I have heard people talk about be burned out before. I have experienced it. In fact, I’m experiencing it right now. I have been tired for the last month. I’m sure this is in no small part due to the seismic changes that have gone on in our family dynamic in addition to the fact that I’ve been working a lot. And by a lot I mean a whole lot (with considerable travel mileage as well). I know of folks who have burned out and train wrecked their lives. I have no intention of doing that.
What I do intend to do is take some time off. I’m going to take a few days off this week from work. Not go anywhere (which would be a lot like work) but slouch around my house and be annoying to my wife. As you might guess, this is not difficult to do. I have to travel next week to New York which is high intensity anyway so I want to be rested and refreshed before I go. I also want to do a whole lot of nothing.
There likely won’t be many (or any) posts here but my Tumble log will still get updates. I consider that therapeutic which is why I post there everyday religiously. Otherwise, see you next week.
I put this on my Tumble log this morning but it was worth of going to the regular blog. The quote is from Michael Hyatt who is the CEO of Thomas Nelson, Inc., one of the leading publishers of Christian media. He also has a rock-solid Twitter stream.
Leadership is not about position, a title, or status. It is about influence. Plain and simple
Take a moment and let that sink into your brain. Leadership is about people following you, not the title on your business card. In John Maxwell’s excellent book, the 360 Degree Leader, he devotes and entire section to leading from the middle. This is influencing peers, as well as those above you and below you on the corporate ladder. Anyone can be a leader as long as they are exerting influence (and it can be good or bad). Title is something we use to denote pay grade, not leadership.
That reminds me of another great quote:
If you think you’re leading and no one is following; you’re just taking a walk.
This morning, I reported to Knox County Common Pleas court (the picture to the right is the beautiful Knox County Courthouse). Oddly enough, it’s the first time I’ve been to court and not working in the longest time. After some 23 years as a registered voter, I got called for jury duty. I was kind of looking forward to it.
There were 75 of us in the jury pool this morning. Because of the nature of my work (I testify quite a bit in personal injury cases and expenditure petitions), I was quite certain I would get bounced. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it that far and my number didn’t come up. Today’s case was a civil trial regarding a dispute over possible fraudulent transfer of assets. It was going to be a short trial (a day max) so it would have been perfect for me (not in my practice area). Alas, it was not to be. It took 15 people to seat the nine jurors. Very interesting to watch the process. I loved it and have considered going to law school at some point. Just not today.
We’ll try it again next week and see what happens.
I don’t mind change. In fact, frequently I welcome it. What I really can’t deal with though is disorder. That drives me nuts. This week has thrown order out the window. Monday Becky went to Paraguay. Tuesday I spent most of the day tracking her plane. Wednesday through Friday I was in Pennsylvania for work and family time. We got back last night and watched the Mount Vernon fireworks from our roof (it’s a two-tiered roof so it wasn’t that high). I actually had VIP passes offered to me for Red, White and Boom but turned them down because my personal chai is so out of whack.
This morning, I am attempting to restore some order. The first step in this having my coffee and sitting in front of my computer. There will be reading (news, sports, the Bible) and writing (blog, Tumblr, journaling) and hopefully I can get myself centered again and restore some order. I am also speaking at a church in Columbus tomorrow so I am going to take advantage of this quiet time and get my thoughts together for that as well.
Okay, here’s the last Becky update for now. She has arrived safe and sound in Paraguay and is currently at the missionaries’ house. It was a great relief to see/talk to her again after her long journey. It sounds like she’s doing much better now that the long journey is behind her.
The picture is of a McDonald’s in the Buenos Aires airport. It’s good to know you can have a touch of home no matter where in the world you are.
I know this blog is turning into Becky Central but she’s on my brain. What can I say? Anyway, she got to Argentina just fine. Went through customs and called us and traded emails and such. Her flight to Parguay leaves in about an hour and a half. Continue to pray for her safe travels and peace of mind as she embarks on this trip.
If you feel the need to pray for mom and dad too, that would be fine. We really miss our kid.
It’s 7:15 AM as I write this and I am full of anticipation. The first thing I checked this morning was Continental Airlines‘ flight status page. It showed me exactly where Flight 51 (and, by extension, my child) is at. If you’re wondering, it’s at 33,000 feet with a groundspeed of 563 MPH and there is an hour and six minutes left until it land in Buenos Aires. I hit refresh about every five minutes (okay, about every two minutes) to see what’s happening. Why? Because I know that the first think Becky is to do after she clears customs is to call me. I am anticipating her call. So much in fact that I’m not getting much done this morning. And I don’t even care.
What are you anticipating today? Shouldn’t we live with a great sense of anticipation as well? What if everyday was filled with an air of expectancy that I feel waiting for my daughter to call? Think about it.
This is perhaps the most real picture I have ever taken (and with a Blackberry no less). This is Becky leaving us for six months. I didn’t realize how scared she looks until I saw a large version of it. I felt (and to some extent still feel) this way. As I type this, she’s in Houston waiting for her flight to Argentina. I am praying for her that God will not only keep her safe in her travels but use her in a big way once she gets to her destination.
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Okay, here’s the last Becky update for now. She has arrived safe and sound in Paraguay and is currently at the missionaries’ house. It was a great relief to see/talk to her again after her long journey. It sounds like she’s doing much better now that the long journey is behind her.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=83c962c6-9b0e-4522-8942-e3cbe4e3a7c4)
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