All or Nothing

All or nothing. It's the sort of thinking and acting that keeps most of us stuck. It keeps us off balance, and usually leads us to one extreme of burn out or to the other extreme of severe procrastination. It's an "out of balance" way of living that neglects the small, key steps and daily decisions that when compounded over time would make a huge difference in our lives.

Have you ever asked, "What's the point?" or "What good would that do?" I have. For example, if money is tight, it may seem pointless to save $10. It seems like an insignificant amount of money. However, if I keep saving $10, then over time that money will grow and grow. $10 here and there becomes hundreds even thousands.

The opposite can happen as well. I can say, "It's just $10." and spend money on things that are of little value. Over time, if I keep blowing $10 (rather than saving it or spending it more wisely), then that same $10 becomes hundreds, even thousands, of dollars gone.

I can get caught up in all or nothing thinking often - with recovery, money, sharing my feelings/struggles, spending time with kids, building a business, etc. Reading a few pages a day in a personal development book or the Bible, prayer, journaling, and good accountability/mentoring gets me back on track. It's why recovery is a daily deal - drifting comes to naturally for most of us.

As I have quoted often this week, The Slight Edge book has a great reminder for us all. 

No success is immediate. Nor is any failure instantaneous. They are both products of the Slight Edge. Believing in the "big break" is worse than simply being futile. It's actually dangerous, because it can keep you from taking the actions you need to take to create the results you want.

Daily acts of obedience and trust: "Easy to do...easy not to do." If I could only realize that each day is full of opportunities to participate in what God is doing in and around me. "We see what we look for."  Am I looking to join God in His work and follow His lead, or will I stay stuck in my own rut? His plans are way better than mine! I want to go with His!
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^{John 5:19-20, The Message (MSG)}

^19-20 So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.

Matthew 6:33, The Message (MSG)

^30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.