Doing What You Love & Loving What You Do

Readers of this blog know that I'm a huge fan of Dan Miller's 48 Days to the Work you Love
system. Dan is a simple, wise man with solid values and real insights
into how we ought to orient our work-life balance. His most fundamental
point: figure out the life you want and then plug work into that
equation. (rather than the other way around)

Yahoo has just listed its annual list of desirable jobs.  I always knew I should have been a physican's assistant...

Are
you doing the work you love? Is your "job" helpful in doing what you
love? To what degree does your work allow you to enjoy life outside of
work?

Speaking of someone who is doing what he loves, why not check out Gene at Brother Blue who will be featured this week Inside the Youth Minister's Studio.

What Does Your Morning Routine Look Like?

Open Loops
has a wonderful piece about using the early morning hours to your
advantage. For many folks, morning is the best time of day to get
things done. I look at it in a more practical way: I want to be
successful and the first step in that is to start well.

Oh and by the way, have you read Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start?  It's a great read for folks starting a business or major project.

Another great way to begin the day is through some kind of spiritual reading.  Allan Wright's new book, Jesus in the House, is finally out and should be a great day-starter.

Good day-starters which begin early in the am:

• rituals (go for a run, make coffee, listen to the same song, say a mantra)



• working out (good for the body and the mind)



• journaling (get it out of your head and onto paper)



• blogging (I'm serious- it's a sort of mind-mapping)



• meditation and prayer (start your day by putting God first on your agenda)

5 Things You Can do to Relieve Stress

I don't know about you but my week has been very hectic. I've felt
as if I've been rushing around from one thing to the next. I stumbled
across The Daily PlanIt's list of items to stay productive and started thinking about ways to reduce stress in the moment of decision.

1. Bite your tongue.  Seldom is a kind word uttered when under duress.



2. Go for a walk.  Nothing works better than fresh air to clear the conscience.



3. Change the channel.  Start in on another project so as to streamline your energy in another direction.



4. Write it down.  Use your blog or journal as a way of getting stuff out of your head.



5. Pray about it.  Again, get it out of your head and heart and into the hands of the One who can handle it with ease.

Another solid resource is found at What's the Next Action, where Frank talks about how you can get things done without getting things done.

Make a Splash or Make a Difference

An obscure Vincentian priest from Boston at the turn of the century was
quoted as saying, 'Be good, do good and be a power for good'. Fr.
Thomas A. Judge would later go on to start several religious
communities of brave missionaries. These women and men would launch
outreach initiatives on the East coast and into Mexico and Puerto Rico.
His priests still minister today to the poorest of the poor in the US
and beyond. In short, Judge made a difference, a BIG difference in the
world.

How about you?  What about me?  And what about that guy who is the lead singer for U2?

Bono
has bee praised for the last decade for using his celebrity status to
make a difference. First it was debt relief and now he's championing
the cause to end poverty and AIDS. A praiseworthy effort from a brave
individual and nearly $100 million in advertising to get the word out.
But is he really making a difference?

First Things
reports that Bono's efforts as part of the RED campaign have only
netted $18 towards poverty and AIDS relief. $100 million in ads for $18
million of charity...makes you think- is Bono making a splash or
leaving a legacy of improved lives?

I'm no Bono but I am trying
to make a difference and if you're reading this post, you are too.
Unfortunately, front men are easy targets of our criticism and whenever
you go out on a limb to order your life according to honorable values,
there will come a price.

Bottom line: aim for making a
difference, no matter how often people criticize you. The splash isn't
as significant as the enduring effects of your labor.

The Demands of Leadership

Have you ever had a moment when you said, "It was so much easier
when..."? Maybe you look back to a time when you had more free time or
before the kids arrived. Perhaps it was a time of life when you had
more disposable income or your work position allowed greater freedom.
Whatever the case, this month's newsletter (Leadership Wired) from John Maxwell sheds some light on this.

Leadership
places demands on a person. Let's face it, leadership is no spectator
sport. I am working on several projects (who isn't!) right now that put
me square in the center of criticism and negative feedback. This is
before the event has even occurred! I've learned to develop a thick
skin; the alternative would be devastating.

As my good friend
Fr. Joseph Petrillo says, "Leadership asks one thing: can you take a
good punch in the stomach?" I never knew what he meant until I had to
coordinate large scale events. Now I fully realize what he was saying.

Maxwell makes a similar point in saying that leaders develop a rugged outlook on life and engage in the following:

1. Visioning



2. Maximizing values



3. Working through challenging experiences



4. Mentoring



5. Building a community



6. Making sense of experience



7. Knowing self (Maxwell, "Productive leaders have matured o the point of honest self awareness.")

Why not take some time during your morning routine or even late at night to do a self inventory: how am I leading?  What can I do better to lead those around me?