Our Boring LIVES….

This August 2025, I went to a leadership conference, I heard Craig Groeschel, the Founder of Life Church, speak. He talked about how leadership is boring. How it looks glamorous when people see you up front, speaking at conferences or preaching every Sunday, but the backside of what you don’t see is a lot of quiet, studying, preparation, daily disciplines, and boring stuff that has to be done. In my 9-5 job, my boss calls this part of life, “eating your peas and carrots.”

Craig presented some numbers. He counted up the total number of hours he speaks or preaches a year. Consider maybe 30 minutes every Sunday, maybe some conferences, etc. And maybe he speaks about 60 hours a year. There are 8760 hours in a year. So, 60 hours equals about 0.007% of his time a year. Not even 1 percent.

What do you do with the other 8700 hours?

I have a similar life in that it can look glamorous as I sing in front of people every Sunday, and I have the privilege to travel some, teach, speak, and lead trainings, and I LOVE all of it.

Yet daily, my days are very quiet, often uneventful, somewhat boring, and I have way too much alone time.

I have to eat my peas and carrots. We all have to eat our vegetables even though we just want dessert all the time.

When you are seeking to live a life of purpose and want to do something of significance with your time and your days, the boring days can become a friction point or something we try to escape or eliminate.

Yet, the boring days are kind of like going to the gym to get the results you want; the work, time, and commitment EVENTUALLY, not instantly, produce results.

It is going to therapy, reading some books, or taking a class to see some different results in your life, and sticking with it, and allowing the time to become like sandpaper on your rough edges.

The boring days are LIFE. Real life.

If we are always focused on the fireworks of life. The dream vacation, the spotlight moments, the next big promotion, more money, more position, more power, more, more… I guarantee you will find yourself depressed and lost, because life is lived in the other 8700 hours of eating vegetables, the mundane, the simple, and the quiet moments.

One practice I have implemented to help me with my perspective, my joy, and the mundane days that fall in between the pursuit of my calling and purpose, is I have started to list my micro-achievements in my journal at night and celebrate my day.

I throw myself a little party in my mind and tell myself, “Good job Girl!” I give myself an applause and celebrate the simple pieces of everyday life that we so easily forget.

I might list things like:

• Had an amazing talk with my son

• Lunch with my bestie, and it was so meaningful

• I wrote my blog!

• I got my order of Priceless t-shirts today! Yay

• I cooked a really yummy dinner

• I had a great meeting at work today

• I created a new video of my singing.

• I got my trip planned for Spring Break.

The simple, the small parts of our day that, when added together IS our life. This IS IT!

So today, my dear, I want you to celebrate YOU!! Celebrate the way you are showing up to your life, how you are rocking it as a mom or dad, how you are making it to the gym STILL and it is Feb 2nd! How you just got a raise! Or the great friend you are. The book you completed. The jigsaw puzzle you put together all by yourself over the weekend. The meals you delivered to a friend who needed support. How you are rocking it as a teacher or mentor.

Celebrate a basket of laundry folded, a grocery order done, a bill paid off, a hard workout you completed, or a financial meeting you rocked. A new program you created, a new client you secured, a new podcast you found that is making you laugh. A great hair day!

Don’t fall into the trap of believing there is something more or something different or something more glamorous… there isn’t! This IS IT.

We ALL get a few hours a year of amazing, and then day after day, night after night of the slow, mundane middle. Yet we can create more joy, satisfaction, and contentment in our lives by embracing, accepting, and celebrating the simple. So let’s do it, let’s celebrate the beauty of the 8700 hours a year of boring that make up our LIVES.

I am with you on the journey.

From My Heart to Yours,