It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
LEADERSHIP QUOTES
We're exploring some great quotes that will help us in our lives and leadership. If you'd like to share your favorite with me, please post on the comments section of the Blog. You can read these past posts HERE.
The format for this season is the following:
#1) LEADERSHIP QUOTE: I'm going to share a quote with you. I'd like to encourage you to think about it, respond to it, process it. You can stop here, or go to Section 2.
#2) A LITTLE BIT DEEPER: I'm going to share a couple of thoughts that come to my mind when I think about the quote. Just a short reaction from me. You can stop here, or go to Section 3.
#3) DEEPER STILL: I'm going to share something I've found from someone else: A quote, some tips, a challenge, a thought....
#4) RUSS' LIST: I'll continue to share some links, ideas, books or products that I think some of you might benefit from.
Russ
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." Will Rogers
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
Those powerful lyrics by the Beatles...
"Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh I believe in yesterday..."
Dr. Patrick Wanis makes the connection between this song from the Beatles and the Will Rogers quote above. He states that many of us would rather go back to yesterday because in our minds it was so much better than today.
Do you spend "too much" time living in the past? Are you missing out on today because you're eyes are focused back instead of forward?
Our story is important. When we look back there is so much we can learn, so much to be reminded of and so much to celebrate, however we can't live there. Our past is a reference point, not a destination. Sometimes we spend all of our energy trying to get back to where we were before.
Identify some key moments in your story. I call them "turning points", moments in your life where you were moving one direction, then something happened and you changed direction. Write these down and identify the things you learned from them... both good and bad. This is a great exercise in remembering.
DEEPER STILL:
Don't get stuck in the past.
When I'm helping someone with a LifePlan, this is a key part of the process and it's simply identifying moments in our past where we changed, and defining that.
We don't do that so we can stay there. Sometimes we like to live in our past, but the truth is that we can't. We need to live for today and for tomorrow, but our past can help us as we move forward.
Notice in Will Rogers quote he said "don't let yesterday take up TOO MUCH of today"... We're always going to reflect, remember and relive our experiences, but when that's all we do, we're missing out on the life God has called us too. He calls it Abundant Life in John 10.
After you spend some time thinking through your turning points, move your eyes from YESTERDAY to TODAY. What can you carry with you in lessons, memories and reminders from those moments that can serve you today and into the future? Learn from your past, but live in your future!
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
I really enjoyed the Tim Ferriss interview on his podcast with Margaret Atwood, a long-time writer.
I enjoyed listening to Marcos Witt this past week. He has some powerful Spanish worship songs and has been an influence in the Spanish speaking world through his music and teaching. Check out his Essentials album on Apple. I especially enjoyed listening to the song Renuévame.
I'm reading Dan Allenders book, "Leading with a Limp". Pretty good so far... we've all got limps!
Gina and I are watching the Lee Child series on Amazon Prime, REACHER. I've enjoyed the books, and now am enjoying this series.
I've been reading different book studies on the YouVersion Bible App. I'm now under the Through the Bible Plan: 1st Samuel. You can simply read through a specific book of the Bible. Most of you will already have this app on your phone... look under the PLANS for more details.
We just purchased these solar motion lights for our garden to keep critters from eating our vegetables! I sound like a farmer! Check them out HERE.