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.
No comments:
Post a Comment