As part of my 2009 year-in-review & personal evaluation, I took some time to consider what I’ll be focusing on this year here at JenniCatron.tv.  It’s easy to wander, get distracted, ramble and simply say very little if I’m not careful.  So after some prayer, processing and reflection these are the five goals for my blog this year:

1. To share my thoughts, insights and observations about leadership. There is no question that I’m a leadership geek.  I find a leadership nugget in just about every situation, circumstance or person I encounter.  My blog is named “Leading in Shades of Grey” because if there is one thing I’ve learned about leadership, it’s that rarely is anything EVER black and white.  Being a great leader requires the discernment and skills to navigate the most grey of situations.  I hope my musings on the subject are helpful to you.
2. To communicate events, highlights and successes of the organizations I’m a part of – Cross Point Church & Cultivate Her.
3. To connect and encourage other leaders. I relate all to well to the sentiment “leadership is lonely” and so I hope my blog can be a place where you can connect with other leaders facing similar challenges and be encouraged that you really are not alone.
4. To share what I’m learning. Whether it be book reviews, conferences I’ve attended, scripture that’s challenging me or mistakes I’ve made, I’ll be sharing my thoughts along the way.
5. To share my life. This will be mostly reserved for my Friday Fun posts where I talk about the general stuff of my life – 1/2 marathon training, Catron House Wars, random rants about stuff that irritates me, etc.  There’s no real point here except hopefully to make you smile a little.

So that’s my blog plan for 2010.

Is there anything else you would like to see from JenniCatron.tv this year?

In honor of the start of the US Open, I thought I would share another life lesson from the game of tennis…

This recent tennis obsession of mine is proving to teach me more about myself than about the actual game.  I’m sure I’ll never be a tennis pro, but at least I’m learning something along the way.

I’ve been taking tennis lessons for a little over a year now and for most of that time we’ve been simply working on the fundamentals and building muscle memory for consistent hitting.  It’s just been recently that we’ve actually started to play for points and, well… let’s just say that any confidence I was developing went right back out the window.  It’s one thing to be able to consistently return a shot when you’re casually hitting.  It’s an entirely different deal when points are on the line and competition kicks in.  (And have I mentioned before that I’m a bit competitive?)

Here’s what I’ve realized: I play tennis much like I play the game of life – defensively and reactionary.

In my tennis game, I respond to hits coming to me rather than directing the course of play.  I react to what I’m given rather than creating shots that get my opponent moving and reacting.

In life, I tend to wait to see what is coming at me and then respond defensively rather than stepping out to take some risks and try new things.  I tend to be on guard, protecting what I know rather than pushing forward confidently to try new things.

As a result, I miss things.  I miss big wins.  I don’t anticipate well and I miss opportunities.  All because I’m waiting for the ball to come to me rather than directing the course of play.

I know that God has big dreams for me and yet too often I’m sitting around waiting for those opportunities to come directly to me rather than rushing the net and going after it.  I believe that God wants the best for us but I also believe He’s looking for a little intentionality on our part… a little risk… and a lot of faith.  There is no way that we can live like that if we’re waiting for the perfectly predictable shot.  Perfect, predictable, easy-to-return shots are few and far between.  You’ve got to lean in, get on your toes and anticipate where God’s leading you and go for it!

I’ve become a little obsessed. Every night this week I’ve been watching highlights and matches from the opening week of Wimbledon.  And you can bet I’ll be glued to it this week too.  In fact I just discovered the Wimbledon iphone app.  Now I’ll have scores and highlights at my finger tips.  Good thing it’s a short week at work…

I’ve always been a fan of tennis but since I started taking lessons a year ago, my obsession has grown.  The more I understand about the game, the more appreciation and respect I have for the players and what it takes to be the leaders of the sport.

Isn’t this true about other areas of life?

The more we know and understand about someone else’s “game” – their role, responsibilities, challenges, etc - the more compassion we have and the greater our appreciation is for their accomplishments.

As someone who aspires to be a great leader, I find myself more and more sympathetic to other leaders as I learn and grow in my leadership.  I can remember being in my early 20’s and questioning the decisions and actions of my leaders.  Only now being in a similar role with greater responsibilities do I truly understand the pressure of the game they were in.

I could elaborate on this thought, but I won’t for now.  There’s another match for me to watch.

But seriously, where in life have you developed more respect and compassion for someone else because you gained a greater understanding of what it takes to be in their shoes?

This morning I participated in Ellie’s Run for Africa, a cross-country 5K race to raise money for families and children in Africa.  The founder, Ellie, birthed this dream at the young age of 10.  It’s inspiring to watch the impact she is making!

This morning Ellie prayed for us and cheered us on as we ran.  I couldn’t help but be moved by the compassion and leadership of this young girl!

(This video is a couple of years old but it gives you a chance to hear Ellie’s heart and dream for Africa.)

The motto of Ellie’s Run is “Dream Big, Take Action.”

What dream has God given you?  It’s time to take action!