LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

“Margin is the space between our load and our limits.” John Mark Comer

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

The book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry was given and recommended to me 3 times on the same day at the end of 2019. I don’t know about you, but when it takes 3 people from different parts of the country, different walks of life and each of them prompted on the same day to contact me, I pay attention.

The book was used to rattle me, to cause me to do some deep thinking and contemplating, and was used to help me to deconstruct some habits in my life that needed to be addressed.

I wish I could say that for the past 2 years I’ve learned to master the principles in this book and because of that, I want to teach you, challenge you and encourage you.

Instead, I’m inviting you to join me in revisiting the conversation around PACE.

I’m taking the next 3 days of my life to do an audit, to do some planning and thinking and to work on my plan for the coming year in 3 key areas of my life: Purpose, Pace and Productivity.

I don’t know how you think “forward” into the new year, but I want to challenge you to find some time in the coming weeks to slow down, ask some questions, and begin to work on your plan!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"We can't improve what we don't assess." Michael Hyatt

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Peter Drucker once said, "You can't improve what you don't measure". People either loved that quote or hated it, because it all comes down to the act of measurement.

This quote from Michael Hyatt address that issue in his choice of the word, "assess". Assess simply means to evaluate something.

The challenge from Hyatt here is to assess and to evaluate things in our lives that we want to improve. This is a very normal thing in the life of a leader, both in our professional roles and in our personal lives.

When was the last time you did an assessment, with the goal of identifying some things that need to be improved, and out of this assessment came an action plan?

We are 11 months into 2021, entering the last month of the year. Let's pause over the next number of weeks to assess some things in our life that we can improve on, that we can build on. What is the first thing that comes to mind? (There's always something that bubbles to the surface immediately.)

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Paul, Philippians 4:13

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Our pastor is leading us through a study of Philippians, and yesterday we were in Philippians chapter 4, and this verse jumped out at me.

I've heard this passage, I've preached this passage, and it's one of the most quoted scriptures in the Bible, however yesterday I was challenged to think of it in the context of contentment.

In the USA, we're celebrating Thanksgiving this week, and we often pause to give thanks to God for all He's done, all He's provided, and all He promises to do. It's a reminder to us to have an attitude of gratitude, and I really enjoy this season and focusing on being thankful instead of being anxious about what's to come!

Paul also, in the book of Philippians, just pauses in this text where he's talking about the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and he drops this statement to refocus us. In the Message Translation, it reads:

"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

As we give thanks, we have to give thanks to God for His provision, His faithfulness and his love. Paul takes it as step further... he's not only thankful for what he has, but he's thankful to Christ for EVERYTHING: What I have, Where I Am, Who I am

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"What kind of competitor see's the finish line and slows down... always finish strong." Gary Ryan Blair

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I write this note to you today because this morning, as I looked at my calendar, I realized that there are some things that I haven't gotten done this year that I'd really like to accomplish.

It would be easy to simply push them off, ignore them, and move on.

You may be feeling what I'm feeling: I'm tired, I've been running pretty hard, it's been a challenging year, and I'm looking ahead at a fresh start.

I saw the quote above the other day, and have been thinking about it over the past few days. Here's the choice I need to make today:

Do I finish this year to the best of my ability, or do I coast into the year-end and look forward at a new start?

Today, how would you answer that? Are you a finisher? Do you want to finish strong? Would you rather coast through the next 6 weeks of 2021 and begin thinking about 2022?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Lo que no me mata, me alimenta." Frida Kahlo

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Today I wanted to share this Spanish quote, from Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It's a play on the quote from Nietzche, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Kahlo's Spanish version says, "What doesn't kill me, nourishes me".

Frida Kahlo knew about suffering, so her words here are simply a reminder to us to take our suffering and turn it into something good.

I don't know if you're suffering today, but I have no doubt that each of you reading this have been through some hard times. You know as well as I do that it's often in these times of suffering that we grow the most... it's in these hard places that we learn of our own strength, but it's also where we learn of the power of God in our lives.

Take a moment today to reflect on some hard things you've gone through, and just think about how you have been changed by these things, how you have been "nourished" or "strengthened".

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." C.S. Lewis

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

There's some debate as to whether C.S. Lewis actually said this, or if he said it in another form, but the quote has been attributed to him, and I saw it the other day, and thought it was a really appropriate quote to dig into.

Do you find yourself living in the world or REGRET or do you live in the world of HOPE?

The other day I was talking with some good friends about how to manage change, and was reminded of the thought that many times we are living in the past; we're looking at our history and we're not seeing where we're going.

Today, I want to encourage you to think about where you are today, and to identify the things you can change and start doing that need some attention, and just start!

The best way to do this is to simply do a personal audit. Ask yourself how you're doing in a variety of areas of your life, and do an honest appraisal. There will be some things that bubble up that need some immediate attention.... pay attention to those!

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." Rosalynn Carter

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

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I really appreciate this quote from Rosalynn Carter because it speaks to an aspect of leadership that is difficult.

Many times as leaders, we envision people following us and it seems so easy to lead people into places that aren't difficult.

Our leadership is tested when we decide to lead people through difficult situations, even when we know we can take an easier route. We can't run away from the hard things, because that's where we need to show up.

If I were to look back at different times that I had to step into leadership with my team, the times that were the deepest, the most memorable, the ones where our team came together and built trust with each other, the ones that made a difference? These were all around really tough things. It's in these most difficult days that you become a "great leader" as Carter says.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." Abraham Lincoln

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

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Abraham Lincoln is credited with this great quote, but there are questions as to if and when he actually said it. We're going to look at these words and talk about what they mean to us today.

The thing we should be challenged with from this quote is our need to PREPARE.

Many times we think that the act of DOING is the most important part, so we cut out the PREPARING.

This quote is a great reminder that the best way to DO is to PREPARE TO DO First.

Unfortunately, I have tried to cut down a tree with a dull machete. It's incredible work, and eventually I was able to just beat the tree and the stump into submission, but it was a lot of work. I then sharpened the blade, and was amazed at the ease and speed at which the next tree fell. That was a great lesson.