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The Secret Sauce of Success – Part 1

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The Primary Ingredients for Success

I believe that everyone desires to be successful in life, but what success means to you may be completely different than what it means to me. Regardless of what you view as success, there is a “recipe” that contains 20 special ingredients that will help you to be successful in any area of your life. Our next two Wisdom Notes will provide you with the ingredients that you will need in your life to be successful. 

  • 1.) You have to make decisions you’re afraid to make. – All of us have fear to a certain extent. Some people are less risk tolerant than others, but unless the decision will cause bodily harm or death to you or others, then you should make the difficult and fearful decisions. Move forward with a decision based on the knowledge and experience you have at that point. “Remember, not making a decision, is a decision.” From a Biblical perspective, fear should not be an overriding character trait in us, especially if you are a person of faith. In 2 Timothy 1:7 the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
  • 2.) You have to get up earlier than you want to get up. – As a morning person, this is not a significant problem for me, but for my wife Paula, it is much more difficult. I have long since learned that she will never be a morning person, and that is fine. It’s not that you have to get up early every day, but to be successful, you must get up earlier than you would really like to. Most mornings, I desire to sleep longer. I think most people do, but it takes sacrifice to live a successful life.
  • 3.) You have to give more than you get in return right away. – ” If you only give to get in return, then success will elude you.” The principle of life is that you have to give first before you will see a return. Proverbs 11:25 puts it this way, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”
  • 4.) You have to care more about others than they care about you. – If your desire for success is driven by selfishness, then you will be frustrated most of the time and probably not be successful long term. In all areas of life, we should care for others just because of our concern for them. This is true in both personal and business capacities. The rules are always the same for both. Philippians 2:3 reads, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”
  • 5.) You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore. – If you quit when things get rough, then you will not be able to achieve success. You must be willing to fight for your dreams and goals. You need to be willing to overcome life’s obstacles. You need to continue on even when your strength is small.
  • 6.) You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter. – Even the most successful people in life feel unsure and insecure much of the time. What allows a person to be successful and to push through those feelings to achieve the results desired? Have the confidence to carry on when others would quit.
  • 7.) You have to lead when no one else is following you yet. – This is a difficult one. Most of us would like to have a tribe to lead before we begin leading. We need to lead for a cause that we believe in, and then our tribe will come to us. Proverbs 12:24 says to, “Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.” Hard work proceeds leading. Follow this pattern for success.
  • 8.) You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is. – You cannot expect others to invest in your growth if you are unwilling to first invest in yourself. “Your growth and success are your responsibility.” Even if no one else ever invests in you, it is always worth investing in yourself.
  • 9.) You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have. – If you allow your pride to get in the way, you will not succeed long term. We all look foolish at times. As long as you don’t make a habit of being a fool, then looking foolish once in a while is both a humbling and a growing experience.
  • 10.) You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off. – We will always be tempted to take the path of least resistance, but that will rarely bring success. The old saying is that the devil is in the details, which means it is the small details of a task that makes it difficult. But, they are most important. JW Marriot put it this way, “It’s the little things that make the big things possible. Only close attention to the fine details of any operation makes the operation first class.” And, the Bible in Luke 16:10 mentions how important it is for us to be honest with ourselves when it comes to the small details, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”
In our next note, we will explore 10 more ingredients that go into the Secret Sauce for Success! 

Living a Life of Significance

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Making Your Life Count

As we continue to adjust our lives and schedules to include the significant impact that our granddaughter Hazel’s leukemia is having on our world, it gives me a time to reflect on what is really important in life. That is why this Wisdom Note is titled “Living a Life of Significance.”

I believe all of us want to live a life of significance, knowing that we are making a positive impact on others and the world. The problem is that life for most of us is very hectic, and we have competing demands for our time, energy, and resources. Some days it is hard to keep our heads above water, and we constantly feel like we are being sucked into the whirlpool of life’s activities.

For these reasons, it is so important to live life intentionally and purposefully. Before Hazel’s leukemia diagnosis, I thought my schedule was jam packed, and that I could not add anything to it…and yet with this significant disruption in our lives, we are forced to choose what is most important, and realize that we have to let other things be dropped or delayed to a different season of life. It is with joy in our hearts that we accommodate these changes.

So how do can you live a life of significance?

If we are going to make this shift, we need to have an intentional mind shift from a life of activity to a life of purpose.  Begin living a more simplistic life, one where you take the time to stop and smell the roses along the trek of life and enjoy each day’s journey.

Living a simple life certainly requires intentionality. In a world that is hectic, busy, and hurried, simplicity is not. In a culture that encourages selfishness and excess, minimalism does not. And in a society that is rushing to gain more, satisfaction with less is counter-cultural.

To live an intentional life, we must begin by laying a proper foundation and then add practical steps on each day’s trek on top of it.

First, find a solid path for life.

  • Realize that your life is made up of choices. Every morning is a new day full of decisions and opportunities. You get to pick your attitude and your decisions. You don’t have to let the circumstances of your past negatively determine the pattern of your life in the future. You have a choice in the matter. You do not need to be stuck in the same pattern of living that you have been for years. Realize that every morning is a new opportunity. Thinking of this brings to my mind the Bible verses in Lamentations that we can rest in. Chapter 3 verses 22 and 23 read,

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.”

  • Evaluate the path you are taking and the tribe of people that you are trekking with. Life is not lived in a vacuum. You are on a certain path and live surrounded by a tribe with its own culture that is moving somewhere. This tribe and its culture form a steep downhill slope. Living an intentional life will require you to take a step off of the trail and evaluate the path you are on to determine where it is heading, how it is affecting you, and if it is taking you in a direction you desire. We can get guidance to make these decisions as we read in Psalm 32:8 the Lord says,

“I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.”

  • Examine yourself. Know who you are. Get a strong handle on your passions, talents, abilities, and weaknesses. Focus your time and energy on this endeavor. It is one of the most valuable things you can do. God has given all of us abundant abilities and we should use those skills, just as the Prophet Daniel did as mentioned in Chapter 6:3,

“Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.”

Second, add practical steps.

  • Decide to live your life. Stop comparing yourself to others. You were not born to live their lives. There is no sense wasting your life being jealous of someone else. Instead, you were born to live your life. Determine today to be good at it. After all, you only get one shot. As Proverbs 14:30 puts it,

“A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

  • Define a purpose. Identify what you want your life to communicate and what impact you desire to make on your world. Find a passion to live for that is bigger than yourself. Write it down. It will bring new meaning to your life. It will wake you from the slow death of only living for yourself. Matthew put it this way when he spoke of Christ in Chapter 20:28,

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

  • Set goals. Goals move us, and goals shape us. Set goals that are directly in line with your defined purpose. Goals do not need to be grand they just need to fit your season of life.  By their very nature, they will introduce intentionality into your life. In Paul’s 1st letter to the church in Thessalonica 4:11 he stated,

“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.”

  • Stay focused. We live in a world of constant connectivity and distraction that is begging for our attention nearly every moment of the day. On this trek of life, learn to take the paths less traveled. Turn off the distraction and live your life instead. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures that everyday life can bring you, if you are still enough to see them. Travel light when you can and remove nonessential physical belongings that are robbing you of time and energy that could be better spent living intentionally. Hebrews 12:1 encourages us,

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

  • Learn from others. Successful people are curious people. They possess the humility to learn from others. Identify people accomplishing their purposes and goals. Then, study them and learn from them. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to his protégé Timothy in Chapter 1 verse 13,

“Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.”

The worst thing you could ever waste is your life. We all bring value to our world and indeed the entire world. Instead, commit yourself to living intentionally and on purpose. It is then we can say that we are living a life of significance. Living a life of significance draws us closer to God and help to conform each of us as His image bearers. 

Hazel is responding well to her treatments, and the doctors are encouraged with her progress.  The chemo and steroid treatments are starting to take their expected toll on her little body. She has swollen up significantly and is losing her trademark red hair.  We realize that these results are temporary, but it is difficult to watch Hazel suffering. Through it all she has times where she is happy and smiling. I would appreciate continued prayers for Hazel and her family.

#basilforhazel
basilforhazel.org

Think and Grow Wise

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Grow in Wisdom

Another week has come and gone, and we are continuing to conquer our giants as I wrote about in our previous Wisdom Note. I am thankful for all the experiences and opportunities that God has weaved into my life. Even the very difficult one’s life Hazel’s diagnosis of Leukemia. Yes, it is overwhelming at times (okay, most of the time), but it is through the challenging times of daily life that we gain and grow in wisdom. Wisdom is obtained through years of proper thinking and experience. That is why today’s Wisdom Notes is titled “Think and Grow Wise.”

As we continue our trek of life each day, consider this: To become a wise person, you need to gain accurate, perceptive insights into human behavior and understand how this is integrated into everyday situations. You need to practice what Christ’s half-brother James wrote in his letter in Chapter 1, verses 19 and 20, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” You will need to be observers of human nature and master psychologists with excellent emotional intelligence.

You have to be willing to learn from real life experiences, not just academic study. This may mean that you keep what you know to yourself but are willing to share what you know with certain individuals that are ready to think and learn.

You need to have discernment and give advice to open-minded learners. If you desire to become wise, you will learn the talent of asking questions that lead to new understanding. This practice will bring a consciousness to yourself to communicate what you know when the situation is right and with those who are ready and willing to learn.

If you are to become wise you need to think about what you do and don’t do. You need to have a strong inner frame reference built on your integrity for your actions and statements. You need to learn to “read” situations well and understand others accurately to see through the obvious and to trust your intuition.

You will need to think through life issues and gain a sense of the hidden motives behind the actions of others. This practice will allow you to become less vulnerable to cons, threats, criticism, and manipulation. If you are able to learn this trait, then you can handle pressure and threats with humor. You will be able to remain stable and sustain self-control in times of turmoil. You will desire and expect things to work well. This will allow you to feel optimistic and self-confident when coping with rough situations.

A valuable way to understand this wisdom is to define what it is not. What is the opposite of wisdom? Here are 8 things that show a lack of wisdom:

  1. Speak or act in stupid ways, and then blame others for what happens.
  2. Speak or act in ways that cause difficulties for people or groups important to you.
  3. Speak or act in ways that lead to an unnecessary loss.
  4. Not learn from mistakes and make the same mistakes.
  5. Be out of touch with what is happening.
  6. Be bitter about the past and cynical about the future.
  7. Be outspoken about what others are doing wrong.
  8. Act in ways contrary to one’s stated values and goals, and not realize it.

How do you acquire wisdom? Here are four practical, yet simple ways:

  1. Develop life-long, child-like curiosity and a playful spirit.
  2. Be happy rather than hostile, no matter how badly life has treated you.
  3. Ask questions, explore, and desire to know how things work.
  4. Learn valuable lessons from difficult experiences.

Gaining wisdom can be defined as a three-part process:

  1. Gaining information or the raw data is the first step. Look for the kind of data you can find in books, in the research, on the internet.
  2. Knowledge through thinking is knowing or learning how to apply the information gathered.
  3. True wisdom is knowing when and under what circumstances the information and the knowledge are appropriate, or useful, or even true. And when and how and even whether to apply the knowledge you have gained.

I believe that personal wisdom begins with knowing who—and whose—we are, which allows us to live by a value system consistent with that understanding. Through this, we are able to see and appreciate, the unique gifts that God has given us. These are our personality traits, opportunities, and abilities to impact the lives of others. Appreciation is an integral part of wisdom, for we know that wisdom does not come to us naturally. It must be cultivated and nurtured through proper thinking.

If you desire a blueprint for becoming wise, one of the best ways is to study the book of Proverbs. In Chapter 1 it lays out the plan in verses 2-7,

“Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Part of growing wise is to realize that events happen in our lives that we will never fully understand . As with our granddaughter Hazel and her leukemia, we don’t understand why, but we do have faith that God will work His will through this challenge. May it all draw us closer to God and help to conform each of us as His image bearers. While she is responding well to her treatments and the doctors are encouraged with her progress, the chemo treatments are starting to take their expected toll on her little body. I would appreciate continued prayers for Hazel and her family.

#basilforhazel
basilforhazel.org

Conquering Your Giants

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Overcoming Giants in Your Life

What a difference a week can make in our lives. I was scheduled to travel to Mesa, Arizona last week to work on our construction project there. The day before I was to leave our lives changed forever.

A little over a week ago, Hazel, our 2 ½-year-old, red-headed, spunky, precocious granddaughter, who is so full of life, was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. A week ago on Saturday, we found out that our sweet little Hazel was diagnosed with pre-b acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Of course, our hearts are broken, and it rocked our foundation to its very core.

Since it was detected early and she is young, the prognosis for recovery is good, but the thought of Hazel having to suffer through two years of chemo treatments is difficult to grasp and consider. It certainly will be a major change in our lives and especially in the lives of her parents Elizabeth and Nat Miller and Hazel’s three older siblings Paul, Gideon, and Aurora. It is hard to process, especially for one so young, but we are certain that God is in control of this situation as He is in all of our lives. We will be much more involved with Elizabeth, Nat, and the grandkids’ lives as we assist and we all adjust to a life that is no longer what our normal was.

Fortunately, Nat’s parents also live locally and are very involved with the grandkids. We would ask you to pray for Hazel and her tribe, and also for us as grandparents that we would have the wisdom, insight, and understanding to make prudent choices and be able to help wherever it is needed.

Both sets of grandparents spent all of the last week cleaning and sanitizing their home in preparation of Hazel’s return after the first 8 days of solid chemo treatments. We finished just a few hours prior to Hazel’s return.

I had the privilege to speak at church this past Sunday and had chosen the topic of “Conquering Your Giants” about a month earlier, since there were several in the church that are going through difficult health issues along with other struggles. Little did I know when I chose this topic that there would be such a huge giant in my own life. This week’s Wisdom Note includes some excerpts of the message from Sunday. I trust that you can apply them in your own life.

In Numbers 13 shortly after the Israelites left the bondage in Egypt during the exodus, they were about to conquer the inhabitants of the Promised Land. Moses sent 12 spies into the land to assess the situation. Two spies came back ready to move forward, which were Caleb and Joshua, the other 10 were scared to move forward and disagreed with them.  In Numbers 13:31-33 they said, “But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. ‘We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!’ So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: ‘The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!'”

Some 425 years later we see a small 15-year-old shepherd boy David had the opposite view when he attacked and killed the Philistine giant leader Goliath with just a sling and a stone.  In 1 Samuel 17:48-51 we read, “As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.”

In the Bible passages above the Israelites faced literal real giants, but the true giants that they needed to conquer were not the external giants that they could see, but the internal giants of fear, doubt, and lack of faith in a good and gracious God.

We all have giants in our lives, not literal 10’ giants but they are just as big, just as real, just as scary, and we feel like grasshoppers when we see them. Those giants can take the form of unemployment, financial pressures, drink, drugs, pornography, relationship issues, personal health issues, or even health issues of someone we love.

So let me ask you – what is your giant? More importantly though is the question, how can you conquer your giant?

When I chose this topic several weeks ago, little did I know that just a week ago our family would be facing a giant that would rock our world to its core. A situation that would set into motion an upheaval in our lives, which will impact us and change our lives from this point forward.

It is one thing to see the giants that others are facing and think, yes, that is big but really not grasp the magnitude of just how big that giant is to that person. It is quite another thing to be facing the giant yourself and feeling that you are just a grasshopper in its sight, especially when that giant is not a 9.5’ behemoth but is a set of microscopic cells that are out to destroy the life of your 2.5-year-old fiery red-headed granddaughter who is so full of life.

While the prognosis is very good the word Leukemia or blood cancer strike a real fear in our hearts. Especially knowing that it is a long, at least two year, treatment regimen that will further destroy her little body before restoring it to health. Observing this and knowing what she is going through will be very difficult and she will not understand.

When our grandson Kip was told that Hazel was in the hospital because she was ill, he was told Granny and Gramps were going to be there also. He thought about it and told his mom, Hazel Basil will be okay, Granny & Gramps are there. For me, one of the worst things is to realize that there is nothing that Gramps can do to fix her situation.

Many of you are facing your own giant issues daily and you do feel like grasshoppers in their sight. That is exactly what the evil one wants you to feel. Hopeless, helpless, defeated.

We do live in a world that has been tainted with sin and decay. It is great to know that we have a God that is greater than a 10’ tall giant and microscopic cancer cells.

As we travel on this trek of life together, we must realize and understand that the odds are against us. Sooner or later death will be a reality for all of us. This life, whether many years or few is just a drop in the ocean of eternity. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57.

O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our biggest giants that we face is not the situation that we are currently in, but fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of financial destruction, fear of sickness and fear of death. We become fearful when we take our eyes off of God and focus on our giant that we need to conquer. When we allow ourselves to become grasshoppers instead of holy children of God. The opposite of fear is faith. Faith that God will see us through the darkest nights because He is the light. 1 John 1:5 tells us, “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.”

Even when our faith falters, and it will at times, God will give us a chance to continue on and move forward as he did for the children of Israel when some 40 years later Joshua led them in. Joshua still faced the same giants in the Promised Land, but he moved forward to victory. An interesting point though is, even after spending 40+ years with Moses and seeing all of God’s miracles, God had to encourage Joshua with these words in Joshua 1:6-9 6, “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

What was God’s solution for Joshua to overcome fear? Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you.

This is the same solution for us when we face our giants, even if they are microscopic. We need to spend time in God’s Word and obey everything written in it so that we can be strong and courageous.

We can live with less fear and discouragement for the Prophet Isaiah chapter 41:10 tells us.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

We need to focus on God, NOT giants. We need to conquer out giants by meditating on God’s Word and obeying Him. We need to have a faith that will conquer our fears. We need to stand strong regardless of whether our giants are as large, or larger than Goliath of Gath, or as microscopic as a cancer cell. God will give us the strength and courage to conquer our giants through faith in Him. As the writer of Hebrews tells us in Chapter 11, verses 1 through 3, faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Jesus taught us what our attitude towards life should be when the giants of life overwhelm us in Luke 12:22-31.

Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

The whole matter may be summed up with the following couplet:

Focus on giants – you stumble.
Focus on God – your giants are conquered.

You are not a grasshopper – Lift your eyes, giant slayer. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you.

#basilforhazel

Dealing with the Major Obstacles of Life

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Overcoming Obstacles

In this Wisdom Note we want to determine, the best way to take huge and overwhelming tasks or goals and break them into manageable segments. Or the question we will ask today is, “How do you eat an elephant?” And the answer is always, “One bite at a time.” Let me assure you that no actual elephants were harmed during the creation of this newsletter.

Most of us have heard this saying, probably many times. But that does not lessen its value. I know I have used it with my children throughout the years. Even now that they are all adults, when they come to me with a huge issue that they are facing, I always remind them, “Just eat the elephant one bite at a time.”

Although I have used this phrase hundreds of times, like probably most of you, I often fail to apply this lesson in my life, as I am sure you do, too. If you view the elephant as one giant obstacle or goal that your whole life depends on, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. As we trek through life each day, we need to learn to enjoy the small bites along the way. Let’s break this into three segments.

1. It’s not just about big goals or huge obstacles.

Many people make a major mistake in being entirely overwhelmed by a huge obstacle, or focused on big goals. To keep with our hiking analogy, let’s say your goal is to become a Colorado fourteener, which is to hike all of the 53 Colorado Summits that are 14,000 feet or higher. To look at this goal all at once would be a very big obstacle to overcome, but if you strategically plan to accomplish this goal over a period of months and years, one summit at a time, then it becomes doable. If you plan on becoming a fourteener in a matter of a few weeks or months, then you are probably in for a great disappointment.

Long term goals are great and even huge obstacles can be exciting because of the challenge. For every long term goal you have or for every major obstacle you face, you want to have many short and medium term goals or tasks.

2. The beauty of small goals.

When you have small goals or minor tasks, there are a couple of advantages. First, a small goal or minor task gives you something concrete to focus on. You can easily be overwhelmed by huge tasks. If you don’t know specifically what to do or how you are going to handle it, you’re only going to get frustrated. As time goes by, you notice over and over that your goal or task still hasn’t been achieved, yet you’re not sure what to do about it. When you determine a course of action to overcome that obstacle or to complete that goal, you’re much more likely to take inspired action.

Second, you enjoy the satisfaction of accomplishing a task or achieving a goal and enjoying the benefits. Even if it’s a small task or goal, you feel good for checking it off your to-do list (whether it’s on paper or just in your head). You also get to have something that brings a little satisfaction right now. This will give you a sense of accomplishment, even though you have a long way to go to your ultimate goal or overcoming the entire obstacle.

3. Life is a journey, not a destination.

Your life satisfaction will probably be a lot higher if you view your life as a series of many small milestones instead of one huge milestone that you may or may not ever achieve. This is not to say that you shouldn’t have big goals or face major obstacles, only that you should also have smaller ones to focus on along the way.

If you want to lose 40 pounds, great. But, don’t just focus on that one huge goal. If you do, then every time you get on the scale, you’re only going to notice that you haven’t achieved your goal yet, and so you continually reinforce failure in your mind.

Instead, break it down into smaller goals. There are plenty of goals you can try to accomplish even before losing 1 pound. Maybe you want to read a book about weight loss, or find a support group, or learn a new healthy recipe. A series of small accomplishments will keep you on track and make you feel good about your life, whether or not you eventually go on to accomplish your ultimate goal. If you end up eating the whole elephant over time, that’s wonderful. But don’t forget to enjoy the bites along the way. In fact, when it comes to losing weight, small portions are a requirement.

I have to admit, the past few weeks have been a bit overwhelming for me. With the business issues I faced and the overall ramifications of the projects I am working on, all I could see was the entire elephant in front of me. I have to pause several times throughout each day and remind myself, “One bite at a time.”

This also led me to the letter to the church in Corinth that the Apostle Paul wrote when he was faced with some major obstacles. 1 Corinthians 1:8-11 reads, “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.”

When you are faced with major obstacles or are trying to accomplish huge goals, think about what Paul endured and draw your strength form the prayers of others. Learn to rely on God.