You can’t succeed at the new opportunities presented to you without changing the old habits you have established.The Same Old Stuff will prevent you from stepping up to the plate of change.
I am experiencing a change in my role in the marketplace. New responsibilities are being added to the plate with no removal of previous responsibilities. No problem! When first presented with the new game plan I started thinking of how to handle the increased load. I came to one conclusion: I had to change the way I did things. I’m not talking about modifying my work habits, I’m talking about getting into my work flow with a wrench, screw gun, propane torch, air compressor, table saw and yes, my 22 oz framing hammer. For a brief period, I had to put most things on hold. I had to operate out of my hip pocket on a few things. All so I could focus on rebuilding my work flow from the ground up.
It took me about a week of effort, lots of Googling, and even some playing with macros to get Outlook set up to where I have a system that keeps my areas of responsibilities organized so that I (hopefully) don’t drop the ball.This system is chiefly based on the Getting Things Done system. I’m in ratz v 1.0 at this point and I’m sure that over the next few months it will undergo adaptation to better fit my personal work flow.
As I’ve been going through this process, the parallels in my spiritual life are obvious. I can’t grow and become the man that God intends for me to become if I continue doing the Same Old Stuff. Clearly I have to change activities and attitudes to be more in line with how God wants me to live. When I talk about the Same Old Stuff, I’m not talking about activities and attitudes: I’m talking about changing the things that result in activities and attitudes. The underlying foundation: the relationship I have with God. If I want to become the man that God wants me to become, I’ve got to go back to the basics of focusing on a healthy relationship with God. I’ve got to get out my tools and get the spiritual things done!