I am digging into the ways I work and rest for Lent this year. I have spent time reflecting on my own focus on work and rest, looking for the ways I balance the two, and considering how I recognize when I am working and when I am resting. My understanding of work and rest has changed dramatically over the last few years. I have become an entrepreneur as, and because, I have grown more contemplative. Several years ago, as... Read more
We are all on pilgrimage together, and each of us is on our own pilgrimage. We share the path. Sometimes it may appear that we are headed in opposite directions, or even pushing each other out of the way. Some of us act like they might own the path, but we are sharing. The path of my pilgrimage is personal, and uniquely mine. I can tell you what I have seen and the lessons I have gathered along my way,... Read more
Some people believe that we become leaders by avoiding mistakes. Leaders are somehow able to predict the future, to see around corners and find our path forward. They become leaders by not making mistakes, and then lead us forward past any potential errors. I have thought that way myself. We say that “to err is human.” We also say that “we learn from our mistakes.” Then we go out of our way to distance ourselves from any perceived mistake. Apparently... Read more
Work is exertion. When I work I exert energy and effort. I may be digging a trench or moving rocks. I may be exerting influence or exerting my will. I may be struggling to find just the right word or phrase, struggling to make adjustments, or struggling to motivate someone else to take a specific action. Work develops our capacity for work. Working helps us become better at what we do. We build muscles, or an ability to remember names,... Read more
Pilgrims leave home and walk toward the Sacred. We are at the mercy of other people. We depend on others to take us in at night, and to take us along on our journey. We go as far as we can each day and, far from home, stop to rest each evening. We take only what we can carry, hoping that we have prepared for the challenges we will face. Each day, each step, can be a struggle. We need a place to... Read more
Leadership is not about being comfortable. Leaders bring out the best in the people around them. They help everyone exceed their own expectations; the people around them, and the people around those people. Leaders inspire the members of their team, their fellow leaders, their clients and customers, their own mentors. The leaders who inspire me ask a lot of questions. They begin by asking Why? and are curious about Why Not? The leaders who are examples to me seek deep... Read more
Doing work that I love in ways that I enjoy is not the same as resting. When I was growing up, it was easy to tell the difference between work and rest. Work was what you would not do unless someone paid you to do it. Work was hard, draining physically and emotionally. The reward for work was financial. My father told me to stay in school so I did not need to work for a living. The balance was... Read more
Each of us is on our own pilgrimage. We are all on pilgrimage together. The people with whom I share the pilgrim road tell me their stories. I talk with a man who believes that he must do everything right, but is beginning to question the rightness of his answers. I listen to a woman who is afraid to listen to her heart and do what she loves because she is afraid no one will like her anymore. I meet... Read more
The leaders who inspire me are people who accomplish the impossible. Deep leaders explore their own core values and find a vision that causes other people to say, “That would be great, but it will never happen in our lifetime,” or “Are you joking?” or “There is no way.” Their values and vision shape them, and they set out to turn the impossible into reality. Their lives and leadership are not easy. They face challenges and sacrifices. They can become... Read more
This year for Lent I am focusing on work and rest. Last year, I focused on fear. Yes, they are connected. I tend to work most of the time. Even now, as I include regular time for silence, for reflection, for listening to the Sacred around me in my days, I work most of the time. I am good at disguising my work as rest. I spend time with people for work while we get together for coffee, or craft... Read more
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