Why You Must Put Rocks in Your Stream

Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least.

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

There is a river running through your life. Your river is different from my river.

Your river is that thing that consumes the great majority of your day.

If you are a stay at home mom, your river is probably the kids and the house.

If you are self-employed like me, your river is probably your work tasks.

Whatever your river is, there is a problem. If you let it, your river will consume your entire life.

To avoid this problem you must put some rocks in your stream.

Just like how a rock in a river directs the river’s path, the rocks in your life will direct your day.

And your days direct your life.

So, what rocks should you have in your life? The things that matter most to you. The things that you will wish you spent more time on when you are lying on your death bed. You’ve got to come up with your own, but as an example here are a few of mine.

To be honest, most of these don’t get the time they deserve, but by giving them a place in the stream of my life they’ll get a whole lot more time than they would have!

  1. God – He is my creator, my source of strength and who I’ll spend eternity with, but how much time do I spend with him each day? Nowhere near enough. Sure, I could tell you that I “pray constantly”, but the truth is my mind is not on God most of the day – though it should be. How can I produce fruit if I am detached from the vine?
    Starting my day with God is a habit that I am working hard to accomplish. I even thought I was doing pretty well until I started actually measuring how many times it happened in a week – let me say that it was a rude awakening!
    But, there are so many great things that come from a daily quiet time in the morning. I am more at peace all day, I have a much better plan for my day and I can honestly reflect on the outcomes of my actions (are they getting me where I want to go?).
  2. Family – Thank the Lord God gave me my wife. She is so focused on family and time together that I can sometimes resent it (that is tough to write). I can get frustrated because I need to spend “more time on work.”
    Am I going to wish that I spent more time at work at the end of my life? Certainly not. That is why I am incredibly grateful for Jill. She keeps me focused on what matters. The greatest gifts God has given me – her and the kids.
  3. Health – Ahh… Eating right and getting some exercise. Most people that know me would say that this rock gets a lot of my attention. And I do spend more time on my health than many people.
    Let’s face it. I am old dad! I am 43, have a 3 and a 2 year old and another due in March. And we are already thinking we should have 4! I am going to be an old dude before my house is child free. I am going to need to be in excellent condition to do this well!
    Do I do a great job with my health – nah! I love to pig out on garbage food (preferably sugar) which forces me to work out more to compensate. I do track my weight and know when things are getting way off the rails, but greater self-discipline in my eating could save me a ton of time working out.

What are your rocks? How much time do they get in your life? If you don’t know, ask your spouse or someone else who sees you every day. They’ll tell you the truth.

Set some goals to spend more time on what matters most to you. Track your progress so that you can live a life that you will be proud of in the end.

Need help getting started? Contact us now via our website or just give us a call at 229-375-5613 and we’ll help you get going.

Thank you for being a part of our values driven community!

Image courtesy of http://pixabay.com/en/photos/creeks/,

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