It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Greetings to you!
Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"Do things at your own pace. Life's not a race." Unknown
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
September is here, and if you're like me, it came with a bit of SHOCK. How can it be September? I've been thinking about the idea of PACE. Back a couple of months ago, I spent some time on RHYTHM, and I realize that PACE is different. I'm going to dive into it this month. Join me...
To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.
The quote above has been spoken and shared by many people from many different contexts, and it's simply a reminder that each of us need to set our own pace. We're told that "life's not a race", but I'm not sure any of us really believe that.
We live our lives running from one thing to the next, and while we've identified some RHYTHM to our lives, we haven't clarified the PACE.
You see, they're different.
Rhythm can be defined as a "flow" of events, patterns or events, that come and go at various speeds.
PACE on the other hand is the "speed" at which these things unfold. Pace defines the speed and the intensity that I move through.
PACE and RHYTHM are connected, but they are different.
Here's a simple way I can illustrate it:
RHYTHM is me walking everyday. Typically about 6 miles, but walking is a part of the rhythm of my life, and when I don't move everyday, it affects other aspects of my life, because while I'm walking, I'm doing other things that are really important: listening, praying, thinking, quiet.
PACE is the intensity that I walk. I walk at a comfortable pace of about 16 minutes for one mile. At this pace, I'm able to do the things that are most important, again: listening, praying, thinking, quiet.
When I increase my walking pace just a little bit to a 13 or 14 minute mile, I feel a difference. I'm breathing differently, I'm not able to think as clearly, and I then realize that I'm focused on the speed at which I'm walking.
I know there are people who can do this, while walking or running, but I've found for me it doesn't work.
The RHYTHM for me is movement, it's getting out on a trail or on a long walk, and it's something I fight for and work form. I need this rhythm in my life because of the value it brings me.
Having a fast PACE isn't important to me. I'm not trying to race anybody, and it's not just about getting a certain distance in every day.
BUT....
This is why PACE messes up RHYTHMS. When we're running from one thing to the next, when we're living at an unsustainable pace, it affects everything. Defining a healthy pace is really important.
Thus the quote: "Do things at your own pace." What's your PACE look like? What has it become?
DEEPER STILL:
I've shared this story before, but it really connects to PACE.
When I was 10 years old, my Boy Scout Troupe decided to climb Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain peak in the lower United States, standing at 14,505 feet. Pretty ambitious for a group of 10 year-olds and our dads, and it was horrible!
I had never climbed that type of thing, and the switchbacks up the front were really tough. At one point, I was done, and my dad came alongside me and basically challenged my pace. I had been running up the hill, resting, walking slow, setting my pack down... I had no pace.
My dad simply defined the climb in a new way... he said: Take 10 steps, then stop for a minute and then take 10 more. That was my pace, and 10 steps at a time, we made it all the way up the mountain to the Summit.
I climbed that mountain 2 more times and both times, I slowed down to that same pace, which worked for me over 50 years ago, and I summited all 3 times.
I then climbed a 19,350 foot volcano in Ecuador, Cotopaxi, and the same pace came into play as I climbed the glacier. The guys I was climbing with were used to going much faster, but they slowed to my pace, and we were able to summit even in some crazy weather.
I had found my pace.
I also realized that I'm not a mountain climber. I've watched climbers summit Everest and many other mountains and it's amazing what they are able to do, and I'm really happy with what I've accomplished and don't need to do that again!
We all need to find and define our pace: The pace that works for us, the pace that allows us to find healthy rhythm, the pace that fosters healthy relationships and the pace that helps us to use our gifts, abilities and talents in the best way possible.
PACE is important.
What is it that keeps you from finding your PACE, or maybe a "Healthy Pace"?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Finished the book Full-Time by David L. Bahnsen. Really enjoyed the perspective on our work role and how it connects to purpose.
A friend told me about Stephen Wilson Jr. and I've been listening to his playlist on Apple. I like his sound....Thanks Jon.
This fishing toy was a surprise hit at our grandsons 3rd Birthday Party this past week!
One the podcasts I listen to regularly had a story on the founding of Harley-Davidson. It was good to hear the story and understand their impact on biking culture!
Last week, at our Quarterly Barnabas Summit, I used a COWBELL to draw people back from a break. It was a little obnoxious, but we all know "We Need More Cowbell".