2 min read

Friday at Five: Fascinating Stories

Happy Friday, friends!

I'm in self-editing mode on my book, plus beginning my year end goal setting for next year.

And I'm still running.

Like many of us, life is hectic in December. It's all good things, but all of it together makes it a bit overwhelming.

All that to say, make sure to enjoy the good things that are in front of you, even if it's a lot of good things all at once!

Now on to this week's Friday at Five to help us finish the week well with five stories that'll inspire you:


🤔 Management By Wandering Around

Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest leaders in our country's history. I doubt anyone would question that.

Abraham was well known for something that people followed him would notice: the man would wander around. He would see people, talk to people, and hang around the places where information would show up.

Years later, this has been dubbed "management by wandering around."

What's fascinating: we have a habit of not wandering around.

Think about your job: Do you walk in the same places and see similar people? Think about church: do you sit in the same place? Think about the gym: do you go to the same equipment in the same order at the same time on the same days?

Try this somewhere this week: wander around, specifically to the places you don't usually wander. And see what happens. The results might surprise you.

🤔 A Trail Running Legend

Jim Walmsley is an American trail runner who just became the first male to win the UTMB this Summer. The UTMB is a 106 mile footrace around Mont Blanc, with 30,000 feet of elevation gain. This is the World Cup of trail running. Thousands of runners run the race each year.

For a long time, American men have tried to win this race. No one could.

The simple challenge: the European Alps have no comparison to mountains in the States.

How did Jim Walmsley win it?

He moved to Europe for years, learning from their running culture and playing in their mountain ranges.

To win, you often have to change your environment in some way.

What are you trying to win? What needs to change to give you the best shot at winning?

🤔 Leaders Ask Great Questions

Jesus, walking through a very hostile environment, struck up a conversation with his teenage disciples.

"Who do people say that I am?"

Disciples answer.

"But what about you? Who do you say that I am?"

Disciples answer. That answer would be preached on for thousands of years to billions of people.

The foundation for this conversation is questions. I'm fascinated by great questions right now, given that I'm writing a book on the topic.

The point here? Ask great questions.

How do you know if you've asked great questions? Great conversations follow.

🤔 Canoeing the Mountains

Lewis and Clarke believed that on the other side of the midwest was a similar geography to that of the East: downhill to the Pacific Ocean.

Imagine cresting a mountain pass to see the Rockies. Imagine how demoralized you'd be. Imagine looking at the canoe you'd brought this far.

What do you do when you bring your canoe to the mountains? You trade it in for a horse.

What canoes are you bringing to the mountains? And what do you need to trade for?

🤔 Burn the Ships

Hernan Cortés arrived in the "New World" in 1519. He had come to conquer.

Many had failed before him. They stumbled back onto their ships to come back to Europe.

What did Cortés do differently? When he got to the new world, he burned his ships. There's no turning back.

Many things should be abandoned.

A few things should have their ships burned.

Do you know what those things are for you?


Finish your week well!

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