Ron, great list! The two hardest for me are avoiding comparisons and letting go of popularity. I'm a natural people pleaser and I've grown up in large dynamic churches that seem to have it all together. Another to quit would be trying to do everything on our own strength. There is a temptation, even as a pastor, to let prayer and Scripture reading take a back seat because of how busy life is. There's no faster road to burnout and frustration than that.

I am in still relatively new in my position as a youth pastor in my church. I have been here for a year now and I'm wishing I had heard this advice when I first began. There has been a history of turnover in my position as I was the 4th youth pastor in 4 years. I'm hoping to stop this trend. This book would be a tremendous help as I'm still learning new things about the church and what people expect of me.

I have recently made it a goal to spend at least 5 nights a week reading non fiction in some of my personal time. If I won this book, it would make it to the top of my nighttime nonfiction reading list.

Michael,
Picture this scenario. It's 11pm on a Tuesday night. I've worked a 10 hour day filled with meetings and I am exhausted. I should go to bed. Wednesday will be the longest day of my week, the one that requires the most of me. And I'm faced with a decision. My wife has been asleep for an hour, but I sit on my couch, torn. Do I continue reading the novel that I'm 2/3 through, do I turn on my Xbox 360 and play some video games, do I open up my Bible and actually spend some quality time with God, or do I just go to sleep because I know I’m exhausted? Most nights I choose to continue reading that book, playing that video game, or (if I’m feeling motivated) having my quiet time, but I almost never go to sleep.
So I roll into the church office later than planned on Wednesday and I feel rushed and stressed all day. I make it through the day well enough, but then on Wednesday night at 11pm during my quiet time, I feel bad for staying up too late the night before so I go to bed to get more sleep. However on Thursday I feel bad for not reading my Bible enough and the cycle continues.
The Executive and the Elephant would be very helpful. I resonated with much of what you said while I read through your post about it. As a youth pastor, I tend to have a crazy schedule and I often make excuses for the way that I live my life. If I want to effectively lead the young people of my church, I need to learn how to effectively lead myself.

Thanks!
Austin