Finding My Rhythm

There are several lessons I am still unpacking from our half-marathon last weekend. One of the biggest is the difficulty I had in finding and maintaining a good running pace. I have never run in such a big crowd and it took me 6-7 miles before I was able to find a comfortable rhythm. I kept having to adjust my stride by slowing down and speeding up to get into a running lane. The course was also new to me so I had to pay more attention to race markers. I also remember being very cognizant of the need to run at a moderate pace so I would be able to finish the race. It wasn’t easy to find the right rhythm, but when I did the end of the race was much smoother.

What rhythms of normal life do I struggle in? How do I keep a mental pace which allows me to concentrate intently at the right time without losing focus? Am I able to keep a good rhythm of productivity by recognizing when I need to push ahead and when I need to pull back? Do I have a good tempo in my personal relationships, knowing when extra attention is needed? What regularity do I have in my spiritual journey through prayer, reading, and meditation?

When I can’t find a regular rhythm I feel disjointed and struggle to maintain momentum. I’m learning to recognize when my pace is off and how to make the necessary adjustments to get me back on track. If I don’t do this life becomes more of a struggle than it should be.

Look Up

I do most of my running in the early morning or later at night these days. I enjoy being out when it's dark and having a fairly quiet run from a traffic perspective. My route takes me through our down town area and around several parts of the local colleges. I run on the sidewalk quite a bit, but have to be diligently observant as they are very uneven. There aren't many completely flat stretches of concrete and when it's dark I have to be extra sure of my footing. Since I don't want to face plant on the road I keep my vision focused downward several feet in front of me for safety.

I came off the sidewalk the other morning and was on the road which is much smoother. Out of my regular habit, I glanced up was entranced by simple beauty of the sky. There was a partial moon shining down on me and without any cloud cover the stars were brilliantly clear. I had to take a longer look and smiled as I admired the picture overhead. If I hadn't bothered to glance up, I never would have noticed it even though it was there to be seen.

How often do we keep our eyes downward and miss out on things of beauty, relevance, and encouragement? Are we so intently focused on where our next step will be that we miss out on the parts of life happening around us? Do we fear taking a misstep so much we fixate on the safety of where we are going and forget that taking a risk now and then can actually enrich our lives? I don't advocate running full speed with your eyes only on the sky, but we need to change where we are looking now and then if we truly want to experience life.

More of Less

I need to create variety in what I do. While I enjoy certain routines and ways of doing things I also need to change it up to find complete satisfaction. I can spend several hours doing one thing and will then need to change my focus and work on something else. While variety is good I've discovered that sometimes it leads to me taking on too many projects at once. In my passion to have expanded impact I end up managing too many different things. When I was younger I believed I was capable of handling all of these with excellence. As I've gotten older I've realized that I need to do less so that I can do more.

I'm slowly learning to change my thinking and more accurately assess what I'm capable of doing. I believe that I am a high capacity achiever, but my definition of that is slowly changing. It's not that I can do more things than other people, but that I need to channel my energies into high achievement in concentrated areas. This is where I will be the greatest benefit and find the greatest satisfaction. It's echoed in this simple quote from the book, The One Thing, "...the key to success isn't in all the things we do but in the handful of things we do well."

How can you tighten your scope of concentration? What do you need to set aside so that you can have the highest level of impact and personal contentment?

Perspective

If you only look at what you're doing from one viewpoint you won't ever see anything differently. Not only can this lead to a jaded outlook, it can cause you to miss something important. 

How can we change our perspective?

• Intentionally look at something from a different angle.
• Giving someone else the freedom to speak about what they see in your life.
• Changing a routine to allow freshness into an important discipline.
• Shifting your schedule to do important things at different times than usual.
• Looking for a specific way to change the pace of your thinking.
• Seeking input from a trusted individual who may not know you well, but can offer fresh insight.

This isn't mandatory, but it is certainly helpful if you want to bring vitality and a unique perspective to your life and calling. It may reveal some uncomfortable truths and give you the opportunity to mature in new ways in the process.

Out of a Rut

I am a man of routines. There are certain ways that I like to do things and specific habits that are important to me. Most of it centers around the way that I do simple day-to-day things, but there are also other routines that bring stability to the way that I process and plan.

As important as these routines are to me I have also found that I need to change things up on a regular basis. It stimulates me to look at things in a different light and at an adjusted pace. When I only stay in the rut of routine my personal meditation time can become dry and rote. I can continue to do the right things, but they lack the vitality that is necessary to see the greatest impact. I know this is true for me and need to remind myself to shake it up to find the balance of regular rhythm & unique approach.

It's the pairing of discipline with creativity that allows me to find the best productivity and enjoyment.

Changing Speeds

Our staff was treated to a day at the Atlanta Braves baseball game today by Christian Financial Resources. It was a way for them to show their appreciation to church staffs as we continue to work together. As a life-long, devoted fan of the New York Mets I wasn't invested one way or the other in the outcome of the game with the Royals. I do love a good baseball game though & a day at the ballpark is never a bad thing.

There was a lot of talent on the field today on both sides. There are some good young hitters and pitchers and the game ended with KC winning 1-0 after their closer struck out the side in the 9th inning. There were a few pitchers who were throwing in the upper 90's--pretty impressive. Honestly, there are a lot of good fastball pitchers who can throw heat. What elevates the better pitchers to another level is the ability to change speeds. If you only throw hard heat the batter will eventually get his timing down and crush it.

The same could be said of our lives in relationship to our daily devotion, our relationship with our family, our physical activity, and our commitment to our jobs. If we only operate at one speed we will tire more quickly and find that we are losing interest. To be the most effective you've got to change the tempo and your approach to relationships now and then to keep things moving forward in a positive fashion. Organizations that fail to do this eventually lose influence and buy-in. Relationships that fail to do this become stagnant and allow outside factors to infiltrate and disrupt their rhythm. We've got to learn to change speeds now and then to generate momentum and not fall into the trap of treating every life circumstance the same.