Minute With Mallon: Fill Your Cup First!

Welcome to Minute with Mallon! 

I was working with a client today who admitted something important—he doesn’t take time to refresh or recover because he’s so focused on pouring his energy into others. The result? He was feeling depleted.

So we set a new goal:

“This quarter, I’m scheduling two blocks of ‘Me Time’ each week—time to invest in myself, so I can be full enough to pour into others.”

I reminded him of what we’ve all heard a hundred times when flying:

“In the unlikely event we lose cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Place your mask over your nose and mouth, breathe normally, and secure your own mask before helping others.”

That’s not just advice—it’s federal law. Why?

Because you can’t help others if you can’t breathe yourself.

It’s the same in leadership and life.

Personally, every morning—and I mean every single one—I grab a cup of coffee and head to a quiet spot. It might be outside or inside, depending on the season.

Then I do three things that fill me up:

●  I read one chapter of the Bible.

●  I pray.

●  I read at least 10 minutes of a good book. 

For me, these three simple things are the best possible fuel for the day ahead. It sets the day on a positive trajectory—and I need that.

There’s a beautiful ritual in the Jewish tradition called Havdalah—it marks the end of the Sabbath each Saturday evening. One part of the ceremony involves taking a goblet of wine and filling it until it overflows.

Not just full.

Overflowing!

Why? Because it’s a visual prayer. A reminder from Psalm 23:

“My cup runneth over.”

The ritual demonstrates that God fills our cup to overflowing, not just for ourselves, but so that we can pour into the lives of others.

So Fill Your Cup First ☕️

Block out two small windows of “Me Time” this week.

Treat it like a meeting with yourself.

Not because you’re selfish—but because you’re wise.

When your cup is full, you can pour into others.

But first, it’s got to be full.

Need ideas? Hit reply and I’ll share what’s working for other leaders. 📩 

Something to Ponder:

“The easiest way to keep a secret is without help.” 

I’m not going to tell you…  🤣 

Something I Learned:

I've mentioned As a Man Thinketh by James Allen several times over the years in this newsletter. It’s such a rich book.

One of the things that caught my attention when I first read it was this sentence:

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound."

What’s one area of your life where you’ve been hoping for change—without changing yourself first? What mindset, habit, or action could you start working on today to become the kind of person who naturally experiences that change? 

I’d love to hear what you come up with. It doesn’t have to be long—just hit reply and share one area where you want to improve and how you might go about it. When you write it down (and share it), it becomes real.

Something I Saw:

A gift from my friend Dan Miller who told me the story of the cup.

Want to pass this issue along? Just share this link: RobertMallon.com/Newsletter

Hope you have an incredible week!

Robert