The Key to a Successful 2013: Think Practices, not Products!
If I could give you one key to a successful 2013, it would be this: Think practices, not products!
Everyone is making new years resolutions right now, and that is a good thing, not a bad thing. But make sure that your resolution takes the form of a practice, not a product. Let me explain the difference.
Here are some examples of product oriented new years resolutions:
In 2013 I will write and publish a book!
In 2013 I will lose 35 pounds!
In 2013 I will learn to speak a new language!
In 2013 I will save $20,000!
In 2013 I will memorize 100 verses of Scripture!
All of these are great goals, and if any one of them is on your list, you are definitely thinking in the right direction. In 2013 I believe God wants to move us forward in places where we feel stuck, where little or no progress has been made. We need to think big this year! In 2013 its go hard or go home!
But their are three distinct problems with product-oriented resolutions, and these problems are the reason why most people fail to accomplish their resolutions. If you understand these problems and shape your resolutions differently, I believe you cannot help but succeed in all you do!
Problem #1: Product-oriented resolutions are so daunting! We tend to set huge goals for ourselves, and every day we awaken to this huge task before us. Lose 35 pounds. Every morning I wake up to the scale, and I'm confronted by the fact that I still haven't lost 35 pounds! Product-oriented resolutions delay my sense of accomplishment for months into the year!
Problem #2: Product-oriented resolutions lead to discouragement and/or embarrassment. What if you don't lose 35 pounds? What if you only lose 25 pounds? 25 pounds is a clear win! You've changed your life in an incredibly powerful way, but it still feels like a loss because you fell short of your goal.
Problem #3: Product-oriented resolutions are short-term, and thus short-lived. To continue the weight-loss example, what happens after you lose the 35 pounds? Your only goal was to get it off. Now that you've accomplished that, are you going to go crazy with food again? People lose weight on diets all the time, but the weight doesn't stay off because the goal was to procure the product of a certain weight-loss number, rather than to establish a life-style that includes the practices that lead inexorably to weight-loss and long-term health.
Now let's look at the same group of resolutions from a practice-orientation, rather than a product-orientation:
In 2013 I will write for one hour every day!
In 2013 I will exercise at least four times a week!
In 2013 I will spend 30 minutes a day studying Spanish!
In 2013 I will save 15% of my gross income every single month!
In 2013 I will meditate on a verse of Scripture every day!
All of these practices lead to your desired products, but because the focus is on the practices, rather than the products, your heart and mind are protected from being overwhelmed by the immensity of the task of producing a product like a book, or learning a new language. Bettering your life is not about amassing more products, it is about developing the practices that make you feel good about yourself when you go to bed at night. So stop thinking about what you want to produce, and start thinking about what you will practice in 2013. Focus on those practices and get em right, and you'll produce more products than you ever thought you could possibly produce. Its called bearing fruit!
P.S. My new book, A Path Through Mighty Waters, will help you tremendously with the last resolution! :-) To buy it on Google Play, click here. To buy it on Amazon, click here.
Everyone is making new years resolutions right now, and that is a good thing, not a bad thing. But make sure that your resolution takes the form of a practice, not a product. Let me explain the difference.
Here are some examples of product oriented new years resolutions:
In 2013 I will write and publish a book!
In 2013 I will lose 35 pounds!
In 2013 I will learn to speak a new language!
In 2013 I will save $20,000!
In 2013 I will memorize 100 verses of Scripture!
All of these are great goals, and if any one of them is on your list, you are definitely thinking in the right direction. In 2013 I believe God wants to move us forward in places where we feel stuck, where little or no progress has been made. We need to think big this year! In 2013 its go hard or go home!
But their are three distinct problems with product-oriented resolutions, and these problems are the reason why most people fail to accomplish their resolutions. If you understand these problems and shape your resolutions differently, I believe you cannot help but succeed in all you do!
Problem #1: Product-oriented resolutions are so daunting! We tend to set huge goals for ourselves, and every day we awaken to this huge task before us. Lose 35 pounds. Every morning I wake up to the scale, and I'm confronted by the fact that I still haven't lost 35 pounds! Product-oriented resolutions delay my sense of accomplishment for months into the year!
Problem #2: Product-oriented resolutions lead to discouragement and/or embarrassment. What if you don't lose 35 pounds? What if you only lose 25 pounds? 25 pounds is a clear win! You've changed your life in an incredibly powerful way, but it still feels like a loss because you fell short of your goal.
Problem #3: Product-oriented resolutions are short-term, and thus short-lived. To continue the weight-loss example, what happens after you lose the 35 pounds? Your only goal was to get it off. Now that you've accomplished that, are you going to go crazy with food again? People lose weight on diets all the time, but the weight doesn't stay off because the goal was to procure the product of a certain weight-loss number, rather than to establish a life-style that includes the practices that lead inexorably to weight-loss and long-term health.
Now let's look at the same group of resolutions from a practice-orientation, rather than a product-orientation:
In 2013 I will write for one hour every day!
In 2013 I will exercise at least four times a week!
In 2013 I will spend 30 minutes a day studying Spanish!
In 2013 I will save 15% of my gross income every single month!
In 2013 I will meditate on a verse of Scripture every day!
All of these practices lead to your desired products, but because the focus is on the practices, rather than the products, your heart and mind are protected from being overwhelmed by the immensity of the task of producing a product like a book, or learning a new language. Bettering your life is not about amassing more products, it is about developing the practices that make you feel good about yourself when you go to bed at night. So stop thinking about what you want to produce, and start thinking about what you will practice in 2013. Focus on those practices and get em right, and you'll produce more products than you ever thought you could possibly produce. Its called bearing fruit!
P.S. My new book, A Path Through Mighty Waters, will help you tremendously with the last resolution! :-) To buy it on Google Play, click here. To buy it on Amazon, click here.
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So grateful you are my shepherd. Exactly what I need everytime.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is GOOD GOOD stuff, PB!! I'm now on a mission to rearrange the way I've been viewing my goals for this year!
ReplyDeleteNice! Thanks for the encouragement!
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