Hi all!

I went on a run with Tyler yesterday on trail for the first time in a while. Tyler and I are teaming up do a race this Sunday, so I was determined to take it easy. (If there is such a thing as an "easy" trail run up a mountain.) I did something unheard of. I stopped at the top of John's Rock to take in the scenery. Living among the beauty that we are surrounded by here in the mountains, we too often take it for granted. We simply get too "busy" to breathe. I've found that if you're too busy for a run, for quality family time, or for God, you're simply too busy. I've said this more times than I can count over the years, but fail to actually make changes that will result in a balanced life. Why? Why do we have such a hard time getting rid of the junk in our lives and saying "no"? Two of the greatest gifts we are given are time and energy. We can't afford to waste those, but we do. Two of the main reasons: 1) Fear of rejection (whose approval are you seeking? Does it really matter?) 2) Fear of missing out on good opportunities. (Opportunity should not equal obligation. There are millions of opportunities. There will always be more opportunities than there is time to pursue them.)

In my devotion yesterday, I came across a quote from Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. "Most of us lead busy but undisciplined lives. We have ever expanding 'to do' lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing. But, it rarely works. Those who built the good to great companies made as much use of 'stop doing' lists, as 'to do' lists. They displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug from all sorts of extraneous junk and channel their resources into only one or a few areas."

Great leaders, in spite of a multitude of distractions know how to keep things focused.

Today is the day. Lets get focused!