Filed under: Uncategorized
At some point after I learned to read, I realized that the best books kill the fewest trees to make the most sense. Since I learned to write, I realized it’s exponentially harder to write something good and short. The best books are usually little and the best writers get to the point quickly. The point here is that success comes from doing more of the right things and less of the wrong things over time (the “over time” part is critical). Three steps to more success: Switch on, Count up, and Count down.
1. Switch on
One of the best little books in my collection is Kevin McCarthy’s The On-Purpose Person. Success hinges on knowing exactly what one is to accomplish. If you want success this year, know your purpose. Jesus knew his purpose and he never missed a day doing it (Mt 20:28). This article will help you find your purpose. Once you know your purpose, counting incremental successes helps keep you going.
2. Count up
A friend of mine was recently discouraged. His church plant was not having the impact he thought it would have. Attendance was low, as were offerings.
Such is the life for most entrepreneurs–even for those of us doing Christ’s work. We’re the guys who do more with less. New churches introduce ten times more people to Christ than churches more than fifteen years old. Church planters make more disciples faster–it’s a mathematical fact, and it will be a great day when established churches act like it matters. Only five percent of established churches sponsor new ones, so the money’s always tight. You can see how we might get discouraged!
Self-pity does not, however, make anything easier. In fact, dwelling on the negative just adds to the pressure. Instead of dwelling on what you don’t have, count up your blessings.
My friend tells me that his church of about 50 welcomed 14 new believers into the Kingdom last year. Think about that! In this guy’s church it takes less than four believers to help someone find Christ. If that were true in the entire Southern Baptist Convention, we would welcome 3,750,000 new Christians into the Kingdom next year.
While a 1:4 ratio is unheard of in the company the Pastors of large old churches, it’s not at all unusual for church planters. Face it, if you are involved in planting churches, you are blessed. If you want to get blessed, you ought to hang around church planters.
Want to do even better next year? Get in touch with the new believers in your circle of influence (new customers, new students, new whatever it is you’re trying to increase). Ask them if they’d have likely come to associate with your group apart from your work. Ask them today. Really, they’ll tell you, “No, not likely.”
Count up your blessings, but don’t stop there. Ask them what it was that helped them connect, then do more of what they say worked. Count up those blessings and let them tell you how to count down the time-wasting things you do.
3. Count down
Who is the most successful person you can think of? Tiger Woods? Pat Sullivan? Rick Warren? Tom Brady? Bill Gates? Hillary Clinton? Donald Trump? I did not ask if you like them, just if they’re successful. Name your person then remember that you and I have exactly the same number of hours to get things done in a day as the person you named. Geoff Hammond has 168 hours per week. Chuck Kelley? 168. Bono? 168. Jay Leno? 168. Bradgelina? 336 (but they really are two people-seriously, they are). Jack Allen? 168. We all have the same amount of time, and we all waste some of it.
You want to be successful, and you have what it takes. Just waste less time this year than you wasted last year.
To waste less, know your purpose and do more things that align with it. If your purpose is to sell widgets, stop surfing the Web and start making sales calls. If you’re supposed to be getting an academic degree, quit playing on Facebook and study! If you’re a church planter, you’re in the business of (1) being filled with the Holy Spirit, and (2) making disciples. So get with it. Pray, talk to lost people about Jesus, and star small groups.
But wait, you say I do not understand. You have all these people clamoring for your time? You have to be in a lot of meetings? People need your advice?
To you I offer an ancient Greek expression: manurion! If your purpose is to conduct therapy, that’s great–the world needs good therapists. On the other hand, if your purpose is other than therapy, then leading those sessions is not the best use of your time. It may even be wasteful.
By count down, I mean to lessen the number of hours spent doing something other than the purpose. Spend less time with people who waste your time. Simple.
