Reflections and Sacrifice

Don't look now, but summer's over! Fall arrived with the autumnal equinox, which occurred Friday, just after 5:04 a.m. EDT.  I’d be lying, though, if I didn’t tell you that part of me is sad to say good-bye to the long, carefree, and relaxing days of summer. But the other half of me is looking forward to getting back to a sense of structure in my days. This feeling probably dates back to being in school, when the slight temperature drop meant heading back to the classroom.

Summer quickly exhales her last warm breath as autumn arrives in a faint, cool breeze.  When the seasons change, I begin reflecting on deeper layers of myself.  Winter signals to me a slow silence that prepares me for an inner rebirth in the spring.  Summer teaches me to relax and “go with the flow,” and fall takes center stage as I reflect and let go. 

Everything about the fall invites letting go and self-reflection. The light fades, days are shorter, trees begin to drop their foliage – the season almost begs us to sit nightly by the fire and stare into the embers and golden of light and reflect on what habits, behaviors, or negative thoughts we are going to relinquish before the slow silence of winter sets in.  Summer brings reconnection with others in picnics, and reunions; fall is a time to reconnect to ourselves.  Of course we can reconnect with ourselves any time of year, the stimuli of fall naturally encourages us to do so. 

Now is the time to ask yourself: “What is it time to let go of?”

One of the most common misunderstandings of people in leadership is the thought that leaders have extra perks and advantages.  But what people might not understand is that leaders constantly let go and give up.

As I mentioned in a past podcast, football season is here.  As you know I am born and raised in Pittsburgh.  I grew up in the “City of Champions.”  In the 1970’s the Pittsburgh Steelers won not just one back-to-back championships, but two.  When I was in high-school, the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back championships. 

Why are back-to-back championships so rare? 

The answer is simple.  People assume that a championship team can duplicate the same results by doing the same thing.  Have you ever noticed some teams come back (no matter what the sport) to the new season and lose?  That’s because players make the mistake of failing to prepare themselves for the next year’s challenges.  They become reluctant to make additional sacrifices by training in the off season.  And what won the team a championship last year is not what keeps them there.  Leadership is the same; it requires continual change, constant improvement, and sacrificing by letting go. 

Most people have been on a diet at some point in their lives.  They might let go of eating candy to reach their goal. They might sacrifice the pleasure of drinking a fattening latte.  Whatever it is, they are willing to trade something of value to gain something more valuable. 

I have become a fan of the television reality show, Storage Wars.  In the show they auction the contents of abandoned storage units.  Have you ever seen a live auction?  It is very exciting.  The auctioneer speaks very fast, everyone present gets excited with hearts racing as fast as he speaks.  Lots of people start out bidding on an item, however; as the price goes up, the item has fewer and fewer bidders.  In the end, only one person is willing to pay the price for an item. 

The same is true with leadership; the higher you ascend, the more it’s going to cost you. Leaders are willing to pay the price.  They know that to be successful, they must change. They have to let go of what was successful yesterday to be a champion tomorrow.  

No success comes without sacrifice.  When you see success, you can be sure someone sacrificed to make it possible.  Even if you do not see your own success, you can be sure someone in the future will benefit from what you have given. 

What have you given up in the past in order to reach a goal?  So, what are you willing to let go this fall to help you reach your goal?  What one thing would you give up today that would move you closer to a goal you set for yourself? 

Take time to sit by that fire this season.  Reflect on what you can give up, and what will you focus on instead.  Set that goal, and pick up a fallen leaf. Write down on that leaf what you are going to let go off, and allow the cool faint breeze of fall to carry it away.