LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"The beginning is the most important part of the work." Plato

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

It's a New Year, and this month we're going to talk about the word BEGINNINGS.

I love the cycle of life: seasons, rhythm, endings and beginnings. I sometimes struggle with endings, but when it comes to beginnings, I love to start fresh.

You can see this in the way I approach a New Year...

• I block out time the first week of the year to ORGANIZE. I go through files, I go through storage, I get rid of stuff, I find things that I've been looking for, but I love to get organized.

• I make lists! Lot's of lists... things I need to do, things I want to focus on, things I've ignored for too long. I just write stuff down, then work on organizing it into a system.

• I "let stuff go". There's always some "unfinished business", some unmet expectations or some regret. I make a conscious decision to just let that go. It does no good to keep carrying that weight.

I like New Beginnings because it's an opportunity to PAUSE, to TAKE A DEEP BREATH, and then START AGAIN!

I don't know how you do with beginnings, but Plato nailed it when he defined beginnings as "the most important part".

If you don't begin well:

• It's difficult to find traction and build momentum

• It's impossible to get a fresh perspective

• You spend more time looking back than looking forward

• It's a lot of work to define goals & objectives

• You end up working "harder" not "smarter"

If you struggle with NEW BEGINNINGS, don't freak out! Below I'll give you some practical suggestions on where to start.

As you look forward, what are you most excited about when it comes to NEW BEGINNINGS?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We've been on a journey this year, learning, listening and digging in and now as we come into December let's just PAUSE a little and catch our breath. As the year winds down, it doesn't mean we just stop all that we're doing, but let's change up the pace.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I'm going to simply share some Christmas Time Quotes this month, and encourage you to reflect, recharge, restore, reconnect, and then restart to the best of your ability!

Today the word is RECONNECT.

Charlie Brown figured this out when Linus broke down the true meaning of Christmas in the classic film, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Watch below...

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal." Johnny, Home Alone 2

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We've been on a journey this year, learning, listening and digging in and now as we come into December let's just PAUSE a little and catch our breath. As the year winds down, it doesn't mean we just stop all that we're doing, but let's change up the pace.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I'm going to simply share some Christmas Time Quotes this month, and encourage you to reflect, recharge, restore, reconnect, and then restart to the best of your ability!

The Home Alone Movies have always been a Christmas staple, and when I saw this quote, I laughed out loud. The quote was made famous from Home Alone 2, but as I read about it, it's actually from a made-up gangster movie that Kevin used to prank his enemies. The line has been quoted and used over and over in our home and probably in some of yours.

Last week I talked about ways to RECHARGE. Today I want to talk about ways to RESTORE.

When I talk about RECHARGING, I'm talking about "filling you up" or "refueling". I shared some ideas around The Replenishment Cycle and ways to qualify and quantify activities that actually help us to regain strength after being depleted.

The act of RESTORING is the idea of bringing something back to it's original state, or bringing something back to health.

Really different words when you break them out.

For me, RECHARGING is identifying things that give me energy. This week, that involved a 1-year old birthday party for my grand daughter Reese. It involved a 90th birthday party with my extended family for my aunt. It involved a visit from some good friends. Those things all gave me life and energized me.

As I've been thinking about RESTORATIVE actions these past weeks, I've focused on some simple habits and practices that I've ignored for too long:

• 2 Weeks ago, I began a stretching routine in the morning... again. Talk about the need to restore, but at 61 years of age, I need to take care of my body and one way is to just work on mobility and my muscles. It's amazing how this simple practice, 10 minutes each morning, has been loosening up my body and I believe "restoring" muscle & flexibility. I have a ways to go.

• 3 Weeks ago I returned to a simple PAUSE moment in the morning... reflection, lectio, scripture and gratitude. If "restoring" means to get back to health, this is huge!

• This week I'm doing a 3-day detox for my body, just pausing to reset, cleanse and bring some health back into my life.

I don't know what needs to be RESTORED in your life, but maybe this week is an opportunity and a reminder to identify some things that need to be mended.

Restore is about repairing, renewing and addressing things that have been diminished, damaged or lost.

What restoration needs to take place in your life today?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"You have such a pretty face, you should be on a Christmas card." Buddy (the Elf)

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We've been on a journey this year, learning, listening and digging in and now as we come into December let's just PAUSE a little and catch our breath. As the year winds down, it doesn't mean we just stop all that we're doing, but let's change up the pace.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I'm going to simply share some Christmas Time Quotes this month, and encourage you to reflect, recharge, restore, reconnect, and then restart to the best of your ability!

Continuing in our Christmas Quote Theme, I laughed when I found this quote from Buddy the Elf.

Every Christmas, there are some movies that I just need to watch, but I usually don't watch them in one setting, I catch glimpses of them throughout the month... movies like Elf, Christmas Vacation, White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. Lately there have been a lot of Hallmark Christmas Movies showing, but I can't really tell where one ends and the other begins.

Remember this month, we're just pausing a little bit.

Last week we talked about REFLECTION. In fact, I came across this quote from Winston Churchill the other day that summed up the thought well:

"Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection."

I hope that you've found some ways to add REFLECTION to your daily rhythm during these days.

The next word I want to look at is the word RECHARGE.

I don't know about you, but it's been a FULL year. I hit December, and I'm just worn out. The idea of finding time to RECHARGE is really appealing to me this year, so I need to get creative to think of ways to do that.

I've learned that I can RECHARGE lot's of different ways...

• Wrestling on the floor with my grandson, while it's exhausting, I love it!

• The other night, trying to get my 1 year-old grand daughter to fall asleep was a challenge, but it was also such a joy to be sitting with her in the dark.

While these involve small people in my life, they help me find perspective, purpose and real joy.

This weekend Gina and I did a long walk at the coast... the weather was beautiful, the company was wonderful and it was a time of RECHARGING.

Also, grabbing a moment early in the morning to focus on a passage of scripture, listen to lectio or ponder a question is a time of RECHARGING.

Here's the secret: You need to define what RECHARGES you! You might be able to steal my items, but it's much more about what fuels you. I'll talk a little more about that below.

This month I'll share a few quotes, and then will spend some time on each of these words: reflect, recharge, restore, reconnnect & restart.

How are you able to RECHARGE in the midst of being busy, of running through the holiday, or of simply being exhausted? What works for you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." The Grinch/Dr. Seuss

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We've been on a journey this year, learning, listening and digging in and now as we come into December let's just PAUSE a little and catch our breath. As the year winds down, it doesn't mean we just stop all that we're doing, but let's change up the pace.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I'm going to simply share some Christmas Time Quotes this month, and encourage you to reflect, recharge, restore, reconnect, and then restart to the best of your ability!

The other day I was flipping through the channels after watching the Lakers play and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was on. I watched about 3 minutes of the show (The Original) and it brought back so many memories.

That thought from The Grinch above is so true... "Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

I don't know what it is about the Christmas Season, but it's always a time of reflection. Memories from years and years ago, reminders of traditions that we return to each year and then some time to simply think about what's happened in my life over the past 11 months.

I was on a call with my brother, sister and parents the other day, and it's always interesting how quickly we slide back into our childhood roles. We quickly flash back to 50 years ago, and assume the same roles we played then.

I think the Christmas Season does that as well. Traditions, experiences, memories, relationships... everything comes back as we contemplate the days and weeks before us and as we reflect on every Christmas from our past.

This month I'll share a few quotes, and then will spend some time on each of these words: reflect, recharge, restore, reconnnect & restart.

What does the Christmas Season mean to you today? What has it always meant to you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Reverse engineer an outcome: Think of what you want to be different because you gathered, and work backward from that outcome." Priya Parker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This is the final post on Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. It's been fun to do a deep dive with you over the past 2 months, and I've received many comments and thoughts on the book as well as the quotes we've targeted.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

Let's end with this quote above, which really aligns with Parkers overall theme of the book.

She's talking about PURPOSE.

Often, when we plan a gathering of some kind: a meeting, a dinner party, a large event, we begin by asking: Where will we meet? When will we meet? Who's invited? Once we answer those questions, we then look at the program and plan.

Parker is simply telling us to begin this way, "reverse engineer the outcome".

Don't start with these questions, but start with this one:

"When this gathering is over, what do I want to be true

that isn't true right now?"

That desired change - the outcome - should determine every choice you make.

I remember attending a youth leaders retreat in Cuba years and years ago. I was coming as one of the speakers, and there were about 90 leaders attending. I had a lot of expectations and ideas about what a retreat should look like, so I was really surprised when we rode in the back of a truck for 4 hours to attend this conference. It was held in an old building in Eastern Cuba, and there weren't enough chairs for people to sit in, there was no sound system, the food was served in paper trays, they hadn't been able to copy my notes for people and I was just exhausted from the travel. My expectations...

What followed was 3 days of deep Community... laughter, tears, vulnerability, learning, celebrating, understanding and safety.

My friend, Pancho, who led this retreat, knew exactly what this group of people needed and he knew what to focus on and what not to focus on.

The result was a moment in time when leaders were connected, encouraged and equipped which was the goal. We all endured the drive, lacked some sleep, sat on the ground, ate off of cardboard and survived without a flashy powerpoint presentation because these things weren't important... connection, encouragement and equipping was the goal.

I'll never forget that retreat. I learned so much about myself and I was inspired by these Cuban leaders who fully understood this concept of "gathering with purpose".

Think of a time where you experienced this "Purpose Driven Gathering" yourself? What stood out to you? What did you learn?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"But here is what the skilled gatherer must know: in trying not to offend, you fail to protect the gathering itself and the people in it." Priya Parker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month, I'm going to dive into a few quotes from Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. I've been talking about this book for the past few months, and I thought I'd choose a couple of her quotes on the importance of gathering together just to encourage you to explore the book more deeply.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

OK, 2 more quotes from this book, then we'll move on in December. However, there is still much for you to uncover in this book, so please read it! I'd love to hear from you about some of the other things that popped for you.

This quote above kind of "stopped me in my tracks" when I read it. I began thinking about so many times I compromised with a gathering instead of protected it.

I was running a leadership event years ago and a friend suggested that we bring some people in to do interviews of the people that were participating. While this isn't a bad idea, I realized pretty quickly that I had compromised some what what I was hoping for in terms of culture, safety and community.

The event was good, people connected, but it was laced with distraction, with noise and with confusion. People didn't know who was a part of the Community and who was invited to interview people. People who were interviewing thought they had a seat at the table for discussion, but they didn't understand the context of what the gathering was all about.

It was a mess!

However, in the midst of the mess, God still went to work. Lives were impacted and a Community was born, but I remember thinking about this at the end of the event and committing to myself to "do better" and to "fight for the Community I was hoping to build".

That experience set a tone that I've been able to curate and develop to drive intentionality into this Community, but also into many different gatherings I've hosted.

Sometimes I have to make the mistake to actually learn from it, which is why this quote jumped out at me. That line:

"In trying not to offend, you fail to protect the

gathering itself and the people in it."

My job is to PROTECT THE PURPOSE OF A GATHERING. We've learned that this is one of the most important things about a gathering, and as the leader, I might need to offend someone by saying NO. And that's OK.

Have you ever failed to "protect a gathering" by allowing something to happen that you knew went against the purpose? How did it make you feel?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Too many gatherings don't end. They simply stop." Priya Parker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month, I'm going to dive into a few quotes from Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. I've been talking about this book for the past few months, and I thought I'd choose a couple of her quotes on the importance of gathering together just to encourage you to explore the book more deeply.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

This quote caught my attention because it's so true! I often put all of my energy on how to START a gathering: Getting people there, setting up the room, working the agenda and making sure everything flows smoothly, but then I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the END.

Parker would say:

" Endings give meaning - they help participants reflect, transition and carry something forward. When gatherings just fizzle out, people lose the chance to make sense of the experience or feel closure."

I experienced this a couple of times over the past number of weeks:

• A great lunch meeting and presentation that was quickly wrapped up because we ran out of time, and people simply stood and left.

• A business gathering where participants began "slipping out early", and eventually the leader said, "Well, since people are leaving, let's just close our time."

• A large event that was running really long, and people left early because there was no clear end in sight or expectation of when the end would come.

• A coffee meeting that was cut short because of another appointment, which led me to dash out without bringing things to closure.

We do it all the time! I do it all the time.

Sometimes, by the time I get to my car, I find myself wishing that I could have finished better!

Parker shares these thoughts on ENDINGS:

1) ENDINGS GIVE MEANING: "The end is your final opportunity to help people understand what the gathering was really about."

2) DON'T LET IT JUST FIZZLE: "Even 2 minutes of structure at the end can transform how the gathering lands."

3) MARK THE TRANSITION: Make a toast, share a takeaway, a collective gesture (clapping, standing), a ritual.

4) LOOK BACK, THEN FORWARD: "Good endings REFLECT back, and PROJECT forward.

5) SAY GOODBYE WITH CARE: "A personal farewell - a thank-you, a handshake, a hug - communicates value and closure."

Think about a GREAT ending you experienced recently. What made it so powerful? (I'll share mine below)