David Stewart, Jr.
Today’s Opportunities
Greater and more accessible technology and information
provide the average person today with vast opportunities for personal growth
not available to rulers of nations a century ago. With those opportunities come responsibilities. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “It is
not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute
good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the
good that is in you must be spread to others."[1]
The Lord instructs: “men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do
many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For
the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as
men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." (D&C 58:27-28)
Time is the defining divine gift of mortality. Brigham Young taught: "What have we? Our
time. Spend it as you will. Time is given to you; and when this is spent to the
best possible advantage for promoting truth upon the earth, it is placed to our
account, and blessed are you; but when we spend our time in idleness and folly
it will be placed against us."[2]
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi stated: "Time is the ultimate scarce
resource we have...One of the most essential decisions any of us can make is
about how one's time is allocated or invested." Benjamin Franklin notes:
"Lost time is never found again." Henry David Thoreau wrote: "As
if you could kill time without injuring eternity."
Only when we utilize our time in harmony with our
divine potential are we fully living the gospel. Brigham Young stated: “The riches of a
kingdom or nation do not consist so much in the fullness of its treasury as in
the fertility of its soil and the industry of its people.”[3]
Unproductive people are preoccupied with what they do or do not have, while
productive people are focused on what they create. Jim Rohn noted: "They who know how to
employ opportunities will often find that they can create them; and what we can
achieve depends less on the amount of time we possess than on the use we make
of our time."
An individual’s service to society and eternal destiny
depend primarily on choices of how to allocate time made over the course of a
lifetime. Samuel Johnson wrote: "It is a most mortifying reflection for a
man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done."[4]
William Jennings Bryan stated: “Destiny is not a matter of chance--it is a
matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for--it a thing to be
achieved.” Jim Rohn teaches:
"Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural
consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals." An understanding of basic principles can help
any individual to become significantly more productive.
Establishing Priorities
President Harold B. Lee taught that our first priority
must be to ensure our personal physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, then
that of our family, and then additional professional and church needs. King Benjamin states: “see that all these
things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should
run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be
diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be
done in order” (Mosiah 4:27) Brigham Young stated: "We should commence our
labors of love and kindness with the family to which we belong, and then extend
them to others."[5]
Henry David Thoreau wrote: “It is not enough to be
busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” We must not allow good things to crowd out
essentials. Charles Buxton notes: “You
will never 'find' time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” Those who neglect scripture reading, Sabbath
day observance, and other essential gospel laws to devote time to personal
goals experience false economy. Family
time, scripture reading, and church involvement provide perspective and balance
to the whole. David O. McKay stated:
"All men who have moved the world have been men who would stand true to
their conscience."[6]
Achieving Balance
The Preacher wrote: “To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We can maintain high productivity even after
we reach our capacity for a certain activity by alternating physical, mental,
and spiritual exertion. Vladimir Lenin,
while not admirable in other areas, described the secret of his untiring
diligence: “luchshiy otdykh – smyena deyatelnosti” (“The best rest is a change
of activity”).
Albert Einstein stated: "The most important human
endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and
even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give
beauty and dignity to life." Jesus
taught: “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew
16:26). The Doctrine and Covenants
teaches: "And no man receiveth a fulness unless he keepeth his
commandments. He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until
he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things" (D&C 93:27-28).
Reaching Personal Potential
Productive individuals do not base expectations for
themselves on comparisons with others, but on the higher standard of personal
potential. They have an inner drive to
consistently do their best work and do not tolerate mediocrity. Rick Warren writes: "Success is bearing as
much fruit as possible given your gifts, opportunities, and potential."[7] Thomas S. Monson teaches: "Can we not
appreciate that our very business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to
get ahead of ourselves? To break our own records, to outstrip our yesterdays by
our todays, to bear our trials more beautifully than we ever dreamed we could,
to give as we have never given, to do our work with more force and a finer
finish than ever -- this is the true idea: to get ahead of ourselves."[8]
Vision and Goals
While productive individuals recognize the importance
of clear planning and powerful goals, they do not allow nonproductive
administrative tasks to consume a large proportion of their time. They recognize that motion alone does not
equal progress, and that the world is full of busy people accomplishing little
or nothing. They learn to quickly
appreciate the scope of a challenge, anticipate and plan for problems, and
establish appropriate goals and remain focused on them.
Jim Rohn noted: “Success is 20% skills and 80%
strategy. You might know how to read, but more importantly, what's your plan to
read?" Brian Tracy wrote: "What does it take to succeed on a big
scale? A tremendous god-given talent? Inherited wealth? A decade of
postgraduate education? Connections with the top people in your field?
Fortunately for most of us, what it takes is something very simple and
accessible: clear, written goals. A study of Harvard graduates found that after
20 years, the 3% of them who had written goals achieved more financially than
the other 97% combined! An average person with average talent, ambition and
education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that
person has clear, focused goals." Confucius taught: "A man who does
not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door."
Work Smart
Productive people continually strive to do their work
as efficiently as possible without compromising quality. Jim Rohn stated: "You can cut down a
tree with a hammer, but it takes about 30 days. If you trade the hammer for an
ax, you can cut it down in about 30 minutes. The difference between 30 days and
30 minutes is skills." Jerry Clark writes: “The 80/20 rule states that 80%
of your results will come from 20% of your activities. Therefore, it's
important for you to concentrate your efforts on the 20% of the activities that
will get you 80% of the results. Most people concentrate on the 80% of the
activities that will get them only 20% of the results...You can file your
product orders and clean out your desk after hours.”
Learning and Improvement
Productive individuals are self-critical and always
looking for ways to improve. Jim Rohn
writes: "At the end of each day, you should play back the tapes of your
performance. The results should either applaud you or prod you." They do
not allow ego to impede opportunities for improvement and are constantly
gathering information and ideas to determine how they can work more
effectively. Brian Tracy stated:
"No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting
from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people
who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to
achieve our goals."
Mobilize Spare Time
Productive individuals multitask and mobilize
downtime. William Irwin states:
"Learn to use ten minutes intelligently. It will pay you huge
dividends." When driving a car or doing dishes, listen to language
tapes. While on a bus, read a
dictionary. Elder J. Richard Clark stated:
"If we waste thirteen minutes each day, it is the equivalent of two weeks
a year without pay.”[9]
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Guard well your spare moments. They are like
uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them
and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life." William Ellery
Channing remarks: "An earnest purpose finds time or makes it. It seizes on
spare moments and turns fragments to golden account. A man who follows his
calling with industry and spirit, and uses his earnings economically, will
always have some portion of the day at his command. And it is astonishing how
fruitful of improvement a short season becomes when eagerly seized and
faithfully used…A single hour a day, steadily given to the study of some
interesting subject, brings unexpected accumulations of knowledge." Even
marginal additional effort can dramatically increase productivity. Jim Rohn notes: "Your success in your
career will be in direct proportion to what you do after you've done what you
are expected to do."
The use of leisure time defines character. George Brimhall stated: “You can’t tell the
character of an individual by the way he does his daily work. Watch him when
his work is done. See where he goes. Note the companions he seeks, and the
things he does when he may do as he pleases. Then you can tell his true
character… People can be either eagles or hogs in their leisure time.”[10]
Gordon B. Hinckley commented: “Most of us are constantly faced with a choice of
whether we wallow in the mire or fly to lofty heights….What we do in our
leisure time can make such a tremendous difference. Today is a part of
eternity. As Amulek in the Book of Mormon declared, ‘This life is the time for
men to prepare to meet God’ (
Eliminate Nonessentials
Most of the benefits of the free time generated by
modern technology are dissipated on personal gratification. The average American spends more time
watching television than attending work and school combined over the course of
a lifetime.10 By eliminating television and redirecting time to
other activities, an individual of average intellect can master five or six
languages, develop new talents, and provide significant service.
Jim Rohn stated: "Some people claim that it is
okay to read trashy novels because sometimes you can find something valuable in
them. You can also find a crust of bread in a garbage can, if you search long
enough, but there is a better way."
The way in which we allocate our time reflects our true priorities. Lin Yu Tang stated: "Besides the noble
art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom in life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." The main danger of allowing nonessentials to
consume our time is not that they are necessarily harmful in themselves, but
that they crowd out opportunities and responsibilities that are immensely more
valuable.
Seneca taught: "If you would make a man happy, do
not add to his possessions but subtract from the sum of his desires."
Mahatma Gandhi stated: "Civilization, in the real sense of the term,
consists not in the multiplication but in the deliberate and voluntary
reduction of wants." Socrates wrote: “The fewer our wants, the nearer we
resemble the gods."
Periodic quiet time for contemplation and meditation
is important for personal growth. The
“still small voice” of the Holy Spirit is often drowned out by background
noise, and those who feel its promptings
when they step away from the crowd often wonder how long it has been
knocking. Gilbert Holloway states:
"It is often said that a man's personal religion grows out of the uses to
which he puts his moments of solitude. A sure mark of an irreligious person is
one who hates to ever be alone, who must be constantly amused by radio,
television, canasta or idle companionship. Such shows the lack of
self-discipline and self-determination."
Achieve Self-Mastery
One of the most helpful pieces of advice I ever
received is to “do something that is hard for you every day,” as the things
that are most difficult for us are often the most useful and
developmental. Heber J. Grant stated:
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do. Not that the nature of
the thing has changed but that our ability to do has increased."
Paul wrote: “And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:25). The Greek verb “enkrateuomai” translated in
this passage means practice self-control or self-mastery, keeping one’s
emotions, impulses and desires in check. Brigham Young taught: “The greatest
mystery a man ever learned, is to know how to control the human mind, and bring
every faculty and power of the same in subjection to Jesus Christ; this is the
greatest mystery we have to learn while in these tabernacles of clay.”[12] Seneca states: "Show me a man who is not
a slave. One is a slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, and all
men are slaves to fear...No servitude is more disgraceful than that which is
self-imposed."
Resilience to Adversity
Marvin J. Ashton taught: "Greatness is best
measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that
appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved."[13]
Some individuals are knocked completely off course by seemingly minor
setbacks, while others are able to achieve high productivity in spite of major
adversity or significant physical impairment.
An individual’s ability to perform productive labor depends as much or
more on psychological and social factors as on physical health. Jim Rohn wrote:
"Don't wish it was easier; wish you were better. Don't wish for less
problems; wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenge; wish for more
wisdom."
Hensinger noted that emotional intelligence “includes
impulse control, persistence, zeal, self-motivation, and social deftness as
hallmarks of character and self-discipline, altruism, and compassion. Those
with EI are capable of self-understanding, able to recognize and manage their
own emotions. Characteristically, individuals with EI bounce back far more
quickly from life's setbacks and upsets as they are better able to delay
gratification and stifle impulsiveness.”[14]
Productive people are resilient and maintain a
positive attitude. They learn to enjoy
doing what must be done. Jim Rohn notes:
"Learn how to turn frustration into fascination. You will learn more being
fascinated by life than you will by being frustrated."
Determination and Consistency
With dedication, ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary
things. George Washington Carver stated:
"There is nothing that will not reveal its secrets if you love it
enough." Floyd Maxwell noted:
"A study compared the personal qualities of people whose performance is so
extraordinary we call them ‘geniuses.’ Geniuses were found to have three traits
in common: 1. They take an organized, orderly approach to solving problems. 2.
They maintain an attitude of wonder about the world around them, a habit of
seeing things from a fresh, open perspective. 3. They are able to concentrate
harder and longer than the average person on whatever interests them."
President David O. McKay taught: "Let us realize that the privilege to
work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success.
Genius undoubtedly is little more than the capacity for hard, sustained
work."
Emerson stated: "All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man had taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of your first." Albert Einstein explained: "It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer." Calvin Coolidge noted: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence! Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent! Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts! Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb! Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
[1]
[2] Young, Brigham.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 290.
[3] Young, Brigham. Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 297.
[4] Samuel Johnson, in
Boswell's Life, 1770.
[5] Young, Brigham. Discourses of Brigham Young p.271.
[6] McKay, David O. LDS General Conference, October 1908.
[7] Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church, p. 65.
[8] Monson, Thomas S. Pathways to Perfection, p. 81.
[9] J. Richard Clarke, Ensign, May 1982 p. 78.
[10]
[11]
[12] see Veronis, Suhler & Associates Inc.,
[13] Ashton, Marvin J. Ensign, November 1984, page 22
[14] Hensinger, Robert N. “Pick Me! Pick Me! Recognition of Promise.” Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. Volume 23 (Sept/Oct 2003) pp 569-570