Jim Rohn says that small disciplines move us toward success and lead to more disciplines. He advises that we read, journal, and turn our philosophies (e.g., “I am a spiritual and moral being before I’m anything else”) and values (e.g., “I highly value service to God and man”) into activity.
“It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives” (“The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle”).
Rohn agrees with the biblical ratio of work to rest: Six days of work and one day of rest. “Rest should be a necessary pause in the process of preparing for an assault on the next objective and the next discipline. The punishment for excessive rest is mediocrity.”
Facing our present reality contains the kernel of miracles, says Rohn. Robert Schuler said, “Anyone knows how many seeds are in an apple, but only God knows how many apples are in a seed.” When we face reality, still not knowing specifics of the future, that’s a good time to move forward! Acting with faith and integrity, we can enter into all that God has for us. “You can’t get what you’ve never had unless you’re willing to do what you’ve never done” (“212˚,” by Parker & Anderson). Be proactive. Just do it!
In the recent Winter Olympics, Michael Phelps won the 100 meter butterfly by .01 seconds. While second place glided to the finish line, Michael gave it one more stroke and won by a fingernail. Michael’s time was 50.08 seconds while Milorad Cavic’s time was 50.09. Of course, Phelps won more Olympic gold medals than anyone in history. Michael just kept doing it! He said about that one race, “If I would have glided, I would have lost the race.” We can’t glide to the finish lines of our lives and expect to excel.
Christ said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). In Matthew 25, Christ tells a parable of the rewards of good stewardship over what God has given us. Christ highly valued our activities and said that we could know who people are by looking at their “fruit” (Matthew 7:16, 20).
God rewards both faith and industriousness. Of course, productive activity begins with God’s grace to give us faith. If our activities are to have eternal significance, they must proceed from relationship with the Giver of Life and from godly, noble values. With God’s help, this is how to achieve a life that blesses others, pleases God, and is truly a joy to live!