Now that the Olympics are past I was reflecting on a study I read about how bronze medal winners were happier than those who took home the silver. (study: https://bit.ly/2usPLg2 )

At first it struck me as counterintuitive.  Isn’t silver better than bronze? Granted a gold medal is the best, but ranking second in the world isn't shabby. 

Small adjustments may have major impact on businesses or life. I attended a presentation where I heard a speaker whose name I cannot remember. He shared the suggestion that if we made a habit of parking at the far side of a parking lot when we go to work or shop, the extra walking would reduce our weight one pound a year for the average American. That’s ten pounds in ten years. Most of us struggle with weight reduction and would love to lose ten pounds or more. Embracing this small change over a long period of time makes a significant difference.

Pro athletes need to perform even when banged up a bit because a game is on the line. The key is to know when to play when injured and when to stay off the field. The two important questions are:

            Is my team better off with me in the game, or not? 

            Is my injury likely to get worse if I play? 

In short, is playing a wise choice for the athlete and the team?

I read two to three hours per day, perhaps more on weekends. Rather than watching reruns of Shark Tank or most nightly news programs, I’ll pick up a book or read one on my iPad.

I read books for a number of reasons: recreation, information, spiritual guidance and business information. When I read business books I give thought to the true cost of the book.  I buy books from $10-$75 on Amazon.com.. At times I recommend these books to a client or friend. They wince at a $35 to $50 price tag. I can see they think the cost is too high.

The other day I woke up late and started my day significantly behind schedule. I had a phone message that needed attention and a number of e-mails in my inbox that required responses as well as a full schedule for the day. In an effort to save time, I read my scripture study quickly, with little attention, and skipped my regular prayer time.

Predictably my day didn’t go well. I started behind and seemed to get further behind at every turn. I went from one ineffective action to another, accomplishing little.  Halfway through my day I realized what my biggest issue was. I failed to honor the Lord by giving Him my attention first.  I didn’t commit my entire day to Him through prayer.  I confessed my shortcomings, reread my scripture, and prayed through my prayer list for the day. While my day was still off-balance, the Lord provided peace for the rest of my day.

This reinforced a key Bible verse that most of us know: “pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV) It is a good reminder for me and the rest of us.   When we slip, we need to stop what we’re doing, confess our shortcomings to the Lord, and alter our path. On this particular day I never fully recovered but when I stopped and took time I didn’t believe I had, my day improved. A wise pastor once preached, “The more responsibility you have and the busier your schedule with more demands on your time requires more prayer to accomplish those activities than when you have little to do.”  This was good counsel.

I encourage you to place personal devotional time on your schedule and maintain that commitment as a high priority. My experience is that my days go better when I do.  I believe yours will also.

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