It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Currently, I'm exploring different leadership quotes on this blog post, and pulling out some application for all of us. 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.
Russ
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"The future influences the present just as much as the past." Friedrich Nietzsche
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
We've spent a few weeks talking about PERSPECTIVE and VISION.
I heard someone reference this quote in a podcast, so I hunted it down and I've been thinking about it over the past few days.
One comment I found on the quote shares that Nietzsche believed that people become frantic or delusional in their attempts to live in both the future and in the past, so his challenge was to live in the NOW.
I don't know what his true thoughts were, but I can share mine:
It's really important to understand where we have come from and to be able to answer the question, "How did I get here?". We learn so much from our past and it tells a story that is laced with both success and failure. We learn, grow and adapt along the way.
While our past is important, so is our future. Our vision of where we want to go, who we want to be, how we want to impact the world, all play a role in how we live life today.
We need to live with the future in mind and that helps us to find clarity for today.
The first question I'm interested in learning from people is the one above, "How did you get here?" I want to know their story and I want to know about the things that shaped them.
The second question I ask is simply, "What's important now?" and you can't answer that question unless you are able to create a vision of where you want to go.
What does this quote cause you to think about?
DEEPER STILL:
The bigger conversation is not just a "future" conversation, but it's an "eternity" conversation.
My future impacts the way I live my life today: my decisions, my goals, my relationships, my plans, fulfilling my purpose. There are things that I want to do and accomplish in my lifetime, and I believe that God has created me with a purpose and has given me the strengths and gifts to do these things.
The bigger picture is that I'm not living for today, I'm living for eternity.
I believe that God wants to use me today to impact people for all of eternity.
Talk about perspective!
With this in mind, my past and my future influence everything I do today. I'm not simply living my own story, but I'm a part of a much larger story that will last forever.
Don't just live for today, but live with eternity in mind. We're experiencing just a small part of the big picture here on earth.
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
I just read this short book AGAIN and am really thinking about the way I present, pitch and speak. Read this and then evaluate your style. 15 Minutes Including Q & A
This past week I got to experience John Pearson's Board Development Seminar, and he recommends this book for any board. I've found it very helpful and full of practical ideas. See it HERE.
I just listed to the How I Built This LAB with Mark Cuban. Interesting story.
Priority Living helps people live with their eternal significance in mind. Check out The Masters Program.
I enjoyed this album by Martin Smith: Dancing In The Fire