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The Myth Of One

August 27, 2010 in Spiritual

Many 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.

Focus equals Flourish

March 7, 2009 in Spiritual

focus

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,

If you will cut out everything except the most important things, you will flourish. What you focus on will flourish.

Often the good things in life get in the way of the best things.

Look at the lives of the greatest leaders in history and you will find that they were relentlessly devoted to one thing. The one thing that they were passionate about. They were focused on one thing and that one thing made history.

While it might be admirable to be a jack-of-all trades, it will only result in the mediocre. Excellence always requires ruthless focus.

The thing you focus on will flourish in your life, your ministry, your job and your family.

When you are focused, vision becomes clear. Confusion dissipates.

Focus on your purpose, don’t focus on the economy.

Focus on what you are called and equipped to do and let others focus on what they are called and equipped to do.

What do you have in your hand?

May 3, 2007 in Personal Development

What’s your problem?

in handThe thing you need to succeed in life is already in you (or at least pretty close by) but most people look in the wrong place to find the answer to their problems.

It’s a cop-out to think you don’t have what it takes. If you have a problem, obstacle or challenge, the solution to it is already in your hand.

Instead of searching far and wide for the answer, start looking right in front of you. You’ll be surprised at the resources available to you that you didn’t even realize.

Think about it! What haven’t you noticed? Here’s some places to start looking.

  • Your family – there is more wisdom in your house than just you. Ask your spouse, ask your kids, ask your mother-in-law or ask your dog.
  • Your storage closet – tucked away for a future time might be the thing you need. A book, a card, something you could sell on ebay.
  • Your neighboursliving next door to you is a potential friend, confidante, co-worker or sales associate. Look over the fence.
  • Your job – networking, support, encouragement, and training. All part of the benefits of the workplace.
  • Your church – spiritual support, friends, help moving and other miscellaneous things you find at a church/synogogue/mosque.
  • Your photo albummemories can drive us forward or take us back. Either way they may hold the answer you are looking for right now.
  • Your life – a wise friend once challenged me with this statement: ‘just because you’ve never done it before doesn’t mean you don’t know how’. NO-ONE has the experience that you do!

Where do you find the resources to succeed?

What did you find? Care to share it with the rest of us? Let’s have a conversation!