Regular friends here know I’ve been less than regular in posting here over the last few months. The reason why is that I’ve actually had a personal break through of sorts around an issue I discussed with Robin Dickinson last week. In a comment on one of his though provoking posts (as they always are), I wrote:
I love Robin’s approach here because as of late I’ve been switching my focus. Even though everything I do is about helping people, I found I was ‘too busy for people because I’m too busy helping people’, when ‘helping’ is admin and emails rather than face to face connection and encouragement.
Isn’t this just everyone’s story – we’re too busy helping people to help people.
I am a pastor at my church, I run Like Minds, I engage with you all here, and I do a bit of speaking, all of which are about helping people. In fact, I have pretty much wound down my consultation because I want to spend more time helping people.
But here’s the kicker – I so often found that in all my work trying to help people (admin for our sunday service, preparing the Like Minds conference, thinking about what to speak about), I actually had no time left to actually sit face to face and help people! It’s the dilemma that I was putting paper before people.
This must be some form of torture, to spend all your hours trying to move a bottom line that you never actually touch or confront.
So, I’ve been spending a good amount of time directly with people as of late, and it’s been so much more fruitful. I’m putting people first, paper second.
Now, the trick is to get some balance and engage with you all here more – I’ve missed you over the last 10 days.
Your Leading Thoughts
- Have you come up against the same wall in your life? (I expect you have)
- How have your overcome it – OR – what help do you need from us to help you overcome it?