Love Learn Lead April 27, 2017

It is hard to believe, but not only have we almost finished another week, we have almost finished another month. I don’t know how April has been for you, but I have found it to be full of fresh thoughts and some exciting opportunities. Just as trees are beginning to show new life again, new things are occurring that are filling me with anticipation. Whatever is going on in your life, I pray that you too begin to see new and exciting things begin to appear on your horizon. Here is this week’s Love, Learn, Lead—enjoy!

Love

Recently, from listening to the What to Read Next podcast, I discovered one of the coolest Instagram accounts. It is called Subway Book Review. After moving to New York City, while riding around on the subway, a woman named Uli Beutter Cohen, became curious about what other passengers were reading. Where some of us might try and sneak a glance at people’s book covers, she started asking them. Then, she started asking if she could put them on Instagram.

For each post, Cohen asks a person she meets on the train to pose with their book. Then, she finds out what they do for a living, why they chose to read the book they are reading, and if they like it so far. It has gotten so big, that she now has friends in London and Cairo who also contribute to the account. What I love about it is that you get a peak into the minds and hearts of people of all ages, from all walks of life—and I find it helps me appreciate people all the more.

What interesting Instagram accounts do you follow?

Click here to check out my Instagram and see who else I follow.

Learn

“There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder, either.”

― Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way

Are you in a season of becoming?

If so, how are you giving yourself space to grow?

Lead

Leadership Tip #7: You Can’t Do it All

No matter how good—or even important—all the opportunities available to us are, we can never do them all. Even if we are physically able to get to all the meetings, classes, or appointments involved, we will never be able to give the best parts of ourselves to each one. We just won’t.

The most effective leaders know this, and they prioritize. If your schedule is feeling a little heavy, you feel tired all of the time, or you find yourself mentally checked out during some of these activities, it is time to evaluate your schedule. Here is an activity that may help:

On a piece of paper, drawn vertical lines down the page, making three columns. Then look at your calendar and in the first column, write down all that you are involved in outside of the necessary things (i.e. work or school). Then, in the second, write down the things you are most passionate about (hobbies, community, etc.). And finally, in the third, write down your goals and dreams. If something in the first column doesn’t line up with either of the things in both of the other two columns, it is time to remove it from your schedule. If it aligns with one column but not the other, then it can be weighed with others to determine what is going to be the most beneficial to both you and the people you lead and care about. When you are finished with this, take this paper to a trusted friend or mentor and get their input. Then, take the hard steps to streamline your schedule.