Tuesday at 2:00pm with Russ

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:

"There's a difference between giving up and starting over." Unknown

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

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?

DEEPER STILL:

NEW BEGINNINGS

Ok, I realize I'm a quitter because also at about 8 years of age, I quit the accordion. Yes, I played the accordion. I took lessons, I hauled that instrument back and forth, and again, I realized that I didn't have a huge future as an accordion player so I talked my parents into letting me play the drums. I'm not sure what instrument they appreciated more, both were brutal, but the drums were cool and I played them through junior high and high school and into my adult life.

Honestly, today I wish I had continued with the accordion because it's now "cool again".

You might have a regret or two about something you quit...

  • I started a small savings account when I was 16 years old with my first paycheck. I put $25 a month into that account for about a year. I should have kept doing that!

  • I've "starting" reading through the Bible more times than you can imagine, and I have finished it, but there are many more starts than finishes.

  • I've started more small businesses then you can think about. I mowed lawns, I painted address numbers on curbs, I sold flower seeds, I delivered papers, I sold paper on the corner, I sold fireworks, I sold coffee and I could go on and on...

However, if you don't ever start anything, you might miss the surprise!

  • Surprised by finding something that connects with your gifts and strengths and passion

  • Surprised by the satisfaction that comes from finding alignment around your purpose

  • Surprised by the joy that replaces dread and guilt

  • Surprised by how you've changed and adapted and are now able to do something completely different because of your personal growth.

I've found incredible peace and joy:

  • When I figured out what God "made me" to do... not selling paper or hustling with a side business, but actually how he created me to lead, to impact people and organizations and how he's called me to make a difference.

  • When I found the joy of the guitar... After the accordion and the piano, after years of hauling my drums around, I found the guitar. That has brought me so much joy and satisfaction over the years, and my 44 year-old guitar is on it's stand in my office, right now, just waiting to be played.

  • When I discovered that God's love wasn't only for me when I "read through the Bible" but when I walked with him daily in deep relationship, conversation and commitment.

  • When I decided to trust God for my financial security, and that it wasn't up to me have it all completely figured out.

Don't be afraid of STARTS and STOPS.

Is there something you need to STOP DOING today so you can do something BETTER or more ALIGNED with what God is calling you into?

 

Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:

Source: www.leadermundial.org