One of the myths of improvement that I used to believe with all my heart is, "If I work harder, it will get better". However, after 47 years of life and 25 years of leading ministries and business ventures, I have found that statement to be totally false. Working harder, does not make anything better.
Lets think about it for a moment.
If you are out of shape and you want get into shape, going to the gym and working hard for two hours on Monday will not get you in those jeans you used to be able to fit into.
If you want a better marriage, getting away for one weekend at the beach, will not make your marital issues go away.
If you want to take your business to a new level of financial growth this year, having one sale on a Saturday is not going to make it happen.
If you want to reach more people every Sunday morning, working hard and preparing a great message this weekend is not going to grow your church exponentially.
The truth is working hard does not make anything better. However, working smart over a period of time will.
I like to say it this way ....
INTENSITY will not take you where you want to go, but CONSISTENCY will.
Working out for two hours in the gym on a Monday will not help you. But working out for 20 minutes a day for 12 months will.
Taking the time to get away for one weekend, will not change your marriage. But taking time to talk for 30 minutes every day over a cup of coffee will.
Having a big sale this Saturday will not take your company to a new level, but doing a weekly meeting on how you can better serve the needs of your customer will.
Doing one great message is not going to build momentum for your church. But if you empower your people to daily do the work of the ministry, so you can have time to prepare a life changing message every Sunday, you will not have enough chairs in your auditorium.
Intensity does not change much, but consistency will eventually change everything.
Application Questions:
What do you want to improve?
What short term "work hard" initiatives have you tried to make work in the past?
What are three things that would make a difference if you did them consistently?
What has been keeping you from doing those things?
Do you want to improve bad enough to change whatever you need to change in order to do those three things on a consistent basis?