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subscribe buttonSeptember 4, 2010

What counts cannot always be counted.

Dear Friends,

We live in a numbers culture. Age, bank accounts, stock market—everywhere we turn we’re surrounded by numbers.

Numbers can tell how far we’ve come and the distance remaining to travel. They provide markers that allow us to measure achievement, results, and progress toward important goals.

I’m in favor of tracking accomplishments as a way to improve performance, but sometimes I think we focus on the wrong numbers. Sales and dollars aren’t really the measures of a quality life.

I suspect we’re more impacted by things like:

  • The number of smiles you prompt.
  • The number of hugs you spread around.
  • The number of giggles from a child or grandchild.
  • The number of simple meals shared with someone you love.
  • The number of people you touch with a kind word.
  • The number of friends who know they can depend on you.
  • The number of times you give something to someone in need.

I want to talk a bit about goals and progress, and hopefully prompt you to think about where you’re headed. But let’s all be aware of the numbers that really matter.

Speaking of unimportant numbers–my calendar tells me that two-thirds of 2010 has passed. I’m sure that’s just an illusion … right?

That also means we’re quickly approaching the end of decade #1 in the New Millennium. Remember the whole debate about Y2K, whether the new century began in ’00 or ’01? Personally, I usually start counting with “1.”

Did you do any goals or resolutions for 2010? Most of us scoff at the notion of New Year’s resolutions, since they tend to disappear before the Super Bowl. But I actually wrote some significant yearly goals for the first time. I took them seriously and engaged in a process to identify how I’d work toward achieving them. To my surprise, their nagging presence has impacted my work.

Since two-thirds is as good as any other fraction (even though it’s frequently the victim of discrimination because of its awkward decimal equivalent), I figured this might be a good time for a quick review. I’m sure you’re not all that fascinated with my goals, but I’m hoping that my review might spur you to think about where you’re heading during the last third of 2010.

Besides, I need your help to make progress on two of them.

I represented my 2010 goals with three keywords: 3000, circle, and workshop. I know—technically, that’s two words and a number, but I’ll defend myself by pointing out that my word processor counts “3000” as a single word.

3000

This one’s pretty straightforward—I committed to cranking my hand cycle 3000 miles during 2010. I just passed 2100 miles, so I’m about right on schedule. Since I’ve never exceeded 1800 in a single year, I’m feeling pretty good about my progress..

Circle

This goal was the least defined—I simply wanted to grow the circle that’s forming around my writing. I won’t bore you with meaningless data, but based on newsletter subscriptions, blog hits, and comment numbers, the circle is growing slowly.

This happens through word of mouth—your words. You can help by:

  • Forwarding a link via email (with your recommendation) to someone who might be interested.
  • Forwarding a link to your Facebook and/or Twitter friends.
  • Commenting on blog posts.
  • Subscribing to the blog. If you’re not already receiving blog updates, just click on the subtle red button. You’ll receive an email verification—make sure to respond to activate your subscription.

I appreciate your interest, and thank you for your help spreading the message.

Workshop

This was probably the craziest of the three. It’s certainly the most ambitious. My goal involved creating and presenting a workshop based on the story of Relentless Grace. I set the goal of doing the workshop at least once during 2010. (Setting The Stage For Success)

Well, the content is pretty much completed, and Evangelical Covenant Church has invited me to lead their men’s retreat on the last weekend of September. I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited/anxious to see the results.

I need some help with this one, because I hope to refine the material and share it with other groups. If you know of a group that might be interested, please contact me. 

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Bouncing Back

We’ve had some wonderful interactions this month at Bouncing Back.

If you’ve missed articles over the past few weeks, you can catch up with anything that grabs your interest.

Failure
Truth: Stories Worth Telling Part 1
How Important Is Right Theology?
One Problem With A Weekend Retreat
Retreat
Prevent It Or Fix It?
How To Communicate
The Perfect Slogan
How To Know What’s Right
Unconditional
Welcome Home
How To Respond To “One Of Those Days”
How To Discover Gratitude
How To Relate In Abundance
Evidence
A Million Miles
How To Change Without Changing
Hills Worth Fighting For
Elmer’s Laugh
Conversion
How To Inspire The Future
Questions About Questions
Biblical Building Codes

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 I hope you’ll continue to visit the site and recommend it to others.

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Thanks to those who responded to the invitation to purchase reduced-price copies of Relentless Grace for donation to places where people are searching for hope. If you’d like to read the story behind this idea, here’s a link.

Please consider visiting this special order page where you can purchase copies of the book at a substantial discount. Then think of places in your community where people are feeling hopeless, where your donation of a book or two might be life-changing.

  • Hospitals
  • Rehab centers
  • Senior centers
  • Nursing homes
  • Church libraries
  • Homeless shelters
  • Centers for battered or abused women
  • Hospices
  • Jails and prisons
  • Red Cross shelters and relief centers
  • Inner city community or youth centers

These are just some examples in a very long list. I hope you’ll think of one or more places in your community and consider making this small donation to assist their efforts. Please consider giving this small gift of hope and inspiration. Check out the details.

If you know of others who might be willing to join this effort, please share the information. Consider inviting members of your small group, church, or service organization. And of course you’re encouraged to share the info via Twitter and Facebook. 

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Calendar and News

September 11: Loveland Lions’ Club 90th Anniversary Celebration

September 14: Boltz Middle School; “Leadership”

September 19 Online workshop with Christians In Recovery: “Excuses”

September 24-26: Evangelical Covenant Church Men’s Retreat, Sky Corral Ranch: “Bouncing Back”

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If you know someone who is looking for a motivational speaker, please contact me or forward this information to an appropriate contact.

If you are engaged in raising funds for a group or individual, send me an email and let’s discuss a speaking engagement/book signing to support your efforts.

I continue to seek speaking opportunities. I’d appreciate the opportunity to visit your community and speak to your group.  Please visit this page for more information about my speaking experiences and possible topics.

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I’m writing a book … I’ve got the page numbers done. Steven Wright

Blessings,

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