morning walks

 I wake up a little after 7 in the morning without an alarm.  I put on my shoes, load up my phone and earbuds, then I walk 4 miles around the neighborhood.  I listen to podcasts, the Moth, Ted Talks, Revisionist History, other stories.  I love that this is so easy and peaceful.  

We were talking about revelation recently and I shared with the children my biggest revelation.  I prayed to see if it was OK to like P.  I got the answer that I was going to marry him.  I remember feeling a little annoyed that I hadn't asked about marriage!  : )  I'm grateful for a loving God who gave answers that led me to courage.  I'd not had experience with my interest being reciprocated.  But this answer helped me be calm when P wrote me a birthday card within that week, declaring his love.

I asked P why people like me, because I know lots of people who don't feel so universally liked.  We agreed that I am both a people pleaser, and nice.  

Leadership is a hobby of mine and one thing I have learned in the past 2 years is to slow down my response time.  I let others respond first, or I let a question go unanswered for a while.  This allows others to grow.  Leaders find/name the genius of others and put them to work.  

In Liz Wiseman's "Multipliers" I learned about Accidental Diminishers.  These are behaviors that some leaders have that work against developing others, and hurt organizations.  "Idea Guy" thinks they are the only one that has valuable ideas.  "Always On"other people step back because the leader does everything.  "Rescuer" does things that people can do for themselves and inhibits growth.  "Pacesetter" expects others to match their excellence, leaving others behind.  "Rapid Responder" replies fast so others just wait and don't bother trying.  "Optimist" is so jazzed with optimism that they don't recognize legitimate obstacles, demotivating their group.  "Protector" mama-bear doesn't let anyone grow.  "Strategist" and "Perfectionist"...  There are a lot of leadership styles that really hurt people.

I've learned about the 4 agreements:  Be impeccable with the word, Take nothing personally, Assume nothing, and do your best.  This brings peace.

I love improvement and work to be more effective and grow the abilities of others.