LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list." Michelle Obama

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's February and this month I'm going to share some quotes that talk about SELF CARE. You can read this month's posts HERE.

I am constantly chasing my list.

For me, I've learned that there are times that I need to just GET THINGS DONE and the best way to do that is to make a list. I don't live by a list every day, but when I need help in managing the chaos and driving my focus, a list really helps.

I've also learned that when I get into "list mode", often the most pressing things are moved to the top and the most variable things, or the less pressing things are moved to the bottom.

I've also learned that the bottom my list is often very negotiable, while the top of my list is non-negotiable.

Do you get the picture?

We all manage lists differently. Some of you only put things on your list that you need to do... the negotiable items don't even make the list.

All of that aside, Obama's quote here is a simple reminder to each of us in the area of self care that we need to keep putting ourselves ON THE LIST!

• Don't Continue To Compromise Your Needs!

• Don't Put Others First All of the Time: Take Care of Yourself.

• Sometimes, You Need to Fill Your Tank.

• Out of our Health, We Serve and Love Better!

  This morning, I started the day "making my list" and scheduling the day. It's a full day, a good day, and one I'm looking forward to. Then, I got a note from my son about heading to the gym, right in the middle of my already scheduled day. I had to make a choice: Work my list or Mess up my list in an effort to make myself better and stronger by paying attention to myself.

Many times, I keep working my list.

Today, I went to the gym.

Move yourself up your list! Learn to take care of yourself, you'll last longer and make a bigger impact.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"No one will take care of you if you don't take care of yourself." Alicia Keys

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's February and this month I'm going to share some quotes that talk about SELF CARE. You can read last months quotes on FOCUS HERE.

I recently saw that Alicia Keys won a "Global Impact Award" at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, and while I was looking up what that award was,I found this quote from her above.

I'm not sure why these words jumped out at me, but I want to spend the month looking a little deeper into this idea of "SELF CARE" and see if we can learn some things.

While the quote is kind of basic, the idea that our self care being up to us is something we need to be reminded of.

I recently heard a pastor preach out of John 6, and while he was focusing on the storms in life in vs. 16 - 21, I scanned the verse prior to that story, and it simply says this in vs. 15:

"Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself."

Jesus he just fed over 5000 people. People were clamoring to be around him. His disciples were in awe of all that he was doing and saying.

Yet, in the midst of all of this, "Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself."

Jesus had the ability to stop in the midst of a lot of activity and sometimes chaos, and he found time to be alone. Sometimes it was to pray, sometimes it was to rest and sometimes it was simply to get away.

He knew what he needed and he made it happen.

Did you notice the word AGAIN? Jesus made this a habit.

Do you know how to take care of yourself? What does that look like?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Focus on being productive instead of busy." Tim Ferriss

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're going to finish the quotes on FOCUS this month.

For me, this quote from Tim Ferriss is powerful. There are many ways to say this...

"Learn to say NO"

"It's not what you say YES to that matters, it's what you say NO to."

"If the devil can't make you BAD he'll make you BUSY"

Ferriss is simply reminding us that being busy isn't the goal. It's finding alignment: Vision - Priorities - Goals - Focus... that get us where we need to be.

My son shared the Tim Ferriss book with me, The-4 Hour Work Week, while he was in college. I hadn't followed Ferriss, but I dove into his book which just affirmed some things that were important in my life:

• The idea that my best results come from about 20% of my efforts (80/20 Principle)

• The idea that a traditional work schedule doesn't have to be the only way to achieve my goals. If I would learn to work smarter on the most important things, I would achieve my goals faster.

• The idea of a "lifestyle design" to my life, where I'm not working so I can enjoy my retirement years, I'm working and enjoying life along the way. It's not a deferred plan.

These ideas challenged me, and were backed up in my Kingdom Calling, which is what I believe God has put me on the earth to do!

We often measure peoples success with their level of being busy instead of being effective.

While the tagline of Ferriss' book sounds like it provides a way for you to "work less, travel the world, and get wealthy", the book is really about focus and while all of concepts aren't applicable to everyone, there are some really good thoughts that come out of this that will get you thinking.

How do you use the power of "NO" to keep you focused on your priorities, and not just being busy?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and try to ignore the rest." Venus Williams

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're talking about FOCUS this month.

This quote from the tennis legend Venus Williams is so appropriate for all of us.

I fall prey to this so often... When I'm overwhelmed, I tend to focus on what is coming at me or what seems to be the most urgent instead of staying true to the priorities and goals that I've defined as being the most important.

It's the Tyranny of the Urgent and this is the opposite of FOCUS... it's DISTRACTION.

Here are 3 tips to keep your GOALS in front of you:

#1) Literally, PUT THEM IN FRONT OF YOU.

Print them out, put them in your journal, stick them to your mirror. Be reminded of them regularly simply because you can easily see them.

#2) SCHEDULE YOUR GOALS

When you look at the day or week ahead of you, make appointments with yourself to work on your goals. Carve time out and protect it in your schedule. If you don't, it's impossible to move on them!

#3) SHARE YOUR GOALS WITH OTHERS

Invite some people close to you to ask you about your goals, to encourage you with your goals and to hold you accountable. Knowing that someone is going to ask you is the greatest form of accountability!

If you can do this, it's a practical step towards focus as you keep them front and center in your life and schedule, it will make it more difficult to abandon them.

Are you doing any of these three things? Why not all three?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." Bruce Lee

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're talking about FOCUS this month.

I woke up this morning, saw this quote from Bruce Lee, and found it to be a a great challenge for today and all the tasks I have in front of me, but it's also a great reminder that being focused will help me navigate the chaos and the lists of things I have before me today.

I don't know what your day looks like today, but I'm having to make constant decisions about what I'm going to allocate time and energy towards. I realize that it's not just a "busy season", but this is my life!

There is really good stuff to get done, and I have to manage my life to the best of my abilities in order to get it all done!

FOCUS.

The definition of focus is simple:

"A point of concentration; directed attention; emphasis"

I want to encourage you today to spend some time thinking about what optimal focus looks like In your life. Maybe start by answering these questions:

• When I feel fully focused, it makes me feel.......

• When I struggle with distraction, I can re-focus by......

• When others thing I'm not focused, my typical response is....

I've found that being FOCUSED is a really personal thing and it looks different for everyone.

What do you see other people do that helps them focus better?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Focus is the art of knowing what to ignore." James Clear

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

Happy New Year to you!

I took a couple of weeks off of writing this weekly post, and now I'm back.

Someone asked me recently why I write this weekly post. Here was my response...

"I write because I constantly want to challenge myself to think, to process, and to grow. This weekly journal is an act of discipline in my life where I want to push myself to pause for a little bit and contemplate a thought, an idea, a quote, a theme. I began sharing this with you years after I began doing it for myself. If you find this helpful, wonderful! If you don't, that's fine too! I started sending this to a small leadership community I was involved with for years called Leader Mundial. It was a way to connect weekly with them (you) and encourage you to always be thinking! The list has grown beyond that Community now. I write because it's a way for me to process together. I don't write because I have the answers or am an expert.

I welcome the many comments, questions, suggestions and resources that you send me regularly."

This year, I'm working to write less content, pose more questions, and to keep this weekly appointment at a 10 minute or less pause in your day.

What regular rhythms do you have in your life/work life that feed you, challenge you, encourage you on a regular basis?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"If it's a priority you'll find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse." Jim Rohn

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This is my last post for this 2024 year, and I'll close with this simple thought on priorities that kinds of wraps it all up.

Jim Rohn says it so well that you'd can't argue with it....priorities are what you focus on to accomplish. Everything else is extra.

It's easy to get tired of excuses, but the reality is that the excuse is simply helping to defining the priority.

Think about your current priorities:

• Do you find yourself constantly thinking about them?

• Do you make time to work on them in your schedule?

• Do you feel pressure to focus and accomplish them?

• Is it hard to turn your brain off and think about something else?

Yes, priorities can be obsessive. That's why it's a priority.

In fact, the definition of priority is this:

"A thing that is regarded as more important than another"

Stop making excuses for having priorities. This is a good thing. You just need to learn how to communicate them to those around you.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Stephen Covey

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This quote might hit a little close to home, but there's some hard truth in this.

We've gotten used to simply saying that we're busy, and we believe that. We run from one thing to another, and we blame work, relationships, our family or any other number of things. We actually blame others for the fact that we're busy.

However, it's not a matter of being busy. It's a matter of priorities. We make choices everyday based on our priorities.

This might include the people we want to spend time with, the events we choose to participate In and many other obligations.

Yes, sometimes things are pressed on us, but I would argue that the number of things that we are "forced to do" doesn't compare with the freedom we have over our lives and our schedule.

We're in the Christmas Season, and we're already grumbling about our schedules and the chaos of the season.

STOP.

Take a deep breath and make some decisions based on what's important to you, now because of everyone else's expectations.

Now, before you cancel on that Christmas Party you really don't want to go to, realize that we do have obligations and there are things that we "need to do", but don't let those dominate your life and your schedule.

Find balance.

As you look at the next 2 weeks, what's ONE THING that is a priority to you that you really want to incorporate into your life and schedule?