Souljourn

The hidden word (yikes!)

I read something the other day that completely changed my perspective on a certain issue.  I will never consider this subject the same way again.  

I was reading about procrastination....(I was going to write about this yesterday)...this is what the author wrote:

Procrastination is a thief, waiting in disguise to rob you of your hopes and dreams.  If you want proof, take a closer look.  There is another word hidden inside the word procrastinate that will alert you to the perils of not taking action.  Can you see it?

P  R  O  C  R  A  S  T  I  N  A  T  E 

What a cunning word procrastinate is.  It disguises the real word...(here it comes), castrate, which also means to impoverish or render ineffective.  Do you get the picture? When you procrastinate, you are actually impoverishing your future, cutting it off.     [From the book The Power of Focus - Canfield/Hansen/Hewitt]

Does that change your perspective on those issues you've been putting off for awhile now? 

I can guarantee you that the next time I am tempted to delay doing something I will think twice about it!  

Well I've got to go, there a few things I've been meaning to do...

Book reading plan?

Do you have a book reading plan?  A goal for how many books you want to read in a year?

I just read this excerpt about President George Bush.  He would read over 50 books a year (on average) AS WELL AS the Bible from cover to cover.  Now if the President can find time to read that much, I don't think any of us have any excuse for 'not having time to read'.

Here's the excerpt:

According to former top Bush aide Karl Rove, he and the former president engaged in a friendly wager every year to see who could read more books.

In 2006, Bush read 95 books to Roves 110: a Herculean pace of nearly two books a week — in an election year to boot — for the ex-president. But, according to Rove, Bush's reading slowed a bit in the final years of his presidency, finishing a not-too-shabby 51 books in 2007 and at least 40 in 2008.

And if that's not impressive enough, Rove also said Bush found time to read the Bible "from cover to cover" every year.

I have read about 12 books so far this year which is not nearly as many as I had hoped to.  I have found that if I will set aside about 30 minutes each day for reading then I can easily read at least 1 book a week.

I firmly believe the saying - "If you are a leader you must be a reader, and if you aren't reading you won't long be leading."  

New Book

I'm just starting a new book that I've been waiting to read for awhile.  It's called The SPEED of Trust.  I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but this title caught my attention and immediately intrigued me.  

We live in an age of scandal and suspicion and even though we are supposed to assume the best this doesn't always happen. Everything from our relationships to our organizational efficiency and endeavours are affected by the level of trust.  

I think a lack of trust, real or perceived, has been a huge hindrance to the advance of the Kingdom.  Those within not trusting each other and leadership, and those without not trusting the claims, and actions, presented.

I'll fill you in more about the book after I've read it

2 in 2

Before I went over to the Mainland on Monday morning I decided I would use whatever time I could to read some books that I've been waiting to read.  So I put them in my briefcase and headed down Island to the ferry.  Not wanting to miss the ferry I arrived at the terminal about 40 minutes prior to its departure.  As soon as I was parked I pulled out book number one and began reading.  Once I was on the ferry I continued reading for the duration of the trip.  Later on Monday I had some time in my hotel room, and instead of flipping on the tv and watching whatever, I was able to finish the book.

On Tuesday it was time for book two.  The entire day was spent in meetings so there was no time to read my book but I knew I would have time on the return trip.  Traffic was lighter than I expected heading to the ferry terminal (Horshoe Bay) so I arrived at the terminal with over one hour to wait before sailing - perfect reading time. 

I followed the same routine as before and read the entire time (waiting & sailing) and just before we arrived I finished the book two.

The meetings I was at were great.  I had time to catch up with some friends and I finished two books.  I was feeling pretty good when I got home last night. 

Now it's on to another book I've been waiting to read for a couple months. (see 'currently reading' for title)

At long last!

I finally finished reading 'Made to Stick'.  This book has been hanging around on my 'to read' list for far too long so I feel quite pleased with myself to be able to move it from the 'currently reading' column to the 'recently read' column. 

The book is all about improving our communication skills and how we can deliver our message in a more memorable (sticky) manner.  I would definitely recommend the book to those who communicate regularly as it provides some very helpful insights into message delivery. 

One of the key suggestions to get our message to 'stick' was to use stories.  The authors showed the power of stories to convey truths and values in a very memorable format that caused the listener to connect on deeper emotional levels which more quickly motivated the listener to action based upon the story.

This is exactly why we are trying to share more and more stories of God at work in the lives of our church family.  When we hear the stories of how God has worked in the life of someone we know it affects us.  It does much more than just give us a deeper personal insight into their life, it enlarges our life.  Regardless of the circumstance that they may share, when we hear how God displayed His goodness and power in the life of someone, it raises our expectancy to look for the same in our life -- which is exactly what God wants to do -- display His goodness and power in our lives.

So, now what am I going to read???