Progress Not Perfection

So what is the one thing? The one thing that brings you satisfaction like no other thing? Money, Fame, Prestige, Notoriety, Family, Faith, Marriage, Service? I guess the list could go on and on. However, it occurs to me that where we spend the majority of our time MUST be tied to what we value and seek in terms of satisfaction. The wisest of the wise wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:24, “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work…” NIV.

Our work must have a Kingdom impact that is transforming life for the better to really be satisfying in my opinion. What does that mean? It means that we are doing something meaningful enough to contribute to the well being of humankind and have generational impact according to cultural norms. However, Jesus and meaningful Christianity adds to that the infinite value of having eternal impact that redeems and closes the loop in understanding our ultimate purpose in life to glorify God in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

So how do we get our arms around making that happen? The same way one eats an elephant! A fellow board member shared an interesting article from the Harvard Business Review May 2011 issue (p.72) that I think is an excellent idea that is practically helpful. Professors Amabile and Kramer write of their discovery of  a progress principle: “Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.  And the more frequently people experience a sense of progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive in the long run.”

Progress is the key. Do you realize how potentially influential we can be just by helping our coworkers and friends grasp a hint of progress in their work on a daily basis? At the end of the day, there is nothing like feeling like a person who has made progress in meaningful work. let’s get contagious in sharing that kind of encouragement in helping others lay claim to the inch by inch progress we are making in the name of Christ for the transformation of the world!