Finding balance in our lives can be easier said than done.  It seems like there are so many things we want to accomplish or be great at in life.  Often we fill our schedules with so many things that we fail to make a significant progress in anything.  Choosing the priorities that are most important in our lives and focusing on ways to grow in those areas, can really lead us to significant growth in our lives.  Knowing when to say NO to opportunities that will eventually overload us can be hard, but can truly be the difference between a BREAKTHOUGH or a BURNOUT.  PRODUCTIVITY & RESULTS

I am an adrenalin junky, addicted to productivity.  From the moment my alarm rings at 4:00am, I’m up and running.  Every task for the day is strategically planned and every minute on the clock is labeled to serve a purpose in my day of PRODUCTIVITY.  Most of the tasks are simply routine, so much that it is burned on the hard drive of my brain, and also posted on my refrigerator as a reminder for my wife  (I thank God for such a supportive wife).  What a great feeling it is to be able to look back at the end of the day and see all the things that got accomplished.  Seeing positive RESULTS triggers something inside of us that desires to reproduce the actions that helped us achieve a desired results, thus forming habits and developing discipline in our lives.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

PERSISTANCE PAYS, WHEN REST STAYS

I have seen so much spiritual, personal, relational growth this year from living a life of discipline.  The key is to develop habits that lead to desired results, repeat actions then evaluate processes to improve outcomes.  Along with all of this I’ve discovered that FOCUSED PRIORITIES + REST = BALANCE.  Have you heard the saying that goes “I’ll rest when I’m dead”?  I’m definitely one who has that GO, GO, GO mentality.  This mentality is something imbedded in me, and I’ve had to make a continuous effort to remind myself to rest.

BEWARE OF BURNOUT

I’ve once read a statement that said “Effectiveness is getting the right things done. Efficiency is doing things right.” Two years ago, my wife and I had our hearts sold out to and invested in the children’s ministry at our local church.  During our time serving in this ministry it became our only priority.  Nobody saw it coming, and little did we know that this would lead to a ministry burnout.  The point I’m trying to make is that we didn’t know when to stop, we were efficient in many things, but only effective in a few.  We were simply out of balance.  I thank God for allowing us to experience burnout because through this I’ve learned the importance of FOCUSED PRIORITIES and REST.  In his book “7 Practices Of Effective Ministry” Author Andy Stanley says “Narrow The Focus” and “Do fewer things in order to make a greater impact”.  So I finally came to realize that I had too much on my plate and needed balance in my life.  I needed to define the things that I was most passionate about and were most important in my life and focus on those things.  Here is what is working for me.

“MY FIRST 5” 

1. GOD
2. FAMILY
3. WORK
4. BIBLE COLLEGE
5. MINISTRY

I finally came to a solution that I call “My First 5”.  My first 5 is a simple concept where I choose the 5 most important priorities in my life.  This helps me to stay balanced and keeps me from over committing my time.  If an opportunity that I’m considering comes along, then I weigh it against my 5 priorities. I don’t take on anything new before letting something go.  This concept allows me time for rest, fun, and fitness.  Remember, focusing on less allows us to be more effective.  The goal is balance, and as a great passage found in Proverbs 11:1 says “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”  So if you feel that your lifestyle can allow more commitments, then by all means please make this concept your own.

My prayer is that we define the things that we are most passionate about, focus on them and let us continue working to find a healthy balance in our lives.

From The Heart, Dan Chavez