LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Reset, Refocus, Readjust, Restart, as many times as you need to. Just never give up." Unknown

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's a New Year, and this month we're going to talk about the word BEGINNINGS.

Here's one last thought on BEGINNINGS. You can read the other posts and quotes HERE.

This past week I had the opportunity to travel to connect with a ministry and a group of ministry leaders. We had a great time doing a "deep dive" into understanding the scope of ministry and identifying some of their key issues.

While it was a full week of engagement, it also offered me some "windows of time" that have been a little illusive over the past month. I sat for hours on a plane, spent time in the airport, had some time driving and then in a hotel.

In the midst of a full week, I kept finding these opportunities to think, to listen, to wonder and to just be.

This year has started with a BOOM! It's now February, and I have no idea where January went, and today I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the items on my list... in fact, I've felt this way since the beginning of January. I'm having a hard time keeping up and keeping focused.

This quote above just spoke to me last week.... RESET, REFOCUS, READJUST, RESTART. Powerful words. And then the kicker... NEVER GIVE UP!

I don't know where you find yourself today. Are you disappointed in the start of 2026? Did you have big goals and you now realize those things were unrealistic? Do you find yourself drowning in all of the things you thought were going to be great, but now just feel like work! Did you think you were going to get more done, but now you're frustrated and you just want to throw it all out the window?

If you identify with any of those things, You're Not Alone!

TODAY, take a deep breath. Just slow down for a second and assess where you're at todoy, and determine what your next step needs to be.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Don't be afraid to start over. This time you're not starting from scratch, you're starting from experience." Unknown

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's a New Year, and this month we're going to talk about the word BEGINNINGS. We have a couple more...

I want to camp out on these words: Don't Be Afraid.

Many of us never start something new because of FEAR.

Fear defined is simply, "an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." Other words that come up in the definition are "anxiety, dread, & reverence".

I think in my life, I've had a number of moments where FEAR has kept me from moving forward, or it's slowed me down.

I remember my junior year of high school, making the decision to run for Student Council President. I don't know why I wanted to do that. I was already a leader in the band and on my basketball team, but there was something about this Student Government role that I was interested in, but I didn't just pursue it.... I paused, I wrestled with it, I hesitated, I talked it through. Looking back, it was FEAR that was slowing me down. Could I do this job? Would people vote for me? What would happen if I didn't win?

I still remember that anxious feeling of stepping into something completely new and being out of my comfort zone. I don't know what got me over the hump, but I eventually decided to make a run and I launched a campaign and was elected.

I really enjoyed that role during my Senior Year of High School, and I learned a lot from our faculty sponsor, Randy, as well as from the others I served with. I enjoyed it so much that when given the chance to run for office in college, I again ran a successful campaign to be President, but this time, there was no fear.

The Bible uses that term "Do Not Be Afraid" almost 365 times in scripture. Jesus knows something about fear. He says things to us like:

• "Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27

• "So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:31

• "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Matthew 6:34

Jesus knows that often our first response is FEAR and He's reminding us over and over again that WE'RE NOT ALONE. He is with us, He sees us, He knows us, He loves us.

Think of a time when you let FEAR keep you from doing something you felt you were supposed to do? Looking back, how does that look now? Do you have regret? How did you get past that?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The beginning is the most important part of the work." Plato

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's a New Year, and this month we're going to talk about the word BEGINNINGS.

Here's the difference between GIVING UP and STARTING OVER:

• Giving Up is often driven by fear or frustration

• Starting Over is often a conscious choice to launch in a new or better way.

• Giving Up means you're abandoning a direction because you lack the willingness to continue to work towards that goal.

• Starting Over means adjusting your course to find a new way to reach a meaningful objective.

• Giving Up often results in feelings of regret.

• Starting Over often brings a sense of freedom, growth & excitement

Let me clarify.... Giving Up is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we need to just stop doing what we're doing because it's not going to get us where we're going.

When I was 10 years old, my uncle invited me to come and play pee-wee football (tackly football for little kids). I loved baseball and always enjoyed playing every chance I got, but my uncle wanted me to come and give football a chance.

I lived in Southern California, so when at 10 years of age, I showed up for the "football camp" in August, it was really hot, I had never worn the pads and football gear before, and we spent the entire day running. I wasn't having any fun, I didn't really want to play football, so I lasted about 3 days then I told my uncle and my dad that "I wanted to focus on my baseball career"... that from a 10-year old with a clear vision of a future with the Dodgers!

I quit.

No regrets or remorse. No bad feelings. I just quit.

I knew what I wanted, and I definitely knew what I didn't want.

That was the end of my short-lived football career.

*Little did I know that 2 years later I would move to South America where there was no Baseball, no "American Football" and I would dive into the world of basketball and soccer.

For me, STARTING is simply aligning myself up with what I want to pursue, what I want to accomplish and what I want to focus on.

One of the first things I do when I go to start something is to identify things that I can STOP DOING. This gives me the margin, the space and the intentionality to focus on what is truly important.

Think of something you QUIT: Do you have regrets? Do you wish you would have continued to push through it?