Sorry I’ve been away a while… hope all is well.
Last week my almost 80 year old parents moved out of Secaucus, New Jersey after 77 years. They have taken up residence in Apex, North Carolina to live near one of my sisters. I drove the moving truck with my Dad riding shotgun and Lin followed in my Mom’s car.
Because the truck didn’t go very fast, it took about 11 hours to cover the 600 miles. My sister was a fantastic host and we went to church with her on Super Bowl Sunday.
Now the preacher caught my attention by speaking about the word ‘cumulative’; which I wrote about back in May 2006. Since I felt he did a great job addressing ‘cumulative value’ and ‘cumulative effect’, I’m going to share the highlights.
Maybe I needed to be reminded of it more than you but BY IMPLEMENTING THE IDEAS PUT FORTH HERE MY LIFE HAS ALREADY DRAMATICALLY CHANGED FOR THE BETTER.
We all need to learn how to live in such a way that one day we can look back on our lives with as little regret as possible. Always ask the question, ‘What is the wise thing to do?’ It would be awesome to live a regret-free life!
We have ALL the time we need… what are we doing with it???
1- There is a Cumulative Value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period of time. For example- exercise, your marriage, your children, etc.
2- Neglect also has a Cumulative Effect over a period of time. For example- exercise, your marriage, your children, etc.
3- There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any one area of life. For example- If you are a committed exerciser and you skip a day or 2 or even a week, it will not make a huge difference in the long run.
4- There is no Cumulative Value to the urgent things we allow to interfere with the important things of life (that is why we have regret). Emergencies can literally suck the life out of you.
5- In the important areas of life, you cannot make up for lost time. Where did all the time go and why don’t I have anything to show for it? For example- how often does your family sit down for a dinner where life updates are given and relationships are built? What traits would you hope your children develop? Honesty, Integrity, Honor, and a good Work Ethic would be admirable. Are you taking steps everyday to help develop those traits?
‘Right Now’ is just a phase in your life. In light of your past, present and future, what is the wise thing to do with your time? What do you need to STOP doing? 4 areas to look at are Physically, Relationally, Professionally, and Spiritually.
And if you are not serving somewhere, your life is not balanced. ‘If you want to be Great, Serve!’ –JC
Lin and I took the train from North Carolina back to Jersey. It was an adventure. But at one point we were sitting at a table in one of the cars… big bright windows to the passing scenery, special snacks packed by my sister and some beverages. We had a lengthy discussion about all of the Cumulative things in our lives to this point.
We butted heads a bit and started the process of answering the Questions. Even though it was work, it was well worth the effort. Any activities that lead one to Peace of Mind are worthwhile.
All the best… bye4now…
