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:

"The things that truly bring us joy are rarely things." Joshua Fields Millburn

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

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Continuing on in our conversation around JOY.

I asked you a question last week, "What Brings You Joy?". We then started a conversation around JOY and what we can do to find Joy in the midst of a lot of stuff going on in our lives.

I found this quote from Joshua Fields Millburn, and I've been thinking about it for a few days. Millburn is one half of The Minimalists. Millburn and his friend Ryan Nicodemus began when some life challenges pushed them to downsize their "stuff", and that began a pursuit of finding happiness and contentment not in their "stuff" but in simplicity.

I've listened to a number of their podcasts and read one of their books years ago (noted below).

This quote then has some deeper meaning for them, and as I think about it, it definitely has deep meaning for me.

The truth is simple: We often think that JOY comes in the form of "things", and sometimes that is true, "things" can bring some joy, but if I were to be honest, joy comes from and through people in my life, through others, through my relationship with God, through so many things that don't stack up in my garage.

Let me test my theory: I owned a dream motorcycle years ago, a 2007 BMW GS 1200. This is a bike that was built for adventure, and when I purchased it in 2012, I needed some adventure in my life. I had ridden motorcycles in many different parts of the world and the U.S., and I always wanted to own a GS because the South Africa rides I took were so epic on that machine. I had one. It DID bring me joy.

Then it didn't. I got busy. My friend wasn't riding as much (sorry Jim). The bike sat in my garage not being used. I'd pull it out once in a while and something had shifted in me and I didn't find that ongoing sense of adventure and escape.

Finally, a few years ago, I made the decision to get rid of it. I was tired of paying for maintenance, insurance and registration and not riding it at all. I sold it quickly, took the money and purchased a pair of E-Bikes so Gina and I could explore and ride together. Great purpose, new joy.

As I think about that bike, I think I realize that the joy wasn't coming from the actual motorcycle, but it was coming from the comaraderie, the adventure, the exploration of new countries and rides. It was coming from the people that I shared these experiences with, not from the hunk of metal sitting in my garage.

So yes, there was some joy coming from by ability to own and ride that bike, but the truth is, I'm still in relationship with all these guys I've shared the road with. We'll ride again, we'll plan another trip, we'll find other adventure, either on a bike or just in our own aging lives! Cue Wild Hogs Theme Song Here....

Where does your Joy come from?

DEEPER STILL:

I was digging into The Minimalists as I was researching their quote, and I found some things that I think can be helpful for you and for me.

Listen to this:

The core idea from the Minimalists is around clutter, so when they address the issue of "STUFF", they ask this question: "Does this add value or joy to my life"? Or they ask, "Does this thing serve me, or am I serving it?"

What a great question.

They go on to explain that clutter isn't just the PHYSICAL STUFF we have and need to navigate, but it's MENTAL. "A crowded space creates a crowded mind. The joy doesn't come from the empty shelf; it comes from the mental clarity and the shift in attention toward people and experiences instead."

Read that again... that's GOLD.

OK, but for your COLLECTORS, here are some simply thoughts from these guys on how to get rid of clutter:

  • TACKLE IT ALL AT ONCE, NOT GRADUALLY. Small incremental decluttering rarely sticks. Going room by room over months loses momentum. A concentrated effort - a weekend, a week - creates real visible change that reimburses the habit.

  • THE 20/20 RULE. For items you're keeping "just in case," ask: can I replace this for under $20 in under 20 minutes? If yes, let it go. Most just-in-cae items never get used anyway.

  • DON'T ORGANIZE - ELIMINATE. Buying storage bins and organizers is procrastination disguised as progress. If you need more storage, you have too much stuff.

  • SENTIMENTAL ITEMS LAST. Start with easy categories (duplicates, broken things, clothes you haven't worn in a year) and work up to harder ones. Tackling sentimental items first is how people get stuck and quit.

  • ONE IN, ONE OUT. Once you've cleared things out, maintain it. Every new item that enters means something else leaves.

Is the "cluttered space" in your life and your mind keeping you from experiencing JOY? What needs to be cleaned out?

 

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

Source: www.leadermundial.org