Achieve Great Results (Part 3)
By Jean A Sturgill | January 27, 2012
Be Committed -
After years of failed gardens, I finally succeeded. What had I been missing all those years? The right tools.
However, even with the right tools, I needed more commitment.
If I had been more committed with the earlier gardens – and more hands on – I would not have turned on the drip hoses for a few hours every other night and hoped or assumed that the garden was getting enough water. I’d have been out there turning up the dirt and looking. I would have realized what was happening. I would have discovered that I needed to stand out there with the hose every night to ensure that the water was really getting down deep in the dirt. I might have been more diligent with the application of fertilizer too! Who knows? If I had been in the yard more, perhaps I would have discovered a bit sooner all the critters that were mooching.
The successful garden had my full commitment. I was diligent in watering. I was diligent in staking. I was diligent in getting the right soil, and the list goes on.
When you have a goal, you need to realize that’s your “baby.” No one else will love it and care for it the way that you will. Any help that you receive won’t necessarily be as wholehearted as the efforts that you put in yourself. That’s just the way it typically is.
With my first gardens, I had visions of folks helping – especially since I had helped my mother and grandmother. The help never really materialized. Hubby had long hours. The boys had schoolwork, and plenty of other yard work. Ultimately, the garden was mine to do.
If you are in business, you can be assured that you will be the most committed person. If you are not committed – really committed, it won’t go anywhere. Also note, if you are leading a team of folks, they catch on quick. Your lack of commitment to your business will translate into a lack of commitment on the part of the team.
Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:22-24
We should all approach our goals that way. These verses reference the master / servant relationship. Today, that translates into the employer / employee relationship. Sometimes, it’s hard to be more committed to your job than your boss, but try. As you can see in this scripture, we are to do all things heartily as unto the Lord.
When’s the last time you really worked wholeheartedly as unto the Lord?
LIFE APPLICATION
The challenge is to approach all of your goals as if you were doing them for Jesus. Ultimately, He is the one you are trying to please. The way you work really does reflect on Him. And finally, that is the only way you will really succeed and get the most from your efforts. Consider my gardens. The hardest part each year is getting the ground ready and the planting done. However, the results will vary depending on the commitment or follow through. Pray about how committed you are to your goals. Ask God to show you where you can step it up a notch!
Your Big Challenge
Plan your next goal diligently and thoroughly. Go to God for wisdom before you start. Take your time and carefully consider each step, the costs, and the time required to complete your goals.
Put the steps to your goal on the calendar! Remember talk is not action. Resist the urge to postpone the necessary steps. Make time each day to do something toward your goal.
Purchase the right tools. Buy what you need, but only buy what you can afford. Keep track of the results as you go. Observation is your greatest tool. Don’t be absent or make assumptions at critical times.
Be committed to doing things the right way. Be committed to following through. Even if you don’t own the task – if you are an employee – treat it as if you are doing it for the Lord.
May you achieve great results wherever the Lord leads you!
Topics: Business Challenges, Learning to Walk, National Concerns, The Body of Christ | Leave a Comment »
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Achieve Great Results (Part 2)
By Jean A Sturgill | January 25, 2012
Have the Right Tools -
For years my garden failed. Each year after researching what I wanted to plant, spending money on seeds and seedlings, and taking the time to plant it, my garden would start to grow, but it never seemed to do much. Oh, I had plenty of small tomatoes or perhaps a couple of servings of beans and a few squash, but what I should have gotten did not happen.
Why? I didn’t have the right tools.
The first tool that I lacked was good information. I think that I needed to dig the soil deeper. I’m fairly sure that regardless of the drip hoses, the plants did not get enough water, and the soil was also poor.
Second, I lacked the physical tool that I needed to make the job doable. Our ground is very hard. A shovel just isn’t the right tool.
Third, I did not realize how many animals would be partaking of the crop. The year my beautiful leaf lettuce disappeared – mowed to the ground – I got a clue!
The root cause of my failed gardens was that although I thought I knew what I was doing, I really didn’t. The best tool to have is wisdom. No matter what goals you undertake, pray first.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5
After years of failed gardens, I saw the enemy that I faced. As I sat in my chair looking out the window, a deer and her offspring stood in my backyard and pulled plums off the tree. As extra plums hit the ground, a groundhog patiently waited . . . And I had thought the squirrels and the birds were eating the plums . . . My garden had not stood a chance!
I knew that it was time to stop gardening until I could resolve all the things that stood in my way. Would I buy better dirt? Would I invest in a fence? Did I really want to do this? How sure was I of the results?
Any goal you set can come to this crossroads. In business, for example, you face similar issues. Hire more folks? Buy new equipment? Update software? Change locations? Advertise? Invest in land? Rent? It does not matter what it is, remember to pray.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Perhaps if I had prayed more about my early gardens, God would have shown me the challenge that I was going to have with the animals, and I would have been able to make more informed decisions.
LIFE APPLICATION
The challenge is to ask God for wisdom before going forward with your goals. If you are led to proceed, don’t go cheap on the tools or cut corners. Purchase the right tools for the job. You don’t have to get the most expensive tools, but do get what you need. Success will be more likely because the right tools are not only a time savor, but they can make or break the outcome.
Topics: Business Challenges, Learning to Walk, National Concerns, The Body of Christ | Leave a Comment »
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