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I have been thinking about the idea of daily disciplines for some time. And I’ve even thought up a little handy todo list you can always take with you.  Take the fingers on your hand.  You always have them around as a reminder.  So I thought about using my fingers as a way of reminding myself of things that I really wanted to accomplish each day.  And you can use them as a guide to accomplishing these little tasks that need to be done to push you from the rut you find yourself in, to the path you want to be on.

Maybe an example would be helpful. I’ll take myself. For my unforgettable five I start with my little finger and move across to my thumb. Your “pinky” finger and your “ring” finger. The two furthest from your thumb form the foundation of your hand. They are the two weakest fingers, but they are stabilizers. These are my foundational things I want to accomplish daily. For me, a spiritual foundation is key. So these represent prayer time and time studying the Bible. These are mine, they might not be something you would want to do. Feel free to apply the idea and not get all freaked out because the guy reads his Bible. Call me old fashioned. Do I seem defensive, or overly sensitive? I’m just so used to putting out disclaimer in our politically correct world because we have become such a tolerant people. Ok, I’m getting off the topic.

Next is my middle finger. It’s the longest finger. So I think about longevity. I’m not getting any younger, and I hate to tell you neither are you. Birthdays are a sure fire antidote to mortality. The more you have, the longer you live. It’s a proven fact. So I want to not only live longer, I also want to reduce the ‘aching’ and the ‘paining’ as much as I can. This means I need to do something active every day.

Ok, two more to go. The next finger, which I would call my “index” finger, is the one used in my country to point with. In sports arenas it is often used to indicate primacy. You know, as in “We’re number one!” So this is the number one activity that I do that isn’t necessary today, but will give me leverage. If you are a Steven Covey fan, this could be considered the “first things first” activity. For me right now, almost everything I want to achieve in my life includes some element of writing. But I suffer from writer’s block, the inability to put a thought down in an orderly way (I ramble. Now how’s that work with writer’s block? Frankly I don’t know.), and nearly fatal procrastination. So with this reminding finger I remind myself to write something down somewhere each day. Whether it’s an e-mail, a blog… something.

And finally I come to the thumb. This is the strongest finger and this is the one that makes the whole thing work. This represents to me the one task I need to get done today. Most days have something on the agenda that I need to accomplish before the day’s over. What is that one thing? It may be simple, or it may be accomplishing a piece of a larger project. Unlike all the others that remain constant, this item commonly changes from day to day.

There you have it. That is my unforgettable five that I carry with me every day. And completing these daily tasks, I believe, will change the balance of my life in incredible ways. I’ll expand more on that another time. But for now, I just wanted to share that and see if it’s helpful to anybody else. Would having that little list with you throughout the day be helpful? Or would it just be a constant nag on your brain? Speak up about it.

I’ve been preparing the outline of my book.  I have given myself the deadline of 3/31 to complete it.  As I have been looking at topics I want to include and that I want to exclude, I keep coming back to these small daily disciplines, or habits, or rituals.  They seem to be the key in my thinking.

I was thinking the other day that I would like to be in such a place that no one could ever come to me and ask, “So, Jonah, what’s the word?” (Sorry, an allusion to VeggieTales Jonah…)  In other words, I would like to always be ready to tell something I’ve been learning from God’s word lately.  To do this I must regularly be in the word of God.

I have also wanted to gather the pieces of wisdom from Jim Rohn’s book “Leading an Inspired Life.”  There is a point in there that the difference between success and failure is small disciplines faithfully repeated or small errors in judgment allowed to accumulate.

And then yesterday I was reading Og Mandino’s “The Greatest Salesman in the World” and the first scroll talks about how we are slave to our habits.  But we get to determine those very habits that are our masters.  So if we establish good habits (or disciplines - I need to settle on a term I that is meaningful to me…) then we will begin to see a change in the course or trajectory of our lives.

I have come up with my basic habits.  I use my fingers to illustrate for me 5 foundational daily disciplines.  I’m a lefty so on my left hand I start with my pinky and ring finger as Bible study and prayer.  These fingers form the foundation of the hand.  They are the least active, but they offer stability to the others.  Next is my longest finger, and for longevity physical fitness is the key.  Next is my pointing finger and right now every direction I want to turn in life (coaching, counseling, authoring, web development) all involve writing of some kind.

Then there is the opposable thumb.  This is where the focus of balance is, this would be my daily focus of activity.  Mark Forster calls it the “current initiative.”  This will always be changing, but the point is to get to it every day.  Knock it out; make progress until it’s done.  This takes focus and it give the grip to taking hold in life.

There are my thoughts, as scattered as they are.  So today I have already accomplished my Bible reading, my prayer, and my writing.  I will now move on to exercise before I get ready for work.  I just have to decide on my current initiative.  Here are some possibilities:

• Getting organized, desk, schedule, finances, book, life coaching business, ministry, family relationships, and so on (pretty big one)
• Peacemaker Certification (probably could fall under getting organized)
• Getting ready for the next Peacemaker seminar we will do (this too could be consider getting organized!)

Hmm so maybe getting organized should be my first current initiative - I just need to organize how, exactly, I’m going to get organized!

Any ideas?

I have had two months now…

August was when I pushed everything off my desk and focused on learning about Internet Marketing.  I made it through and learned enough to know that I could turn the rudder of my life and head in that direction, but also that it isn’t quite me.  However, the lessons and friends I picked up are highly valuable.  These are resources for moving forward in my journey.

September was recovery month.  I had a conference to attend, family coming in from out of town, and a pile of responsibilities that I had shirked.  In comparison to this, turning 40 was practically overlooked.

So now it’s October.  This month is all about commitments.  I have major commitments I’ve made for each weekend for the rest of the month (and for the first weekend of November, but since it fits in with the theme - we’ll pull that one in with October - do you mind?).  And I have a big milestone looming at work - so it’s not like I can slack there to prepare for the weekend events.

All that just to say that I am really looking at the nooks and crannies of my day to find time to “get things done.”  The typical solution to this problem is to let go of things, get rid of the excess baggage to make room.  But in this situation that doesn’t seem to be an option - each day is filled with important things.  So what do you do when this happens to you.  It doesn’t happen to me often, and maybe I should try it more, but my choice, my turning point / fork in the road, is to turn up the heat.  If you’re following along (which no one is at the moment, so I feel pretty safe in trying…), then this will be the place where I’m holding accountability court.

I’ll start with some other posts and we’ll see how it turns out.

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I just got back from a conference last night.  I’ve been gone for a week.  This is the first time my wife and I have been able to get away, just the two of us, for years - yes, years.  Maybe I’ll talk more about that another time.

Right now I want to say a few things about what I’m facing now.  I have e-mails, voice mails, things on my calendar that I put off until “after the conference,” and all the projects that I need to pick back up.  Where do I start?  This morning I read a chapter in a book about this very idea of focus.

The basic tenant is to be where you are when you’re there.  If you are playing with your children, don’t be thinking about your appointments or what you are going to do regarding projects you have going.  Don’t plan your work day at home, plan it at work.  When you sit down to work deal with it then.  This was a big one for me: don’t plan your day while commuting.  While you are commuting, you should be concentrating on commuting!  It’s a concrete jungle out there, and that intentional focus will actually increase your chances for arriving at work or at home.  Be intentional and train your brain to focus on the task or the person at hand.

The biggest focus killer for many is worry.  I’m not much of a worrier.  I have my moments, but usually I’m to ignorant of the future to let it get to me.  But I know for many people this is a constant boat anchor on their ability to focus.  You can’t think about two things at once.  If this were true we would not say, “My mind was wandering” when we are trying to focus on a task and our thoughts are elsewhere.  Worry is a form of mind wandering.  You cannot worry and practice mental focus at the same time.  So try to increase your ability to focus.  I’ve heard people say, “I don’t have time to worry.”
  You can make this true for you as well.  Learn the discipline of focus.

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I was in the first grade at Brier Crest Elementary school.  Our school had three stories and the stair wells were in the center of the building with sky lights letting the bright sunshine to diffuse down and reflect off the white tiles.  I was headed back to my class after lunch and from the top floor one of the 6th graders looked down the stairs and saw me.

“Hey kid!” he shouted, “you wanna learn something to make you real smart?”

“Sure!” I yelled.

“Pie times diameter equals circumference!  Remember that and you’ll be real smart!”

I repeated it back to myself a couple of times until I knew I wouldn’t forget it.  What a great day!  Just out of nowhere this gem of wisdom comes floating down from those great elementary school titans - the 6th graders.  I just couldn’t wait until I could achieve the 6th grade.  And with my new found key to the storehouse of knowledge I would be unstoppable!  If only I could get to the 6th grade, I’d be happy then!

Then when I got to 6th grade I learned about the Jr. high kids and how they got to go to different classes.  When I could take more of my favorite classes and have more than one teacher, then I’d be happy.

And then in Jr. High I went over to my friend Jamie’s house.  His older brothers were in high school.  They had these cool jackets with our school colors on them.  Wow, when I got to high school, I’d be happy then.

In high school I was one of the first to get my drivers’ license, due to the fact that my birthday is in the fall.  As soon as I got my license and could drive, I’d surely be happy then.

I got my car, and in a few years I was a senior in high school.  But there were so many rules.  I would really be happy when I got to college and on my own.

After college and my friends were all getting married - I’d be happy when I got married.

And after I got married everyone asked, when I’d have kids.  I’d be happy when I had a family.

Now my kids are growing up so fast, I’ll finally be happy when they are older and we can do more things as a family.  If only that would happen, then I’d be happy.

Where does this end?  I keep waiting for that day I’ll be happy!

Maybe I better stop looking for happiness then, and see about happiness now…

What about you?  Are you saying “If only… then I’d be happy?”

Happiness is a choice, not unlike contentment.  We can be happy in some pretty miserable circumstances.  I remember being very happy one summer afternoon while dancing and goofing off with friends during a terrible summer storm.  We could be grouchy that we were soaked, or we could have some fun.  We were a little too old for that, but other people were crouched in business doorways and under trees.  We were out in the streets having fun!  Same circumstances, different choices.

You have to decide what your happiness is.  You can have it today, you won’t have to wait.  You just need to decide what it is!

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I am convinced that books are the key to success. They have no power in themselves. Even the great holy books from antiquity are merely ink and paper of some sort. Their power lies in the fact that books are vessels. Vessels of knowledge. Through books we can talk with predecessors long after they’re gone. We can interact and learn from those who would be far too busy to take the time to teach us these same lessons.

I have developed a love of learning through the medium of books, and I would like to find a way to share that with anyone who is following my blog. I’m going to read through and comment on a book, and I’d invite you to participate by reading along and adding comments as we go.  By sharing our ideas that we receive from reading books, we can get more from it than simply reading and reflecting alone.

Stay tuned and I’ll let everyone know which book we’ll start with and how you can best follow along.

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What is a disciple?  No, it’s not some one dressed up in a saffron sarong trying to get you to buy a daisy at your local airport.  A disciple is simple a person who chooses to conform to a discipline.  Isn’t that a circular definition?  What’s a discipline then, something a disciple does?  Well yes, but there’s a bigger and better answer to that.

For some time I have been toying with a concept of how to live a life that mattered, hmm you could say a life of significance.  I even tried to set up a web site around the theme.  Something that I discovered was that there are small things you do that make your life very efficient and powerful. 

These are routine things, like getting ready for work.  You have a number of tasks to complete: getting out of bed, getting something to eat, taking care of morning things around the house - maybe some chores, some reading, some quiet meditation time, getting cleaned up, picking clothes, getting dressed, and getting out the door to probably got entangled in traffic.  Whatever your routine, you complete it with efficiency and in a short period of time.  Well, unless you are constantly having your pay docked, or you are getting fired for never making it into work until lunch time… in which case you have other problems we should discuss.  If you actually stopped and took time to really ponder and think through what you do in your morning routine - it very well could take you until lunch time to get out the door.

But you don’t.  You get all that done and get on to work.  What is it that makes you move through all that without even thinking about it.  Is it the fact that it’s become routine?  Often while all these events take place you have time to listen to the news, chat with family members, or let your mind wander.

If you stop and think about it, you have a ton of these little micro routines in your every day life.  I was calling them micro rituals for a time, but I think the term discipline is more appropriate.

It is these little disciplines that can make a huge difference in your life.  So become a disciple, be a person that submits to discipline.  Much more on this later.

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