Time

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. That’s the sound of time passing us by. 

It keeps rolling on. Never stopping to rest, or catch its breath. No, time just keeps chugging along. 

Depending on when you get up and how late you’re awake, your clock will count down somewhere between 43,000 to 86,000 seconds before your head hits the pillow tonight. 

What will you do with those seconds? 

Each one is an opportunity to do something worthwhile. 

Squeeze every ounce out of each one of those moments. Make each and every one of them count. 

Use them to move the ball downfield, to get things done, and most importantly to make yourself better. 

Be disciplined about it and you’ll reach the end of the day exhausted yet proud. 

Then get up and do it again tomorrow, and every day. 

The overload principle

There is a principle in physical training called the Overload Principle. 

It’s used to force your body and mind to grow by consistently pushing past your limits. 

It’s why you can and should put more weight on the bar every training session until you’ve acquired significant strength. 

The military uses the Overload Principle to forge warriors of steal. The most visible example is what the Navy Seals call Hell Week. 

Things like Hell Week have a remarkable impact on those who make it through. They inoculate them to stress by overloading their minds and bodies. They push them to their limits and develop within them the ability to endure almost anything. Navy Seals can move forward and win when things go bad on the battlefield because training prepared them. 

The same principle applies not only in the gym or ranks of the military elite but in your life as well. 

You are going to live through some pretty awful days. Bad things are going to happen and the plan you have for your day, your year, your life is going to get off track. 

This will ruin you and your chances of reaching your goals if you fail to prepare for adversity. 

Preparing for adversity is simple. Overload and stress your mind, your body, your everything to the max. 

Put yourself in uncomfortable and scary positions. 

Think about the worst possible scenarios and plan for how you’ll respond. 

If you want to get stronger physically, put more weight on the bar, train when it’s extremely hot/cold, do things that fill you with fear.  

If you want to give a remarkable presentation, practice every possible disaster scenario. Practice without slides, without handouts, without power to the building. Practice overcoming brutal objections and rudeness. Think through how you’ll respond under the worst of circumstances. 

You get the picture. 

They say circumstances don’t make character but reveal it. That’s hog wash in this case. Harsh, trying and nearly impossible circumstances can help you grow like nothing else can. They will stretch you and force you to grow in ways comfort never can. 

Step out of your comfort zone and embrace adversity. 
 

Discipline Is Not A Sometime Thing

Discipline is not a sometime thing. 

It is a whole life commitment. 

Discipline requires your devotion. All of it. 

You don’t engage discipline in one area of your life, and then neglect it in another. 

That’s not discipline. It’s what most people do. 

You don’t want to be like everyone else. You want to be extraordinary. 

You want to be better. 

Discipline either shapes every part of you or none. 

Apply discipline to every area of your life. 

Discipline isn’t some vague force floating out there somewhere. It’s an intensely personal tool that can transform your family, your work, your relationships, your fitness level, and even your faith. 

Realizing how deep, how far, and how wide discipline reaches is the hard part. Now all you have to do is apply it to things. 

Things like loving your wife regardless of how she responds, working out even when you don’t want to, and pursuing the Lord even when He feels distant. 

Each requires discipline. But you’re up for the challenge. 

What I Learned Listening to Tim Ferriss Interview Derek Sivers

I listen to the Tim Ferriss Show from time to time. I find Tim’s interviews compelling and his questions insightful. I’ve usually got a page or two covered with quotes and notes, after each episode. 

Tim interviewed Derek Sivers a while back, and it’s stuck with me. Remixes and different takes on the wisdom Derek shared spring forth from the stew of ideas swirling around my mind regularly. 

I’d like to share a few of them with you here today. Below you’ll find some of my biggest takeaways from their conversation. 

• What you know doesn’t mean squat, it’s what you do consistently that matters. You must act.
• Expect disaster.
• Be expensive.
• Think slow and deliberate.
• Think long-term. You can do everything you want. You just need foresight and patience.
• If you feel anything less than "Hell yes!" just say, "No." Otherwise, you’ll say "Yes" to many lesser things.
• Busy is out of control. Lack of time is a lack of priorities.

Give their conversation a listen if you’d like some context to go with these quotes. I've linked to it below. There’s no telling what great idea it might spark down the road. 

 Derek Sivers on Developing Confidence, Finding Happiness and Saying “No” to Millions

My 6 Favorite Books From 2016

We find ourselves nearing the end of yet another year. One in which I failed at two of my most ambitious goals, reading & writing. As the calendar turned from 2015 to 2016, I wanted to increase my intake and output of words. If you’ve been a reader of this blog for long, you’ll have noticed a definite drop in output. What you may not have noticed, unless you’re my wife, is that I have also failed to reach my reading goal for 2016. Perhaps I was a tad ambitious in putting together this year’s list by taking on several large volumes. Whatever the reason, I completed roughly half of my intention. 

Within the 25-30 books I did complete however, were several gems I’d like to share with you. If you’re still looking for that perfect gift to place under the tree for the avid reader you know, perhaps this list will help you find it. 

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan - Classic works of literature can be boring, meandering messes. As I’ve sought to read all the books the collective “they” says I should, I’ve been bogged down by author’s use of language or pace. Not so with Bunyan’s masterpiece. Intermingled in this beautiful story of Christian’s journey are biblical truths that instruct the mind and comfort the soul. As Christian makes his journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City his trials and temptations show us a familiar picture and point us to the Way. Wonderful in it’s use of language, and stunning in it’s simplicity this classic is one I plan to revisit often. 

On Writing Well by William Zinsser - This book now sits within arms reach of my desk. I often pull it down, flip through its pages and in so doing find exactly the help I need to finish my task. It serves as both an inspiration and a resource regardless of the project. If you have an interest in writing on any level, this book will guide you through rough seas and stormy gales until you’re safely home having created the best form of writing you can.      

On Writing by Stephen King - This is the only Stephen King book I’ll probably ever read, but I’m beyond glad I did. King is both immensely practical and wildly entertaining as he brings you along for the ride of how he became the writer we all know. His memoir style approach to the subject of writing is as insightful as any other book on the craft and is a joy to read, even if you have no interest in writing at all. 

Tactics by Greg Koukl - How often have you been in situations or conversations in which you felt the need to say something but weren’t sure what? In Tactics, Koukl gives you a game plan for discussing your Christian convictions with that often difficult cocktail of grace and truth. In this book you’ll learn how to frame a discussion gracefully and confidently. One of my favorite aspects of Koukl’s approach is that you can employ it from day one. There is no need to wait until you’ve finished the book to get in the game. He helps you turn any conversation into a discussion of significance, without being weird or strange.   

Do More Better by Tim Challies - There are so many resources and books out there on the topic of productivity. In a culture obsessed with getting things done, we are always on the hunt for the next nugget or hack that is going to fix everything. In this crowded space, a work has to be especially great to stand out. It was a breath of fresh air then, to download a copy of Tim Challies’ Do More Better. In this short, but powerful book Challies helps us step back and see productivity rightly and build a system to steward your gifts, talents, time, energy and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God. 

Church History In Plain Language by Bruce Shelley - It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing so much on the present and future that we forget to look at the past. What a mistake we make when we fail to consider our story and how we got here. While I haven’t quite finished reading this one, it has proven itself to be a great help already. Like most stories, this one starts with the beginning—the early church. After a very brief retelling of the life and ministry of Christ, Shelley picks up the trail of the rag tag group entrusted with carrying forth the good news of the gospel to the whole world.

Please note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Should you complete a purchase using a link from this post, at no extra cost to you, I would receive a small commission on the sale.