MANAGE YOUR TIME/ MANAGE YOUR LIFE

YOUR MISSION IN LIFE

PART II

Whenever I give my time management seminar I always begin by passing out a 3X5 card to each participate. On their 3X5 card I ask each person to write an answer to this important question. “What is my mission in life?” Then I encourage the group to share their answer.

Now this is the reason why I ask each participate to answer this important question. The first principle of time management is to know your mission or purpose in life. Your mission or purpose statement will allow you to focus on the important things of life, and discard the less important.

It's fun to listen to people share their mission or purpose statement of life. But what do you do if you do not know your mission in life? Let me share with you the steps you can take to discover or recover your mission in life.

First, determine your passion. We all have a passion about something. Some may have a passion about football. Another person may have a passion for playing the piano. Still another person may have a passion about caring for animals. A passion is something that causes excitement in your life. I have a passion for studying the Bible, but I do not have a passion for math. I would never make a good accountant.

Now this is what sometimes happens in life. We work hard in a certain field to earn money. But we may have little or no passion for that particular field. For example, a college student may study hard and even make good grades as a physics major, but in reality their real passion is the piano. Instead of majoring in physics they need to major in music.

Second, determine your strengths. Every person has two to four major strengths in their lives. One of the best ways to determine your strengths is to ask the people around you for help. Like a mirror they can reflect back to you how God has created you. A strength is something you do well. And when you do it well, you gain energy rather than feeling drained. Most people would say my strengths are preaching/teaching, leadership, and evangelism.

At this point we need to be very careful. It is possible for someone to be passionate about a field of work, but not have the strengths required to do the work. I know a young man who is passionate about performing music, but he simply does not have the ability to perform. He cannot sing.

When you determine how your passion and strengths intersect with one another, then you will discover what mission or purpose God has given you. But please understand this is process and not a one time event. It's journey. So please don't become discourage if this process takes some time.

If after careful consideration you still do not know your mission or purpose in life, ask God to open your eyes. And ask him to send the right people in your life who can help you discover God's mission for your life. But remember you are not here by accident. God has a special and unique plan for your life. God has a mission for your to accomplish for His glory.

I like what David tells us in Psalm 139:13.“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” As stated before, you are not hear by accident. God created your body, temperament, and strengths. And he has a mission for you to complete while here on earth for His glory. (I Cor. 10:31) Like Jesus we want to come to the end of our lives and know that we have completed the work he gave us to do. (John 17:4)

Manage your Time/Manage Your Life Part I

Manage Your Time/Manage Your Life

PART I

Years ago I received a phone call. The person calling me did not identity themselves. They just yelled at me. Let me share with you the words the person on the the phone yelled at me. “I can't do it all. “ They then repeated the same words to me a second time. “I can't do it all.”

A few minutes later I was able to determine the identity of the caller. The caller was a university student named Fran. She had a crazy schedule. Now she was at the end of her rope. I then promised to help her with her time management problems.

You may feel exactly like Fran. You may feel as if you have too much to do. You can't keep up with the demands of life. You feel frustrated. Like Fran you want to scream at someone with a loud voice. “I can't do it all.”

Before we look at the principles of time management we need to make sure you understand three important truths about time. First, God created time and space. In Genesis 1&2 we see that God created the concept of seven days a week. The idea of time was not created by man. It was created by God.

Second, God has placed you on earth at this time and place. According to Acts 17:26 God is the one who determined your time and place in this world. You may wish you lived in another time period. But this is the time God placed you on this earth to glorify Him and make a difference in people's lives.

Third, God has made you a steward of your time. Time is a precious gift from God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15&16 that we are to walk wisely by redeeming the time. We walk wisely in this world by the proper use of our time, money, and energy.

When I met with Fran a week later my first order of business was to convince her that she was absolutely right. She could not do it all. If you are honest with yourself then you have to admit that it is impossible for you to do it all. You have to decide in life what is important and what is less important.

But whether you are a pastor, homemaker, salesperson, or CEO all good leaders have this in common with one another. They keep improving their time management skills. The more you improve your time management skills the more you can determine when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” Remember like Fran you can't do it all.

Having looked at the three truths about time in our next article we will look at the first principle of time management.