Skip to main content

What To Do First to Make a Profit

The PF Women Team at our Annual Team Retreat  ~ 2018 Today on Seth Godin's blog, he said: It's tempting to decide to make a profit first, then invest in training, people, facilities, promotion, customer service and most of all, doing important work. In general, though, it goes the other way. Yes, it does. If you are waiting to make a profit before you do these things, in my experience you're  not going to make a profit. So many organizations, ministries and churches are struggling with financial issues. I know your pain. As anyone who follows our story knows, our ministry was in a ton of debt four years ago when I came on as director.  Since that time, we've gotten out of debt and turned a profit every year.  God has done amazing things through out team, for which we give Him the glory! I find that what Seth is saying here is absolutely true, with one disclaimer. For Christian leaders, spiritual disciplines must always be first. Before we started inve

3 Ways to Get Something Done When You Want to Run Away

Do you feel overwhelmed with what's on your plate? Are you depressed when you see things around you piling up?

Here, look at this person's kitchen:


Now...don't you feel better?

LOL

I've been at the place where I want to run away. At times my responsibilities feel so enormous I fantasize about crazy things. Don't worry, I'm not thinking of murder or abandoning my family or stuff like that.  Normally I dream of things like spontaneously taking off for a vacation with no prior planning, or living in a house so far in the woods, no one wants to come there.  Yes my friends, these are my wild fantasies.

When my imagination runs wild, most times it runs to a little cottage in the forest with a pointy roof.  Something like this...


As you can see, fancy is not the goal of this escape.

True story -- my daughter has a friend she goes to school with who lives so far in the woods I can't go there without getting horribly lost every time. I even get lost when the friend is in the car with us, instructing me on where to go! Seriously!  And it's so far back in the boondocks, my GPS loses a signal. It's maddening! So, I just made a rule that Savanna's not allowed to go there anymore. The girl has to come to our house every time if they are going to be friends. I know, that's probably one of the meanest things you've ever heard but honestly I don't have time to be getting lost in the woods all the time. For the sake of time management I just said, "Savanna, she has to come to us if you're going to be friends." (I know, I won't win Mom of the Year for that one.) Back on topic...

I have been so overwhelmed before that I let my mind drift to my little house in the middle of the woods that nobody can get to.  It has no phone access, but it DOES have WIFI.  Ha ha ha!!!

All this to say - I understand those of you who are dealing with a pile of stuff to do and aren't even sure where to start. May I offer these suggestions? Instead of escaping to my little house in the woods, I do this, and it works for me.

1)  Start with something close by, something small that will take you about 15 minutes to do. For me this is sometimes just cleaning off my kitchen counter.  Once you see that finished space, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and a little vim and vigor to do something else. Rarely do I stop with that 15 minute project.  I normally go on to do two or three other things before I call it a night.

2)  Put on some music as a backdrop if you are doing menial things that you don't have to concentrate on. Go to Spotify or Pandora and make a playlist of songs that encourage you. These resources are free, by the way. I use them every day.

3) Make a list of things you need to do.   Break it down into smaller increments - more specific than you thought it originally needed to be. For instance if you have two bathrooms don't just write "clean bathrooms" on the list. Make each bathroom a separate item on the list. If you have sermons to prepare don't just say, "write sermons". List each sermon separately.  Each time I cross something off my list it's an occasion to do a happy dance.

Remember my friends, anything you get done is better than doing nothing. You can't talk a ball over a fence! It's time for action. Take a step. Do one thing and let it lead to another. Then celebrate your accomplishment.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Some people will never understand this...

And that's okay. Just let us be as we lavish love upon the fur-kids of the world. It doesn't mean we don't care about people. We do care. In fact most of the people I know who are great pet lovers are also the greatest philanthropists. If you're not a dog lover, you might not understand the overwhelming intensity that many of us felt about Tank's reunion this past week. You might think we've lost our marbles. That's okay, we think you've lost your heart. ;)  Before I go on with this post, let me say that we were delighted that CBS 10 posted the video and article about Tank and his Celebration Church reunion yesterday. Click here to watch it. (But then come back!) If you haven't realized it, there is a revolution in America about dogs. Dogs have always been loved and known as the most loyal companions ~ "man's best friend". But things have gone way beyond this. Dogs aren't just dogs or friends anymore. They are family me

Fifty Shades of No Way

This weekend, the Fifty Shades of Grey movie will be released and millions of women are expected to flock to the theat er s.  I will not be one of those women.   As a leader of women , some have asked me about this movie. The following is my thoughtful response. Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists around the world. The book series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 52 languages. It set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time.   Is Fifty Shades of Grey just a harmless book or movie? Although n o one seems to be debating this fact, let’s first establish that it’s pornography.  And not just porn, but a genre that is even more dangerous for women. The book glorifies a female character that is controlled and abused by her partner.   Who is excited about this book and mov ie? Hmmmm….you might be surprised. Many women and girls in our churches have read it. Sadly, I am even aware of

Relevant Church doing something...

incredibly RELEVANT!

I just heard some news today that really inspired me. A church here in Tampa, Relevant Church is doing a new thing this month called the "30 Days Sex Challenge." (I've never visited the church but Pastor Trinity - our children's pastor - has visited or has met some people from this church and he was very impressed.) Realizing that this is a major element missing from some marriages (the frequency factor) their lead pastor, Paul Wirth, has issued a challenge for all the married couples to have sex for 30 days in a row. At the same time he has issued a challenge for all unmarrieds to completely abstain from sex. Of course we know the Bible says that those who are unmarried should not have sex in the first place but the point is, a lot of unmarried's aren't obeying the Lord's command to abstain and this is just one pastor's way of trying to get them to see that indeed, there is a better way! (God's way!) At the same time, many married couples are not