Getting Ready to be Uncomfortable
A challenge, a book list, quotes, and a number of fun things
The Front Page by BG
Walk humbly, Seek wisdom, Act courageously
"There's nothing more powerful than a humble person with a warrior spirit who is driven by a bigger purpose. Be that kind of person today." - Jon Gordon
Getting Ready to be Uncomfortable!
As much as we often don’t like it, most of us know that we grow most often when we are faced with a challenge and we are forced to stretch and learn new things. Often times we actually need to purposefully place ourselves into a place of discomfort in order to grow.
This is what I have chosen to do for the next 60 days beginning Monday, February 6th. Some of you know that I am a fan of the book Deliberate Discomfort. Well, the author, Jason Van Camp, has a Deliberate Discomfort 60-day challenge that I will be embracing. The challenge addresses six domains of your life: 1. Spiritual, 2. Mental, 3. Emotional, 4. Social, 5. Professional, and 6. Physical. I was able to work out a couple of changes to better fit me that they agreed with such as they ask you to read four books a month (one a week actually) and I already am at five books a month, so my challenge in this area will be to write at least 500 words every day as I desire to become a better writer.
So, I know I need to push myself to become better and this looked like a good tool to do so. I will be posting about my journey occasionally on LinkedIn or our website.
Also, you can help keep me accountable if you so desire!
Speaking of Books
Here are the books that I read in January:
Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II
The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
For February, I have started with Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership.
Quotes:
From the book Risk: A User's Guide by Stanley McChrystal:
“It is a familiar pattern. Fixated on external factors, individuals and organizations fail to tend to their Risk Immune System and become vulnerable even to perceivable risks.”
“. . .the greatest risk to us as individuals, and to our organizations, is us.”
“This is not uncommon. Unable or unwilling to calibrate for important factors like communication, structure, and bias, we remain vulnerable to risks.”
A Story to Be Told on Who is Responsible
by Lieutenant General David Morrison, Australian Army
“This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was asked to do it.
Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."
Own It!
“On any team, in any organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame. The leader must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them, and develop a plan to win.” - from the book Extreme Ownership.
The Back Page by Lauren
Techo Lineup - Hobonichi Techo 2023 (1101.com), in the world of planners the Hobinichi is one of the most well-loved of planners. If you still need a planner, now that we’re in February, check these out! There is a plethora to choose from.
50 Tips for How Get Out of Your Head Using Your 5 Senses | Gretchen Rubin, I personally liked the “smell some vanilla” suggestion. I have some paperwhites blooming in my room currently and it immediately takes me to my childhood in a yard full of daffodils, which 100% helps me to get out of my head.
Afternoon Coffee | Stream on IDAGIO, IDAGIO is an app driven by the mission to unite artists and listeners around their joint passion for classical music. And it is an excellent app. They have created this playlist with the description, “Whether you're opting for an energising espresso, a frothy cappuccino or a refreshing cold brew, this playlist is the perfect accompaniment to your favourite cup of coffee.”
Posts | Clean Freak Weekly 🧼, Brandon and his father have some of the most useful and helpful suggestions for cleaning. And most of them don’t require expensive tools or a lot of time.
'The joy of fen skating is a great metaphor for life' - BBC News, I hadn’t heard of Fen skating until I read this article. It sounds and looks like a beautiful past time.
Fen skating. Filmed in Whittlesea, Cambs. - YouTube, beautiful video!
Black Garlic Recipe (thespruceeats.com), I read in an article someone suggesting to people to try black garlic along with olive oil and goat cheese as a spread on a sandwich and now I must find black garlic to try this!
Il faut cultiver notre Jardin, We must cultivate our garden.
Voltaire
If you enjoyed this edition of Chattahoochee Driftwood, would you consider passing it on to others that will also enjoy it?
Until next time!
BG Allen and Lauren Allen