A Year of Books

My stretch goal for 2018 was to read 120 books. Why? I’m not sure I had ever read 12 complete books in one year let alone 120! So, 10 books per month seemed like a worthy goal. The year started out well and I had confidence on my side. Progress ebbed and flowed throughout the year nearly hitting a wall of book fatigue late summer. But as fall wore on and winter neared I knew I needed to make a push. Around September I pulled all levers available to me - physical books, Kindle, and audio books. I had a solid rotation of all 3 that rolled until December 31st to finish with…111 books read during 2018.

I had one friend say that was great, but asked how much I retained? I replied that retention wasn’t my goal, rather reaching for an extremely high number of books read in 1 year. If retention was my goal, I might have decided to read 1 book 120 times. Now that would have gotten old!

I learned a few things along the journey of reading so many books in one year.

1. Perseverance. This is one of the goals our kids have in their school and it’s a good reminder for us adults as well. I read when I didn’t want to read. I read when I wanted to read. I read 111 books in a year…whoa!

2. “Monkey see monkey do.” My kids saw my constant reading and reinforced their love of reading. Our kids have never woken up on a Saturday morning and turned on the TV. It’s just not a part of our routine. Instead, they wake up and will pick up a book. I realized my goal of reading so many books made me spend a lot of time reading. All that time my kids were watching and learning that reading is a normal cadence of life.

3. Application. While always having my nose in a book I found relevant connections to my personal and business life. I would often recommend a book I just read or relate a story during a meeting. There were myriad ways to apply what I was reading.

4. Increased Vocabulary. This was is pretty self explanatory, but reading so much, especially on a Kindle, greatly increased my vocabulary.

5. Satisfaction. Even though I didn’t reach my goal, I far exceeded any previous yearly reading tallies in my life! AND, since I shared my goal with a number of personal and professional friends, it was fun to give them an update on my progress when they asked. It was quite satisfying to report I had read 111 books.

6. Favorite Book of 2018. “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek

Mentorship

There has been a small group of individuals who have infused profound wisdom into my life's journey. Two of those individuals are Gary and Nancy Walter. And specifically, for over 10 years, Gary has walked along side me to offer nuggets of truth, wisdom, feedback, and strategic personalized growth tracks. He has been a major influence towards joy/passion/gifting/vocation discovery through living out my faith in my work. 

Four things about this relationship:

1. Intentionality. I initially took the initiative to meet with Gary to soak in his wisdom and experience. With his acceptance, I have eagerly sought advice in difficult situations and life transitions. Gary is a busy guy and took perseverance on my part to stay in contact and schedule future meetings or phone calls.
2. Patience. I had to have confidence that when he said no at certain points it wasn't because he didn't want to meet with me, it was because he didn't have time...at that time. I had to have patience. In time he made time and when he had time he actively listened. 
3. Reciprocity. I have offered my time to others as they seek me out for advice just as Gary has taken time for me. And currently, we serve on the Executive Board of the Covenant Denomination together.
4. Thankfulness. I am ever grateful for Gary's leadership and wisdom he has poured into my life. 

My life's journey has been positively influenced by Gary and Nancy. Just as Gary has on my life, I hope to leave evidence in other people's lives (many lives) that I was there and made a positive influence. 

Find a mentor. Be a mentor.

Bedtime Stories

C, my little boy, asks me every night to tell him a story. Story telling has always been a challenge for me as I don't consider myself overly creative...although God is slowly revealing that I do have a very creative nature. Keeping in mind there are 3 main components to a story...1. Beginning, 2. Middle, 3. End, my stories are usually simple with a happy beginning, followed by a simple problem, and then finished with a resolution. I'm surprised sometimes with what I'm able to conjure up after a full day of work having spent lots of mental capacity already.

After tonight's story, little C said, "Daddy, you should write down your stories!" I'll assume that means he likes my stories. So, with no other intro, here was tonight's story...

"Once upon a time there was a magical sled hidden inside a cave and the only person who knew it existed was a man named Fuddle Duddle. He had a super long silvery white beard."

"How long was it, daddy??" Asked little C. "Thirteen feet long," I replied.  C, with astonishment said "Whoa!"

"...and he had long silvery hair that come down over his ears and whisked slightly above his eyes to the right. His nose was long a pointy."

C interrupted, "was he a dwarf?"

"...Fuddle Duddle, being an excellent bowler, was at a bowling tournament and was paired with a little boy named Truper Duper. They were bowling away when, midframe, Fuddle Duddle asked Truper Duper if he'd like some nachos. 'Would I?!' replied the boy. 'Sure!' So they both went to the food counter, ordered some nachos, and waited. While the silvery wise man handed the cashier some money to pay for the nachos he leaned down to Truper Duper and said in a quick and monotone voice:

'There is a magical sled hidden in a cave in St. Paul and no one knows where it is except me and I can tell you exactly where it is. In fact the exact location is...'

And then proceeded to tell the boy, in a hushed tone that only the boy could understand, the exact coordinates and location of the hidden magical sled. The two went back to their lane, finished their game and...WON the tournament! 

When Truper Duper arrived home from his victory he met his best friend waiting for him in his driveway."

"Did he tell his friend where the magic sled was?" asked C.

"Truper Duper continued to tell his best friend, in detail, where the sled was hidden and they were off to go find it! To be continued...

"Can't you tell me the rest of the story tonight!?" begged C. Tomorrow night, I said and transitioned to prayer time with Jesus then a quick tickle session with lots of giggles and laughter. With a kiss goodnight, a tight squeeze, and a "I love you and have a goodnight sleep," I left him to slumber the night away with sweet dreams.

Morning Routine

The principal of tithing, or giving the first part of your earned money to God, can be found in Biblical passages such as Leviticus 27:30 (TLB), "A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy." And 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) says, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." More on tithing can be found here.

The reason I'm writing about this particular topic is to correlate it to my morning routine. A couple years ago I decided to set my alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than I had to in order to spend time reading the Bible and meditating/praying/conversing with God. Both the amount of time and my mental approach have developed over the past couple years. At first it was difficult to wake up earlier to read text written thousands of years ago about people's names that are really hard to pronounce. Over time I realized it was not a drudgery, but rather a deep honor to commune with the God who created the universe. I articulate this honor as offering God my first and best "fruit" or time at the beginning of each day. The very first thing I do each morning is to fill my mind and soul with the written word of God. I spend time listening to the Holy Spirit's still small voice, sharing my thoughts, and presenting my requests to Jesus. 

Some may call this mindfulness, or meditation, or zen time. I don't really call it anything other than time with God. It allows me the opportunity to align my thoughts with the Holy Spirit's, fill my soul with God's wisdom, and bear my shortcomings with Jesus. I typically do this in the ACTS format. Adoration - telling God how awesome He is. Confession - Saying sorry to God and asking his forgiveness. Thanks - Saying thanks for the cool things/experiences in my life. And finally Supplication - Asking for God's holy intervention for healing and for penetrate a certain word into my soul that day.

I find filling my head and heart with God's word rather than news or email first thing in the morning provides a more peaceful course throughout the day.