Day 16: Love to…

The first time I sat to write my list of “love tos…”  it was an early Head Coaches’ practice at Ohio State.  Chet asked us how many “love tos” we could write in five minutes.  I was off like a banshee. When Chet asked who wanted to connect the team to their list, as I was often quick to do, I volunteered.  I read my list of over fifty loves with all the passion I felt for each item. When I concluded and raised my eyes, I was met with pure silence and a room full of smiles. Apparently, my loves had resonated.  

My most recent work on my “love tos” came this weekend.  On Friday’s band call I was the recipient of the gift of some attention from Chet and David regarding the building of my business.  One song and a few questions later, I was left with the challenge of taking my big vision and clarifying its focus. As I sat and wrote, it quickly became evident that the focus I was looking for was going to come through a focus on what I loved.  I mean, what is our OPUS, after all, but a labor of love?

Here’s a taste of what I’ve awakened to from my most recent rinse.  I love to build into coaches, because by nature they tend to be close to their purpose and passions.  I love to build into women, because I believe society’s messages and expectations make it much harder for them and that they therefore have an even greater need for a strong core.  I love to be generous with my time, talent, and treasure and will look for as many ways to express that as possible. I love to give the gift of practice to those who are interested in doing the work.  

Often, we talk about our “love tos” as rocket fuel, a reservoir of energy to fuel our journey from our current state to our dream state. Our “love tos” can also serve as a way to clarify our focus, to take our energy and invest it in the people and activities that mean the most to us. So, take some time today to energize and focus. Rinse your list of “love tos.” What do they tell you about where you find your energy and where you should be focusing it?  

Life is an energy management problem AND a time management problem. As Chet and David reminded me courtesy of Mr. Mellencamp, “life is short, even in its longest days.”