Jason Taylor

The first place I can remember going backpacking as a kid was in San Pedro Parks.   It’s a small wilderness area just about an hour and a half from my home in Albuquerque.  Up until a few years ago I even had the backpack that I had as a kid, a blue Jansport external frame, that looked very small too me but as a kid seemed huge.   We would lug water in gallon milk jubs, one in each hand.   How my father ever survived taking three young boys into the woods for even a day is beyond me.   Way to go Dad!

San Pedro Parks is where I went this weekend for my time away.  It’s a place of rich memories that encompass my whole life.   I knew I’d be able to get away and it’s rarely crowded, except for the cows.  There were lots of those and the landmines they leave behind.  

I left on Friday evening and spent all day Saturday and the morning on Sunday just enjoying the silence and the solitiude.  I didn’t know what to expect honestly.  The last time I did this, I was in a much different place emotionally and the whole trip for me was more stressful than refreshing.  This however, was phenomenal.   I read, and prayed and journaled, listened to a few podcasts, listened to the birds the bugs the brook, napped in the grass by the Rio Las Vacas, and soaked up all I could in the time I had.   Having a plan did help because it kept me from plugging in a bunch of other stuff, which I so often tend to do.  In fact, planning to refresh may sound a bit counterintutive but is a huge part of living intentionally.  

There were three areas that I felt like I was supposed to spend time focusing my thoughts and prayers on.

1. Anna
2. Friends
3. Adoption

I didn’t go into the weekend with these laid out but after I settled my heart and listened to God for a while felt like these filtered to the top as priorities for the weekend.   I won’t necessarily go into the detail on each of those but would suggest that allowing God to put whatever he wanted before me for the weekend was huge.  I’m really glad I didn’t go with an agenda.    I was also amazed at how much I did hear him speak too.   Even when you think you’re doing really well in an area, affirmation is often quickly followed by exhortation.  

Here was my number one takeaway though.

Be diligent.  Be steadfast.   Keep your hand to the plow and just keep working the plan.  

A bit of background on that.   I tend to jump from thing to thing pretty quickly.   The past several years have been a time of INCREDIBLE, CONSTANT change and transition of some sort, usually more than one big thing at a time.   And I also tend to get bored easily, so I bring a lot of this on myself.    I felt like Jesus was just letting me know that right now, this seemingly steady season of plowing that I’m in, is good, is where He wants me right now and that I’m to be diligent.   How does this translate or apply?   Well, I’m still figuring that out but I do sense that I’m too hold off on any big changes.   I.E. going back to school, moving across the country, changing careers, etc…

My encouragment to you is to get away from it all, unplug and listen.  It’s amazing what 24 hours in the classroom of silence can do.  

When are you going to take a day away? 

It’s here.

Starts tonight.   I’m taking two full days and getting away from everything.  No phone, no radio, no computer.   Nothing.  I’m taking my bible, my journal, food, my running shoes and that’s it.   (I might take Born to Run, but haven’t decided yet.) 

Whenever I get ready to do this I run through all sorts of emotions.

Excitement: Mini-vacation, in the woods, by myself – cool

Fear:  I’m going away for 2 days with nothing to keep my occupied but me…what if I’m boring?

Worry:  I will be in the woods alone, and noone will know where I’m at.  What if I get eaten by a mountain lion?  (seriously, I have this fear of those things…)

I love the idea of getting away, but when push comes to shove, I really do need a shove out the door and on my way.  

This year, I have a bit more of a plan.  

1. My wife is going to kick me out the door tonight at 6pm, with a hug and a kiss.
2. I know where I’m going.
3. I’ve spent the entire year walking through a book and journal by John Eldredge called Walking with God.   I have about 2 journal days left and will finish it while I’m gone.  
4. Leaving expectations at home.   I may have a mountain top experience, I may not, either way, I’m okay, what I’m expecting is that I’m going to spend some good, quiet time unplugged from everything.
5. Intentional listening.  I plan on spending alot of time just sitting and listening.
6. I’m going to run. 
7. On Sunday afternoon, when I get back, I’m going to greet my wife with a hug and a kiss and we’re going to go to church together and worship.

It’s really a simple plan.  

I’ll let you know how it goes.   

When was the last time you got away for a day or two to just listen and reflect?   Is it time?

Focus

No matter what you do, right now, in this day, in this place, in this economy you already know what you need to be doing.

I have found myself lately getting the “circle the wagon” mentality, something  Tim Sanders calls the “scarcity” mindset.

Have you?

Then yesterday I was listening to a podcast on my run and what I heard was so SIMPLE that I was ashamed I hadn’t just intuitively thought about it.   And I fancy myself a pretty smart guy, so if I didn’t intuitively figure it out, maybe, just maybe there are others out there who would be encouraged by this.

Here it is.

The things you need to do to be successful (however that is defined for you) in this current market are exactly the same things you should be doing in a good market.

There it is.   Pretty simple.  No snake oil, no get rich scheme hidden in those words.   There are no quick fixes.  Focus on doing what you should be doing in a good market, do it better than anyone else and then when the market turns, and it will, you’ll be better positioned for growth.

“A rising tide raises all boats.”

So, I’m not kidding when I say that I think Google is quickly becoming the goto location and source for all things on the internet.    I am seriously considering moving away from Microsoft product.   Given, Microsoft product probably does most if not all of what Google will do but it’s not free and it’s frankly just not as intuitive.

I’m a coach.   I meet regularly with many clients over the phone every two weeks for a set amount of time.   The calendar for those sessions, for each client is set for the year and is maintained by my assistant coach.   So the only people that have access to that calendar are me and my assistant.   In addition, each session I also take notes for myself as well as action steps that the client and I agree upon.  These are actions that the client is agreeing to complete before the next time we meet.    We also track maximum points of accountability and emails back and forth etc…

Here’s the problem I’ve been facing.  The software I currently use doesn’t allow my client to see the calendar.    And all action step updates and maximum accountability is back and forth in the form of email and documents that must be saved, rewritten, tracked, opened closed…   It works but it’s not smooth, it’s not simple, at least it’s not as simple as a lot of the processes available to people today.   And as a coach, I have a belieft that it’s in my best interest and the best interest of the client if I can help them develop productivity and efficiency in utilizing today’s tools.      We both need access to not only the calendar but it would be extremely helpful for us to be able to share the action plans back and forth on a continual basis.

I wasn’t always a a coach but was a leader in a church for a long time.  In my own experience as a client, there were times when I needed assistance or had a question or simply wanted to share something in relation to an action item or something related.   What if I could share all of that livetime over the internet with my coach?  Well you can; using Google’s calendar and notebook, I can do everything that Microsoft Office does, and ACT does quicker, faster and with greater efficiency because it’s also connected to a sharing function which allows me to tie in my client.

My current software set up has some pretty nifty built in features but these can easily be reproduced in an online format and shared between myself and the client.

Although a coach specific solution is sure to come, for now, Google provides a quick and easy alternative for sharing (securely) information and calendars with 1 or 1000 people.    Cool stuff.

Check it out!