I just posted on my Instagram that I ordered a couple of these classic books to read with my teenage kids this summer because I want to intentionally lead my kids to succeed in life. “What would it look like if I brought my BEST leadership energy to my family?” That question has rocked me and I’ve been more mindful of doing that in this season (with one going to college in the fall and two high schoolers). I’ve been able to teach them leadership principles and they love it and want more! Can’t wait to use these time-tested principles with them. What can you do in your season to lead your family more intentionally? Oh, and if you aren’t, follow me on Instagram!

I remember blogging years ago about this phrase “Expert-Generalist.” I’ve always been frustrated that I’m more of a “jack of all trades, master of none” personality. But I remember how important that article was for me and reading this one about Elon Musk, it’s also helpful because it challenges the myth that we have to all be specialized to succeed. “At the deepest level, what we can learn from Elon Musk’s story is that we shouldn’t accept the dogma that specialization is the best or only path toward career success and impact.” This is a great read!

I’ve mentioned that I’m a LifePlan facilitator in my weekly newsletter, and have been facilitating StratOp’s for years but LifePlan’s just this year. I absolutely love it (in fact, starting another one today)! But many people have been asking what exactly it is and if they should consider doing one. 

I’ve created on my website a page that describes what it is, and even a questionnaire on “Do I need a LifePlan?” A LifePlan is a custom-tailored MasterPlan that defines your total-life strategy. It’s a two-day, one-on-one deep dive into all of your life. The LifePlan process guides you to make sense of today’s realities, focuses your future vision, and guides you to create a plan to help you get there.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

- Direction & Focus
- Purpose & Peace
- Hope & Clarity
- A Life Strategy

DURING YOUR LIFEPLAN WE WILL:

- Gain perspective on your life.
- Discover your unique design.
- Clarify your mission.
- Create a plan to apply your discoveries.

So, check out the site and see if you have any other questions … I’d love to answer them!

I missed putting this one in last week’s weekly list, but last Friday, Hillsong released their new album. I’ve listened to it about 2-3 times now and it’s a pretty different sound than their other albums, but I think I feel that every time a new Hillsong album comes out! For me, it usually takes a 5-6 times listening through the whole album for something to grow on me. Check it out (on Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify or Google Music) and let me know what YOU think about it.

This article is pretty fascinating. He says, “we make snap judgments about other people that answer two primary questions: Can I trust this person? Can I respect this person’s capabilities?” I think that’s not only true in first impressions but relationships in general. Trust and Respect are two values that we need to have and give for relationships to thrive. Most of the thing, when there’s tension in a relationship, it’s because we don’t trust the person or don’t have respect for the person. That’s helpful, because we can hone in that and possibly get to a solution. This article focuses more on the first impression and some practical steps on how to grow in that.