The Champion’s Brew is a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership. I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well. Any of the points especially impact you? Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going! I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’! Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!
Here is your weekly drink of what I have been reading, listening to or watching to equip me to:
- Read More (or ‘Watch’ More) – I love using movie clips to drive home leadership themes that I think are powerful. I am sure you have some movies that come to mind that drive home concepts you want to use to equip others. Some of my favorite movie clips from some great ones: Courageous, Rudy, Miracle, Top Gun, A Few Good Men, and even Sister Act! This week, Tony Dungy’s devotional reminded me of another I have used before, Dead Poet’s Society with Robin Williams. If you have seen the movie, you probably remember the scene. Mr. Keating, the teacher asks his students to follow him into the hallway. In front of the trophy case, he asks one of the students, Mr. Pitts, to read from a page of poetry:
Gather ye rosebuds while you may,
Old time is still a-flying;
Ant this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
The boys stand trans-fixed, gazing into the trophy case at the old photos of basketball and football teams. Faces which once reflected the same hopes and beliefs as theirs – dreams that may went unfulfilled. Mr. Keating goes on to say “we are food for worms, lads.” He calls the students to lean in and ‘listen’. That is when he places the paradigm on them by whispering, “carpe…. Carpe…. Carpe diem… seize the day, boys… make your lives extraordinary.” Amen. Let’s not be ‘food for worms.’ Let’s ‘Seize the Day’ and make our lives extraordinary(aka, UNCOMMON)!!! Dungy’s Uncommon Key is our call to action for this week’s Brew: “God has given you one live to live – make it count. Carpe Diem and Seize the Day! Today and Tomorrow and the next day!
Want to re-watch the scene? CLICK HERE for the the 3:05 clip.
- Worry Less – So, how do we worry less? One of the best tips I have ever received about worry is to “Control the controllables”. One of the things that we need to be able to control and prioritize is our “to-do” list. However, one of the things that causes worry is allowing too many things on to our “to-do” list. Actually, we may need a “NOT to-do” list. Blogger, writer, podcaster, Tim Ferriss once blogged the “Not To-Do List: 9 habits to Stop Now” – Here are a few of the 9 that I take away that if we chose NOT to do them, it could impact our effectiveness in all areas of life:
- Do not answer calls from unrecognized phone numbers – I am so glad that phones are now identifying calls as ‘potential spam’ – very helpful!
- Do not email first thing in the morning or last thing at night – Especially at night. An email right before bed can make it VERY difficult to sleep well. And, sleep should definitely be on the TO-DO list!
- Do not agree to meetings or calls with no clear agenda or end time – I wish I was more disciplined here.
- Do not let people ramble – Wow… How many times do you find yourself listening to how to build a watch when all you really wanted to know what “what time is it?”
- Do not check email constantly – So many organizations expect immediate responses to email. I believe this is a MAJOR productivity distraction. Email is probably worth and entire Champions Brew by itself!
- Do not carry your phone 24/7 – This is a discipline that my wife and I have implemented, shutting our phones down at 9:00 pm. It has been a good experiment thus far. Helps us to be more present, less random scrolling, and more reading time.
- Quote – “We have no idea what tomorrow will bring. Or even it if will come at all.” – Tony Dungy
What you need to do:
Call to Action: You can do anything you want. You just can’t do EVERYTHING you want. What do you have to place on your ‘Not-to-do list’ today to help you DO less and BE the uncommon leader you were meant to be?
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with a friend who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, go and Grow Champions!
Are you a podcast fan? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
