Welcome to my office! In this blog I will share some thoughts about personal growth activities and the book I read this week.
Driving and Learning
As of this last Monday, my clinic schedule changed. I will now drive about 25 minutes each way Monday through Friday to our Hulen clinic. This is good for several reasons related to our team restructuring, which I know will serve our patients better. However, I?m actually sharing this with you for a different reason.
Driving 50 minutes daily means one thing to me that I am really excited about?this is great growth time! Every day, I get to listen to one full lecture by John Maxwell (I have 160 of them on my phone. I received all of them from a conference I attended a couple of years ago.)
I will be sharing some of the lessons I learn from these in the future. But for now, I wanted to share this with you to encourage you to think about taking advantage of your drive-time.
Over the years I have gone through periods where I only listened to music or talked on the phone while driving. In other seasons I was intentional about growth. Whether it?s books on CD, pre-recorded lectures, or podcasts, think about using your drive-time for growth.
The trick is planning. Be ready. When you get in the car, have a plan to learn. 
End of the Year Evaluation
What are your plans to evaluate 2013 and plan for 2014?? In these final weeks of the year, I will be spending some time to do just that. I will be sharing some of what I do in next week?s ?Welcome to My Office? blog. I encourage you to block out some time before the end of the year to prayerfully consider what you are aiming for in the coming year, and proactively articulate the lessons you learned in the previous year.
Book I Read This Week:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
A few years ago I read his deeply moving book, Tuesdays with Morrie, A must read! Since then I have wanted to read Mitch?s other books, and I finally got to read this touching fictional work about his vision of what heaven will be like, The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
The protagonist of this book is Eddie. He is an elderly man who dies in an accident while repairing roller coasters on a fictional version of the Santa Monica pier called Ruby Pier.
Mitch imagines Eddie?s spirit ascending to heaven and meeting five people who were part of his life. Some he new (like his late wife whom he had love deeply), and some he did not (like Ruby, the lady Ruby Pier is named for). Each of these people explain to him something he did not know about his life, which puts everything in perspective for him.
This book is 196 small pages. The scenes and stories are captivating. I like Mitch?s gentle approach to narration and his ability to draw you in emotionally. I hope to read the last book I have of his soon, For One More Day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Your Friend,
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