Looking forward to a treat in just a little bit – I am meeting with a good friend of mine for breakfast to celebrate his birthday. It is a privilege and joy to celebrate with him on his birthday. This man has impacted so many people over the years and has been instrumental in the process of so many people’s lives being transformed. His is a life to celebrate!
It struck me how important it is for us to celebrate – even the small things. It is one way of expressing a grateful heart. It is a means to teach people how to value others and to be grateful for other people. So often, we see the negatives in those around us – celebrating with them helps us to see what is special about them and to be grateful for them.
This applies for your family, friends and co-laborers. We often forget those we serve with and sometimes they are in great need of celebration. So take time today and celebrate a victory, a milestone, a step forward with someone – you will be the richer for doing so.
BG |
For the GTD (Getting Things Done) adherents, the title of this post might be akin to heresy!
But that is essentially what Michael Schrage is saying is true based upon research conducted by IBM (click here to read his post). They found that people using the email search features usually found what they were looking for faster and with fewer errors than people using complex email file folder systems (like me).
At first, I rebelled slightly at the thought of not precisely filing my emails, but then I began to reflect on how I am using my email folders and realized that while my folders helped to a certain extent, I was actually relying more now on my search function in Outlook to find what I wanted more than the folders and that the folders were actually hindering the use of the search function.
I don’t think I am quite ready to get away from my email folders yet, but I am about to simplify them greatly – today!
One question Michael asks that bears repeating is are you spending more time thinking and reflecting on how to get better organized than you are on accomplishing desired outcomes?
Blessings on your day!
BG
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Good morning – a foggy and wet morning here with some snow on the way this afternoon.
In a Harvard Business Review blog post Oliver Segovia, a young twentysomething businessman, talks about how his generation was raised to “follow their passion” to do what excited them and met their needs. He then goes on to talk about ultimately how unfulfilling that path is for them. That is understandable as at its core that path is very self-centered.
What he advocates is finding big problems and becoming part of the solution. In other words, become other focused instead of self focused – the rewards are much greater. Truly making a difference in the lives of others is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life.
I teach as an adjunct at a local college on nonprofit management. It was interesting that last night our discussion centered on international organizations that have been and are changing the lives of thousands upon thousands of lives across the world. They are at the center of the process of improving the lives of people across the globe in a very real way. Think about his – life expectancy worldwide has doubled in the last 100 years – that is absolutely remarkable. The things is, each of these organizations that are impacting people across the globe were started by an individual who saw a problem and decided to do something about the problem. The result – changed lives.
Will you be one of those people? Find a problem and be part of the solution and find the joy that comes from serving other people.
BG |
Good morning from a snowy southwest Michigan! Our family had a fun time this weekend at the Ice Festival in our little town. Did not have many of those down South!!
 An Ice Elephant Question for you – how are you spending the first part of the day at work? What is your focus? For most of us, the first part of the day is typically the most important as we are freshest, we are more creative, we have more energy, more focus and so on. So do you use that time to plan, to begin work on an important project that requires sustained thought, to create? Or do you spend your morning checking out the news, responding to e-mail, checking your social media for posts and so on. Essentially, you are squandering your most valuable and creative time simply responding to others and allowing the “news” to set your attitude for the day.
Try something different – protect the first part of your day. Block off the time and don’t allow meetings during that time. Don’t automatically go first to your email, don’t surf the news site on the web (it’s depressing anyway), don’t go to Facebook or Twitter. Instead, create something outstanding – use your best time for your most important work!
Blessings on your week!
BG |
Things are really bad aren’t they? Have you heard lately just how bad things are from the media? Are you stocking up for the great financial crash when anarchy sets in and it will be every man for himself? Are you hearing a steady stream of just how bad our world is? Are you pessimistic about the future of mankind?
Before you go jump off a cliff, Dr. Bradley Wright wants you to think about a few things that he has put in his book Upside. First of all he reminds us that the news media is a business and needs to make a profit and that with the 24/7 news cycle it has become hyper-competitive. They also know that fear sells. If they can scare you enough, you will pay attention to their newscast, website, newspaper, and so on. So fear is their primary means of getting your attention – even when what they are talking about should generate no fear at all!
Let me give you a few pieces of information from Dr. Wright’s book:
- Total compensation in the US has risen by one-third from 1980 to 2004. A family of four today actually earns 41% more than a family of four in 1970.
- Since 1955 world income has increased three-fold.
- From 1915 – 1940 between 50% – 75% of Americans lived in poverty. That number today is between 11% and 15%. Of course what we define as poverty here in the US is wealthy in the rest of the world.
- In 1981 a full 52% of people living in developing countries lived in poverty – this has fallen to 26% in 2005. A full 50% reduction in only 25 years.
- Commodities and goods are not only much cheaper now, but are of much higher quality. A measure they used is how many minutes of work does it take to purchase something. In 1920 it took 27 minutes worked to purchase a gallon of milk – in 1998 it was only 7 minutes.
- Americans now live longer than ever before. Someone born in 1900 could expect to live 47 years, born in 1950 could expect 68 years, now it is 80. Overall, life expectancy worldwide has doubled in just 100 years – an extraordinary accomplishment!
Those are just a few highlights – also, infant mortality rates have dropped dramatically, accidental deaths have dropped, there has been a radical decline in deaths from infectious diseases, AIDS cases are declining, hunger rates worldwide have dropped remarkably and on and on.
There are still serious issues in this world, but there has been great progress made and there is reason for hope. And at the center of the movements to make things better are Christians injecting grace and hope into this world.
So, don’t give in to despair and pessimism - live a life of hope and joy! Where things are broken, engage and be part of the process of redeeming a broken world for the glory of Christ. Be an agent of hope!
BG |
Good morning – unusually mild and great weather here in southwest Michigan for this time of year. As a transplanted Southerner, I surely don’t mind!
Little things matter and I saw a couple of great examples of that this weekend. Every
 Peg at LePeep Cafe Saturday morning Angela and I have a breakfast date at LePeep Cafe in downtown South Bend. They have great food, but what we really enjoy is the atmosphere in the cafe. Lots of light, great seating, nice layout and so on, but it’s the people that make the difference. One of the small things they do is a huge thing to me. There is this sweet elderly couple that comes every Saturday morning as well. Every time the staff seats them, they bring out a very nice and pretty seat cushion for the lady that they keep there just for her. If the owner, Peg, is there she usually seats them. A small thing, but huge in caring for people.
Angela is also good at the small things. We were at another restaurant that we enjoy and Angela remembered our server and her story. She is a recent graduate of Notre Dame about to start her masters program and an aspiring opera singer woking as a server at the restaurant. Angela remembered her story and that she was supposed to take a trip back South for Christmas. When Angela asked her about her trip and her life, the young lady’s face just lit up and she shared about her trip to see her family. A small thing, but a huge thing. Angela blessed her by paying attention to her.
Are you paying attention to the small things in other people’s lives? In your work? In your ministry? Sometimes a very small thing can be a very large blessing to someone. Take time today and notice the small things and do something small to bless someone else. You will be blessed.
BG |
Good Friday morning to you. It has been an intense but fruitful week for us at here Life Action, but the result was me not being able to write much this week. We are launching the OneCry Initiative next month which is a nationwide effort and we had leaders in from across the country working out key strategic issues before the launch.
Just read an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review blog about how motivation  is often not the problem with leaders who want to work on their growth, it is actually follow-through. The challenge is when we think it is motivation and we keep trying to convince ourselves in our minds to do something when we really need to stop the conversation in our head and just do something.
So make a specific decision and carry it through and when your mind starts to argue with you about it – ignore it. Getting back in shape is usually a big issue this time of year as many of us ate a tad too much over the last six weeks. In Peter Bregman’s article he makes the following suggestion of how to deal with this type situation using working out as an example:
1. Create an environment that supports your goal(s) – do things like have your workout clothes out and sitting next to your bed ready for you when you wake up.
2. Accountability – have an accoutability partner. This has worked wonderfully for my wife. She has another woman with whom whe works out and they hold each other accountable as well as encourage oe another.
3. Decide when and where you are going to work out and put it in your calendar.
4. Commit to a simple and very concrete plan that is simple to quantify.
5. Realize that the follow-through challenge will only last a few minutes – as soon as you have your workout clothes on and are headed to the gym, you will be fine. I have experienced this personally. The hard part is rolling out of bed, but once I do & have on my gym clothes I have no problem and am actually looking forward to the workout.
6. Discipline will carry you through at first, but then momentum will take over – especially as you start seeing progress towards meeting your goal.
These seem to be some good points that you could apply to many areas of your life. So, quit worrying about motivating yourself and begin taking specific steps in following through with what needs to be done to accomplish your goals.
Have a great weekend!
BG |
Well, it’s that time again – time to start afresh, time to get organized, time to set goals, and so on! Actually it can be quite intimidating can it not? |
There is some help available. Ministry Coaching International has an excellent tool called a Life Book that is in an Excel format and easy to use – and very powerful. It guides you through a process that helps you to focus on key areas of your life and gives you a means to start making progress towards those goals. It is a holistic approach to addressing the priorities in your life and gives you way forward towards those goals. |
Also, Michael Hyatt has published a very nice e-book on the life planning process. It is a  great tool and may be a great place to get started in your journey to live a more intentional life. |
However, as I mentioned last week in a post – the tools don’t really matter. All they are, are tools. What matters is what you decide is truly important and then having the discipline to do the work. As someon has said – most often we do what we really want to do. |
I hope that this year is an adventure for you! |
Well, my last post of 2011 – I think!
I just read Seth Godin’s post for today and it really struck home with me. Actually stung quite a bit as the truth of it struck home with me. Click here to read his post.
Mr. Godin mentions some of the various productivity tools that are available to us to improve our productivity – yet our productivity doesn’t improve. I love to learn and eagerly investigate and learn many of these new methods, yet when I do improve in productivity it is not really a result of these tools. I improve when I want to bad enough and am willing to do the work. Usually, as Mr. Godin comments, the reason I don’t improve is that down deep, I don’t want to or I have not been willing to do the hard work necessary to improve. That is the reason that my three ideas for an e-book are still just ideas, that is the reason my practice is not any bigger than it is, and etc.
At this time of year, many people make resolutions that are not really resolutions – they are wishes. If they were truly resolutions, the probability of them coming about would greatly increase because we are resolved to do them.
So this new year, resolve to grow in the areas where the Lord has shown you. And as Mr. Godin often comments – resolve to ship. Actually create and actually “ship” great work. Take a chance and do something that changes lives, but do it now. Don’t let fear stop you from doing what the Lord has called you to do.
Good intentions don’t count – actually “shipping” is what counts. Do something!
I hope that 2012 is a wonderful year of challenges and opportunities for you! Remember, it is what you do with those challenges and opportunities that counts – it is how you respond that matters.
BG |
The past few years have been marked by various challenges, especially of the financial variety. I do want to be quick to point out that our country has endured much worse and has come out stronger. Nevertheless, it has been a difficult time for many individuals as well as organizations. However, some people and some organizations have thrived. Why?
In his most recent book, Great by Choice, JIm Collins discusses companies that have thrived in times of adversity. Companies like Southwest Airlines and what makes them different than the others who were in similar circumstances, but fared poorly. He lists three key behaviors that were consistently exhibited by the organizations that thrived in times of adversity:
- Fanatic Discipline
- Empirical Creativity
- Productive Paranoria
Discipline is key – for individuas as well as organizations. Following is how Collins describes discipline:
“Discipline, in essence, is consistency of action—consistency with values, consistency with long-term goals, consistency with performance standards, consistency of method, consistency over time. Discipline is not the same as regimentation. . . True discipline requires the independence of mind to reject pressures to conform in ways incompatible with values, performance standards, and long-term aspirations. For a 10Xer, the only legitimate form of discipline is self-discipline, having the inner will to do whatever it takes to create a great outcome, no matter how difficult. . . They don’t overreact to events, succumb to the herd, or leap for alluring—but irrelevant—opportunities. They’re capable of immense perseverance, unyielding in their standards yet disciplined enough not to overreach.”
So – how disciplined is your organization? How disciplined are you? Is this area an opportunity for growth?
Have a great day – it is starting to snow here in southwest Michigan.
BG |
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