our professional lives. Here are the 4 conversations:
December 10th: RHYTHM: The Pace of Life
December 17th: IMPACT: Measuring the Results
December 24th: HEALTH: The Power of Your Body
December 31st: PRIORITIES: Learning to Say No
Let's begin...
#1) RHYTHM: The Pace of Life
This past May I shared with you an experience I had in the mountains of Colorado with The Rogue Journey. This was the first part of a 2-session retreat that centered on creating space and rhythm in my life to connect to God in new ways. It was an incredible experience, and I was challenged during these days to really evaluate the RHYTHM of my life.
One of the ongoing conversations I've had with Gina (my wife) over the past 32 years has gone something like this.... "Gina, when I get through this season, things will calm down!".
I don't know if you've ever said this, but we learned early in our marriage and work that when one season ends, another begins. It never calms down. There's always something important to do, a project to complete or an ever-growing to-do list to manage.
This year I've been challenged to stop looking at my life as seasons that ebb and flow, but to work on my RHYTHM.
Rhythm is defined as: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
I was a drummer through my childhood, and I learned how to keep rhythm, how to keep a constant beat going. I can keep a fast beat going for a long time.
This year, around the theme of RHYTHM:
• I've identified some habits that I can put into my life that are constant. They don't come and go depending on my pace, but they are a part of my everyday life and they bring some consistency and some RHYTHM to my life.
• I've identified some things that push me out of RHYTHM and I am learning to identify those, determine the symptoms, and keep them from controlling my life.
• I'm learning how to create intentional space and solitude in my life. This is restoring to me and it fills me up. In the past, when things got busy, the first thing to go was "space and solitude". Now it's something that I create when things are calm or when I'm running full speed ahead.
• I'm still learning about the results of RHYTHM. I experience short-term results and success, but I'm anxious to see the long-term effects.
Here are some questions
• What does RHYTHM look like in your life?
• What can you do to adjust the pace you'll be running at in the coming year? Do you feel a need to make any corrections or adjustments?
• What is keeping you from creating a healthier RHYTHM in your life?
• What have you learned about RHYTHM that you can share with others? Send your thoughts to me and I'll share them.... WRITE RUSS HERE
"When the rhythm of life changes - dance to the new beat!" Kate Nasser
"Never rush an emotion; everything in life has a rhythm, it is the pauses and silences that speak the truth." Michael Jackson
"Surround yourself with people who share your rhythm"
