About Catching Your Breath

There is a short hike near our home where you can quickly scale the side of the bluff, walk along the top and then descend into our community park. I suppose it could be done in a half hour but its better done with some stops along the way. The stops are different in nature. 

As you go up the rocky include of the bluff you stop to catch your breath and regain your energy for the next steep push. Once you are on the top the stops are more relaxed as you hike the small ridge trails, watch the birds or look out over the valley with Pikes Peak in the distance. Finally, as you come down into the park, the stop at a bench has the satisfaction of sitting in comfort; having almost finished the hike. 

As I reflect on my two-month sabbatical, I have realized a few things I wanted to share and to document as I begin my job search and doing some consulting for nonprofits. 

1. This sabbatical is most like a rest at the top of the bluff. I have spent 20 years climbing the incline. Now as I sit at the top and look out over a world where God is at work, I have new perspective. As I get ready to hike the ridge, I am now benefiting from all the lessons learned as I climbed and I have the benefit of new perspective. This next stage promises to be a time of restoring strength, deepening relationships and honing skills.
2. I understood better that most of my thinking about my life was related to the “What – Where – When – How” questions. I was good at asking those, but I was not good at asking the “Who – Why” questions. These last two are in a different category and the first set of questions can’t really be answered until you know the answers to the second set. I wrestled with “Who am I?” and “Why am I on mission with my God, family and community.” Once there is clarity on those two the others lose their intensity and power and become simple logistics. 
3. I wrestled through Steven Covey’s assertion in The 8th Habit that “With people, fast is slow and slow is fast.” I have always been a person who drives hard towards a goal. I get frustrated easily when people are not on the same page or won’t go as fast as I wish they would. That definitely comes out in my driving! But I am realizing that slowing down to understand others, communicate clearly, build trust and get clarity about the objectives allows you to move much faster than if you assume most of those things. 
4. Adrenaline is a great tool to make the final push, get out of the way of danger or psych yourself up for a challenge. But it’s not the kind of energy to live on daily. For years I have been using adrenaline to make my daily schedule possible. These bursts of energy have been hard to channel, impossible to maintain and draining over the long haul. I need that slow and steady energy of a marathon runner for most of my life and I need to put adrenaline back in its place. 
5. Nothing can take the place of presence and proximity. You can do a lot through media, technology tools and other communications resources, but in the end, sitting across from someone and talking cannot be replaced. I have spent a career in innovating through media. This has caused me to rely to heavily on media in impacting the lives around me. 

So even as I write this blog, I realize that the real impact of these sabbatical insights will mostly come over coffee or on hikes as I share them and learn from those I am investing in. 

That doesn’t mean these insights can’t be a blessing and help you wherever you are. But I hope that I can connect with many of you in person over the coming months and discuss these insights and others as we seek to understand each other and the God we serve.

Thanks for listening! Now that I’ve caught my breath. Its time the next phase of the hike! 
(If you would like to connect with me as I consider new opportunities for my next phase of service, please visit this page and then reach out.)