One of the biggest challenges in leadership is avoiding burnout. Which can be really challenging when your list of responsibilities keeps increasing, the demands on you seem endless, and you frequently get asked to do and be part of more. And when you have a passion for people and enjoy seeing others happy, this can manifest into people-pleasing and having a really hard time telling people no. After all, we genuinely want to help people! The challenge is that the demands on us and the requests of us are going never going to stop. Let’s face it, people think you’re valuable and want you to be a part of what they’re doing! But if you continue to say “yes” to everything, burnout is inevitable. But it doesn’t have to be.

5 years ago, I was in an unfulfilling job working at the Capitol, living in a cute condo in South Minneapolis, and was a five-minute walk away from a gorgeous rose garden and what became one of my favorite lakes to run around (if you know you know). One of the books I read in that season motivated me to start giving God the first part of my day (Secrets of the Vine). So, I decided I should give it a try! I committed to getting up an hour earlier every morning. And it wasn’t what I expected.