What you have is more valuable than what you don’t have.

The thing you own is more useful than the thing you want.

Money in hand buys more than money still owed.

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence but it doesn’t fill your belly.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Faith pulls the future into the present or does it really pull the present into a better future.

God says He is the I Am not the I will be.

God asks Moses, ‘what is in your hand?’

Jesus says to the disciples, ‘the kingdom of God is near you’

Paul writes, ‘the word of faith is in your mouth and in your heart’

So why do we keep looking out there for what we already have?

Now go back and read this post again… it will make more sense!

Most of us are always looking for the one thing. That one key to breakthrough. That one shift that will change our lives and the lives all around us.

I actually think it is the built-in weakness of  revivalist evangelical thinking. If we just get that revival then our world and the city we live in will be changed.

Unfortunately for us life is much more complicated. It is full of nuance and shades. You can’t break it down into the one thing. (sorry Marcus)

The one thing is for linear thinkers. Those who depend on order and steps to life. The kind of thinking that gets entirely thrown for a loop when something comes at them from a direction they didn’t expect. Thinkers like me!

We look for that one filter, that one key, that one concept that will change our lives. In reality it’s that one idea that bounces you around to another concept that helps you remember to take care of that other thing and pay attention to the way you speak to someone else.

Forget the three keys to happiness or the ten steps to success. Trying to find the ONE thing often results in stagnation. We become consumed with looking around us instead of looking forward. We analyze instead of capitalize. Looking for the key to our next level is a good excuse for staying on this level.

So forget the ONE thing, except maybe this:

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” Philippians 3:13b

Yeah, I know, the bible does every once in a while talk about one thing. But it’s not one key to life it’s simply the one thing you need to do next. BIG difference.

So what am I saying? Stop looking for the ONE thing that will revolutionize your _____ (business, marriage, life… fill in the blank). Instead look for the NEXT thing you need to do to move forward into your destiny. It may be a subtle difference but it could be the difference between stagnation and moving forward.

Keep charging forward.

God isn’t asking you for the greatest sacrifice, he’s asking for the greatest impact. Now it may be that the two are often synonymous but not necessarily.
I wonder how often we have missed the opportunity to make an impact because we thought we had to make a sacrifice.

I know that God’s call to faithfulness sometimes means sacrifice but let’s not forget the call to fruitfulness. It’s entirely possible to become a martyr when God called a conqueror.

I’ve seen people settle for things in their life, claiming sacrifice, acting the martyr but never acheiving God’s purpose for them. Even Paul pointed out that if there was no resurrection then we’ve sacrificed for nothing.

Sacrifice may be a virtue but it’s not always Godly.

The thing is, what are you sacrificing for?

Seek and you will find.

We’ve all heard that before. It’s been a rally cry for perseverance. If you search long enough and don’t give up you’ll find what you are looking for.

WRONG!

No matter how long you search you won’t find anything unless you are looking in the right place. Thebreward for seeking comes to the persistant but to the one who persists in the right place.

The other day we were in Madrid and decided to go on one of those double decker tour buses. We paid the person at our hotel reception and got directions. I understood that the pickup point was near the bullring we had visited the night before. So off we went map in hand looking for the double decker MadridVision bus.

The problem was I misread the map and turned left toward the bullring instead of right. We waited for the bus for thirty minutes. I asked a couple of people where the bus stop was but my limited Spanish gave very little help.

In the end I reviewed a street map for quite awhile until I realized we were in a completely different part of the city than where the bus stops were. So after walking another twenty minutes we finally found the right bus stop.

My point is this: it didn’t matter how long we searched for the bus we couldn’t find it because we were in the wrong place. We could have persisted all day and never found the bus.

So many people do the same thing in life. They look for answers in all the wrong places. They ask for advice from people who are no farther ahead than they are. They want someone to confirm what they already think not challenge them. If you want to find the solutions in life you need to ask someone who has already found some solutions.

Before you start searching, consider where you will look.

What do you think?

If you rehearse the mistakes of the past you will repeat the mistakes of the past.

Often we tell ourselves we could have done something differently. Or we could have done more but in reality, we probably did everything we knew to do.

Memories can be torturous. If only we had acted differently. But we didn’t because we didn’t know how to. Can’t change that. Just because we would act differently now doesn’t matter.

Now here’s the kicker. If you keep going over your past mistakes in your mind you are destined to repeat them. Learn from them yes, but don’t keep rehearsing them.

The past is the past. It’s best leave it there since it rarely has any place in your future.

What do you think?

John 15:1-2 (New International Version) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Lean is better.

Too many things going on causes clutter and reduces fruitfulness.

Fruitfulness is the litmus test of activity. What does it produce?

If an activity produces nothing measurable, perhaps it should be eliminated.

If a program produces limited results, perhaps it should be cut back.

Allowing all of your passion to flow in singleminded purpose results in the greatest fruitfulness.

Too much time is wasted trying to resurrect dead branches, dead works and dead activities and programs. Cut them off!

Don’t confuse efficiency with effectiveness.

Put your energy into fruitful activity.

Consider the ROI of your business ventures. Don’t keep pouring good money after bad.

It is a strength to know when to prune. It is a skill that you can develop.

Trim your life and you’ll be more productive and fruitful.

Philippians 3:13 (NLT) No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

HELLO…..HEllo…..hello…. The sound of my voice echoing in cyberspace.

When I started this blog, I really had only one purpose. I wanted to keep myself somewhat accountable as I worked on becoming more productive and self-disciplined. What I discovered along the way was this incredible community of bloggers and the great friendships that came along with it.

Anyways….. I’m coming back to my roots in all of this. I’m not a business blogger. I’m not trying to make any money from this blog as it is purely enjoyable to me. In that sense I guess I’m somewhat unusual. Not that I don’t make any money but that I’m hanging around the business section of the blogosphere. At least that’s what Liz says.

So what am I saying…? Well… I’m trying to get to the fact that in the off-line world (is that the right thing to call it?), I lead a couple of really cool churches and run a company that has some cafes, real estate and a candy store. I’m an entrepreneur by most definitions. And that means that I need to learn to keep up. I read a few great blogs, like Successful-Blog, Make it Great and Seth Godin’s Blog. I’m always reading books about management, leadership, business and philosophy.

Now I’m starting something new. At least new to me! I’m working through the E-Myth Mastery book by Michael Gerber. E-Myth and Michael Gerber are probably almost the best know among small business development programs. The book cover says he’s the World’s #1 Small Business Guru. I first heard of E-Myth in 2001 from a friend who used to buy up underperforming Subway Restaurants, turn them around and then sell them. His recommendation got me started on the E-Myth books and I’ve found them extremely helpful.

I need your help!

Now here’s where you come in. As I work through this book, I’m sure I’m going to have questions and need some help. So every Wednesday, would you be so kind as to drop in and take a look at where I am in the process? Maybe you would have a suggestion or comment that could help me make my business better. I’ll do my best to share where I’m at as clearly as possible and explain my dilemmas. Hopefully that will give you some food for thought and maybe in the process we could work some through some of your obstacles too. What do you think?

I’ve been going through this period of time where I’m really not feeling very motivated. I know that I could blame the weather or other external circumstances in my life, but it really is up to me to find MOTIVATION.

Here’s a few things I’m doing that might help you:

• Remaining productive and doing SOMETHING.
  I found this really great article by Yaro Starak. While everything he says may not apply to your particular situation, I’m sure you will find something to help. I know I did.
• Remembering that things may not be as they appear.

  A quote from the roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius:

  “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”

  This quote reminds me that many of the things that in fact de-motivate me don’t have to. It’s up to me to change the way I look at things around me and to review my “estimate” of it.

• Focussing on the positive and looking for solutions.
  It’s easy to get de-motivated by negative things. Stress, bills, misunderstandings all work to kill your motivation. Focus on the great things and see solutions rather than problems. It really does help!

So there’s some things that I’m doing, what are you doing? Let’s talk!

This simple questionnaire will quickly assess the probability of success in your life, profession and relationships. As you answer each question, think about a particular area of your life and use it to fine tune that particular area.

For each question score yourself based on this scale
1 for Always – 2 for Most of the time – 3 for Occasionally – 4 for Rarely – 5 for Never

• Do you stick to tasks after the initial excitement wears off?
• Do you like hard work?
• Do you keep your thoughts focussed?
• Do you have a daily routine that you stick to?
• Do you fail regularly?
• Do you think about what you do before you do it?
• Do you try to do things that only you can do?
• Do you enjoy what you do?
• Do you get up early in the morning?
• Do you make a list, prioritize items and then systematically complete them?
• Do you seize opportunities when they appear?

Now add up your score.
If you scored less than 14 you are on your way to succeeding in this area. As long as you are clear about your goals you can easily achieve them.

If you scored between 15 and 27 you are set for moderate success but could be very successful if you applied yourself more consistently

If you scored between 28 and 40 you are struggling with mediocrity in this area at best. However, with some key changes you could achieve success in all areas of your life.

If you scored more than 41 you are either messing with the test or you’re in deep trouble.

So… how’d you do? See anything you need to change or a success you should celebrate? Why don’t we talk about it in the comments?