Measure twice, cut once…this old carpenter’s adage isn’t just about saving resources. It’s also about saving time!
In carpentry, measure twice cut once means you’ve only got one shot at cutting a sheet of drywall. Therefore, be positive you have the right measurement or you could end up with too short of a piece. When a sheet of drywall is cut to the wrong length, it’s hard to find another use for it. Additionally, it’s impossible to regain the lost time. Consequently, the more valuable the materials and time-consuming the process, the more important it is to get it right the first time! As a young man, my father pounded this into my head – “always double check all of your measurements just to be safe.”
You measure and “cut” into your resources every day – your time, your team, your money, or your church. So getting it right the first time is critical. Before committing yourself to a course of action, take time and analyze the costs and benefits (measure twice, cut once). If you’re recommending something new, research the impact it will have on other people, your church, your company, department, or group. In each case, “measuring twice” (by making sure you’ve gotten all the information you need before you spend resources) you’ll actually save time, energy, and money.
Have you ever had to do something over because you didn’t measure twice? If so, what did you learn?
There are 604,800 seconds in a week, and every one of them matters (how you use them is up to you)!
As I age gracefully, I’m learning to appreciate and use the limited time I have. Twenty years ago, I began to set aside an hour each weekend and ponder this question: What is the purpose of my life? Here’s a book I recommend to get you started. Afterwards, I would take notes & craft sentences that describe my life’s purpose. I encourage you to try this – it really works!
Next, ask yourself how each part of your life (work, friends, family, hobbies) align with or relates to that purpose. Again, write it down. Are you spending your time on things that will help you achieve your purpose? If not, you know you have to make changes. When your actions are at odds with your goals, you need to make the slight, necessary adjustments.
This may seem like a simple exercise, but very few people do it. The truth is you probably already know your purpose and goals. But you may have pushed them off to the side. Or you may not have aligned your daily actions with your long-term goals. Doing this exercise will help you to do so.
A few minutes of quite reflection can give your life the clarity and sense of purpose you may lack. To keep your day-to-day choices in sync with your life’s purpose, take a moment to consider your purpose before you make any major decisions or take on any new responsibilities. It will help you remember the precious importance of every second.
Are you up for the challenge? Do you know your purpose? I’d love to hear about it!
Congratulations to the Superbowl Champions New Orleans Saints – they deserve it!
Last Sunday, over 101 million people (surpassed the season finale of M.A.S.H.) tuned in and saw a great game. Additionally, I’m led to believe the majority of those watching were equally interested in the commercials. Many commercials made me laugh out loud (David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, and Jay Leno & The E-Trade babies), while others confused me (men walking around in their underwear).
In my opinion, Google is the winner… Never thought a search engine would create emotion with a story just from searching…BRILLIANT! You’ll notice the ad needs no catchy music, artwork, or flashy tricks to tell its story. They’re no gimmicks, no celebrity endorsement, no Photoshopped images, or any dubbed voices.
It’s the simplest of stories: A guy gets a girl.
Even shows you that you don’t have to know how to spell Louvre.
Here’s what I learned from Google’s ad:
Their ad was simple
Their ad showed the power of their product by demonstrating it
Their ad told an entire story
The Google logo was seen throughout. (Kinda nice to know who the actual advertiser is.)
What were your favorite Superbowl ads & what lessons did you learn from them?
For that matter, think of their characters: LeVar Burton in Roots, Jack Dawson in The Titanic, or Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli. What do they have in common? All are GREAT stories and all GREAT stories and have a hero. Additionally, their stories possess two key elements you should incorporate into your story:
A serious challenge
A hero dealing with challenges and learning something as a result
It’s easy to see why most stories fail. Try this story from a typical church conference speaker:
My wife and I started this church in 19xx with a few people and a heart to win lost people to Jesus (they leave out the part where millionaire donors foot most of the bill). Today, we are a thriving mega-church with 15 campuses and a $20 million budget. We host conferences, trainings, and training resources to help you get to where we are (not stated – but implied). We are #6 on Church Growth Today’s list of the fastest growing churches in America.
It’s an impressive story, but there’s a problem:
IT’S NOT A GOOD STORY &
IT HAS THE WRONG HERO!
If you want your friends, family, church members (pastors), colleagues, or clients to identify with your story, you must do what great story tellers do:
HELP THEM IDENTIFY WITH YOUR HERO!
Trust me: People won’t readily identify with you, your church, or your company/business for a simple reason:
YOU ARE NOT, AND NEVER CAN BE,
THEIR HERO!
Instead, they are their heroes. People identify with themselves; they want solutions to their problems. Unfortunately, they are not interested in helping you reach your goals. Instead, they are interested in making their own lives better.
The ideal story talks about the person, not about you, your church (pastors), or your company/business. It puts the listener in that hero’s shoes, and creates tension around some challenge that faced the hero. Your best stories are not about you; they are about them. Tell stories that make people the heroes and help them identify with them. Then they will see how you can help them! It’s a tough task, but, you can do it!
Did I challenge you to change your story?
If so, how? If not, why?
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Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
