31 Days: Day 24

The Discipline of Recharging

Today's post is borrowed from the Willow Creek Association blog:

How do you re-charge your battery?

This is no trivial question. You know how demanding leadership is. You throw in family responsibilities, community or church involvement and my battery can get drained quickly. Plus, if you have any additional stressors in your life – health issues, financial concerns, aging parents, etc. –  the pressure increases.

At the base level, one of the first things you’ve got to know about yourself is your energy orientation. Do you tend to get energy from others or do you get energy from time alone? That’s a great place to start. My answer to this question seems to have changed over the years. Maybe that’s normal – I’m not sure. However, here are a few things that have helped me.

Rest – When I was younger, it didn’t matter as much. However, today, I’m not as fresh after pulling an all-nighter as I used to be. The folks I’ll be with in my meeting Friday (after the red-eye) had better be ready – I’ll try not to be too grumpy.

Recreation – My pastor told me 40 years ago that the word is Re–CREATION. What re-creates you? Is it long walks or softball, sailing or kickboxing? You need to know the answer to this question. If you don’t, start experimenting, and put whatever works on your calendar often.

Solitude – This is not everyone’s cup of tea. I understand. However, some time alone may help you re-focus, re-prioritize and re-charge. Even a few hours may work magic. If you haven’t tried it, give it a whirl.

Reflection – Think about your purpose – I hope you have a sense of why you’re on earth. I believe you’re here for a reason. If you know why, think about what you’re doing to fulfill your purpose. If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood may be wet.

People – Who are the people in your life that give you energy? When you see them coming, your energy, enthusiasm and engagement go up – spend time with THOSE PEOPLE on purpose. Put it on the calendar. By the way, you also have a list of people who drain you – they have the opposite affect as those you energize you. Minimize or eliminate time with those people.

It’s natural for a leader’s battery to drain – what we do is extremely hard. But we can do the things necessary to re-charge our lives and our leadership. We must own this. No one else can do it for us. Let’s stay charged up, so we can serve those we lead.

How do you recharge your battery?

A great resource for reading is a booked called "ReFuel." Bestselling author Doug Fields offers an uncomplicated, practical plan that you can carry out. This book won't teach you how to "cram God" into your already-full schedule. Instead, Doug will show you a practical, doable way of setting God first, and then letting everything else in your life fall into place. You will experience the fullness God has for you-just take some time to refuel. I personally have read this book at least 8 times and it never gets old!