OMEGA - Extended Hiatus

Good morning Viphilus...

Before taking a month off I asked anyone out there who reads this blog to send me an email to let me know that they are paying attention ... or care ... or are interested in me pursuing this.

I heard from one of you (much appreciated by the way).

So this tells me that while I have not regretted a single word written or idea shared, I need to shift my energies into preparation for what comes next: a BLOG-book, which I will launch sometime this coming fall or early next winter. Much of what I have already written will likely show up again, but I want to restructure it and add elements and delete elements and ... well ... come at this from a different angle. I will also do a bit of research on what is required to get these messsages to a broader audience.

I know that there are more than one of you out there who have expressed appreciation for this BLOG, but it appears as if its time has run, at least in this format.

As always, I end with a BLESSINGS VIPHILUS ... keep loving life.

Pete
The Omega Man

Habit # 7: Sharpen the saw (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

It took 2 months to get here but today we reach the end of Covey's 7 habits of highly effective people.

"Sharpen the saw."

This is the principle that, in many ways, holds all the other ones together. Without this one, the rest fall apart because they are unsustainable. Habit 7 is about the need for recovery. We expend energy doing everything and because we are not infinite creatures we need to recharge our batteries ... replenish our reserves ... fill our tank. Pick whatever metaphor you wish but the teaching is the same; we must live in a way that sustainably allows us to accomplish the things that we need to accomplish, with ever-increasing capacity as we go.

Covey's metaphor reminds us that we are human beings, not human doings (although he wasn't the one that said that). We are creatures made in His image ... to be valued, not lowered to the level of a machine (or treating our self as a machine).

Covey got this principle from both Genesis and Exodus. In Genesis, following the 6 days of creation, we read that God rested on the 7th day. Then in Exodus 20:8-11, as Moses rolled out the 10 commandments, we read Commandment # 4 ... the longest-worded commandment on the list because it required explanation just to be perfectly clear:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

From the opening chapter of the Bible there has been an abiding principle that helps us human-beings keep life in perspective while also helping us recover our energies to continue doing amazing work: REST!

Our modern society does not value rest and recovery, let alone taking time to simply think ... to simply dream ... to simply BE!

I go to the gym and do some strength-training exercises ... anaerobic activities that quickly deplete the oxygen in the target muscle cells, resulting in the production of lactic acid and the familiar "burn" when the muscle gets fatigued to the point of failure. But we know the ultimate result is a stronger muscle after proper nutrition and then a time of rest (actually, sleep) allows the body to go into repair mode and not only restore but actually increase the muscle's capacity. Athletes understand that without the sleep part, regeneration does not happen. The world's best athletes are the ones who know and deeply understand that recovery must be an integral part of their rhythm ... their life-cadence ... or failure and collapse is the ultimate fate.

For me, the concept of "sharpening the saw," means to not only build recovery into my own rhythms ... it means that sabbath must be a heart-set and a core-value out of which most of my principles draw their strength. Sabbath is not a day of the week ... it is a life-orientation in which we build in routine times for shutting down production (of everything) in order to simply BE. Such an orientation allows us to keep our eye on what the end-game is (habit 2) and keep our priorities straight (habit 3) as we go by building a proactive mindset (habit 1) into our life. Sabbath is an orientation that permits us to continually remind ourselves that life is not just about us but that we live in community ... a community that works best when everyone understands everyone else (habit 5) and when everyone wins (habit 4) and when everyone works together because everyone is needed (habit 6) in order for this thing called LIFE to work well.

I hope that you have enjoyed the last two months as we whipped rather superficially through the origin of Covey's 7 habits. It's been good for me as a reminder that all good things come from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1) ... and that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1).

Well Viphilus ... I am now going to sharpen my own saw for a month. During that month I would like you to do one thing for me. Please send me an email (not a comment on this blog site ... the comments-feature doesn't appear to work) letting me know if you are a reader of this blog. That's it. How I go forward after this in May will be dictated by that response.

e-mail: omegaman.pb@gmail.com


Blessings Viphilus ... see you back here in May.

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Habit # 6: Synergize (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

Well, we are getting close to the end of the 7 habits. Today we look at the biblical inspiration behind Covey’s 6^th habit: to synergize.

First, a quick understanding of synergy is in order. According to Wikipedia, synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. The etymology is Greek from a similar sounding word which means, “working together.”

There are dozens (maybe hundreds) of uses and examples. It is about the ability of a group (of people or things) to outperform even the very best of its individual members because, in a group, weaknesses are masked and strengths are exploited. In many cases, it is the chemistry of the combined parts that create a new capacity or ability.

In the New Testament we need look no further than the Apostle Paul’s extensive discussion of the church being analogous to the human body. Paul goes into some detail to draw the conclusion that the mission of the church can be accomplished only by being united in mind and heart through each member deploying their unique skills in a synergistic way. Many of today’s secular organizational mantras of, “unity through diversity,” find their roots in 1 Corinthians 12. Picking up in the middle of the text, we read:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Paul continues this discussion in chapter 14 but takes an important parenthetical side-step (chapter 13) to address the key attribute that facilitates the analogy working in the church: LOVE. Love is the binding mindset that allows each member to see that his/her role is no more/less important than any other and that the success of the whole depends on the success of each of the individuals. This theme of cooperation, collaboration and interdependency literally forms the DNA of the New Testament writings and is why a measurable percentage of those writings are like a broken-record reminder of the importance of getting along, valuing others and being “of one mind.”

Covey’s model of maturity shows us moving from dependence to independence to interdependence. We are born dependent on our parents. We then learn to take responsibility for ourselves (from tying our own shoes to accepting blame for our own mistakes to developing skills and honing our abilities). Finally, we shift to interdependence where we look out for each other, we bring our unique skills and qualities to the community to supplement/compliment what is already there, and we set the health of the community above our own.

Here now is my own biggest take-away, from experience, that comes out of this maturity model of moving from dependence to independence to interdependence; risk increases as we move in the direction of maturity because that move results in complete shifts in lifestyle paradigms. Let's look at each transition.

1. In dependence we live in comfort where everything is done for us because of our vulnerability. As we move to independence it can be scary because of the risk inherent in leaving our “comfort zone,” as we start doing things for ourselves. The reward, however, when we get there, is a richer emotional state that I will call happiness. We work to make ourselves less vulnerable because we are now in control of our own world, no longer relying on our parents or guardians. This results in a pleasing sensation.

2. The second move from independence to interdependence is stressful again because after all the effort to develop invulnerability, we now have to yield control once again. But this time it isn't to an individual or a couple of parents. It is to a larger group or groups, thus making us potentially vulnerable all over again. But this time, we do it by contributing to the larger group and surrendering the need to have our own basic needs met. The upside is that this can be the most rewarding state of all if done intentionally. In describing it I will use the word joy as an up-sell to replace happiness.

I recognize that my semantics may be awkward, or even inappropriate for you, so find the word that fits your understanding. My main point though is that while happiness is less comfortable than comfort (pun intended), it is ultimately more fulfilling than comfort. Likewise, joy is better (more fulfilling) than happiness. There is a risk in moving in the direction of maturity … but my own experiences have taught me that it is worth the risk.

To develop the habit of intentionally synergizing is really to develop the habit of maturing: growing up. Fear can keep us locked into comfort or simple happiness, but the downside is that both of those come with a time-limited return on investment; the fulfilling aspect of each fades with time. This fading reward should stir the motivation to keep moving towards interdependency. Instead though, what I’m witnessing around me is a growing trend in people to become stuck in dependence or independence and then suffer the anxieties that inevitably come from living a life that is not-well-lived (because on the inside, we know it isn’t right).

Covey encourages us to synergize not just to accomplish more and to ultimately be more effective (which are both true), but also because this is where the spectrum of life’s peak experiences can be found. If you don’t believe me or Covey just don’t shoot the messengers. It’s from the Bible.

I hope to see you back next Monday for our look at the final habit.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Habit # 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

My son’s Boy Scout Leader taught him that since we all have two ears and only one mouth we should listen twice as much as we speak. I liked that little analogy.

In a famous prayer, St. Francis of Assisi asked God to help him to, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Covey might have got this from St. Francis, but if he did, he likely also sought out where the saint got it from himself: the Bible.

Here’s my guess how it unfolded for the saint. As he did every day, St. Francis was doing his daily devotional readings and prayers. On one particular day he read Proverbs 18 and was struck with 2 verses in particular:

Proverbs 18:2: –  “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”

Proverbs 18:13 – “He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame.”

Solomon’s focus is on fools who speak before listening and who are so self-absorbed that they could care less what others think and who love to listen to the sound of their own voice as they rattle off their own opinions. When Jesus’ brother, James, encouraged us all to, “be quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19), I think it was because he knew that we al have selfish and prideful tendencies.

Therefore, one reason we should seek first to understand before we try to be understood is because it will help get us outside of ourselves and, in humility, come to learn that others have thoughts and opinions as valid (if not more valid) then our own, not to mention that it demonstrates caring.

But, there are a couple more reasons... 

First, it greases the wheels of communication … people are much more prone to listen to you if they know that they also will be heard; especially if they have already been heard. 

Second, as the old expression goes, “walk a mile in another man’s shoes …” We all lack perspective and more often than not we judge others because we don’t actually understand what they are going through, or have gone through. This, of course, is empathy.

Sympathy is feeling someone else’s pain; empathy is understanding their pain. Sympathy says, “I know how you feel.” Empathy says, “I don’t necessarily know how you feel, but I understand why you feel the way you do.” Sociologists and psychologists have written scores of books on this topic and it turns out that being understood is one of our deepest human needs ... and when fulfilled it contributes greatly to our social success.

I have one more biblical example which, for me, trumps the clear words of Proverbs 18. It is God Himself. God revealed Himself to mankind in a progressive way and we always struggled to really know Him. But it wasn’t until He re-created Himself in the form of a human-being (John 1:1-14) that two things happened:

1. He walked a mile in our shoes in order to understand what He had asked us to do;
2. We could identify with Him because He had shown that he first wanted to identify with us.

The following words from Hebrews 2:10 are about Jesus. Look at them carefully.

God made the pioneer of our salvation perfect through what he suffered. 

How did he suffer, and why? The writer of Hebrews answers that as well in 2:14-18:

Jesus shared in our humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. …. For this reason he had to be made like us, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. 

By walking in our shoes He showed that he not only understood, He could also show us the way out of our predicament. Jesus had both sympathy AND empathy. He both felt and understood the pain of our struggle. I like the writer's words in 4:15:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 

Why bother to understand someone first before trying to get them to understand you? Because that’s what God did.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Habit # 4: Think Win:Win (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

Today we launch into the first of Covey’s three principles for living effectively with other people.

The WIN:WIN paradigm. This may be the most annoyingly misunderstood and misquoted of Covey’s 7 habits. In fact, almost nobody that I know actually understands it. Everyone quotes it but too few really know the principle behind it … or the depth of control that they have in creating the WIN:WIN scenario. At least Covey’s version of that expression. For most people, a WIN:WIN situation is where both parties in a negotiation or situation come out with a new benefit or advantage: both parties are happy with the outcome and feel like they have gained ground in some way. I’ve heard people use the expression in describing a life situation where they and another person have both “come out ahead,” by complete accident. While it is true that they have both “won” in some sense, this does not at all describe Covey’s usage.

The following diagram describes this principle:

Here is the main teaching point about the WIN:WIN scenario that is lost on most people. It is not simply a happy outcome where both parties come out with a new advantage. It is an intentional pursuit on the part of at least one of the parties that unless both parties can achieve a new advantage, there is NO DEAL. Covey really stresses this part … and for a very good reason … because this is the core principle behind Christianity … it is the principle that sets Christianity apart from all other religions;

It is 100% about relationship!

Quite simply, it works this way. If you are entering into a negotiation with me (on anything) and it is your practice to always engage in WIN:WIN scenarios … then you will fight just as hard for MY WIN in the negotiation as you will for YOUR OWN WIN. This is completely counter-cultural (any culture … in any era in human history). It is completely opposite of a dog-eat-dog mentality. It is completely opposite of “each man for himself” philosophies. It is simply the opposite of what is observed in probably 99+% of human interactions.

Let me state it again. As a pursuer of WIN:WIN scenarios, you will work every bit as hard to make sure that I win in our negotiation as you will to make sure that you win. This is about simultaneously respecting both me and yourself. AND …. any other outcome is unacceptable and you will simply not agree to it. To put the finest point on it, if I don’t come out ahead in our negotiation, even though you yourself do, you will stop the negotiation and state “no deal.”

So where is this in the Bible? You’d have to read the entire Bible to see it, or at least the entire New Testament. It is the principle behind the Gospel (the good news). Look at the diagram that I am including here and ponder it before reading further.

This is Christianity in a nutshell:

• God created us in His image to live with Him in paradise.
• We screwed up and He kicked us out.
• God taught us how fruitless it is to try fixing the relational fracture on our own.
• He came to earth in human form to first, walk in our shoes to fully demonstrate empathy for our predicament (more on that next week), then second, to rescue us from it by showing us the way out of the pit into which we had fallen.
• We follow Him out of the pit and back into paradise. (He doesn't just know the way ... He IS the way)

In the diagram above, we see our relationship with Him unfolding 4 possible ways:

1. WIN/LOSE … God’s justice is satisfied (He wins) and we are condemned for violating his rules (we lose). God is a bully in this scenario and just sends everyone to hell.
2. LOSE/LOSE … God’s apathy about the whole thing drives Him away from us, leaving us to figure out things on our own. He gets no satisfaction for having His justice violated (He loses) and we permanently lose our relationship with Him (we lose). God simply doesn’t care in this scenario.
3. LOSE/WIN … God’s love is so strong that he simply overlooks our sins and sets aside the fact that His justice was violated (He loses). Everyone gets to go to heaven (we win).
4. WIN/WIN … God’s justice is perfect and His integrity will not allow Him to simply overlook our sins, so judgment is passed and the penalty must be paid (He wins). At the same time, His love for us is infinite that He can’t bear the thought of us spending eternity apart from Him, so He lets us off the hook and declares us innocent by taking our place and paying the penalty for us (we win).                 BUT … and this next part is where we come in … we simply agree and tell God, “Yes, please – thank you … I accept those terms.”  If we don’t do that or can’t agree to that, then God declares, NO DEAL.

I don’t know if you are familiar with Christianity or if what you just read is the first time you have ever heard this … but this is what Christians refer to as “The Good News.” Think about it … God does all the work while we are the recipients of extraordinary benefits. Who in their right minds would say NO to this?

Well, I guess it isn’t about being in a right mind as much as it is simply accepting, on faith, that such a “free lunch” could possibly exist. The cynic in us says, “Hang on … what’s the catch?   When does the other shoe fall?  What’s in it for God? Why would He do this?” It’s called love … not a warm fuzzy feeling … rather, it is an intentional choice to make a completely selfless act of kindness (as opposed to a random act of kindness … this is not random at all). The Godly kind of love is a relentless unconditional effort to pursue the benefits and advantages of others. This is so rare to experience that it is seldom accepted without suspicion or skepticism.

If nothing else my hope is that you never again use the expression WIN:WIN without realizing that the origin of the paradigm is one that includes the NO-DEAL scenario and that it is a mindset that drives you to do all the heavy lifting in the negotiation in order to guarantee that the other person is just as guaranteed their win as you are yours.

One question before I leave you:

What is the only true way to know what the other person wants or what the other person defines as their win?

This is where we pick up next week as we look at Habit # 5.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Habit # 3: Put first things first (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

OK, so you are developing a proactive mind and you have learned to start with the end in mind. Covey’s 3^rd habit is learning to “put first things first.” This is the skill of learning the difference between important and urgent, something I touched on a number of times in this blog last year.

Most people understand the concept of triage. To be clear though, here is what Wikipedia says about it:  triage is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition; this rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately.

Stephen Covey’s 3^rd habit is about learning to live with an ever-present priority structure at the front of our mind. It is about Triage-Living. Today, however, I simply want to point out the Biblical imperative on this and where Covey discovered this principle in the Bible.

There are a number of Scriptural references, but let’s start with what I think is the core. Jesus is speaking and the context is important. The following quote comes right on the heels of a number of statements about the things that people worry about or develop anxiety over.

“But, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33)

In other words … if you put God first, everything else will sort itself out.

After living schizophrenically for 40 years … sometimes obeying this simple imperative and sometimes not … all I can say is that Jesus is right.

Of course, there are other Biblical statements by Jesus that lend support to this, such as what He himself refers to as the greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27).

But for this post, I want to zoom in more on the principle of why it is important to not live duplicitously … but to live with a singleness of purpose, at least on any given day or in any given moment. That comes out clearly in some other words of Jesus when He said,

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24). Now the context of that statement is in support of why we can’t really live effectively if our love for money is all consuming … but the principle rises above the statement; put first things first.

In March we will be looking at the three habits that Covey references as being part of our “public life,” which is essential for living in this world because life is all about relationship. But before we get there let’s look at one more statement of Jesus that rises out of His own principle of putting first things first … the principle that relationships are more important than anything else. In this I’ll direct you to a strange comment that Jesus made in the same sermon from which I got the other two Matthew references above

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

Notice His words .... "FIRST go ...."    There is a priority order to things.

When Jesus made this statement, worship was both a private and corporate thing, but always involved bringing sacrifices and gifts to the temple altar. What he is saying here is that it is impossible to worship God effectively (or perhaps, at all) if you have a relational fracture with someone. Before you come to worship, make sure that you have done your level best to restore and then sustain that relationship. After all, that’s what worship is … restoring and then maintaining our relationship with God.

Jesus is telling us relationships are the highest priority … even before worship!  This may sound shocking to most religious people because all of us were taught that God comes first (shall I roll out the 10 commandments here?) And He does. But Jesus taught how we actually execute that commandment in our life and it includes caring for each other as much as He does. The Lord’s brother, James, must have seen this lived out as he grew up watching his oldest brother live his life by putting other people ahead of everything:

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  (James 1:26-27) 

The way we speak and live can hurt other people … which, if you say that you love God, is kinda like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Put first things first.

Next Monday we will look at how we begin doing just that as it relates to our relationships.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Habit # 2: Start with the end in mind (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

Start with the end in mind!

Why the exclamation mark? Because I don’t have a punctuation mark that conveys the sarcastic notion of, “duh.”

Nobody builds a house without construction plans … and nobody can create construction plans without blueprints … and nobody can create blueprints without a big-picture concept of what the house is going to look like. Let’s face it … you seldom create anything without having a pretty good idea of what the end looks like before you even start; a puzzle; a recipe; a piece of pottery; a work project; a home project ….. ANY PROJECT.

In keeping with my purpose in this series, I want to show where Stephen Covey found his 7 habits/principles in the Bible. For this habit …. Habit # 2: Start with the End in Mind … you don’t go to the end of the Bible, you go to the beginning. Not just close to the beginning, although you’ll see it there. For example, in the first handful of pages of the book of Genesis you’ll read the story of Noah and how God was angry at humanity and decided to destroy everyone in a catastrophic flood. God instructed Noah to build an ark (a very big boat which took him many decades) and He gave him some construction guidelines. In order for the boat to survive the flood and serve its purpose of keeping people and animals safe, it needed to be “made to order.” Noah needed to know what it was going to look like before he started. [I’ll resist getting into the discussion of a multi-decades long weather forecast which was subsequently revised 7 days before the storm came].

If you go to the very beginning … where the Bible actually records the words, “In the beginning …” you read of God’s act of creation. In a handful of verses you see how the entire universe was created with human-beings being the ultimate act of His creation. Then you read the rest of the Bible to get the big picture … that He created everything for us, to demonstrate His love for us and to give us a space to learn about relationship. In other words, when He created everything that is, He did so with us in mind.

But it goes deeper. In fact, because God is God, He could look ahead and see how everything would turn out and He knew that we were going to screw up and drift away from his intent for life here on earth … and in anticipation of that He (proactively – Habit #1) prepared for the eventuality of our sinfulness by setting in motion a “plan” for saving us from our own foolishness and selfishness. That plan was the sacrifice of His Son Jesus for us, His greatest creation … a plan which He put in place even before the beginning … even before the universe was created. 1 Peter 1:20 says that Jesus was chosen to be our “sacrificial lamb” before the foundations of the world were ever laid. In Revelation 13:8 speaks prophetically about Jesus as that lamb who was sacrificed before the world was even created. In other words, since it was in God’s plan from BEFORE the beginning … and since God’s plans always work out … then it was as good as done. God started with the end in mind.

How about you? Do you know where you’re going when you start out on a journey or do you just wander aimlessly hoping to get somewhere? When someone asks me to coach them the first thing I ask them is, “what is the goal?” “what do you want to look like or be or be able to do when we are done?” Without an idea of the direction, you can’t even start. For people that I coach over the longer term I highly recommend that they create a personal mission statement; this can be one of the most powerful actions a person can take in their life. A statement or phrase or story that ultimately guides them can be an unbelievably powerful gyroscope for keeping you on track for your destination … wherever that is.

The concept of knowing where you’re going … starting with the end in mind … is infused throughout Christian language. The Apostle Paul spoke about “finishing the race that was laid out before him.” The writer of Hebrews wrote about keeping our eyes focused on Jesus throughout that race because, in reality, Jesus Himself is the goal … He is the finish line … and every runner / racer knows that you have to keep your eye and mind on the finish line.

If you have nothing as your target, you’ll hit that every time: NOTHING!

Start with the end in mind. Seems so simple and logical and obvious, yet soooooooooo few people think this way. Once you do, you'll never be the same.

I hope to see you back next Monday for Habit # 3: Putting First Things First.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

Sharpening my saw Today instead of Feb.29

Good morning Viphilus...

I'm still getting used to Nova Scotia's new "family day" holiday ... which I forgot was today.

Therefore, instead of taking a break on Feb.29 as originally advertised, I will take today off and bump the next two posts one week into the future.

See you back next Monday for a closer look at Habit # 2.


Omegaman

Habit # 1 - Be Proactive (biblically speaking)

Welcome back Viphilus*

OK, let's launch into Covey's 7 Habits.

In case you missed last week's intro, what I am doing for the next 2 months is to talk about the biblical origins of Stephen Covey's principles outlined in his amazing 1989 best seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (powerful lessons in personal change).

Merriam-Webster defines “proactive” as acting in anticipation of future problems, needs or changes.

The business world throws this word around with abandon without always fully comprehending both the depth and breadth of its intent. The best way that I can think of describing it is by referencing Aristotle’s famous quote, “we are what we repeatedly do.” My point is that this is NOT ONLY what Aristotle said. Without the full quote, the complete contextual understanding of that statement is lost. Here is the full quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.”

Being proactive is not an act … nor is it a thought; it is a habit. It is a mindset. Better yet … it is a heart-set.

Discussions about the word “proactive” usually include considering the difference between proactive and reactive, with the understanding that it is better to choose how to respond to an event or a circumstance before it happens rather than waiting for the vagaries of life to deliver up the circumstance and then hoping that you will respond appropriately during “battle conditions.”

But it goes much further than this. Look at the definition again from above. Someone who is proactive looks ahead and anticipates events or problems or changes or needs … and then acts in a manner to prepare for that eventuality. The entirety of Emergency Management (sometimes called Disaster management) theory is predicated on having such a mindset / heart-set because it teaches us to anticipate events or circumstances that may create enormous problems for large populations; events like big storms. When I oversaw the forecast operations for the Canadian Hurricane Centre a big part of my job was to liaise with emergency managers. That work naturally fell along 4 distinct lines of effort: mitigation (which included prevention); preparedness (which included the development of readiness plans); response (which included the execution of those plans); and recovery (which included all efforts, following the event, to bring the affected areas back to their original state … or better).

Emergency management thinking is not new. In fact, the first Bible passage which I want to point to today actually proves that mitigative thinking has been in our collective wisdom for a very long time. The passage is from Matthew 7 where Jesus tells a parable of two builders: one who is foolish and one who is wise.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”  (Matthew 7:24-27)

This parable shows the cost of not looking ahead and planning for inevitable outcomes. I’m not looking for us to wade into the murky waters of cost-to-benefit ratios or risk-analyses. I’m speaking about the inevitable things that we know are GOING to happen such that the only questions will be about when? rather than if? Jesus’ parable runs on the assumption that big storms are going to happen, so why not do the work of preparing for them. And notice that his praise and indictment come from the actions or inactions. Knowing isn’t enough; wisdom tells you that action is needed. Now he has just told his listeners a lot of stuff. The “stuff” makes up Jesus’ most famous sermon, often called, “the sermon on the mount.” In this parable Jesus is telling his listeners that their wisdom or foolishness will be determined by whether or not they do anything with everything he has just taught them. More specifically, to start implementing his teachings into their lives immediately and to not simply wait for the storms of life to arrive before they start dealing with them because in those cases, it will likely be too late.

Back in the 1990s, a very popular phrase became a viral motto that ran throughout evangelical Christianity in North America: “What would Jesus do?” It quickly became an acronym, WWJD, which showed up on T-shirts and bracelets. Christians would use this phrase as a reminding question to themselves to reflect on their moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate their allegiance to Jesus. From the moment the slogan hit the streets it never sat well with me, although I couldn’t articulate why … until I read Dallas Willard’s thoughts on it. The USC theology & philosophy professor mused that a better acronym most certainly would be WDJD … “what DID Jesus do?”  Dr. Willard’s point? The only way that we would have the ability to respond---in battle conditions---the way Jesus did, and make the right moral judgments, would be to have spent decades in personal training of mind and heart, like Jesus did. In other words, the only reason Jesus was able to DO the things that he was able to do was because of all the things that he had DONE in training himself for those very moments. Jesus had a proactive nature and spent decades building invulnerability and readiness into his character so that in moments of extreme testing, his training and preparation determined the outcome, not the severity of the event or his emotional state at the time.

Before I close out this week I want to point out that this isn’t the only biblical passage that highlights proactivity. There are many more that speak about looking ahead at threats or inevitable outcomes and how we should prepare and not simply wait to react. Like:

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Peter states the threat (the devil), uses a simile to make it understandable (he is like a roaring lion on the prowl), and a course of action (be alert and of sober mind).

Biblical Example
This was an easy choice. Perhaps one of the most famous stories in the entire Bible is the story of Joseph. Joseph was the 2nd youngest of 12 sons of a man named Jacob, who's name was changed by God to the name Israel (yes, after whom the nation was named). The story of Joseph makes for a Hollywood blockbuster and accounts for 1/3 of the entire book of Genesis. For a biblical example of proactive thinking I want to zoom right in to near the end of the story in Genesis 41. As we pick up the action, Joseph is a prisoner in an Egyptian jail. One day (skipping all the details) he gets invited to interpret a vision that God had given the Pharaoh in a dream. His interpretation was that a period of abundance was coming but would be followed by a long famine (obviously driven by a long drought - the best stories always have a weather component to them). Pharaoh was so impressed at Joseph’s interpretation and his advice about how to mitigate and prepare for the famine that he not only let him out of jail, but he promoted him to vice-Pharaoh over all Egypt. Now that's quite a leap ... from zero to hero ... from jail to ruler over everything. Pharaoh recognized wisdom when he saw it, and he saw it in a young guy who practiced proactive thinking.

Now I haven’t scoured history books to know if Joseph was actually the first Emergency Manager in history, but one thing is for sure … being ready to respond when a storm comes (or a drought) is ancient advice that is just as prudent today as it was 5000 years ago.

And speaking of wisdom, King Solomon, referenced in the Bible as the wisest man in the world, wrote a great deal about being proactive. Didn't know that? Just read Proverbs. 

Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Proverbs 24:27 - Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

In the movie, The Great Debaters, which I love, is an interesting scene about proactive living. Forest Whitaker plays a preacher who tries to instill in his son the importance of doing your personal character work first so that you can reap the benefits later. His advice to his son goes something like, "Do what you have to so that you can do what you want to."

I believe that this is exactly how Jesus lived his life. He did what he had to in order to be able to do what he wanted to (or needed to). If you want to do what Jesus could do then you’ll need to start doing what Jesus did to create that skilled capacity. Train! Or, if you want to play piano like Billy Joel then you will need to start doing what he did to reach his level of skill and mastery. Train! Or, if you want to think critically with discernment then seek out the wisest person that you know and ask them to describe what they did to get that way …. then start doing that (and I guarantee that it will be some form of training). 

Maybe though you aren’t striving to be the wisest most Godly piano player on the planet … maybe you just want to exercise self-control over your mouth when someone inadvertently hits one of your “buttons,” or you want to supervise an employee in a way that better engages him, or you want to make sure that you have the right skills to do your dream job, or you want to make sure that your home is ready to handle a big storm, or you want to have enough money to buy a home in the first place. Regardless, the foundational approach is the same. You have to look ahead in anticipation of an inevitable (or desired) event and begin preparing for that now. AND ... you have to learn to think that way with everything that matters. That’s what it means to be proactive.

Now I’m going to be proactive on your behalf and look ahead to next week when we consider Habit # 2, which is …. wait for it … to begin with the end in mind. Notice that both of the first two habits are about seeing more clearly into the future in order to more effectively choose your actions now in order to create it.

I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"

The 7 Habits – where did Covey find them?

Happy February Viphilus*

2016 is screaming by with January already in the rear-view mirror.

As promised, I am committing the next two months to reviewing Stephen Covey’s, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” (1989), from a specific angle … to highlight where he came up with these principles. When I start to have this conversation with people who have actually read the book they halt at my first point and want to argue. Then I simply direct them to locate their copy (it needs to be theirs so that they won’t think I’ve slipped them an altered joke-version … so that they realize what I told them has been in their copy all along and that they simply didn’t see it).

And what is that first point? Actually, it is the entire point of the next two months in this blog. Covey gets his 7 habits from guiding principles that he read in God’s Word. Yep: the Bible!  (the exclamation mark is inappropriate  - I’ve just added it for my own emphasis … as if a dramatic base-chord is being played while you read it).

And the push-back I get from people is actually quite funny because they almost stumble over their own incredulity because nothing as amazing as the 7 Habits book could possible come from something as ancient as the Bible. And I get it … for many (most) the Bible is an antiquated collection of writings, filled with errors, inconsistencies, prejudices and the gross un-enlightenment of a by-gone era.

Yah – not so much. Just look around at the most common struggles and dysfunctions that you see in our society (or your own life or family) and you’ll see some absolutes being violated that are pretty much self-evident when trying to diagnose the root causes. People rail against these truths without stopping to realize that the social data is so overwhelmingly stacked against them … resulting in my own incredulity about why people just don’t get it.

So for Feb and Mar I don’t want to preach … I simply want to connect the dots, at least as best as I can surmise. Covey says in his “personal note” at the end of the last chapter that he gets his principles from the Bible, but he doesn’t actually point out chapters and verses …. He simply makes the general statement. My intention for the next 2 months is to actually show you the chapters and verses with some brief explanations, at least as far as I can speculate about why Covey chose these particular 7 principles/practices.

This week I simply want to list his 7 habits.

The first 3 Habits are concerned with developing independence … focusing on your private world (the term “private world” is one that I first encountered from Gordon MacDonald, in his 1984 book, “Ordering Your Private World.”) It is about developing self-mastery.

HABIT # 1 – Be proactive
Don’t adopt a reactive attitude, simply waiting for things to happen to you before you respond. Rather, choose how you will respond effectively before something happens.

HABIT # 2 – Begin with the end in mind
Envision what you want in the future so that you can plan and work towards it.

HABIT # 3 – Put first things first
Learn the difference between important and urgent and prioritize life so that things aren’t done simply because they are urgent.

The second 3 Habits are concerned with developing interdependence … focusing on your public world. It is about getting along with others.

HABIT # 4 – Think Win:Win
Value and respect others and understand that a “win” for everyone is ultimately the best long-term solution for both you and the other person.

HABIT # 5 – Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Learn to listen empathically in order to create strong relational environments where problem-solving will be at its best.

HABIT # 6 – Synergize
Combine the strengths of team members while mitigating against their weaknesses, ultimately achieving more together than what is possible individually.

The final habit is about sustainability and continuous improvement in both your private and public worlds.

HABIT # 7 – Sharpen the saw
Balance and renew your resources (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, social) in order to sustainably build personal capacity.

Homework for next Monday: see if you can come up with your own biblical reference to support habit 1 about being proactive.

Have a great week and I hope to see you back next Monday.

Blessings Viphilus,

Your friend, Omega Man

OCA Training

* Viphilus means, "lover of life"