It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

When I graduated from High School, I remember thinking to myself, "what else do I need to learn?" I went to college and spent 4 years learning in the classroom, and learning even more outside the classroom, and at graduation I breathed a sigh of relief: "I was done learning!" I then spent close to a decade completing my Masters, and when I finished I said, "OK, now I'm really done!"

Here's something I learned about myself through over 25 years of education:

I like to learn.

I'm challenged by new things. I know I don't have it all figured out. I like to hear others perspectives and experiences. I like to learn.

Years ago I had some "space" in my schedule and I wanted to do something that I had never done before, so I started an on-line coffee business. I didn't know how to do it, so I learned. From the website to the business license to the coffee roaster to the order fulfillment, it was a challenge and it involved a lot of learning.

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

The "Lead With Russ" post each week is simply my journey of leadership. It will always be in constant flux as I continue on this amazing adventure of figuring out who I am and what my greatest contribution is all about.

Someone commented last week and suggested that I do a series called "Why I Lead" and continue with the theme of "Why I....".

I began that a number of weeks ago when I put up these posts:

- Why I Walk

- Why I Ride

- Why I Rest

This is just a look into my life, and I want to challenge you to figure out why you do the things that you do. It's also caused me to begin thinking about things in my life that contribute to my leadership and that spur me forward in this leadership journey.

Today I'm prompted to answer this question:

"Why I'm Not Alone"

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

I can't ignore all that's going on in the world today and I don't have the answers. I do want to be a part of the solution though. I want to learn. I want to speak. I want to obediently follow what Jesus modeled for us.

These words from St. Francis resonated with me today so I want to share them with you:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, light;

Where there is sadness, joy:

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

I remember vividly when Tim Hansel came to my university to speak in the early 80's. I had never heard someone talk about "rest" and "play" and "adventure" all at the same time. I went and purchased an autographed copy of his book, When I Relax I Feel Guilty The book challenged me to think about how I wanted to live my life in areas of work-life balance, and if I really wanted to understand what true rest is all about.

Fast forward about 30 years and I remember another message from Bob Shank where he talks about the value of SABBATH and I was reminded and challenged in that area of my life. The lesson was simply that God didn't suggest that we rest, but he "COMMANDED" that we rest in Exodus 34:21: "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest..."

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

I received some great comments from people on my post last week about "why I walk". Many comments about the value of "discipline", about the opportunities to do other things while walking (phone calls, listening to podcasts, music) and how walking is a "baseline" for activity. It shouldn't be the only thing you do for exercise, but it's a good thing to do as a foundation. Thank you for engaging in the conversation with me!

I thought I would extend this theme one more week. No, we're not talking about walking again, I thought I'd answer the question:

WHY I RIDE.

You might be wondering if I'm talking about my bicycle (which I do ride) or a horse (which I haven't ridden in a long time). I'm talking about my trusty motorcycle.

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

I received some great comments from people on my post last week about "why I walk". Many comments about the value of "discipline", about the opportunities to do other things while walking (phone calls, listening to podcasts, music) and how walking is a "baseline" for activity. It shouldn't be the only thing you do for exercise, but it's a good thing to do as a foundation. Thank you for engaging in the conversation with me!

I thought I would extend this theme one more week. No, we're not talking about walking again, I thought I'd answer the question:

WHY I RIDE.

You might be wondering if I'm talking about my bicycle (which I do ride) or a horse (which I haven't ridden in a long time). I'm talking about my trusty motorcycle.

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

Many of you know that I like to walk. I like to walk alot!

Today I want to tell you why I walk.

A couple of years ago, I was convicted about my health. I had 2 friends pass away in a short period of time, and the wake up call I received was simply that I needed to take better care of myself. I began on a journey of health, nutrition and fitness, but I kept hitting the wall. I travel for a living, and I would do great while I was home and able to manage a routine, but on the road, everything went out the window as I fought time zone affects, hotels and long hours on the plane and I consistently made bad choices in what I ate. It's an ongoing battle, but I finally decided to do ONE THING and do it well. The thing I chose was something that I could control.

It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)

CHANGE.

Everything is changing.

I celebrated a birthday this past week, and I can tell you, I'm changing!

The toll of 56 years of life has affected my body and I feel those creaks and pains in a new way. My body is changing.

But I'm also changing for the good hopefully! I'm thinking clearer, I understand my purpose, I'm enjoying the stage of life I'm in, and the changes coming at me are OK.

Change is inevitable, you can't stop it!

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher said:

"Change is the only constant in life."

In an article from the Business Insider in 2018, Lindsay Dodgson shares some really good and simple thoughts about dealing with change that were taken from Christopher Harvey. They are relevant to us today and I want to encourage you to embrace these as I am working on these as well. The full article is HERE.

5 Steps to help you through changes in your life.