Staying Focused

The hardest person to lead is yourself.

If you can't lead yourself, you really have no business leading others.

Rick Warren has some post-it note suggestions for keeping yourself focused on the task at hand.

• Tomorrow is too late.

• Do the worst first.

• Doing gets it done.

• Tomorrow is never.

• Make the day count.

• Doing beats stewing.

• In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.

• Do it anyway.

• Get the Now habit.

• Get a “round tuit.”

• Be a doer not a dawdler.

• Why wait?

• If not today, when?

• You don’t find the time, you make time.

• Make it happen.

• If you have to do it, do it now.

• Do it or ditch it.

• Only turkeys procrastinate

• Lead-time is the gift only I can give myself.

• Beginning is half done.

• Move ahead or move aside

• Winners don’t wait

• Choose this day to use this day.

What would you add to this list?

Rick comments,

If I find myself having a hard time being motivated in some area of ministry that I’m called to do, I just get a book on it. If you have a hard time recruiting people to your ministry, go get a book on recruitment and read it. If you’re having a hard time delegating responsibility, get a book. If you’re having a hard time speaking in a Bible study, get a book on public communication.

This is "sharpening the ax," to make your job easier.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 (ESV) If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.