NYC and Eat that Frog!

Wow. It has been two weeks since I have blogged. I want to be more consistent in this but I am struggling with trying to fit it into my schedule these days. Since my last blog Katy, Kandace and I traveled up to New York city. We lived kind of a fantasy life for a few days. We went to see the Broadway play "Wicked" and ate at some delicious New York restaurants. We did things like... go to the top of the Empire State Building, hang out in Times Square, ice skate in Central Park, go for a moonlight dinner cruise on the Hudson River where we pulled right up to the Statue of Liberty. Oh, and to top it off Katy and Kandace sang in Carnegie Hall under the direction of Camp Kirkland, who, by the way, is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. It was a "once in a lifetime" trip. Because of God's goodness it was all free to us. I had literally been praying for years to be able to take Katy to New York before her high school graduation in May. (If you know Katy you know she LOVES a good show). God not only provided a trip to New York, He threw in singing at Carnegie Hall. He is so Good!!!

So we are home and back down to earth! A couple of weeks ago I added a free book to my Kindle. It was called "Eat That Frog." I am always adding free books that I hear about to read later when I am out of books to read...which is never. Anyway, I have been reading this book and I wanted to share some of its premise. I have been sharing it with Kevin and the girls too.

The book is basically about what separates the successful people from the not so successful people. Now success can be defined in many ways. I think this book can apply to any kind of success (relational success, career success, etc).

Mark Twain once said that if you eat a frog every morning the rest of the day will seem pretty easy. In other words, the first things we should do each day are the tough things. The things that we want to put off or procrastinate on. Studies show that people who are"successful" CHOOSE to do the hard things first and do not procrastinate. Also, more "successful" people tend to see the long term effects of their choices and decisions. They look out weeks, months or years to see what difference a particular choice makes. People who live in poverty or with relational difficulty do not make choices with thoughts of the long term consequences.

This principle can be applied to so many areas of life. The book covers many more facets of this basic principle but it all comes back to the idea that we must do the hard stuff first and get it done. When we make decisions we must not be short-sighted. "Eat That Frog" was not really written with the spiritual realm in mind but it is certainly Biblical. The book of Proverbs is full of little nuggets about thinking things through and getting things done. For example, it is easier and short-sighted to go light on the discipline when our children are young but the long-term effects are not good. If you sit and watch TV or play video games instead of reading books...long term you will be less intelligent. If you satisfy short term appetites whether sexual or in your stomach...there will be long term repercussions.

If you struggle with self discipline/self control or procrastination I highly recommend this book. Of course, the first thing you need to be reading is the Bible daily (start with Proverbs or John). You can overcome these traits even if they have been a part of who you are for your entire life. Do you know people who get things done? Do you admire where they are in life or what they have accomplished? They are not lucky. They do the hard things first. Maybe you don't like to read.

Well, all I can say to that is, "Eat that Frog!!"