by Kevin Thomas
Show me your daily habits and I can predict what you produce in products, profitability, and problems.
One of my all-time favorite authors is John Maxwell. Every day he does five things. He reads, thinks, files stories, information and articles to help him write, asks questions and writes.
He and his company call this daily habit The Rule of Five. His company does the following five every day:
Lead – We lead ourselves and our business to fulfill our purpose.
Grow – We grow ourselves and our business to achieve our potential.
Create – We create world-class leadership resources and experiences.
Excel – We chase excellence in all we do.
Serve – We serve our clients, colleagues and community.
I join good company in practicing my five daily habits. My five practices provide a quick way for me to evaluate my daily progress. They give me an up to the minute measurement of how I’m doing throughout the day. How do you measure your daily progress?
Moses recorded the following prayer in Psalm 90:12 in the Bible. “Teach us to number our days, so that we might present to You a heart of wisdom.” He understood the value of each day. According to Moses, how we use each day reveals how wise (or unwise) we are.
Why are daily habits so important? Here are a few good reasons. We have limited time on earth to become what we should and accomplish what we can. We often undervalue the worth of a day and waste it. Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year if they take care of every day.
Do I practice my five every day? Most days. Without daily goals and a plan I miss opportunities and fail to achieve my goals. The same is true of you.
If I missed a practice yesterday, I’m sure to hit it today. For instance, if I failed to pause for people today, I’m sure to connect with someone tomorrow. Therefore, never let two days go without practicing your five.
Here are my five everyday practices.
#1. I PRAY for Peace – I set aside time to connect with God through spiritual disciplines to enliven my spirit, and I pray for others, myself, situations, opportunities, and my goals to calm emotions.
#2. I PREPARE to Preach – I study my Bible to feed my soul and seek God’s guidance. I also read something to feed my mind.
#3. I PURSUE my Purpose – I write to preach, lead and publish. I also write encouraging notes, text messages and social media posts, though over the years I have lessened my social media presence .
#4. I PLAN to Lead – I study leadership and how it applies to my responsibilities. Then I prepare a written plan before meeting with others, such as leaders, potential leaders and teams of volunteers or workers.
#5. I PAUSE for People and to Play – I slow down to invest in people. They include, but aren’t limited to, my wife, children, leadership teams, church family, natural family, friends, the needy, the unchurched, and my partners. I also make time for fun, relaxation, rest and physical exercise every day. (Actually, I exercise only 3-5 times a week.)
So these are my daily practices. They help me focus on what matters most to me. If something doesn’t fit in my five, I don’t allow it to become part of my pattern (habits) or sacred rhythm (habits). If you feel scattered instead of focused, find your five.
If you don’t know your five, it might take a month or two or longer to identify them. Trial and error is part of the discovery process. But the discovery will be worth your efforts and pay big dividends throughout your life.
If, at first, you find a practice that’s really not a core practice, replace it. If a practice becomes irrelevant replace it. For instance, if one day I’m no longer preaching. I’ll replace practice #2 with something that matters to me at that time in my life.
Once you determine your five, they shouldn’t change often. You have to be consistent to see real results.
Your Turn
What are your daily five practices (habits)? Write them down and schedule your life, ministry and business around them.
Remember, your daily habits determine what you produce in products, profitability, and problems.
http://www.kevinthomasministries.org
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