There are things in life that can certainly irritate us, or even derail us, if we let them.
One of the things I wanted to buy over the holidays was a watch. Simple enough. Of course, being me, I had to make it complicated. I looked at Walmart, Target and even Dillard's when they had a sale. But my heart was really set on getting another Swatch. I love those watches, I have since I was a teenager. So when my mom told me she was sending us some money for Christmas , I knew I would be able to get one. This is where it gets complicated.
So she had to transfer money from one account to another in order to send it. Banks take their time to move money. Never mind doing it electronically in a few seconds. With Holidays interfering , it took a few extra days. Then when it showed up in PayPal, I quickly accepted it and started shopping for my watch again. Swatch being a European brand, not as well known in the US, there are no stores around here that sell them. I think Dallas might be the closest city I could get one in. So online I go. I make my decision, there are so many choices, and check out. Free shipping via UPS. Yeah. Then the wait starts... I get impatient and track the package. Thursday morning it scans in at the Jonesboro receiving center. I expect it later that day. I come home. Nothing. Ok, maybe tomorrow. Come Saturday, I still do not see it so I track it again. It shows delivered, left under the carport. Wait, what? I do not own a carport. Call to UPS. "Is there any way you can ask the driver where he left it?" Apparently not. Apparently I must call Swatch and get them to begin an investigation. Really? So I call Swatch. They are open Monday to Friday and it's Saturday... Surely the package is somewhere nearby. How many carports are there around here anyway? Both neighbors have one, including a house across the street. So I start with the neighbor whose driveway is right next to mine. Maybe the driver got confused. Nope nothing under their carport. Off to the one on the other side. No package there, but she remembers seeing a confused UPS driver that almost pulled into my driveway but instead went a few houses down. Hmmm. I will try across the street. No one home. Walking back to the house thinking I may have to wait until Monday and call Swatch. Then my neighbor who saw the UPS driver waves at me from her friend's house, two house down from me, and three down from her house. The package is here! Victory! And relief, and thanks to my friendly neighbor.
I get back inside the house, nice and wet, because the whole time, it was raining. I open the box, get the watch out and ... It is missing something. It is a metallic watch with links and half the clasp is missing. Oh, there it is. Am I going to have to return this? GRRR, look, they sent the extra link they removed to make it my size, and there is a tiny little rod that I can use to attach the clasp. Ok. Maybe I can fix this myself. Where are the tiny pliers? Found them. At the table, with all the parts and the tool, trying to shove this tiny rod into its home, and I drop it. Sliver rod, grey floor, need I say more. Flashlight. Broom and dustpan. Still nothing. Flashlight again, laying on the floor. Found it! I can't believe I actually found it. I need to sweep this kitchen. Back to attaching the clasp. Take my glasses off, cause my eyes don't like tiny things anymore. Careful. Got it!!!! Hey, I can wear my watch now! Praise the Lord.
Seriously, praise Him. Praise him in the good days, praise Him in the bad days, praise Him in the days when the watch you have been wanting for weeks is delivered to your neighbors, with a part missing, and you have to track it in the rain and fix it in order to wear it. Praise Him because someone you love thought about you at Christmas, praise Him because you have the means to buy it and praise Him because regardless of all the annoyances of life, He holds you in His hand and things will always work out in due time if you persevere to the end.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Pareto Principle
In this time of the new year, with all its resolutions and wishes for changes, it is good to be reminded of certain principles. The other day, as I was thinking about changes, I was reminded of the Pareto principle, or the 80/20 rule.
This principle is mostly an observation of a phenomenon, and generally states that "20% of invested input is responsible for 80% of the results obtained". This idea is generally used in management and production, but its applications are many.
Could the Pareto principle be applied to our spiritual life? Most people that are actively involved in the Lord's work recognize that 80-90% of the work is done by 10-20% of the people in any given congregation. Could we say that spending 20% of our time with God (working, praying, studying,...) can impact 80% of our life? or even 100% (think about it, the numbers do not have to add up to 100). That 20% of the relationships in our life are the most meaningful to us?
With this in mind, where do we spend our time? If we honestly sit down and tally up our day, where does it go? How we spend our days reflects where our true priorities are. Do we spend it striving to honor God or are we tangled up in vain pursuits? How much of our life is spent growing and adding value to our life and our service to God?
Now, since I mentioned growth, let's take this for a spin in the realm of self-improvement.Oftentimes, we have the misconception that we should focus on our weaknesses to make ourselves stronger. This is a mistake. Focusing on our weaknesses is the inverse of the principle, it requires 80% of your effort for 20% of the results. Focus on your strengths, that top 20%, the stuff that you are good at and become really good at it, and then spend some of your energy correcting your weaknesses but do not make it the main priority in your life. By focusing on the top 20% of your qualities - your strengths, you will see a much greater return on your investment than if you focused on the mediocre in your life.
We all must accept that we will never be the best at everything we undertake and trying to be the best at everything only will make you average in most things.Think on the parable of the talents (Mat 25: 14-30). Each man was given a different amount of talents, and yet the Lord, expected each one of them to work with what they were given and make it grow. They were not expected by their master to focus their energies on what they were not given, they simply had to grow what they had.
There is also another angle to this principle. It can be flipped to say that 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. Follow this thought. Could the majority of the stress in your life be caused by just a few things or people? Or even better yet: "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" 1 Cor 5:6. A little sin in our life can cause a lot of consequences. David and his sin with Bathsheba is an example of this (2 Sam 11)
With all that said I must add that one of the challenges can be how to determine what that top 20% is. But with some introspection and prayer, we can all recognize what some of our strengths are, and who the people that are the most important to us are. Let's start with that and grow ourselves in 2013.
This principle is mostly an observation of a phenomenon, and generally states that "20% of invested input is responsible for 80% of the results obtained". This idea is generally used in management and production, but its applications are many.
Could the Pareto principle be applied to our spiritual life? Most people that are actively involved in the Lord's work recognize that 80-90% of the work is done by 10-20% of the people in any given congregation. Could we say that spending 20% of our time with God (working, praying, studying,...) can impact 80% of our life? or even 100% (think about it, the numbers do not have to add up to 100). That 20% of the relationships in our life are the most meaningful to us?
With this in mind, where do we spend our time? If we honestly sit down and tally up our day, where does it go? How we spend our days reflects where our true priorities are. Do we spend it striving to honor God or are we tangled up in vain pursuits? How much of our life is spent growing and adding value to our life and our service to God?
Now, since I mentioned growth, let's take this for a spin in the realm of self-improvement.Oftentimes, we have the misconception that we should focus on our weaknesses to make ourselves stronger. This is a mistake. Focusing on our weaknesses is the inverse of the principle, it requires 80% of your effort for 20% of the results. Focus on your strengths, that top 20%, the stuff that you are good at and become really good at it, and then spend some of your energy correcting your weaknesses but do not make it the main priority in your life. By focusing on the top 20% of your qualities - your strengths, you will see a much greater return on your investment than if you focused on the mediocre in your life.
We all must accept that we will never be the best at everything we undertake and trying to be the best at everything only will make you average in most things.Think on the parable of the talents (Mat 25: 14-30). Each man was given a different amount of talents, and yet the Lord, expected each one of them to work with what they were given and make it grow. They were not expected by their master to focus their energies on what they were not given, they simply had to grow what they had.
There is also another angle to this principle. It can be flipped to say that 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. Follow this thought. Could the majority of the stress in your life be caused by just a few things or people? Or even better yet: "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?" 1 Cor 5:6. A little sin in our life can cause a lot of consequences. David and his sin with Bathsheba is an example of this (2 Sam 11)
With all that said I must add that one of the challenges can be how to determine what that top 20% is. But with some introspection and prayer, we can all recognize what some of our strengths are, and who the people that are the most important to us are. Let's start with that and grow ourselves in 2013.
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