It has been a pretty overwhelming few weeks for me.  I’ve been learning, studying and taking in so much. From my time at Q in NYC, to talks with my wife, to today’s sermon at church.  I sometimes feel that I’ll never catch up. There’s just too much to learn. There’s too much to grasp.  In my quest to become a better husband, a better friend, a better leader, a better communicator, a better writer, a better musician, and a better wii baseball player, I have a hard time dealing with slow growth.

The problem with our world today is that we usually only see those we respect or admire when they are hitting on all cylinders. We watch Tiger win on Sunday, but we didn’t watch him practice all during the week.  We listen to our pastor deliver an incredible sermon, but we don’t watch his hours of study time.  We watch a couple with a great marriage, but we don’t see all the little things over many years that enable the greatness.   The question I have to ask myself is Am I willing to do what it takes to be great in those areas?  So what does it take to be great?  Time, talent, skill, work, education, knowledge, wisdom, experience? What do you think?

Was I the only one that thought Jim was going to propose right there on the sidewalk?!

The question is this: do they break up before the end of the season?  And if so, will they get back together?  I don’t even like to think about it, but don’t be shocked if it happens.

To follow up with yesterday’s thoughts on meeting with a friend and having a “real” conversation.  Let me tell you about a meeting this morning. I am at a business breakfast meeting with a group of people I’ve been meeting with for about 18 months.  One member brought a guest and I watched him interact with some of the other members.  It was like something out of the Office. He introduces himself to a guy and says
“Hi, I’m _______.  Where are you at again?  Greer?
Friend: “No, I’m in Mauldin”
“Have we met before, because you look so familiar?”
Friend: “Don’t think so”
“What do you do again?”
Friend: “I’m in printing”
“That’s right.”

Let me add a little commentary. Acting like you’ve met someone before when its obvious you haven’t, does not make a good impression. He tried three times to “make a connection” but it was so obvious that it was a crock.  I wanted to jump in, but decided to keep watching.  Next interaction:

“Hi, I’m_______. Who do  you work for?
Friend 2: “For _______. We do advertising”
“Oh yeah.  What’s the guys name that runs that office?”
Friend 2: “That would be me.”
“Oh, yeah.  That’s great.  Maybe we can talk about working together”

It really took a lot not to jump in.  Glad I didn’t.  It was the first time we’d met and I’m sure that would not have been the best first impression for me!  I’m learning that it is really obvious when people want to work with you, help you, learn from you, and so on; and its even more obvious when they want to use you, get something from you, or gain an advantage from you.

I don’t think I’ll be doing any business with this guy.  Makes me wonder how often I’ve made a arse out of myself and didn’t know it.

Had a great lunch today with an old friend.  He’s the worship leader at our church and has more talent in his left pinky than most. We had a real good conversation about life and all the stuff that’s going on. What was great about it though, was the level of authenticity.  I love real people. I love talking with people that feel comfortable enough with themselves and with God to be real.  Its refreshing.  It takes a huge dose of humility, which by the way is what James says God loves.

How do others see you?  How do others see me?  I hope that we are growing in humility and “realness”.

By the way, check out Lee’s new cd. Its really good. www.leemcderment.com. It’s also on itunes.

I would have to say that one of my biggest challenges I face each week are the “important” distractions (and if I’m honest, the not so important ones).  Distractions come is all shapes, sizes, and colors. Emails, phone calls to return, more emails, start on a new idea, start another book.  Instead of finishing a short list of priorities, I continue to make a longer list of distractions.  This has got to change and I would make a handsome bet that the most effective leaders out there are great at this.

The adventure continues…

Too much to even process. Best quote for me was a side comment from Mike Foster, when he said that ideas are a dime a dozen. If you want to accomplish something, then you have to implement those ideas. That was worth the price of admission folks.

Today is the first day of the Q conference. I would highly suggest it to anyone seeking to gain greater understanding about culture.  There were many great questions centered around our ability to create, shape and change culture.  It will be great to see all that comes out of the week.