Many of us often try to game the system. It is what we do in order to stuff more activity into our busy lives. Unfortunately, gaming the system often doesn't yield the results we would hope for or expect.
Honestly, it doesn't matter how much we try to game the system. The truth remains that our time on earth IS limited, and not only is it limited, it is limited by design.
Limited time forces us to decisively choose and show those around us what, and sometimes more importantly, who is really most important to us. Essentially, how we choose to spend our time is the true comparison of who we say we are and the person we really are.
For instance, we can say that we love God. But, if we fail to spend time with Him, our actions don't match our talk. We can say that we love our families, but if all they ever see is an empty chair, won't they question what we say is most important? Time is limited, and sometimes we have to make tough choices about how we are going to spend it.
Which is why it means so much when someone chooses to spend their own time with us. Haven't the richest times in your life been the times filled with people that care for you enough that they spend their time with you, helping you to grow, learn, and laugh? Are they not the times when someone has comforted us in a hard time, shared in our time of success, or simply listened when we were in need of another perspective?
Even when there was no apparent gain for them, someone has invested something in you they can never get back. The truth is once you decide how you choose to spend your time, you can never get it back. It is gone, and never again can you walk in those exact seconds and minutes.
Perhaps, God ultimately wants to see how we react when faced with the finite before He allows us to swim in the depths of the infinite.
What are you really telling those around you is most important in your life?
August 29, 2010
August 21, 2010
Gaming the system...
Sometimes, it seems like there is simply not enough time.
Our lives are full of so much restless activity! Of course, there are some things we have to do. (I personally believe this list is a lot shorter than most people think it really is.) There are some things we choose to do, and then there are the things we would love to do, if only time permitted.
In an effort to get more done in less time, we try to game the system. We spend lots of time and money on fancy time management systems, go to day long seminars learning how to best put our rocks in a bucket, and spend hours crafting daily plans attempting to account for how and where we are going to spend our time down to the minute.
Few will ultimately put any of these plans into action, and of the few that do manage to start, many will abandon their plans when real life floods over them.
Some of us try to game the system in other ways. We go to bed late and get up early, seeing sleep as a mere inconvenience. Often, the sleep that we are missing out on is filled with gallons of caffeinated beverages.
I have been, and to some extent, still am both of these individuals.
What does all of this gaming cost us? An article on WebMD points out that chronic sleep deprivation results in reduced performance, alertness, quality of life, and can even lead to heart attacks and strokes!
What about the schedulers and optimizers among us? Are they ruled by the schedule, becoming frustrated, angry, and guilty when real life enters into the mix? Oh, and it does, to be sure. There is our way, and then there is God's way. We may think we can plan for everything, but we don't have His vision, therefore we cannot. Period.
Are you spending hours planning for and micro-managing life, and if so, are you putting your plan into action? Do those around you see you as energetic and creative, or do you simply look tired?
It is time to drink in the complete fullness and beauty of the life, time, community, and world we have been given!
How are you going to spend your time today?
Our lives are full of so much restless activity! Of course, there are some things we have to do. (I personally believe this list is a lot shorter than most people think it really is.) There are some things we choose to do, and then there are the things we would love to do, if only time permitted.
In an effort to get more done in less time, we try to game the system. We spend lots of time and money on fancy time management systems, go to day long seminars learning how to best put our rocks in a bucket, and spend hours crafting daily plans attempting to account for how and where we are going to spend our time down to the minute.
Few will ultimately put any of these plans into action, and of the few that do manage to start, many will abandon their plans when real life floods over them.
Some of us try to game the system in other ways. We go to bed late and get up early, seeing sleep as a mere inconvenience. Often, the sleep that we are missing out on is filled with gallons of caffeinated beverages.
I have been, and to some extent, still am both of these individuals.
What does all of this gaming cost us? An article on WebMD points out that chronic sleep deprivation results in reduced performance, alertness, quality of life, and can even lead to heart attacks and strokes!
What about the schedulers and optimizers among us? Are they ruled by the schedule, becoming frustrated, angry, and guilty when real life enters into the mix? Oh, and it does, to be sure. There is our way, and then there is God's way. We may think we can plan for everything, but we don't have His vision, therefore we cannot. Period.
Are you spending hours planning for and micro-managing life, and if so, are you putting your plan into action? Do those around you see you as energetic and creative, or do you simply look tired?
It is time to drink in the complete fullness and beauty of the life, time, community, and world we have been given!
How are you going to spend your time today?
July 25, 2010
When a warrior returns...
This life goes quickly. Too quickly it oft seems.
One moment you are a child of hope,
the next an older man
with not but dashed and broken dreams.
What causes a man to cease pursuit,
of that dream that as a child took root?
What causes him to step no further,
and chase no longer with passion resolute?
The demons in his mind mock and jeer,
claiming he is less than worthy.
The warrior that stood once strong and proud
now lowly kneels with quiet tears.
He once was going to change everything.
What hope he had is now withered gray.
Who owns the blame for his undoing?
Will he ever overcome the bitter sting?
For so much more this man was made,
the Lord awaits his return to the fray.
For the enemy that haunts and torments
will once again feel his blade.
When this man awakens and the warrior heart
within his brokenness cries again,
No power shall dissuade or trouble
new strength found to play his part.
Where once a man broken fell, now stands strong again.
For his hope is not lost but found.
And his enemies shall laugh no more.
When the man accepts his mission.
One moment you are a child of hope,
the next an older man
with not but dashed and broken dreams.
What causes a man to cease pursuit,
of that dream that as a child took root?
What causes him to step no further,
and chase no longer with passion resolute?
The demons in his mind mock and jeer,
claiming he is less than worthy.
The warrior that stood once strong and proud
now lowly kneels with quiet tears.
He once was going to change everything.
What hope he had is now withered gray.
Who owns the blame for his undoing?
Will he ever overcome the bitter sting?
For so much more this man was made,
the Lord awaits his return to the fray.
For the enemy that haunts and torments
will once again feel his blade.
When this man awakens and the warrior heart
within his brokenness cries again,
No power shall dissuade or trouble
new strength found to play his part.
Where once a man broken fell, now stands strong again.
For his hope is not lost but found.
And his enemies shall laugh no more.
When the man accepts his mission.
July 18, 2010
It wasn't intended for this.
If you are using something for a purpose that it wasn't intended or designed for, you have no right to get upset or angry when it doesn't work as you expect.
For instance, the other morning as I was running out of the door for a workout, I grabbed a plastic container and filled it with water. The container was a Rubbermaid 1-Quart MixerMate. While this container has a flip-top cap and certainly holds liquids, it is designed for mixing powders with liquid, not for providing a remarkable spill-proof experience. As a result, water was spilled.
At first, I was upset and frustrated. There's a nice flip-top lid on the container. It holds liquids. Therefore, it must be spill-proof. However, I was not using the product in the way that the manufacturer intended for it to be used.
Conversely, when I use it to mix powdered drinks, it works great. The powder mixes with the water effectively. I am using the product as it was intended to be used.
Our lives are not any different. Our lives have been uniquely designed and created with specific purpose and intent. When we use the life we have been given in the way that the manufacturer intended, things tend to work the way that they are supposed to. Does that mean everything is perfect? Absolutely not, however, it greatly reduces the number of challenges and frustrations that we are going to experience along the way.
Are you using your life as it was intended to be used, or do you often find yourself frustrated and upset because everywhere you turn and everything you touch seems to topple over and spill?
If it is the latter, perhaps you are using your life in a way that the manufacturer never intended for it to be used.
For instance, the other morning as I was running out of the door for a workout, I grabbed a plastic container and filled it with water. The container was a Rubbermaid 1-Quart MixerMate. While this container has a flip-top cap and certainly holds liquids, it is designed for mixing powders with liquid, not for providing a remarkable spill-proof experience. As a result, water was spilled.
At first, I was upset and frustrated. There's a nice flip-top lid on the container. It holds liquids. Therefore, it must be spill-proof. However, I was not using the product in the way that the manufacturer intended for it to be used.
Conversely, when I use it to mix powdered drinks, it works great. The powder mixes with the water effectively. I am using the product as it was intended to be used.
Our lives are not any different. Our lives have been uniquely designed and created with specific purpose and intent. When we use the life we have been given in the way that the manufacturer intended, things tend to work the way that they are supposed to. Does that mean everything is perfect? Absolutely not, however, it greatly reduces the number of challenges and frustrations that we are going to experience along the way.
Are you using your life as it was intended to be used, or do you often find yourself frustrated and upset because everywhere you turn and everything you touch seems to topple over and spill?
If it is the latter, perhaps you are using your life in a way that the manufacturer never intended for it to be used.
July 11, 2010
STOP!!!
If what you are doing today does not help you to be the best at creating your art, you owe it to yourself and to those looking to you for direction to stop.
Whether it is being the best family member, or writer, or broom pusher, you must understand that a divided focus will only prevent you from you being everything that you possibly can be.
The first step in doing this is to identify those things that you are doing that are not related to what you need to be the best at and stop doing them. Cut these things from your time budget relentlessly.
Next, start saying no. If someone asks you to do something that is not aligned with what you have been designed for, refuse to do it. Sure, there are times that you are going to need to attend an event or do something for others that is not directly related to your passion.
These are not the things that I am talking about. In fact, it is important that you still do things for others even if there is nothing in it for you. Keep in mind, the gifts and talents that you have been given are for the benefit of others, and not for your own selfish gain.
What I am talking about is getting rid of the routine time wasters that rob you of your potential. Ultimately, doing something routinely that does not make use of your unique gifts and talents benefits no one. Conversely, helping others by using the gifts that you have been given has tremendous mutual benefits.
Start making a difference by stopping. Now.
Whether it is being the best family member, or writer, or broom pusher, you must understand that a divided focus will only prevent you from you being everything that you possibly can be.
The first step in doing this is to identify those things that you are doing that are not related to what you need to be the best at and stop doing them. Cut these things from your time budget relentlessly.
Next, start saying no. If someone asks you to do something that is not aligned with what you have been designed for, refuse to do it. Sure, there are times that you are going to need to attend an event or do something for others that is not directly related to your passion.
These are not the things that I am talking about. In fact, it is important that you still do things for others even if there is nothing in it for you. Keep in mind, the gifts and talents that you have been given are for the benefit of others, and not for your own selfish gain.
What I am talking about is getting rid of the routine time wasters that rob you of your potential. Ultimately, doing something routinely that does not make use of your unique gifts and talents benefits no one. Conversely, helping others by using the gifts that you have been given has tremendous mutual benefits.
Start making a difference by stopping. Now.
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