A Very Good Place to Start

Last time we recalled a favorite song from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, which begins:

"Let's start at the very beginning..."

Today we move on to the next line:

"...a very good place to start..."

Ridiculously simple thought, isn't it? But, as we who work for a living know, simple is usually best. The best plans, if stated simply, stand a chance of being executed well and on time. With more complication comes confusion, and resulting delays. So we we begin today simply: 

1. I will always take more time than is necessary to do everything. This is the way to avoid being in a hurry and getting excited.

2. Since I will invariably have more things to do than time in which to do them, and this prospect preoccupies me and gets me all worked up, I will cease to think about all I have to do, and only consider the time I have at my disposal. I will make use of that time, without losing a moment of it, beginning with the most important duties; and as regards those that may or may not get done, I shall not worry about them.

Yes, it's our two rules again. Our repetition of these rules is meant to inculcate consistent adherence. Has that been working for you? Have you been applying these rules every day?

If so, you may have been able to free up time to build your Interior Life - the purpose of these rules. And with a more robust Interior Life, we will have a sure foundation to - with God's grace - make progress in our spiritual lives. And we know that making progress brings us ever closer to God - day to day, ever closer. Who wouldn't want that?

With a sound, growing, vibrant spiritual life, we work more consistently for the greater glory of God. Isn't that what we seek to do each day? And if these rules, by building our Interior Life, help us to work for God's greater glory more consistently, more naturally, sometimes without even a second thought needed to reinforce our intention, well, isn't that wonderful?

Last time, we illustrated how beginning the day with our two rules provided a fine, quality slice of time for prayer right in the midst of a typically busy day - to be specific, a whole 10 minutes. Imagine being able to take 10 minutes for prayer smack dab in the middle of completing and urgent and important task. Yes, it actually happened. 

There were more fine, quality slices besides that one, too. More and more these become available. And to think how for years I struggled to simply recollect myself enough so that I wasn't leaving God behind when the work day began. For years!

Now, to be fair, it doesn't always pan out this way. Some days find us not feeling as great as others. Or maybe we've got a cold, or an injury (Oh, that daily exercise!) that drains our energy as the day wears on. We struggle. And before we know it, we find things going awry.

But that's OK. Struggle will always remain a chief characteristic of life in this Vale of Tears. What's new?

Our two rules aren't magic. They provide no guarantees. They're simply rules we've discerned will help us to build our Interior Life, even as we provide top quality work for our employers, clients, customers, as well as effective leadership to those whom we're charged to lead. 

We recognized the value of our rules and decided to do our best to allow them to guide each work day. That was a decision. But a decision doesn't eliminate struggle.

One of the exercise videos I've followed shows the instructor wearing a shirt that say: "Decide, Commit, Succeed." During the course of a really vigorous, extreme, hour-long session, the trainer cuts down the reps he's doing for a particular exercise. He explains that, sure, we decide, we commit, but it doesn't mean we'll succeed in doing everything exactly as planned. No sweat because, as he put it: We succeed because "We're in the room."

It's the same with our two rules. As long as we're "in the room," we've succeeded. Our results may not be exactly what we envisioned. But, heck, stuff happens. 

So when things don't go smoothly, you just chalk it up to another day in what was once, but ain't no more, Paradise. And the next morning you get up and get yourself "in the room" again. Just being in the room is key.

Last time I was in the room. Today, I'm in the room. Tomorrow? Need I say I'll be in the room?

So I guess "the room" is that "very good place to start," right?