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:

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

DEEPER STILL:

NEW BEGINNINGS: FEAR

Fear often keeps us from starting something new for a number of reasons:

  • FEAR convinces us that there's a chance that we'll look bad. It's ego & pride. We don't do something because we're afraid of what others might think and we might disappoint others. I've learned that this EGO thing is one of the hardest ones to deal with. I find that I am concerned with with others think of me and once I wrap my arms around the fact that this shouldn't matter, I'm fine. But this often paralyzes me for a minute!

  • FEAR convinces me that I'd rather stay with what I know verses starting something new. I'd rather be comfortable. I'm used to what I know and doing something new is a lot of work. I've learned that when I'm not challenged, I get bored. I need new things to keep me fresh, I need new challenges to keep me energized and I need to get out of my routine to learn new things.

  • FEAR convinces me that I'm out of my depth! I have strengths and experience and I need to stay in line with who I am and not step out of that. Fear wants to keep me in my box. I've learned that my gifts and skills can be used in a wide variety of ways, and if I don't explore those areas, I get stale and stagnant. It's not moving out of my strengths, it's using my strengths in a new form.

So, don't be afraid to try something new. Don't believe the lies and remember that You're Not Alone!

What does FEAR look like in your life when you're given the opportunity to branch out? Where are you most vulnerable?

 

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

Source: www.leadermundial.org