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bobbrubaker.com SITE INDEX |
BOB'S Weekly PowerBreak Messages - January, 2002 PowerBreak is a weekly feature, designed to give you some power from God's Word as you to through life. This internet newsletter has been sent out continuously since March, 1997. It is amazing how the list of recipients continues to grow. If you would like to receive PowerBreak messages via email each week, please send your request to Bob or just get it each week from this page as it is updated. You may also dig into some past publications by clicking on the links from past months. Bob hopes to be able to offer this PowerBreaks in book for soon. BY THE WAY The name PowerBreak was taken from Bob's endurance races where each water stop was a quick refueling, or a break for power on the go. Bob designed the PowerBreak to be that for all who receive the messages each week. A quick thought and power from the Word of God for people on the go. PowerBreak Messages for January 2002 KEEP SCROLLING DOWN Links to previous messages below. PowerBreak Message for January 28, 2002 HIGH RETURN FOCUS It's so easy to spin your wheels in activities that seem to get you nowhere fast. It's easy to get bogged down on events that are not really that significant. It's easy to allow people who seem to make the most noise take you away from the people who really need your attention. It's easy to allow things that are nice but not all that important in the larger picture to get the best of our time and energy. Studies have shown the 80-20 principle seems to play out in just about every area of life. We have a choice to focus on the 80 percent of events, people, and things in our lives that bring a 20 percent return on what we really want in life or we can focus on the 20 percent, which will bring us an 80 percent return. In a recent article, Jim Rohn encouraged readers to ask the question: "What are the 20 percent activities that account for 80 percent of your income?" As he said if you're not clear what your high-profit activities are, ask yourself this question - what are one, two, or three of your business activities that if you could spend 8 hours a day focused on them, your business, income, and/or life would get noticeably better? We might carry that a little further and ask the question: "Who are the 20 percent of the people in your life that account for 80 percent of time well spent in your journey toward your life's goals?" Or we might ask the question: "What are the 20 percent of events or activities in which you are involved that really account for 80 percent of the progress toward where you want to be?" It is interesting as you study the life of Jesus you'll find He was interested in the crowd but spent most of His time teaching the disciples, and even more time with the three who would really make a real impact in promoting the kingdom: Peter, James, and John. Jesus knew what He wanted and where the return was going to be then focused on the 20 percent that would bring Him the 80 percent return. Matthew 17:1 (NLT) Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. Right now there are many things, people and activities calling out for your attention. Too many people get involved with everything that crosses their desk then they wonder why they haven't achieved or accomplished what they set out to do. Think in terms of the 80 - 20 principle. Am I going to spin my wheels and take 80 percent of my effort for 20 percent result or am I willing to step back and focus on the real important things - the 20 percent that will bring me an 80 percent result. "I just don't have the time!" People say it all the time. Daytimers are full. Schedules are crammed and people will say they really want to exercise, devote more time to their families, get involved in church activities or other things that will bring a very positive return on their investment but they don't have time. Maybe an assessment using the 80 - 20 principle will help you get some things in perspective and get on track to a very successful week. I sure hope so. Godspeed. Bob Brubaker PowerBreak Message for January 21, 2002 BACK TO THE BASICS In the late sixties a man was named head coach of the Green Bay Packers. The team was loaded with talent but couldn't pull off the big win. All kinds of things had been tried prior to hiring the man who would change everything and create a dynasty in Green Bay. The man's name was Vince Lombardi and he changed everything by returning to the basics. "It all comes down to blocking and tackling," he would preach to his team over and over and over. Even though the team was filled with "stars" he didn't let anyone off from his constant drilling of the basics. His relentless going back to the basics proved to be the ticket to the first two Super Bowls. The Green Bay Packers seemed to be unstoppable under Lombardi's tutelage. He made such an impact on the sport that the Super Bowl winner is awarded the Vince Lombardi trophy. What's so special about going back to the basics? The basics in sport, in business, or in life are the place we all start and upon which we build. Too many times when we start a new year, begin a new venture, or apply ourselves to a new goal, we tend to be so sophisticated that we lose sight of the basics. Even Jesus scolded the religious leaders of his day because they seemed to have it all figured out but had left off the basics. Matthew 23:23 (Msg) "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required." If you are trying to get back on track, pursuing a goal, or seeking to make a change consider going back to the basics. Sometimes you need a little outside coaching or insistence that you get back to the little things upon which you build before you can take bigger challenges. The Bible pointed this out in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 5:12 (Msg) By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! If you aren't making the progress you'd like to be making in life - GO BACK TO THE BASICS. The reason we don't return to the basics is simple. It's not complicated enough for us. We think we are over going back to the basics but if we want to succeed that is where we must begin. Vince Lombardi proved it to be a great idea. Successful coaches since have followed Coach Lombardi's success strategy and so can you. Go back and master the basics before you begin to add anything else to your success strategy. Godspeed. Bob Brubaker PowerBreak Message for January 14, 2002 KEEPING THE FIRE BURNING Life is filled with good intentions. Many of those good intentions are set as goals or resolutions at this time of the year. The first steps of writing down the goal and taking the initial step to achievement are the easiest part of the process. The hard part comes when you are tired and you don't see the progress you'd like and a voice inside keeps crying, "It's not worth it!" What do you do? Most people give up. Take a look at health clubs in January. The parking lots are filled to capacity. By March the majority of the crowd will be gone. You don't have to give up on your goals. The key is keeping the fire of motivation burning and there are many different ways to do that. Anthony Robbins advocates keeping the stick and the carrot of your original motivation in front of you by visualizing how good you would feel if you achieved your goal and how disappointed and depressed you'd be if you fail to accomplish your objective. Another trainer advocates breaking down the big goal into small pieces and rewarding small achievements. The Bible is full of lessons on motivation. One person who was quite self motivated and kept an entire kingdom motivated was King Solomon. Proverbs 25:28 (NAB) Like an open city with no defenses is the man with no check on his feelings. What a profound statement! You can't rely on your feelings if you want to stay motivated. Your feelings will fluctuate all the time. If you don't have something other than feelings driving you, you'll quit as soon as the going gets a little uncomfortable. That's why so many people give up so easy. They get emotional about a cause, an idea, or a purpose but can't stick with it to the end because they have nothing deeper than feeling driving them. Solomon says don't rely on feelings. He also reminded us that life is full of cycles so there are times when you push hard and times you rest. There are times when you are able to make great progress and times your progress will seem to plateau. It's all part of life's cycles. Eccles. 3:1-6 (NLT) There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. Coaches plan and count on cyclical improvement. You may not be making the same progress today as you did three weeks ago but that doesn't make you a failure. It may mean you are in another phase of life so the best thing is to recognize it and make the most of it. Solomon also reminded us that it's the little things that make the difference. It can be the little things that you do that keep you on track and it's the little distractions that we allow to creep in and destroy our progress. Song 2:15 (NAB) Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom! It's a great thing to set some goals for the coming year. It's another thing to keep on track toward the goals three months or nine months or twelve months down the road. In order to do that you need to stay motivated. Solomon would remind you to have something other than feelings driving you because you can't rely on the feelings. He would remind you to allow for the cycles of life and make the most of those times. He would also remind you to notice the little things that can make or break your progress. Solomon was blessed by God with wisdom beyond anyone could have ever dreamed. It was Solomon who also reminded us to always rely upon the Lord. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Godspeed. Bob Brubaker PowerBreak Message for January 7, 2002 STAYING FOCUSED An athlete is running a marathon with a specific time goal in mind. She has trained hard and remained very focused throughout her training. However race day brings one distraction after another and she is thrown off her pace and taken off her focus. She completes the race in a time that is quite respectable but not close to what she was capable of doing or what she had wanted to do. What happened? She did not have a plan to stay focused in the midst of distractions. What is true for any athlete is true for all of us. No matter what we set out to do this week we'll have distractions that seem to attack our focus from one side or another. When you look at successful people you'll notice they are people who know how to stay focused no matter what comes up. Sometimes they are criticized for being so focused but envied for their accomplishments. This is one area where we are all equal. We all have a million distractions that can get our eyes off our goals. Many of these distractions are good things, even legitimate things, but they are distractions nevertheless and we had better have a plan for dealing with them or we'll be thrown off course and miss our mark. A great example of a focused person was Jesus Christ. He knew exactly why He was here and what He came to do. And He did it! John 6:38 (NLT) For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want. John 17:4 (NIV) I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Another example of a focused person in the Bible is Paul. He responsible for the "ONE THING" concept long before Curley in the movie, City Slickers. Philippians 3:13 (NIV) Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, Notice his resolve as controlled by this focus. He's ready to let go of the past and put a full effort into staying on track with a focus on the goal. Life is a marathon of sort and in order to finish well we must remained focused in the midst of many distractions. All of us will be set off course or out of focus by one thing or another. The temptation is to get discouraged and lose sight of the goal altogether. Winners however find a way to get back on track, never losing sight of where they want to be and always looking for a way to get back or stay on the course that will get them where they want to go. As you set your goals and plan your year, be sure to count on the bombardment of many distractions. It really helps to make a plan for dealing with distractions and getting refocused. I like the way the prophet Isaiah wrote about staying focused, relying on God's help to keep him on track he still was determined to stay focused. Isaiah 50:7 (NIV) Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. May 2002 be that kind of a year for you. Godspeed. Bob Brubaker |
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