PROCESS for PROGRESS

Progress is a constant process not a one time event.  Here is an excerpt adapted from Zig Ziglar's book Over the Top that I am working into my process for 2011.

Maybe it will inspire you to make your own list or adopt things from this one as your own.  I hope 2011 is a remarkable year for you!

My "What to Consider in 2011" list for progress:

Clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night, and today is a brand-new day.

Make friends with the past, focus on the present, and be optimistic about the future.

Know that success (a win) doesn’t make you, and failure (a loss) doesn’t break you.

Be filled with faith, hope, and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy, or thoughts of revenge.

Be mature enough to delay gratification and shift focus from my rights to my responsibilities.

Know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.

Be secure in who you are, so you are at peace with God and in fellowship with man.

Make friends of adversaries, and try and gain the love and respect of those who know you best.

Understand that others can give you pleasure, but genuine happiness comes when you do things for others.

Be pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the rude, and generous to the needy.

Love the unlovable, give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless, and encouragement to the discouraged.

Look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion, and up with gratitude.

Know that “he who would be greatest among you must become the servant of all.”

Recognize, confess, develop, and use your God-given physical, mental, and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.

The STAR

In the dark lonely recesses of a stable in the Middle East, it was just another day. The sun rose, the animals were fed and watered, and daily chores were done. It wasn't until the sun had set and the stars came out that everything changed.

There, in the darkness, shown one star brighter than all the others. It could be seen far and wide. Its light peaked through the cracks in the thatch stable and brought light into a normally dark place.

Along with it came an event that would forever change the world. In an unlikely place, in an unthinkable way, the unimaginable happened.

God stepped out of eternity and into time in the form a baby to redeem the world.

From that moment until this moment, people all over the world have stopped for at least one day each year to remember and celebrate Emmanuel, God with us.

In the midst of beautifully wrapped presents, gatherings of friends and family, and delicious food, I want to share a moment of celebration with you.

A moment that proclaims 

this is not just another Christmas. 

For today, in Bethlehem, a Savior is born and he shall be named Jesus. This one life will once again change the world and change us as we stand in the presence of His glorious light.

On this day, I hope you will take a moment to stand under the stars, take notice, and remember that God is with you in every circumstance.

Merry Christmas,

Chris

Visualizing Friends....Amazing!

Facebook....yes you probably have a page, you might have seen the movie, or you might be avoiding it because it doesn't make sense to you.

Whatever your feelings about Facebook, its founders, or the "why", "what", "hows" of it, there is one thing for certain; there are a lot of people using it worldwide.  Over 500 million.

What does it all mean?  I can't tell you exactly but I ran across an interesting research project by Paul Butler who is a Facebook data intern for the company.

Using the connections between friends on Facebook, Paul has created a remarkable map of the world. An actual moving illustration of the relationships that define facebook....and I would submit, our world.

Visualizing data is like photography. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, you manipulate the lens used to present the data from a certain angle.

When the data is the social graph of 500 million people, there are a lot of lenses through which you can view it. This one the locality of friendship. It is interesting to see how geography and political borders are affected and where people live relative to their friends. It is a visualization that shows which cities have a lot of friendships between them.

 

Here is what Paul said about the graphic that was created:

What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn't represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships. Each line might represent a friendship made while traveling, a family member abroad, or an old college friend pulled away by the various forces of life... When I shared the image with others within Facebook, it resonated with many people. It's not just a pretty picture, it's a reaffirmation of the impact we have in connecting people, even across oceans and borders.

Ahhhh....now there is a reason for Facebook; people, relationships, communication.  Is everything about Facebook great and wonderful and perfect?  Of course not but when you start looking at connecting people and creating connections it starts making a lot of sense.

So in this context how does this line up with how I live my daily life?  

A Guideline for us all: Matthew 22:37-39 (The Message)
 

"'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.'

How do we do that on Facebook?  I am working on the answer.... but trying....one friend at a time :-) 

If you want to read more about Paul Butlers research you can go here:  Paul Butler

 

An EMPHATIC YES.

Even the well intended can fall into the trap of too much “yes” and not enough “no.”                  - Seth Godin

I like to say YES.  I like being positive, helping others, and doing lots of stuff :-)

But lately I have been considering "yes" and have come to the conclusion that not all “yeses” are created equal.  We may say yes, but it doesn’t really mean the same thing in every situation.  Every time we say yes to a request that is made of us we choose, consciously or unconsciously, the level of commitment with which we relate to that yes.  Furthermore, what we mean when we say “yes” isn’t necessarily what the person who made the request hears.

Also, we sometimes intentionally or not become manipulative by how we say yes and what the meanings are.
 
Consider that there are three basic levels of commitment that could be behind a “yes”:

1.  YES 
(I’ll try my best but not promising it will happen)
 
2.  YES 
(I’ll do what is being asked of me....but I won't necessarily like it)
 
3.  YES 
(I promise to deliver a result, and to do what ever it takes, no matter what.)
 
Until we become mindful of the context behind each yes we deliver and receive, mischief will rule our relationships and get in the way of achieving the things that matter to us.

Also, it should be mentioned here that sometimes a NO is the best possible option if we don't really mean YES!

Matthew 5:37 in the Message says this:

"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.

The next BIG task: minutia

minutia definition: - precise details; small matters: as in: the minutia of his craft.

 
Do you ever find yourself only wanting to just deal with the bigger things of work and life?  It is much more exciting and fun.  For example; think of winning a national championship, making a movie, building a house, launching a new product, launching a ship, or winning the local county fair with the biggest watermelon.  They all have the same thing in common....minutia.

It can be challenging to stay focused and put your checklist together and focus on the minutia but of course it is obvious that the accomplishing the "small matters" are usually how we can accomplish the bigger successes. 

Think of the old saying:  

How do you eat an elephant? 

one bite at a time.

 
The point? The big things get done by taking the smaller pieces one at a time.

Toshiba Chief Executive Atsutoshi Nishida recently gave the following wisdom regarding  leadership and staying focused....these are good ideas to keep in mind as we face the minutia of our day.
 
•Keep in mind that no risk is no growth.

 
•Work with the facts. Listen to people around you, not your ego.

 
•Act quickly and decisively. Delay makes things worse, not better.

 
•Be proactive and clearly communicate your decisions.

 
•Be resilient and continue to innovate. Success is not forever, nor is failure.

There is also a Biblical principle on how we get to the bigger things.......it is doing minutia well.  Matthew 25:23 (NLT) says:

“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!"

OK....now I am off to dive into the minutia....the time for celebrating will come later.

(disclaimer: eating elephants was only an analogy....I am not suggesting making a meal of a pachyderm and this has no underlying meaning to Auburn (Tigers) beating Alabama (Elephants) in the iron bowl)