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Proverbs 1:22,32-33; (NIVV) “How long will you simple ones love your simple ways?…For the waywardness of the simple will kill them and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Another key aspect of putting forth productive effort is the willingness to learn. Learning and being teachable requires the ability to accept the fact you don’t have the answers and the willingness to seek out those who do.

For years I thought I had all the answers and those answers got me a 5 week “vacation” in a chemical dependency center, a “heart to heart” with an agent from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the loss of most everything I had by the time I was 28 years old.

In the last couple of years of my addiction I found myself unteachable because I found my answers in my drugs…can you say “wayward, simple and complacent?” (See Proverb above)

In chapter one of Proverbs, Solomon is being kind by using the word “simple” instead of stupid. What he is really saying is stupid people do stupid things and in turn reap the consequences of “stupid.”

In my years of working with addicts and alcoholics as well as people trying to improve themselves, I have found those who are willing to be taught are less likely to be “stupid” and in turn achieve one goal after another. Those who don’t like to be told, taught or corrected are more likey to be “stupid” and remain stuck in a vicious cycle their “answers” have created.

When I decided to try and get my life back on track in the fall of 1987, I made a decision to spend at least a year seeking out the answers instead of providing them. I chose to take the cotton out of my ears and I placed it in my mouth. I sought out wise counsel through addiction counselors and sponsors who had been where I was. I began attending 12 Step self-help meetings, I began reading self-help books…I began to become teachable and in turn slowly found my actions to be purposeful and productive instead of stupid and foolish… Proverbs 12:15; “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

Putting forth productive effort requires a keen knowledge of what you are trying to produce. This only happens by being willing to be taught and admitting you do not have all the answers. It also requires the humility to seek help from someone “above” your knowledge zone whether you can meet with them in person or through their writings. (I assume business and life gurus like John Maxwell, Jim Collins and Stephen Covey would probably not take my call for help and is why I read their books.)

If you want to put forth productive effort as a husband, seek advice and learn from a great husband, if you want to put forth productive effort as a mother, seek advice from a great mother. If you want to be the best at your job, seek help from a co-worker who is considered the best. If you want to lead in an ethical way, seek counsel from those who lead ethically. If you want to get your body in shape seek advice from someone who is in shape.

All of the advice above is sound advice and will help you, but I have found the most effective way to put forth productive effort in ALL aspects of my life is to seek help from and remain teachable to the One person who walked among us and did not error, to remain teachable to the One who overcame the biggest setback any of us face as human beings (death) and to remain teachable to the One who has all the answers; “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (Jesus is speaking in John 14:6 NIV).

Years ago, when I made up my mind to seek the answers that would prevent me from being simple and stupid, I was lead to the One who held the answers for everything, and that One is Jesus.

It is a daily walk and only happens if I seek His help first thing in the morning through prayer and Bible reading and stay in touch with Him during the day. What many of us do not realize is Jesus wants us to be great at everything we do and will therefore provide us with the guidance, strength, and wisdom (often times through other people) in order to succeed if and only if we remain teachable by seeking His help and guidance continuously.

In Luke 11:9-10 Jesus tells us;“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (NIV)…in other words–don’t ask, don’t seek, don’t knock and in turn be stupid and reap the rewards of stupidity.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com

“Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, “I am slipping!” But your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94: 17-19 (NLT)

Productive effort not only takes the ability to properly manage time by not wasting it through cheap talk and focusing on solutions instead of excuses (previous 2 blogs), but it takes the ability to handle setbacks.

The longer I live, the more I realize that effectively handling setbacks is the cornerstone to putting forth productive effort. Those of us who can view setbacks as nothing more than setups for future growth have the ability to get back up, wipe ourselves off, learn from the setback and continue to forge ahead. I know many people who have allowed setbacks to paralyze their dreams and goals for a lifetime and it almost happened to me.

The biggest setback I’ve had to deal with in my life, was the news that my second child was fighting for his life 12 hours after he was born “normal” and would subsequently be developmentally disabled his entire life…if he lived. I handled this setback like any good alchoholic/addict; I drank and drugged until it almost killed me…which was my second biggest setback.

As I look back on that period in my life, when I was losing everything I had worked so hard to get, and suicide seemed like the only answer; I am totally blown away when I think of where I am today…”I’m not worthy” is the phrase that comes to mind.

What got me through those major setbacks over 23 years ago? Well I’m glad you asked. It was God. As I was contemplating taking my life, I turned to God in a state of desperation and said the most powerful prayer known to man, “God help me!”

Since that day, I’ve not let go of God. The Psalm above, written by David, fit my life on August 8, 1987 and it still holds true for me today.

Today I use God as a first, second, third, fourth and fifth resort. I ask Him to guide me on my journey of achieving my dreams and goals and then when a setback takes place I trust He allowed it to happen and then I ask him for direction on how to handle the setback and then I move on.

One thing we must never forget is the fact God is with us when we are on the top of mountains and God is with us when we are in the muck of the creekbed in the valley of the mountains. The key is to stay tapped into His strength no matter what is happening and the sooner we get up, wipe ourselves off, draw enlightenment from the setback, and begin climbing again, the sooner we are introduced to bigger and more beautiful mountains and in turn we find ourselves on more of a continuous climb where what used to be valleys are only dips in the path to the mountaintop.

The two biggest setbacks in my life have introduced me to “mountains” with opportunities and glorious views that I know are not humanly possible. I am grateful for those setbacks, but most of all I am grateful for an awesome God who helped me when “I was about to settle for the silence of the grave.”

Remember God is with you no matter where you are in your life. The key is asking Him for help early and often.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay @EagleLaunch.com

Proverbs 22:13; “The sluggard says, There is a lion outside.” or, “I will be murdered in the streets.” (NIV)

We all have defining moments in our life. I feel blessed to have many that have taken me to where I am today. All throughout our life God places certain people in our life and when listened to, will help take us to another level.

This was the case for me and my college basketball coach. My coach was stern, disciplined, and a very hard worker. I was happy go lucky, undisciplined and worked hard only when I liked what I was doing. Next to my mom and dad, I learned more about productive effort from my college coach than anyone else in my life.

At the beginning of my junior year of basketball I was projected to make all conference but got off to a very rough start. This was also my third year of pharmacy school and pharmacy school was becoming quite challenging. I found myself drained of energy most of the time because I was doing nothing but playing basketball and studying for school.

Early in the basketball season I could tell the coach was beginning to lose confidence in me as my game was beginning to digress. So I thought I had better meet with the coach and let him know why.

We met and I told him I knew my game was not where it should have been but it would soon get better because I was going through a very difficult quarter in pharmacy school and the quarter was about to end.

He looked at me and said; “Jay, excuses are like our hind ends (actually used a different word for hind end), we all have them and they all stink” and then he walked out of the room.

Man was I pissed off.

Today I am so glad my coach said that to me because excuses truly do stink and will do nothing but get in the way of the attainment of our dreams and goals. I’ve referenced that moment with my coach many times over the years when I am struggling with a situation where I have more excuses than solutions.

I’ve worked with people in recovery as well as the business and basketball world for years and the people that work hard and put forth a quality effort that equates into succees very seldom waste time on excuses.

I know people who’ve been horribly abused as children and could only find solace thru drinking and drugging and eventually became alcoholics and/or drug addicts because of their inability to handle the pain of the past without medicating it. Some of these people have an epiphany and get sober and stay sober while others don’t. The primary reason (next to finding God) some are able to stay sober is they were able to let go of their past and quit using their past as an excuse everytime things didn’t go their way or obstacles were thrown in their path.

I can remember when I first got sober. I was trying to blame everything and everybody for the mess I was in (no money, facing jail time, and the loss of my professional license). Then my sponsor said to me one day as I was “going off” about all the people who had screwed me and left me in this terrible state; he said “Jay, until you let go of the disappointments of the past there will be no future for you” and then he followed that up with the question; “whose decision was it for you to drink and drug?”

Excuses are like our hind ends, they really do stink. Letting go of the past as well as the excuses created in the past is vital in being able to put forth productive effort in the attainment of our goals and dreams.

As Solomon so eloquently states in the Proverb above, excuses turn into frightening lions and we turn into sluggards. Do you suppose Satan is the gatekeeper of excuses?

Take a moment to write down all of the excuses that are paralyzing your efforts today and make a commitment to turn these excuses over to God daily for 90 days. See who has the last word…I’ve got a feeling Satan will become one ticked off lion and you will become a happier more productive person.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com

Proverbs 14:23: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

(This is part 3 of a series of blogs focused on the “continue” phase of accomplishing goals using my P.E.A.C.E. acronym. For a more detailed explanation of P.E.A.C.E. see my blog for September 1, 2008)

The famous football coach and now T.V. analyst and motivational speaker, Lou Holtz once said; “When it’s all said and done, there is more said than done.”

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are 2 steps to achieving a goal…start and continue and the step all of us struggle with the most is continue.

Last week I talked about the importance of developing a prioritized Plan and submitting it to God on a daily basis. This week I will be discussing the importance Effort plays in executing the plan.

We all know that any type of success in life takes hard work and Effort, and if you are reading this blog you are probably a person who is trying to better yourself by whipping an addiction and/or creating a new healthy habit.

The longer I live the more I realize that it’s not just the “effort” in our work ethic that determines the fruits of our labor, but it is the quality of our effort. Quality effort requires the discipline to stay on task day after day and this takes the ability to avoid distractions.

One of the biggest distractions that often impedes our effort in continuing and accomplishing our goals is talk. I used to own a fitness center and the people that accomplished their fitness goals were the ones who came in and did their workout with very little conversation. They stayed on task and if they talked they were motivating their workout partner to go the extra mile. Let’s face it, talk is cheap.

The major difference between productive people and organizations and unproductive people and organizations is how much or how little they talk…about nonsense…about things. I’ve witnessed organizations having meetings prior to meetings and after meetings in order to make sure the meetings go/went well. I know people that take 10 minutes to explain a one sentence circumstance.

It is obviously much easier to talk than it is to do.

Years ago I was reading a book written by the sales guru Tom Hopkins and he wrote; “small minds and small people talk about things, average minds and average people complain about their circumstance and/or talk about other people, great minds and great people talk about dreams, ideas and concepts to improve themselves and/or the world they live in.”

Where are you today? Do you spend most of your time talking about “things” and other people? We all know talk is cheap and comforting, but we also need to remember and believe what Solomon says about talk in Proverb 14; talk impedes our ability to profit and will eventually lead to poverty of the mind, body and soul. Talk impedes our ability to put forth a quality effort.

Challenge yourself to limit your complaints as well as your talk about things and other people, and concentrate on conversing about ways to better yourself and the world. Productive effort equates into the continuation of the achievement of your goals.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com

“Proverbs 25:28; “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

(This is a continuation from my previous blog about the two steps in achieving a new goal; start and continue. The next several posts will deal with what it takes to continue.)

Has the following scenario ever happened to you; you make a decision to change, you pray about it, God actually starts intervening on your behalf through other people, places and things but you are unable to control your urges to go back to your old ways? You begin “constructing new walls to your “city” as Solomon talks about in Proverbs 25, and then the walls begin to weaken and eventually they come crumbling down…again.

One of the keys in keeping our walls strong and in place is to develop self-control and self-control only happens for me if I have a PLAN. My past of virtually destroying and losing everything serves as a great reminder to me how much self-control I have. My self-control is totally dependent upon having and working a plan.

Plans give us boundaries, they allow us to keep our priorities straight, they give us the ability to say no to outside forces that try to pull us away from the plan.

The planning process initially requires the willingness to commit an hour or two and sometimes more, to prioritizing what needs to happen and then envisioning what you want to happen and then reducing it to writing…i.e. transforming the dreams into goals. For example, maybe your number one goal for this year is to become a better spouse. If this is the case, then you need to take time to envision what this looks like and reduce this picture to writing. There is something “magical” about writing things down. For me, writing somehow indelibly etches the goal in my brain and the more I write the better my chances become at achieving my goals.

(I carry a journal with me everywhere I go and I’ve done this for years. I am always writing things down…keeping the plan fresh…keeping me “bound” to my plan. In this journal I have a “master” goal page dedicated to the various goals I’ve set for the year. This allows me to take a quarterly “look back” in order to track my progress.)

The next step to effective planning is to commit an hour every Sunday towards creating a day-by-day plan for the following week. Planning the days in hourly increments is the most effective way to stay “bound” to the plan. I find this hour on Sunday also helps me better prepare for everything I have going on in my life throughout the week. It prevents me from over-committing and/or under-committing, it keeps me on time and on task during the week.

Next, the planning process involves the daily ritual of reviewing the plan for the new day, in the morning, (preferably after morning prayer and devotion…during which the plan is committed to the Lord…see Proverbs 16:3 and Mark 11:24).

Finally, as the day is about to close, it is important to take a few minutes to take an inventory of the day and make any needed adjustments to the plan for tomorrow. The final step involves prayer where we thank God for His help with our plan for that day and seek His help and guidance for tomorrow’s plan.

I love the quote by Lewis Carroll, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

Make a decision today to decide where you want to go by developing a plan. Make a decision to “continue to continue” by planning weekly and daily. If you do this you are “bound” to see major improvements in your life.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com

Psalm 91:14-16; “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (NIV)

I am sure many of you, like myself, have set new goals for the New Year. All of these goals begin with a thought and then if we think about it for more than a moment, the thought becomes a vision or a dream and goals are simply dreams reduced to writing. Goals are achieved when you create a plan and execute the plan.

One of the reasons I developed my P.E.A.C.E acronym years ago was to create a simple formula for executing plans and in turn achieving goals. See “P.E.A.C.E.” September 1, 2008 Blog. The most critical step in achieving goals through the P.E.A.C.E. process is to continually ask God for His help with each aspect of it. He will help us with our Plan, Effort, Attitude, Community and Energy if we simply ask. Who gives us the ability to dream and envision? It is God and do you think he gives us this ability if he didn’t want our dreams to come true?

A few years ago I had just completed my first marathon and I had achieved my goal of breaking 4 hours and although I was completely wasted physically, I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishment. The first thing I did after the race was place a large “chaw” of tobacco in my mouth…I was celebrating my accomplishment. (I started chewing tobacco when I was 18 years old and 25 years later I was still chewing.)

As I slowly crept/crawled up the street to my car, I was congratulating other marathoners etc.. and all the time I had this big chaw of tobacco in my cheek. Then suddently a thought crossed my mind (most effective thoughts come from God) it was something like this…”how crazy is this, I just completed one of the most physical athletic tests known to man and I am celebrating by putting “dung” in my mouth and body and in turn taking years from my life?”

I remember how awkward I felt in that moment and decided it was time to quit…for good. Quitting was not the problem as I had “quit” hundreds of times in the past…staying quit was another issue. I’ve always said there are only two steps in breaking a bad habit and/or creating a new habit; Start and Continue. Most of us have no problem starting but it is the continue part that becomes quite difficult, if not impossible for many of us.

I got up the next morning and was already craving tobacco to go along with my coffee. But this time instead of giving into the craving I had a little talk with God and said “This sucks, I want to stay quit but I can’t, please give me one good reason to stay quit…then I heard God’s voice (I’ve only heard God’s voice a couple of times in my life)…He said “because you love me.” I was like, “wait God what does that mean?”

Then I sat and reflected and figured out what God was saying to me, and in a not so subtle way he said; “Jay you say you love me and you know your body is my temple, therefore you will stay quit simply because…you love me.” (An inference directly from God about being a hypocrite is a great way to get one’s attention.)

As I’ve mentioned before, a goal will not be achieved without a plan. My plan for achieving my new goal of staying quit from tobacco was plain and simple…I was going to seek God’s help early and often everyday…just like I had to do and still do with my drug and alcohol addiction.

From that point forward I placed my goal of staying quit in God’s hands one day at a time and eventually the cravings disappeared as well as the desire to ever use again. IT WAS NOT EASY BUT NOTHING WORTHWHILE IN LIFE IS EVER EASY! Staying quit certainly worked more effectively when I involved God. (I need to point out this was the first time I involved God in my desire to stop chewing tobacco…)

Are you having trouble “continuing” with a goal you started? Have you already broken a New Year’s resolution? Are you one of those people who see the dream, write it down, have good intentions, start to execute but fail to continue?

We have a God who tells us he will rescue, protect, answer, deliver and satisfy us…if we simply love him and acknowledge his name…see Psalm 91 above.

We have a God who wants us to achieve our dreams and goals and the best way to make that happen is to ask him through prayer, for the power to “continue” with the plan we have started.

He sent his son to reiterate what he said to David in Psalm 91 when Jesus is talking in the gospel of Mark; “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 NIV)

So what are you waiting for? Start and Continue and pray, pray pray.

P.E.A.C.E.

Jay@EagleLaunch.com