Leadership

GET BUSY

Someone gave me this advice once: "If you need to get something done quickly, ask a person who is really busy to do it." I've come to understand why this advice works. Busy people are busy for a reason--they get stuff done! Busy people are the most reliable at producing results, but they can have a life out of balance because of their busyness. Unfortunately, many student leaders fi t into the category of people who are overachievers and out of balance in their lives.

You need to learn as a young leader that when you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. For example, you have lots of activities filling your schedule, and a friend asks you to try out for the school play. If you say yes to the play, you'll have to say no to other things. You have only so much time. The number of minutes in a day doesn't change to accommodate all your desires. You'll need to learn how to say no to things, or you'll overschedule yourself and have no margin in your life. When you overschedule, you'll find yourself saying no to your family, no to sleep, or no to time with God. Time with God helps you establish clear priorities about how to spend your time.

God created you intentionally with limitations. You're not designed to do everything. He made you to be dependent on others. When you decide to learn how to make the most of your time, you'll learn to say no without feeling guilty.

Just a note: Your life may not be out of balance because you're too busy. You may be out of balance because you're too self-absorbed. If you spend most of your time focusing on your own needs, you may need to take a positive step toward finding ways to get involved with helping others at home, church, and school.

Some students who are the least happy in life are the ones who are couch potatoes. They tend to be bored with life and are filled with relational tension, especially with their parents. If this describes you, you need to do something to improve your outlook on life. If you're bored, make it a goal to fi nd something to do besides lie on the couch and watch TV or play video games. Finding constructive ways to occupy your time will help you improve your feelings about life and help you learn to be a good steward of the time God gives you.

Whether you're overstressed or underchallenged, I hope you'll take a serious look at your life and discover what you can do to bring it into balance and make the most of the time you have. You'll be amazed at what God will do with a little extra time in your schedule. Your family will notice, too, and they'll thank you for it.

Taken from "Help! I'm a Student Leader" by Doug Fields, copyright 2005, Youth Specialties/Zondervan. Used by permission. Order the book here: http://www.youthspecialties.com/product/259614

FORGETTABLE FACT

Slinkys were among the first toys to to travel into space.

POTENT QUOTABLES

"A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit."
- John C. Maxwell

"Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships."
- Charles Simic

PARTING SHOT

Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

copyright 2006 :: Youth Specialties