Tag: systems

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The right path

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Lili Popper on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from Psalm 1. Yes, we made it to the middle of the bible, the psalms. Lots of good stuff to come.

The contrast in Psalm 1 is clear: the way of sinners and the way of the righteous. Which would you choose?

The psalmist describes the blessed as those who avoid “the counsel of the wicked,” “the way of sinners,” and “the seat of scoffers.” And yet, those are the very things we choose over and above “the law of the Lord.”

Let me explain. We take advice from anyone out there on social media. We go along with the crowd even if we’re not sure we should. We scoff, mock, and speak derisively about anyone at the drop of a hat.

Guess which way we too often choose?

I don’t think we even realize how often we head down “the way of the wicked” (Psalm 1:6). I don’t think we realize what path we’re on until we’re a few miles down the road. And then when things aren’t working out so well, we wonder what went wrong.

So I guess the question is, how do I stay on the right path?

It’s the word. Delighting in it. Meditating on it. Drenched in it. Smothered in it. Infused. Smothered. Surrounded.

As many productivity gurus will tell you, it’s not habits or discipline, but the systems we have in place. A regular rhythm of devotion, prayer, and worship steers us a different direction than the influences around us. The Old Testament is filled with those worship rhythms, festivals, and feasts, leading God’s people down the path of life.

What systems do you have in place? What systems keep you on the right path?

Posted in Life

I can do anything differently. But I probably won’t.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Daily writing prompt
What could you do differently?
View all responses
Photo by Mulyadi on Unsplash

For a whole year, people have asked me the opposite question: “What can you do the same?” In other words, what habits and systems will you establish to relieve stress, increase productivity, and make incremental improvements? This comes from successful folks who share their morning rituals with me so that I can have a better life. They discipline themselves to wake up at the same time, dress the same way, eat the same meals, and take the same route to work in order to clear their minds for more important tasks. Those folks would advocate that the one thing I could do differently is to do the same thing every day.

But Jerry Seinfeld challenged George Costanza, “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.” George tries it and immediately connects with a woman who had been looking in his direction. Doing things differently changes his life, at least for one episode.

So I can do anything and everything differently. The possibilities are endless. Multiple options are within my grasp. However, I know I’m probably not going to do much differently. I am a creature of habit.

But what I can do differently isn’t actually different. It’s just “one more” or “one percent more” of what I’ve been doing. It’s reading one more page or running one more minute. It’s writing one more paragraph or practicing a line of music one more time. It’s saying one more prayer or drinking one more sip of water. Over time, I run faster, feel healthier, and sound better. And I didn’t do anything differently.