Can you actually teach grit? Is it something that you have or don’t have? Where does it come from? I’m not really sure, but I do have it and I’m grateful for it. But this article gives some thoughts on it as well as some “Grit Tips.” I’ve been trying to teach my kids about it (without using the word). One simple thing that I’ve taught them is the “Eat the Frog” Principle. I’ve also taught them the Pomodoro Technique as well. But my goal is not just for productivity for them, but to establish a discipline that might one day look like pure grit. What would it look like if more people had this grit!

So, I’ve heard of (and done) this discipline of reading a Proverbs chapter a day. And since Proverbs has 31 chapters, it lines up great to the days in the month. But what I didn’t know is that Billy Graham (who I admire tremendously) has made it his daily practice for his life! I’ve done it for a rotation and then moved on, but what would it be like if I did this every month for an entire year? Billy Graham actually reads a 1 chapter in Proverbs and 5 chapters in Psalms a day. But I love why he does it. He says, “I used to read five Psalms every day — that teaches me how to get along with God. Then I read a chapter of Proverbs every day and that teaches me how to get along with my fellow man.” Psalms = Love God. Proverbs = Love People. I’ve now started this and can’t wait to see how God will grow me through it. Have you tried the Proverbs chapter a day? If not, maybe give it a try. If so, maybe do it for a year.

I’ve tried a lot of Podcast Apps (including the built-in one). But Overcast is one that’s stuck for a while now, so I can fully recommend it. It’s free and it’s got some nice features like Smart Speed (removes the silences and saves you time) as well as playing it in double time or 1.5 time (my personal choice), so that you can listen to all your podcasts in less time. Podcasts are definitely something that has helped grow my leadership and knowledge on many topics. Here are some of my favorite podcasts that I subscribe to:

Leadership Podcasts:
Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
5 Leadership Questions
HBR IdeaCast

The Journal by Kevin Rose 
MacBreak Weekly
Mac Power Users
The Talk Show with John Gruber

The Tim Ferriss Show
The Productivity Show

What am I missing? Which ones do you listen to???

I got this device over a year ago and I have loved it for my family. In this day and age, if you have children, you need to be monitoring internet usage and screen time. There are so many kids that have wide-open access to everything on the internet, and that’s not the healthiest thing for a child. Of course, we live in a new era where we didn’t have to deal with this stuff when we were growing up. But, we must be wise as we parent through the digital age. What this Circle device does is monitor everything that your child does on the internet. But not only monitor, but you can set time limits, restrictions, bed times, and filters. My favorite is the master pause button … dinner time, homework time, discipline time, you press the pause on the internet! You can also reward them with more time, when they’ve done their chores or finished homework early, etc.

My kids are now all teenagers and every year, as they’ve shown responsibility, I’ve loosen the restrictions. In parenting, I don’t want to have all the restrictions on them and then as soon as they leave the house, everything is now available to them, and they don’t know how to handle all that freedom. I want to give them more and more freedom and the ability to make wise choices. This comes as they budget their time in using their phone/internet (since they only have a limited time) and they know that with responsibility, they will get more freedom. It’s been a great device for us and a great investment for $99 (one time). If you have kids, please check it out!

Work-Life Balance is truly a myth. Because when you try to balance something, it’s mediocre on both sides. Pete Richardson, from Paterson Center, says that it’s not about Work-Life balance so much as it’s about Work-Life integration. How are we integrating work and life in a healthy way? I think that’s a great conversation and one that resonates with me. This article talks a little about that as well and says that it’s about leveraging the rhythms of your personal life and the rhythms of your work seasons. It’s a good springboard for looking internally and striving for health in our lives.