Secret #121 Ride the Endorphin Rush

Brain research shows that when you complete a task on your to do list AND take a second to actually cross it off... your brain releases endorphins into your blood stream... thus you experience a physical and psychological high or lift.

So why not ride the endorphin rush right now? Here's how:

1. Create a list of all that you need/want to do today.
2. Prioritize the list by asking yourself, "If I could only do one of these items today, which one would it be?"
3. Place the number 1 next to that item... and then re-ask the question about the remaining items on your list.
4. Once you have everything on your list prioritized... start at #1 and work at it until you complete it.
5. Once you complete #1, take a second to cross it off your list... sit back... and ride the endorphin rush.

Or—If the above doesn't work—you can go to Starbucks and drink a 16 shot Americano... that ought to do it.

But whatever you do, don't cross anything off your to do list AND drink a 16 shot Americano... I just can't be held responsible for what that might do to you!

*Secret #119 Plan Your Finish NOW

For the last several presidential elections, political pundits have been talking about the critical importance of the final 72 hours of a campaign. That is, after spending millions of dollars and countless hours of energy campaigning all over the United States, the fate of an election often boils down to the last 72 hours. In a presidential race in these days, if you snooze—or even let up just a little during the last 72 hours—you could very well lose!

To truly finish this life well, you must run strong all the way to the end.

Starting well is beneficial. Staying the course is critical. But it's the way you finish that becomes your legacy. No matter what age or season of life you're in right now, finishing this life well is something to which you should give some careful thought and intentional planning. The Challenge of Finishing Well is a twenty-eight page interactive workbook that is designed to help you wrestle with what it means for you to finish well in God's eyes. It's ideal for small groups or for use as a personal half or full day retreat.

The spiritual racetrack of life is littered with the broken lives of those who had great starts, were more talented, smarter, stronger, and even more pious than most of us— but for one reason or another—they did NOT finish well. Way too many of us finish poorly like Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived: “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God…” (1 Kings 11:4). The danger for us is that "as we grow old," our hearts could grow cold—and we may turn after other gods (including the god of self and comfort). If it can happen to Solomon, it can happen to any of us. But it doesn't have to... if--right now--you'll dare to accept The Challenge of Finishing Well.

Secret 111: Get Off the Treadmill of Good Intentions

Important Note Before You Read This Post:
At the very end of this post is a link to a FREE eight page PDF download that will give you the nuts and bolts of how you can move from the treadmill of good intentions to the track of action and life change.


About ten years ago, I bought my first treadmill. Boy, did I feel great about myself. Just getting that thing down to the basement was a workout in itself—I think I lost half a pound! Once I got that thing settled in its place, I beamed with pride… and just knew that in a short time I’d be in shape… or at least in better shape.

Yet, I confess to you that though I have over a decade of treadmill ownership under my belt, my belt has not gotten any smaller. I thought about taking the treadmill back and trading it in for a new and improved model. Obviously, this one wasn’t working.

But I think I finally figured out what’s wrong. It seems you must actually get on the treadmill three to five times a week for about 20-30 minutes each time if you want any benefits. Go figure. Oh yeah, and they also tell me you should plug the treadmill in and turn it on (sounds kind of dangerous if you ask me).


The Treadmill of Good Intentions and YOU
Laugh at me all you want. But I’m willing to bet a rarely used ten-year-old treadmill that you’re frighteningly more like me than you care to admit. Yep, my treadmill story is for YOU—especially if you’ve ever had the good intentions to…

• read the Bible through in a year… but didn’t make it through the second week of January


• create and stick to a budget… but ran up more credit card debt


• lose weight… and then set a personal record in chocolate eating


• have a better marriage… and then actually argued with your spouse about how (Okay, that could be just me on that one.)


• be a more patient parent… and then yelled at your kids more than ever


• exercise regularly… and then used your treadmill as a clothes hanger


• bought a self-help book… but didn’t help yourself enough to crack it open

Just like me and my treadmill—you bought the books, took notes on the sermon, went to the Bible study, and even signed up for the seminar, but nothing really changed in the key areas of your life.

My question to you—before we go any further—is this: Are you sick enough of the treadmill of good intentions that you’re really ready to move to the track of personal growth?

To Get Off the Treadmill, You Need to Get On Track
If you really want to move off the treadmill of good intentions and onto the track of personal growth, I contend that, like a train, you must be careful to run on two rails. Of course, I’m not saying these are the only two keys to personal growth. All I’m saying is that the two rails I am about to explore with you are foundational if you really want to quit dinking around and start growing.



What are the two rails? To finish this training session, GO HERE.


Please feel free to share this post (just click the image of the envelope below) and the FREE eight page PDF download with as many people as you like. It's great for personal use or for use in small groups. I'm thrilled to be a missionary of encouragement and equipping to you! Thanks reading this blog!


Secret #94 The 1000 Percent Return Principle

Tired of letting life live you while your priorities sit quietly neglected in the back seat of your life? Well, if you're REALLY ready to do something about it... this blog's for you!

To make sure your life's priorities end up in your daily, weekly, and monthly routine, you will need to start by investing time in planning. Why is planning so critically important? When you take time to proactively plan your priorities into your schedules you are engaging in one of the highest returns you can get from time. As corporate consultant Brian Tracy puts it,

“You save ten minutes in execution for every minute you invest in planning. This means that the very act of planning—thinking on paper before you begin—gives you a 1000 percent return on energy. This is one of the highest returns you can get from anything you do in life.”

If you are serious about getting your priorities out of the back seat of your life, then you must proactively plan your priorities into your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly schedule. Planning takes time... but the return on your investment in planning is worth the time spent planning.

If you don't take time to plan, you will more than likely arrive at the end of life wondering why life lived you. Is that what you really want?



Note: This blog entry was taken from the workbook and audio CD, Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People: Ten Biblical Principles for Taking Control of Your Life and Time