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"R" is for Results-Focused

Rome wasn't invented in a day, they say, but I'm sure the builders had a very specific vision in mind, as ambitious and passionate as they were...

Today, I'm really tired, and it's hard to think about all of my tasks being teleported from  the "gotta get this done" place in my world, to the ever-elusive "completed" column.  How do we stay motivated, when there seems to be no end in sight?

A little car repair shop in my hometown has a motivational sign out front that says "Keep your eye upon the doughnut and not the hole." Oops, I did it again -- brought up doughnuts :| so sorry....
Try to focus on the analogy, for a moment, instead of wondering what kind of glaze is drizzled on top, or if its topped with crunchy nuts or yummy party-in-your-mouth sprinkles, or maybe it's a gourmet doughnut with pumpkin or bacon....sorry, there I go, again...

Focusing on the solution instead of the problem is, invariably, the key factor in many a great man's (or woman's) success.  What would have happened to Noah if he put down his hammer one day and just "rage-quit?" What about Christopher Columbus? Did he wad up his all his maps and plans and have a bonfire with them because he got the destination a bit wrong? Did Harriet Tubman or Corrie Ten Boom give up on trying to save every last one of their people because they were worn out? No.

If you feel like you're losing the big vision you had when you started, take a break. Close your eyes. Picture the end results, in every detail--every sound, smell, and image--until it seems completely real to you. Think about someone who has benefited from the work you are doing, and take it all in--the end result--with all your heart.  Keep it there -- like holding your breath -- until it infuses you with fresh enthusiasm.

As my son has often said, "Anything worth doing, is worth overdoing." I laugh when he says it, but I know exactly what he means. We have ONE chance to change the world, and unless we give it all we've got, and then some, it may not be enough.  I leave you with this reminder, to give it all you've got---and go get those results!

 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. -- Galatians 6:9




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