LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"My fruit grows on other people's trees" Bob Buford

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I recently published this quote from Adam Grant:

"The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed."

My friend Connie then sent the quote from Bob Buford in response to that, and I love the word picture of this.

Outside my office, I have a Kumquat tree. You might not even know what a Kumquat is, but it's a small bite-sized citrus fruit with a real tart/tangy taste. When these are ripe on this tree, I'll eat one each time I walk past the tree.

When Connie shared the quote, I just looked at this tree. I looked at the amount of fruit hanging from the branches. Some of the Kumquats were ripe, others were still green and getting ready.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed." Adam Grant

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I read this quote from Adam Grant and it pushed some crazy memories into my head...

• I thought about how rewarding it was to watch my kids play sports or perform, and how fun it was to celebrate their success.

• I remembered the times when younger leaders had the opportunity to speak or train, and instead of looking at their presentation critically, I got to just enjoy their growth and the power of their impact.

• I thought back to my first full-time job where I thought that the only way I would have success is if I did everything by myself. I didn't value my team, I burned myself out, and I was very ineffective.

There is so much truth in this quote, yet as leaders, we struggle to find that balance of showing and leading with our strengths vs. investing into others and helping them lead.

What I know now is that the success that comes from helping others succeed is so much sweeter! I can't explain it, but it's different. When I do something really well, for a moment, I shine. When I help someone else do something really well, it's not just me that shines, but we ALL SHINE.

Think about the last time you truly helped someone else experience success... What did you do? How did it feel?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community." Dorothy Day

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I was reminded this week of the power of COMMUNITY in a number of tangible ways...

• Some of our friends gathered together to celebrate our daughters wedding and the depth of COMMUNITY was vibrant.

• Community Members gathered together to pray for some of our friends in need... there was power in those prayers.

• I watched my kids community come together around their wedding and was inspired by the depth of love, friendship and support.

Community is all around us, but sometimes we choose to remain isolated and disconnected from others, and today I simply want to tell you that you're missing out on so much.

We need COMMUNITY....

• It FILLS us and REPLENISHES our soul

• It brings JOY and LAUGHTER to our lives

• It challenges us and reminds us that we're NOT ALONE

• Community CHALLENGES us and reminds us that we're ALL on a journey

We need other people in our lives, and over the past few years, many of us have gotten too comfortable with being alone, or too content to connect with people virtually and not in person.

It's time to get back to your community.

Define what your community is and what you value from it, what you contribute to it, and what you're doing to strengthen and enrich these relationships.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Wherever you are - be all there." Jim Elliot

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Pretty profound thoughts from Jim Elliot, but this past week when I saw this quote, I just stopped to think about it. It's pretty simple to me, he's telling me: Don't Live Distracted!

Yet, we ALL live distracted.

Have you noticed people sitting in a restaurant? Most of them are on their phones, completely oblivious to what's going on around them.

Have you been annoyed by someone at the movie theater that keeps turning their phone off and on to check messages?

In church recently I noticed how many people are using their phones Bible app instead of carrying a Bible.

We are tethered to distraction most of the day, and if you're like me, it's hard to manage the temptation to stay "present" all the time.

Jim Elliots reminder comes to me at a time that I'm busy and at a time that I'm trying to multitask to get the most out of my time.

Most of us don't multitask well. What ends up happening is we don't do our best, people feel used and we hurt the relationships around us that mean the most to us. What does "BE ALL THERE" look like to you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." Will Rogers

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.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Does the Lord really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey Him." Samuel, 1 Samuel 15:22 (CEV)

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

I had a couple of things over the past few days speak to me, and it culminated when I read this verse this morning in a study I'm doing through the book of 1 Samuel.

Last week, a friend of mine, Dr. Wes Beavis, did a talk at The Barnabas Group and he talked about how our bodies have been created to not only withstand stress, but to continue to develop as we manage the things around us.

In church Sunday our Pastor reminded us that God uses everything for His purpose, even disobedience can draw people to God, however there might be some huge consequences in that disobedience.

This morning, while reading this chapter, I was reminded that God wants us to listen to Him and to obey. It's pretty simple.

If you're like me, I create many hoops and hurdles to get through, but today I was reminded that God does has a plan for me, I only need to trust Him and do what He says. King Saul took things into his own hands. I wish I could say that I've never done that, but it happens all the time.

God wired us and created us for purpose, but He also put some things in place to protect us: Things like REST, things like ACCOUNTABILITY, things like BIBLICAL INSTRUCTION. He tells us what to do. Are you hearing Him?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Once you've committed yourself to something, pace yourself to the finish line." Meb Keflezighi

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

These words are powerful from the perspective of Keflezighi, a long-distance olympic runner.

But in life, they are just as powerful.

Pace can be defined as the "rate of movement" and/or the "rate of progress".

I've found that many times in my life, I commit to do something without anticipating or calculating the pace that will be required to actually accomplish it.

I find myself surprised and sometimes even dumbfounded that I miscalculated or didn't think it through.

Pace is critical because sometimes I push myself to a pace that is unsustainable, and it's at that time that things begin to fall apart and then I spend my time and energy managing disaster and trying to pick up the pieces.

I'm not a long-distance runner... just ask my High School Basketball Coach. I like to run in short spurts of energy, get some rest and then move again. This is kind of how I live my life.

Pace is important. Finishing well is important.

Are you moving at a pace that is sustainable or are you getting to a point of decision where something will have to change? Evaluate your pace today.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" Albert Einstein

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This final thought on SIMPLICITY from Einstein. This guy spent his life taking the complex and making it simple!

How are you doing with the clutter in your life?

There's an INC. article that speaks to Einsteins quote and they talk about 2 kinds of clutter: Physical clutter, which is easy to see because it's right in front of our eyes and Emotional clutter, which can be a pattern of "coulda, shoulda, woulda." Read the full article HERE.

Have you been able to identify the clutter in your life and take some steps to eliminate it?

Physical Clutter: That pile in the garage, the mystery mound of paper on the side of my desk, the drawer where everything goes that doesn't have it's own place... clutter. Clean it out & there's freedom!