Got Margin?

As I prepared for a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I perused the Half-Price Bookstore.  When I ran across Dr. Richard Swenson’s Margin, I recalled that was a book on my Kindle Wish List.  So, I picked it up…and found it to be a perfect capstone to this month’s emphasis on showing discipline.

We live with unprecedented wealth and all it brings.  We have leisure, entertainment, and we have insulated ourselves from the unpredictable ravages of nature. Yet stress, frustration, and oftentimes even despair unexpectedly accompany our unrivaled prosperity.

Polls reveal many Americans are no longer confident their children will live a better life than they did.  There can be little doubt that the contemporary absence of margin is linked to the march of progress. In a general sense, those cultures with the most progress are the same as those with the least margin.

I encourage you to explore Dr. Swenson’s advice from Margin:  Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives.

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Show Discipline

Discipline 101

With July (the seventh month of the year) comes my seventh leadership tip:  Show Discipline.  In talking with leaders over the years, I point out that NASA—or wherever you work, whatever you do—will take as much as you give it.  I’ve both experienced and observed that truth in my life.  In fact, this blog is a good example.  When I started, I was writing two posts per week, and that began to encroach on my family time, as I heard statements like, “You’re always on the computer.”

So, you have to set boundaries for yourself that match your desired work-life fit.

In seeking to live a balanced life, do you ever feel like you’re playing a game of Whac-A-Mole?  You work hard to address one area of life, but another needs more of your attention.  I’ve certainly felt that way, as I seek to live a balanced life Spiritually, Physically, Relationally, and Financially.

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