Bright Lights

The classic Coconut Horse loop was vacant again, as we had 4 ruckers and a modified route runner at the Horse this morning.  With race season over after yesterday’s Tobacco Road Relay, I guess the runners are all licking their wounds (YHC included).

QSource today was on “The Law of the Process” from John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, and there were a lot of good takes.  Whoopee and Defib joined choosing to give the legs a break after a long day running the day before.  Key points from the chapter:

• Investing in growth is a daily process, and we don’t get 50 year results in 50 minutes
• Events are great, but processes are transformational
• Teddy Roosevelt may have had the biggest stones.  Once, he was shot prior to a speech, but insisted on delivering the one-hour speech with a broken rib and a bullet in his chest.
• To grow leaders in your organization, find opportunities to lead in small ways.  As they show their capable, give them greater opportunities.
• Consistency is the key

One lesson that showed up again that always seems to hit home is about being prepared.  As quoted in the book from Benjamin Disraeli, “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes.”  But another quote from Joe Frazier with a different spin is the one that got to me today:

“You can map out a fight plan or a life plan, but when the action starts, you’re down to your reflexes.  That’s where your road work shows.  If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out now under the bright lights.”

See those “Bright Light” moments are coming, and who we are in The Gloom, and on a Tuesday afternoon at work, or a Sunday evening with our families, all of that stuff matters.  It’s not a pressure, so much as an urgency.  Because if we’re men of action and we don’t cheat or take the easy way out, we’ll be as ready as we can be for our time when it comes.

We have to give our reflexes a fighting shot of getting us through in bright light situations, and it comes with preparation.  Sometimes, like a relay or a job interview or our kids leaving to go off to college, we get some warning about when our time is coming.  We’d be foolish or short-sighted to be unprepared in these situations, and yet it happens because our lives are so full.  A lot of times though, we don’t get to know when the action is going to start and the bright lights shine on us.  With preparation through hard work, building and supporting others, and a little bit of faith, we can get through.

The connections and clarity from being a part of a group that cares about how we’re all living are so valuable to me.  I appreciate all of your support.

Yabba Dabba Doo