Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Running the Race – Dr. John C. Maxwell


1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27

 

24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Principle 1 – Start running

       Procrastination stems from these four areas.

1.  Fear of Failure

2.  Fear of Success

3.  Difficulty of the Task

4.  Monotony or Boredom of the task

 

Nine techniques to conquer procrastination.

1.  Break large tasks down into smaller ones.

2.  Set deadlines and stick to them.

3.  Share your goals with a friend.

4.  Reward yourself for completing the task.

5.  Use character scheduling (for unpleasant tasks.

6.  Make a game of the task.

7.  Focus on the benefits of completing the task.

8.  Pick a simple task to begin.

9.  Just do it!  (don’t wait for motivation)

Principle 2 -  Desire Excellence

       Four attitudes in people that desire excellence.

1.  Attention to detail.

2.  Continual improvement.

3.  Self discipline

4.  Personal High Standards

 

Principle 3 -  Get the tools that you need

       How do you TRAIN?  Five things that explain how.

T = trainer, you need a mentor, someone who knows more than yourself.

R = resources, you need resources to help you along your way.

A = application, you need to apply the resources you have.

I = inspiration, you need inspiration to help drive you.

N = nourishment, for the energy you need to run the race.

 

 

 

 

 

Principle 4 -  Maintain an eternal perspective

Four things to help you maintain your eternal perspective.

1.  Get serious about the race that you run.

2.  Get rid of excess baggage.

3.  Let Jesus be your model.

4.  Study the secret of Jesus’ perseverance.

 

A survey of 50 people over the age of 95 asked, “If you could live your life over again, what would you do differently?”  The top three answers were:

1.  Reflect more.

2.  Risk more.

3.  Do more things that would live on after I’m dead.


Principle 5 -  Plan your race by setting goals

       Three mistakes John Maxwell made in setting goals.

1.  He set his goals based on his environment.  What he knew.  They should have been higher.

2.  He did not publicly declare his goals.

3.  He did not set personal growth goals. He set organizational growth goals instead.

 

Three way test for successful goals.

1.  Are they specific?

2.  Are they measurable?

3.  Are the life enhancing?  To yourself and others.

 

Principle 6 -  Measure your effectiveness

Principle 7 -  Persevere

       Perseverance is characterized by three things.

1.  Resilience (ability to bounce back)

2.  Learned optimism (having an eye for what is going right)  

3.     Opportunism


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