INTENTIONAL SELF LEADERSHIP AND ME

I think that leaders are learners.

I think that leaders must be applying their learning to their own life first.

I want to be that kind of leader.

In order to apply my own learnings to my own life, I have discovered I need at least quarterly evaluation points or my learnings just become something of my past.  I have decided that there are some natural and some local mile markers in my own life that I want to utilize for this purpose.

• January 1- a new year
• April 11- my birthday
• June 25- my wedding anniversary
• September- labor day which is the day Jake was born on and is an easy day to mark the fall quarter.

So, today being my birthday (the last one in my 30's) I tried to spend some time thinking about what I wanted to do and what I needed to change.  Two classes I've been attending are shaping this season of life for me.

1. A PHYSICAL WELLBEING SEMINAR:

• we had a physical fitness trainer and nutritionist come and talk with our high school and college students on Sunday afternoon about the Biblical mandate to take care of our bodies. It was a great reminder and even had some information that was new to me.  The most revealing of which was that he said that 80% of our diseases and physical ailments in America are actually a result of choices.  If that is true, then the logical conclusion is that I'm choosing the condition of my body, how much energy I have, and even what will eventually kill me based on three factors he said:  

1. MY EATING HABITS: 
2. MY EXERCISE HABITS
3. MY REST PATTERNS

• Chew on that for a while.  What you eat and how you exercise and how you rest are determining how long you'll live and what you'll eventually die from... 80% of the time. 
• He also gave each of our students a customizable 30 day online eating and exercise plan that I'm going to use this season of my life to dive into.  I'm kinda stoked about how that could actually change my life.  But the truth is, it's time to practice what is not really knew news to me. But at 39 the next phase of my life is directly being affected by the choices I am making today.  And I have some big goals that are gonna require a healthy me.  From my end, I need to do my part.  Game on. 

2. A SPIRITUAL FORMATION CLASS:

I'm taking a class for seminary that uses this book as it's main text.  

For my assignment this quarter, I was asked to select 3 of the disciplines in this book to process and focus on.  (there are like 60 or something in there) I chose these 3:

RULE FOR LIFE:   This is an ancient practice of creating a set of values for spiritual development that becomes part of your regular rhythm of life.

REST: The refusal to keep moving without pausing to replenish both body and soul.   

SELF-CARE: to value my own life as God values me.

I'm going to take the next 3 posts to flush out those 3 spiritual disciplines this week. Hopefully they will challenge you as they have challenged me.