Find the door!




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Find the door!
300 miles. 5 different mountain ranges. 40 peaks over 6000' bagged, 15 of which had no trails. 3 women bonded together to set a women's speed record.
Last evening the photos revealed an unintended guest. Mr. Bear investigated the area before standing on it's hind legs to pull the feeder from its spot, hoping for a free meal.
How many times are we surprised when someone unexpectedly shows up in our circles? It's not a bad thing. It's an opportunity.
Pay attention. Don't miss out.
"Be brave. Be brave. Be brave."
With
eyes closed tight, my granddaughter, a bundle of joy and energy,
whispered those words to muster up needed courage. Perched atop an
inclined rounded log with fierce winds blowing, she then started her
journey.
She made it, gleefully jumping
off at the end. She used all the resources available (her hand in mine)
and her strong determination.
There's
gotta be a lesson in that for all of us. Facing a new task at work?
Needing to repair a relationship? Taking on a huge fitness challenge.
Be brave. Wisely use resources. Go for it!
The receipt reported a total of 18.29.
Having previously experienced the lovely squeaks and squawks of novice string musicians, I posed yet another question. “Do ya’ll sound good?”
The answer? “A whole lot better than before!”
She’s on to something. Progress requires equal doses of time and effort. Excellence doesn’t happen in a void. In fact, the standard 10,000 hour rule first attributed to Anders Ericsson and propagated by many, argues that expert status is only achieved after thousands of hours of prescribed, quality, and focused practice. While one might argue the quantification of this road to excellence, few can deny the powerful combination of time and effort.
Addyson knows this. Though she has absolutely no aspirations of becoming a competent violinist, she realizes how important time and effort are to her growth as a competitive gymnast. Foundational skills, precise practice, mental focus, and countless hours in the gym are a must as she makes advances through the Junior Olympic program.But one does not need to be an athlete or musician to understand the principle. Whether in business, medicine, construction, education, race car driving, or endless other vocations and avocations, we have no chance of optimizing our performance without optimizing our preparation, which takes considerable time and effort.
The moral of the story? Don’t be discouraged if you think progress is slow and cumbersome. The prerequisites of becoming really good at something always include substantial time and effort.
Is it hard? Sure. Is it tedious? Yep. Can it be frustrating? Of course. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Waiting can be excruciating. A friend posted just this morning the difficulty of waiting for critical medical test results. An online acquaintance wrote of Biblical examples of profitable waiting, citing Joseph and King David as exemplars. My own thinking turned to Jairus’ daughter, spoken of in the synoptic Gospels, who had taken ill and died before Jesus arrived. Parental hope must have plummeted to an all-time low when they thought—erroneously—that their waiting for the Healer to arrive would yield only sorrow. Rather, their wait turned joyous when the girl was given back life.
Waiting is hard, mostly because we (read that, I) tend to add too much activity and worry into this period that is intended for rest, faith, and regaining perspective. I want to do, move forward, make progress. It is against my nature to stand still.
At one point in my life, I enjoyed hunting. Before climbing into a tree, I used to joke with my husband, an avid, anything-but-fair weather sportsman, that I was going waiting—not hunting. After all, I was not going to actively stalk, aka hunt, a deer. No. I was simply waiting for one to come close enough to my tree stand so I could whack it and take it home for dinner. My waiting while nestled among the branches proved to be a delightful time of reflection and rest, whether or not it yielded venison for our table.
Are there lessons to be learned in the wait? What should—and should not—happen in the time period between initial activity and continued action?
When we wait well, a solid foundation of patience and contentment develops, especially helpful when the end point is not easily identified. We come to understand that there is little we can do to speed the wait along. Thus, we take a deep breath and settle in, trying to wrangle our obsessive ponderings of “what if” scenarios, which do nothing to alter the outcome.
But do we twiddle our thumbs while we wait or be productive in some way? As a personal example, I am in a waiting period following a serious orthopedic injury. I don’t know when—or even if—I will heal completely. And yet, I am learning to embrace the wait by simply doing what I can do rather than mourning what I cannot. No more, no less makes for a better wait.
What about you? Have you honed your waiting game?
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Lessons to Self #1-13 are available in prior posts.
My foray into the woods did not present an every-second brutal effort, but with many steep sections ranging from 15-20% grade in the first nine miles, it required considerable effort. But why did I get up at O’dark 30 and head to the mountains by myself in the first place? I submit to you that had I not known my “why” in tackling what was hard, I would likely have stayed in bed.
There are a lot of hard things: relationships, career decisions, academics, athletic endeavors, sickness and injury, to name a few. In my situation, my “hard” is pushing myself physically and mentally. I spend hours swimming laps, push, pull, and lift iron in the weight room, and hike long miles during this time of recovery from a serious knee and tibia injury.
Why? In the big picture, it’s because God made me this way. He made me to be a life-long athlete not for the sake of listing accomplishments, but to use this perfect venue to teach me grit, endurance, and perseverance. Had I not been an athlete learning life lessons for the last 55 years of my athletic career, I honestly don’t think I would be who I am today.
In the short term, my “why” is more personal. I have athletic goals I want to accomplish, none of which will happen without training. Then there is the solace of alone time where the cacophony of birdsong, diversity of flora, scampering squirrels, deer, and even the little Bunny Foo Foo who runs through the forest all speak to the glory, genius, and creativity of our God. The solitude and beauty draws me back time and time again. It is my constant “why.”
What is your “hard” and what is your “why”? Not knowing the latter dooms the first to a short-lived attempt.
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You can read Lessons to Self 1-12 in prior posts.
I help teams and organizations do their hard better. Let me know how I can serve your group. I am currently booking speaking engagements for 2025-2026.
Addy has been scoring quite well this season, after losing the entire 2024 season due to a badly broken arm and subsequent surgery. She has come back strong, showing resilience and conquering any remnants of fear and trepidation. That said, her golden ring of scores—a 38.00—remains to be earned. Sunday she came ever so close: 37.850 and that got me thinking.
That barely noticeable body position corrections on beam cost her 0.1 for each one. Her beautiful and graceful floor routine was ever so slightly off from the music. Another tenth or two deduction. Perhaps the judges saw her feet slightly misaligned: minus a fraction of a point. Correcting just one or two of these very small problems would have pushed her score beyond the hallowed 38.00.
She had no major breaks on any event, but the judges saw things that needed to be perfected. Though she scored a solid 9.5 on vault, on landing she took a step forward with one foot before drawing it back. This is not an uncommon execution error, but it becomes more understandable when watching the warm-up vaults. Almost without exception, the majority of young gymnasts walked out of their landings. They did not appear to fight for the all important “stick.” So even though the actual vault itself may have been excellent, failure to prioritize a rock-solid landing in practice made it difficult to do so in competition.In the gym or anywhere, I am reminded of the need to be faithful in the small things. Pay attention to the details. Be excellent in every aspect of our endeavors. Don’t get caught thinking that the seemingly insignificant minutiae are just that—insignificant. Because they aren’t.
If we ignore the little things, our big things will never be the best.
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See prior posts for Lessons 1-11
Please reach out if I can provide value to your team or organization by helping you think deeply about these character skills that can drive performance.
There it was. A boulder among boulders tucked into the steep ridge line.
Directly trail-side, it wooed the passerby to sink into its bowl-shaped curvature and lean against the naturally molded backrest. Once seated, the struggle of tackling the terrain was carried away on the wings of the gentle breeze. With trekking poles set to the side, the world became quiet. Not devoid of sound, given the rustle of scurrying squirrels through leaves and cacophony of birdsong. But the solitude I felt was calming. Across the valley, verdant mountains covered in green rose against the blue sky, wispy clouds playing on currents of air. I doubted the presence of another human within miles and miles. I took it all in before continuing my journey, refreshed, renewed, and restored.
The world is a noisy place—literally and figuratively. Sounds of traffic and sirens. Music blaring through speakers. Social media touting messages often intended to raise the ire of the reader. But life is noisy in other ways: long “have to do” lists, busyness, rushing from one thing to the next. The constant noise can deflate the soul, ushering in feelings of despair, loneliness, and perpetual motion.
But the wise intentionally seek respite. As the Psalmist proclaims, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6). And again he writes, “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:2).Oh, that we come to understand that quiet REST is a critical element of RESToration of mind, body, and soul.
What can we do today to seek quiet and rest, even if for a few precious minutes?
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See prior posts for Lessons 1-10.
Please reach out if I can provide value to your team or organization by helping you think deeply about character skill development and their impact on performance.
My husband and I were seated for dinner at the table with the groom’s grandma, two sisters and their husbands, and his younger brother. We wondered if we would have anything to talk about.
Our wondering came to an abrupt halt when we realized that they all lived in my hometown, had attended the same high school as me, and were members of the home church of my youth in Perkasie, PA. Though it had been 48 years since I left that area, we knew some of the same people, now the elder members of the congregation. But the most startling find was that they knew—and loved—my dear mother!
“She was so kind and caring every time I visited her. She even remembered that I had a granddaughter at Liberty University,” shared Grandma. “She was such a wonderful woman.”
As news spread to other family members and friends who had traveled down from the same area, a number of folks approached me asking, “Are you Margaret DeLancey’s daughter? Oh, how we miss her.”
It made my heart happy to be reminded of my mother’s influence even in her last days when life was hard. It was always about the other person.
If in 48 years one of my sons finds himself at a wedding only to realize that another guest knew his mother, I wonder what would be said of her? It certainly is a reminder that our impact—for good or bad—is likely to follow us beyond the years we live.
Yesterday
I had the distinct privilege of speaking to a roomful of enthusiastic
high school students. Prior to my first word, they did what high school
kids naturally do in a cool setting: play ping pong, chat, and finish
off their Starbucks drinks. But once called to attention, they quickly
took their seats and settled in.
I
had roughly 30 minutes to story tell, urging them to courageously
embrace doing hard things. I did not see any student who failed to
listen intently, some leaning forward in their seats as if to capture
each word more effectively. And when I was finished and the principal
asked some questions of me, she opened the floor to the students.
Several quickly raised a hand to offer their perspective on the topic
before the entire group gathered around to interact with me up close and
personal. This group could have easily become the poster children of
respectful behavior.
I
contrast that experience with another encounter, this time all high
school seniors at another school. Very few lent their attention to me as
I stood in front of them. Instead, they consistently held conversations
with neighbors and refused to engage when asked. They were disruptive
throughout. Every attempt to draw them in failed miserably. I left
feeling the brunt of their blatant disrespect.
Patience is hard. Who likes to waste a lot of time waiting around for something to happen? Absolutely no one.
But is the time spent waiting actually a waste? Even though it may feel that way, I propose there may be value in the wait.
I wrote about developing more resilience in Lesson 5 of this series. There, I shared about my mysterious injury to my right leg that came out of nowhere on Jan 12, 2025. Well, here I am, two weeks out from my steroid injection in my knee and no closer than I was to be-bopping merrily along country roads and mountain trails. I have increased my distance and effort level in the pool, have been diligent in the weight room, and tolerate the pain as best I can when I try long walks to gain time on feet. Still, I await the day when I can get back to running.
I am frustrated, no doubt, at my inability to run. And with my next doctor’s appointment two weeks in the future before a tentative diagnosis can be posited, I have no other choice but to carry on with alternate training—and learn to develop a healthy dose of patience.
Easier said than done, right? Right. But I have been trying to use those many hours in the pool staring down at the black tile line to re-imagine time spent in pursuit of fitness. Perhaps in the long run (no pun intended) it will prove beneficial to have had this period of non-running. Maybe all this swimming and strength training will give me a body less prone to injury in the future. Maybe I can learn to feel just as free in the pool as I do blazing down a mountain trail. And maybe, just maybe, my mind and desire to compete will hit the reset button to return intact and stronger at the conclusion of this present setback.
Can I predict how or when I will return to running? Nope. But in the meantime, to paraphrase that OR manager, “I want patience and I want it now!” Therefore, I can intentionally change my perspective from something negative to something positive. I can appreciate the benefits of a change-up rather than bemoan the temporary loss of a 35-year habit. And, I can be thankful for the circumstances that help me become more patient.
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See prior posts for lessons 1-6
Please
message me if I can provide value to your team or organization by
helping you think deeply about these character skills that drive
performance. hashtag#betterpeoplemakebetteranythings
My
10-year old granddaughter is a competitive gymnast. After missing last
year’s entire season due to a fracture of her right radius and ulna that
required 2 plates and 6 screws to fix, she has been making up for lost
time. She has had some stellar performances, earning her podium
recognition on every event as well as all-around in every meet this
season. But that changed this past Sunday.
Her
four routines were solid, scoring between 9.175 and 9.50. Those were
not her best performances but they were certainly not poor scores.
Admittedly, Addy was not perfect but avoided any major breaks. Her
execution was pretty, making watching her a pleasure. By the time the
awards came around, we were pretty sure that the clinking of medals
around her neck was sure to follow.
And
clink she did, ending up with three shiny medals: beam, bars, and
all-around. But for the first time all season, she failed to find a
place on the podium in the other two events. Hum. How would she take it?
When
I drove her to school on Tuesday morning, we chatted casually about
this, that, and the other. When opportunity presented itself, I queried
her perspective on the meet. She said nothing about the medals that did
not find a place around her neck. Rather, she explained that though her
scores were not bad, she failed to score higher because some of the
required skills were performed at – not above - the minimal level. (For
example, her cast from the high bar met the minimal horizontal standard
but her body did not rise above that mark. Her first vault landing
included a big step and her block off the platform on the second vault
was not what it should have been.) Addy made no excuses, nor did she
express jealousy for her teammates who threw down best-ever
performances. I was impressed and relieved.
Even
at her young age, Addy took accountability for her actions. She clearly
understood the reasons for her lower-than-expected scores and missing
medals. This honest appraisal allowed her to accept her scores without
placing blame on judges or other circumstances. Practice the following
day proved very productive because she went into it knowing exactly what
needed to be improved.
If a 10-year old can accept accountability for her own actions, we should be so wise.
Resiliency
is not for the weak of heart. I should know because I've had lots of
practice trying to get it right. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. But I
am now in a situation that requires that I figure it out sooner rather
than later.
Find the door! That was the charge to my cross country runners every time they stood at the start line of the race. Why? If they were runn...