It is officially Summer this week! Time is amazing and it never stops. Make sure you are staying focused on the 7 F’s (Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness, Friends, Fun and Future). These are the keys to a work life balance and proper perspective in how we should be living our lives.
Last weekend my wife Colleen and I took a trip to Washington, DC with another couple who are close friends. The goal of the trip was to relax and enjoy each other’s company and to laugh. We accomplished all of the above and more, arriving early Friday evening and staying in our friend’s daughter’s apartment just 5 blocks from the Capital Building. We made a quick dinner, had a glass of wine, took a short walk and then watched an old movie. The next morning we were rolling early on our bikes by 7:30 AM and rode around the capital, down to the mall; stopping and seeing various sights. We arrived in Alexandria by lunch, 14 miles from the Washington Mall. My wife and I had a delightful leisure lunch on an outside patio; then walked around town. On a side note, Alexandria is a beautiful quaint village. Afterwards, we then rode back to the Washington Mall and spent 90 minutes in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
A late dinner out, a late night walk around the Capital Building and in bed by 12:30 with another full day ahead of us. We were up for an early breakfast and then walked to a Church, packed to the rafters with 400 in attendance, which resulted in us having to sit in the front row because they were the only 4 seats left together that we could find. Clearly we were visitors, but then much to our surprise the pastor and guest speaker, Donald Miller, a bestselling author, were our neighbors the previous night at dinner. We actually shared a few laughs with them but did not have any formal conversation because they were out with their wives as well. Of course after church we immediately exchanged greeting since we were in the front row. We shared names and got to know each other and had an immediate bond. Oh yea, Donald Miller’s talk was tremendous! He challenged us in who we would choose to become in our faith. Not who we were or who we are, but let’s project ourselves in who we are becoming…I’m sure that sounds familiar if you have been reading my Mid-Week Mentor each week.
So, what a weekend! How did we do blending the 7 F’s? That was a great weekend; our vision is to have many more… smile!
Coaching Reminder: The big 4 questions you should ask yourself, your family, your work team, and for those of us who run business, our organization. Note: It starts with you first.
- Who are you/we becoming?
- What do you/we really want to do or bring into existence? (goals)
- What is the current reality for each goal or want?
- What do we need to do? (action steps)
News Flash – Just recently finished my 5th two day event in coaching and development on Level V Leadership: Holding Ourselves and Others Accountable. This is an offering for senior level executives and it was again an awesome two days. If you, or if you know someone else, who could benefit from two days of intensive executive coaching with me and up to 10 other executives, the next event is being planned for late September.
Human Relations Principle of the Week:
Make other people feel important and do it sincerely.
– Dale Carnegie