Check in.
This week, I was on the search for some kind of slogan for the LIFE Council because I may or may not have something going on behind the scenes that I’m excited to share with you guys soon.
The problem I ran into is slogans need be authentic – you can’t make them up out of thin air and be any good. I’m still searching (if you have ideas, don’t hide them!) but something that I’ve said to myself a lot in my training has been simple and effective.
Check-in.
It came from the first time I went on a flight. I was 15 and afraid of the whole thing. The fear must have shown on my face because when I walked to the ticket counter to get my boarding pass, the attendant gave me a look of pity. “Ever been on a flight, honey?” she asked. “No” was all I had in response. “Well right now, you just gotta check-in. Check-in then you can go to the next step.” Maybe the fear heightened my attention and it stuck with me. In the last couple of years, I started using it.
“Well right now, you just gotta check in. Check in then you can go to the next step.”
As I’ve begun to dip my toe into more intense fitness challenges like the Spartan Race, 75 Hard, and now something I can barely believe I’m chasing, the Ironman, I’ve found myself saying “check-in” a lot. When I’m about to take off for a run that I know will be tough, I check in at the trailhead. When I’m heading out into the gym for my second workout of the day, I check-in and start my warm-up.
Now I see “check-in” applies to all of LIFE. In my marriage, I need to constantly check-in. If we need to have a conversation about something, check-in. To maintain my integrity and do the right thing, I check in to who I want to be. When a friend is in need, I check in to fellowship to be there for them. In my pursuits of excellence to write a book, start the LIFE Council, and chase an Ironman I check in to the small daily processes.
Now I see “check-in” applies to all of LIFE
Check-in also means getting rid of things. When you check-in for your flight, you get rid of distraction to focus on making sure you’ve got the right gate, time, and everything you need to get where you are going. When you check in to your relationship, you take a date night and get rid of your phone by leaving it home. Checking in to your friendships means getting rid of your pride and reaching out, sometimes for no reason, to see how they are doing.
Thomas Edison said, “You do something all day long, don’t you? Every one does…The only trouble is that they do it about a great many things and I do it about one. If they took the time in question and applied it in one direction, to one object, they would succeed. Success is sure to follow such application. The trouble lies in the fact that people do not have an object, one thing, to which they stick, letting all else go.”
Check in and focus!
The goal is great and I believe in the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) from Jim Collins and adapted by my good friend Troy with Brothers and Barbells. But I know to reach your BHAG you must check in to the process and not focus on the ending.
Will “check in” become the slogan of the LIFE Council? I don’t know. But it sits with me and helps me focus on the task immediately in front me whether it’s writing 1,000 words, having a date night with my wife, or facilitating a LIFE Council retreat. So, for now, check in.
Weekend Challenge
Well, it won’t surprise you. Your challenge this weekend is to check in.
Pick something that you have on the agenda this weekend. It could be a workout, date night, lunch with a friend, learning something new, or whatever you want. Before you start, tell yourself to check in. Figure out what you must do to check in – take a moment to center on the people with you, journal about your day, or put on your running shoes. Then, figure out what you must let go – put the phone down, stop telling yourself you’re “too busy”, let go of your pride and apologize to whoever you need to.
Share what you so with me on Instagram (@LIFE.enacted) or Facebook (@Brotherslifecouncil). Be sure to use the #CheckIn
Love | Integrity | Fellowship | Excellence
ryan