Leadership-Just Grow

Leadership is a word that I was encouraged to understand at an early age, because my teachers told me I had it as early as 1st grade. Now, I am not too sure exactly what they saw in this intelligent, not-afraid-to-speak-up, inquiring mind. But they obviously saw something, which happens to be the same thing my parents saw in me when they encouraged me to run for student council when I entered middle school, or what my coach in high school saw in me when he asked me to be captain of the team. One thing I know they saw was perseverance. Learning from history lessons, most leaders in all walks and professions of life have to learn never to give up. Lincoln, Edison, Einstein, King Jr., Gates, and Paul the Apostle all have great stories of never giving up. Leadership is about growing, and never giving up. If you rest leadership it will become atrophy, just like a muscle if you stop working it out. Ive been thinking this year on ways to grow my leadership. A part of that process is finding new ways to do old things, as well as disciplines that are nothing new under the sun. This year my list of leadership growth includes: reading more, listening for details, pushing through the wall, building people up, studying , practicing life disciplines, and writing out & completing action steps for each project. My leadership must grow or it is in a stagnant or shrinking process. I challenge myself and you to persevere and just grow in 09.

It Starts Now

Every once in a while I find myself in a place of inspiration. After clearing my head of all the daily distractions of news, interruptions, and life I sometimes find a quiet place to reflect. Have you ever refelcted light off of a mirror? Have you ever seen an object illuminated by light that is traveling ahead of the object? Reflection can mean looking back, I think reflection is about looking forward too.
As I enter this new year we'll call '09, I find myself setting new patterns, goals, and monumental life challenges. Everything I want to do this year starts with a pattern and life plan I set now. In the first few days of this year my life has already changed. My alarm is now set earlier, my dietary intake is reworked, my reading schedule is intact, my workout schedule is in writing, my quiet time is uninterrupted, and my marriage & family life are priority. Set some goals, get your life in order, clear out the old (books, files, clothes, whatever it is needing cleared out, the thought of 2008, etc...) The New Year is a great place to start afresh. If you want to get in a new routine, start today. Don't wait until tomorrow, because that will bring its own interruptions too. Block the time so you can make this a legitmate plan. It begins today, it starts now. Reflect forward, not backwards.