My friend Tom gets things right. Among the many things he's gotten right is recording an album of kids songs he calls "Pooh Songs." We listened to it for months at bedtime around my house. I've heard that Tom may even come out of retirement and go on a (very) limited world tour for his album.
Among the songs is a gem he calls, "The Old Sailor." Its a funny and poignant poem about a shipwrecked sailor that Tom has put to song.
You can read it below.... or listen to Tom's version HERE.
The bottomline message is that you might get nothing done if you don't commit to a single task. This is because your mind plays a trick on you. It has to do with "opportunity cost."
Opportunity cost is the thing that you don't do because you choose to do something different. i.e. If you mow your lawn, you aren't visiting a friend. If you are studying genetics then you aren't learning culinary art. The twist on this is that we tend to unconsciously perceive the opportunity cost of what we do inaccurately. When you have five choices and we decide on one of them, we tend to feel like we've lost out on the sum of all FOUR other options. This isn't true at all. We've actually only lost out on ONE of the other options. If you choose to make mac & cheese for lunch, you didn't lose out on cold pizza, and a peanut butter sandwich, and a can of sardines, and soup. You just missed out of one of those. (Yes, I'm aware that you could probably eat ALL of these for lunch... but who would actually want to?)
Another related term is the "Tyranny of the Urgent." You experience this when you run all day long and discover at the end of the day that you were responding to "squeaky wheels" all day, but never got around to putting fuel in the tank. "Squeaky" is urgent (and annoying)... but fuel? You won't get anywhere without fuel.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus is recorded as saying, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
When you feel stuck, try this;
1) Pause. Breathe, and then ask the Lord "What really matters today?"
2) Choose a task
3) Give yourself permission to lay everything else down for a specific amount of time.
4) Remind yourself that "Perfect is good, but done is better."
5) Know that God is bigger.
At an Outpost there's no end to the list of tasks, but there is an end to the day. It won't all happen today, but it's critical that something happens every day. I'm sure this is true for all of us.
At an Outpost there's no end to the list of tasks, but there is an end to the day. It won't all happen today, but it's critical that something happens every day. I'm sure this is true for all of us.
"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him." - Psalm 62:1 (NIV)
The Old Sailor [Tom's version HERE]
by A.A. Milne
There was once an old sailor my grandfather knew
Who had so many things which he wanted to do
That, whenever he thought it was time to begin,
He couldn't because of the state he was in.
He was shipwrecked, and lived on a island for weeks,
And he wanted a hat, and he wanted some breeks;
And he wanted some nets, or a line and some hooks
For the turtles and things which you read of in books.
And, thinking of this, he remembered a thing
Which he wanted (for water) and that was a spring;
And he thought that to talk to he'd look for, and keep
(If he found it) a goat, or some chickens and sheep.
Then, because of the weather, he wanted a hut
With a door (to come in by) which opened and shut
(With a jerk, which was useful if snakes were about),
And a very strong lock to keep savages out.
He began on the fish-hooks, and when he'd begun
He decided he couldn't because of the sun.
So he knew what he ought to begin with, and that
Was to find, or to make, a large sun-stopping hat.
He was making the hat with some leaves from a tree,
When he thought, "I'm as hot as a body can be,
And I've nothing to take for my terrible thirst;
So I'll look for a spring, and I'll look for it first."
Then he thought as he started, "Oh, dear and oh, dear!
I'll be lonely tomorrow with nobody here!"
So he made in his note-book a couple of notes:
"I must first find some chickens" and "No, I mean goats."
He had just seen a goat (which he knew by the shape)
When he thought, "But I must have boat for escape.
But a boat means a sail, which means needles and thread;
So I'd better sit down and make needles instead."
He began on a needle, but thought as he worked,
That, if this was an island where savages lurked,
Sitting safe in his hut he'd have nothing to fear,
Whereas now they might suddenly breathe in his ear!
So he thought of his hut ... and he thought of his boat,
And his hat and his breeks, and his chickens and goat,
And the hooks (for his food) and the spring (for his thirst) ...
But he never could think which he ought to do first.
And so in the end he did nothing at all,
But basked on the shingle wrapped up in a shawl.
And I think it was dreadful the way he behaved -
He did nothing but bask until he was saved!
by A.A. Milne
There was once an old sailor my grandfather knew
Who had so many things which he wanted to do
That, whenever he thought it was time to begin,
He couldn't because of the state he was in.
He was shipwrecked, and lived on a island for weeks,
And he wanted a hat, and he wanted some breeks;
And he wanted some nets, or a line and some hooks
For the turtles and things which you read of in books.
And, thinking of this, he remembered a thing
Which he wanted (for water) and that was a spring;
And he thought that to talk to he'd look for, and keep
(If he found it) a goat, or some chickens and sheep.
Then, because of the weather, he wanted a hut
With a door (to come in by) which opened and shut
(With a jerk, which was useful if snakes were about),
And a very strong lock to keep savages out.
He began on the fish-hooks, and when he'd begun
He decided he couldn't because of the sun.
So he knew what he ought to begin with, and that
Was to find, or to make, a large sun-stopping hat.
He was making the hat with some leaves from a tree,
When he thought, "I'm as hot as a body can be,
And I've nothing to take for my terrible thirst;
So I'll look for a spring, and I'll look for it first."
Then he thought as he started, "Oh, dear and oh, dear!
I'll be lonely tomorrow with nobody here!"
So he made in his note-book a couple of notes:
"I must first find some chickens" and "No, I mean goats."
He had just seen a goat (which he knew by the shape)
When he thought, "But I must have boat for escape.
But a boat means a sail, which means needles and thread;
So I'd better sit down and make needles instead."
He began on a needle, but thought as he worked,
That, if this was an island where savages lurked,
Sitting safe in his hut he'd have nothing to fear,
Whereas now they might suddenly breathe in his ear!
So he thought of his hut ... and he thought of his boat,
And his hat and his breeks, and his chickens and goat,
And the hooks (for his food) and the spring (for his thirst) ...
But he never could think which he ought to do first.
And so in the end he did nothing at all,
But basked on the shingle wrapped up in a shawl.
And I think it was dreadful the way he behaved -
He did nothing but bask until he was saved!
