Margin Makes the Difference

I made the same mistake this week that I make way too often…I put too much in my schedule and found myself in constant hurry mode.  The people pleasing weakness in my personality causes me to say “yes” way too much.   So when I make this mistake I find myself living in perpetual state of hurry, moving from one thing to the next with no margin to think, process or follow up.  I find that there are 4 dangers when I don’t build margin into my schedule.DANGER #1 -  I make decisions I regret. When I'm in a hurry I tend to make bad decisions.  This week, I made a quick decision that I looked back on and regret.  It was a small decision that may seem inconsequential but a bunch of bad small decisions will eventually led to big trouble.DANGER #2 - I miss valuable leadership learnings. Solomon said in Proverbs 1:20  "Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares."  Each day we have the opportunity to gain leadership wisdom.  But if we haven’t build margin into our schedule to think and reflect we'll miss valuable learning opportunities.DANGER #3 - I lose my passion.Even though I get to spend my days doing the very thing I love, if I don't have margin I find myself losing my enthusiasm.  For me scheduling "Think time" is like pulling up to an emotional filling station.  Stopping and reflecting on what God is doing gets me excited, encourages me and fuels my passion  I just can't lead on an empty tank.DANGER #4 - I have nothing to give. If I am not growing as a leader then I will not influence the growth of the team around me.  As a leader I have a responsiblity to my followers to make sure I'm building margin into my schedule and growing every day.When will you build margin into your schedule this week to think, dream and refuel?