Zig Ziglar said, “Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” We can’t control opportunity, but we can be prepared for it. Preparation occurs when simplicity meets stewardship.

Defining Success

As much as I enjoy the Zig Ziglar quote, it’s pretty empty if you take it by itself at face value. I’m sure that when he originally said it, he went on to define opportunity and preparation. I’m sure that he also went on to explain why he believed success was made up of those two ingredients. But I have never heard or read the original context of the quote. I have only ever heard that one line by itself.

So for the sake of argument, I am going to assume Zig’s definition of success had something to do with achieving meaning and stability beyond oneself. Success has as much to do with helping others as it does with helping yourself.

Another Ziglar quote I often hear is “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” Because helping others is meaningful, I am going to assume that his definition of success included meaning, significance, transcendence, or whatever you want to call it.

The point is that success is bigger than just you. Success includes your tribe. Success is also bigger than just your tribe, it includes other tribes.

I am also going to assume that Zig’s definition of success included stability. You could say that I am being redundant, because there is a lot in common between “stability” and “preparation.” But for the sake of argument, I am going to say that you work from a place of preparation in order to get to a place of stability.

Preparation is the point of origin, stability is the destination.

I could just say that to be prepared is to be ready. But that is… obvious. What exactly does that mean? I think it will be most helpful to break preparation down into what it looks like internally and externally. I also think it will be helpful to think of preparation as an ongoing process, rather than a one-and-done achievement.

Preparation = Simplicity + Stewardship

The basic principle of simplicity is to clear clutter from your life. Simplicity is the cutting down phase of preparation.

The basic principle of stewardship is to save your extra resources now for when you might need or want them in the future. Stewardship is the building up phase of preparation.

If you have implemented simplicity and stewardship in your life, then you have extra gas in the tank to “go the extra mile” when the opportunity arises. Anyone can say that “going the extra mile” leads to success. I think what Ziglar was getting at is that you have to have gas in the tank (preparation), and you have to do it at the right time (opportunity).

Internal Preparation

Spiritual Preparation

Can you tell the difference between an opportunity and a temptation? Can you tell the difference between a good idea and a distraction?

It is your spiritual preparation, your world view, your growth, that will help you to be discerning, and to make good decisions. You need a filter to screen out the temptations and distractions while letting in the opportunities and good ideas.

How you build that filter depends a lot on your learning style and spiritual temperament. If you’re bothering to read a blog, odds are you’re a bit on the intellectual side. If you want to build a strong discernment muscle, spend your time in the wisdom books of scripture, and surround yourself with people who do the same.

Physical Preparation

I can’t resist. Call me immature.

Isn’t Viagra’s whole advertising scheme based on “being ready when the time comes?”

Okay, moving on. Olympians train hard for their sport so that their bodies can handle the punishment of competition. Parents get worn out from lack of sleep and blow up at their kids.

Filling your physical tank means getting good rest, good food, and good exercise. If you’re not sleeping, not exercising, or you’re putting garbage in your body, what are your chances of being prepared to:

• Make love to your spouse?
• Play tag with your kids / grand kids?
• Defend yourself in a fight?
• Work extra hours when it’s needed and appropriate?

Physical simplicity pretty much rest. Sleep. Creating habits that allow your body to clear the clutter (which is mostly what sleep is for). Check out the book Sleep Smarter for specific suggestions.

Physical stewardship is diet and exercise. Putting in the right fuel and tuning the motor so that you’re ready for whatever race you need to run.

Emotional Preparation

Filling your emotional tank means dealing with negative emotions and maximizing room for positive emotions.

To handle your negative emotions in a healthy way, remember the GEMS (Kay Bruce):

• Gyst of what happened (or is happening)
• Emotions associated with it
• Meaning assigned to it
• Strategies for change

Dealing with negative emotions, or clearing emotional clutter, will create space for positive emotions. You can do a lot of work to deal with these yourself, or you can talk to a safe person in your life about them. Don’t handle your negative emotions by ignoring them, because they will only get more intense. Don’t handle your negative emotions by numbing them, because you’ll numb the good feelings too.

Emotional simplicity is handling your negative emotions in the right way.

Emotional stewardship is reminding yourself of good feelings. Take time at least 3 times a week to ask yourself, and write down the answers to these three questions:

1. What are you thankful for?
2. Who have you helped recently?
3. What have you learned recently?

Unless it’s a habit that you’re highly motivated to maintain, or it’s part of your “normal,” don’t do those questions too often. If you do, the practice might lose its potency and become ritualistic.

These questions are a part of my bed-time-prayer routine with my daughter. They’re a part of her normal. I hope it’s something that she takes with her when she is older. I am highly motivated to participate and to set an example. So for us, it works really well to do this daily, but it might not work for other people.

External Preparation

This is really the same drum that I’ve been beating for the last month. Just in case you missed them, you might want to read my past two posts on simplicity and stewardship.

Financial Preparation

Finances are the area that I hear the most about simplicity and stewardship.

If you have a lot of debt that drains your weekly or monthly cash flow, you won’t be able to build a savings as quickly. If you don’t have an emergency fund, you won’t be able to fix or replace things easily. If you don’t have a savings, you won’t be able to pay for large expenses, or to survive a season of unemployment.

You can’t start a business if you don’t have start up funds. You can’t donate to a cause if you don’t have discretionary funds.

Schedule Preparation

Have you ever made the excuse “I’d love to, but I don’t have time.”

A simple schedule is not an empty schedule. A simple schedule just reflects the right priorities.

Stewardship of your schedule is saying “I’ll make the time” instead of “I can’t find the time.”

Rory Vaden’s “Focus Funnel” is a great visualization of that illustrates both of these. It’s created for a business context, but with smart phones and mobile apps, it’s totally possible to automate a lot of tasks at home too.

Relational Preparation

Relational preparation is a lot like emotional preparation.

Simple relationships are low drama relationships. I did not say low conflict relationships. I said low drama. Drama happens when a conflicts are not handled well. Both people in the relationship have bad habits for handling their own negative emotions, and they bring those bad habits into the relationship.

If both people have good habits for handling their negative emotions, then they will have good habits for conflict resolution. Conflicts will be addressed when they are small.

Stewarded relationships have a lot of positive memories. Both people have stored up things to be thankful for in the relationship, and they have quick ways of referring to them. Both people have stored up things they’ve learned, and they are quick to remember those lessons. Both people remember when one of them was a better fit for a challenge they faced together, or one was stronger than the other.

Add Your Voice (comment below)

1. Which area of life are you least prepared for?
2. What are you doing to implement simplicity or stewardship in that area of life?

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In a couple of past posts, I wrote about the importance of stewarding your health, as well as stewarding your time, money, and relationships. But there is one critical step that comes first. Successful stewardship requires simplicity.

BONUS: Read all the way to the end of this article for a free download to help you achieve simplicity by prioritizing your relationships, time commitments, and expenses.

Knowing Your Limits

One of my professors at Western Seminary, Norm Thiesen, uses the illustration of juggling. If you can juggle, how many balls can you juggle? Three? Four? Five? Seven? Ten?

If the most that you can juggle before failing is five balls, you can probably juggle four well. If you try to juggle five, you’re pushing it; and if you try to juggle six, you’ll fail.

If you’re failing at stewardship, it’s because you’re failing at simplicity. Your life is too complex. You’re trying to do too much at once.

Pairing Down

In a recent article at No Sidebar, Melissa Camara Wilkins told the story of packing up to move her family to a new home. As she was going through her and her family’s belongings deciding what to pack, she began with the obvious question: “Do I need this?”

Along the way, she discovered a better question: “Can I live without this?” That second question isn’t necessarily better when the answer is a clear yes or no, but it is definitely better when the answer is, “maybe.”

Melissa was applying those questions to her possessions, but what if we apply those questions in other areas?

Simplicity in your Relationships

Can I live without this relationship?

This is probably one of the most painful areas of life to ask this question. In a culture where most of our “friends” are on Facebook, it can seem like considering an amputation to consider setting boundaries with people we have face to face relationships with.

It can be tempting to try to simplify your time or finances first. But your time and financial priorities hinge on the relationships that are important to you. Trying to start in those areas is like trying to open a door with no hinges.

But, “bad company corrupts good character,” does it not? When people around you are pervasively negative or draining, they are not only taking your time, energy, and possibly your money, they are corrupting your character. It is absolutely critical to set boundaries.

On the other end of the spectrum: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn

I am not suggesting that anyone should ever turn their back on family or a marriage or other serious commitment because of a season of hardship. Forgiveness is part of every healthy relationship.

Even so, there is a line somewhere. Here are a few questions that you can answer to help find that line:

1. Does this relationship bring me more joy, or more pain?
2. Is this only a season, or is it a pattern?
3. Does this person invest in me as much as I do in them?
4. Do I invest in this person as much as they do in me?
5. Does this person actively or passively support my goals?

This is NOT about playing favorites or being selfish. It’s about freeing up energy and resources sunk into unhelpful relationships so that you can invest in important relationships.

Simplicity in your Time

Can I live without this time commitment? 

We live in a culture where being busy is a badge of honor. If we can answer the “how are you doing?” question with “busy,” people somehow assume that we’re either really important, really productive, or both.

In 2005 and 2006, I was in a men’s bible study led by David Valear. He frequently said that BUSY stood for “Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke.” I initially brushed it off as one of the goofy things that Christians say sometimes. But as I got to know David and how protective he was of his time, and how successful he was, I started taking it more seriously.

Once you have prioritized your relationships, it will be MUCH easier to simplify your time commitments.

Here are some questions to help decide what commitments can be cut:

1. Is this a “have to,” a “get to,” or a “need to?” (Check out Michael Hyatt’s podcast episode “Watch Your Mouth” for a great self-check).
2. Does this bring joy to people important to me?
3. Does this bring me closer to people important to me?
4. Does this tap into my personal strengths?
5. Does this contribute to a greater, long term purpose?

Simplicity in your Finances

Can I live without this expense?

Has anyone else noticed that the majority of financial blogs or “gurus” focus on the increase-your-income side of the equation more than the decrease-your-expenses side?

In today’s developed and post industrial economies, even our “poor” are better off than most of the world’s population. In spite of that, in the US, personal debt per citizen is nearly twice the median income (check out the debt clock).

I confess that I am a part of this. But I’m writing about where I’m going; not where I am now; or where I’ve been.

Here are some questions to help you examine your finances:

1. Does it provide a basic need (food, shelter, transportation)?
2. Does it provide an economic need (education or job training)?
3. Does it facilitate my important relationships?
4. Does it facilitate my time commitments?
5. Do I have to go into debt or dip into my savings for it?

Bonus

I have created a printable worksheet to help prioritize your top ten most important relationships, time commitments, and expenses. Click Here, enter your information, and I’ll email it to you right away.

Add Your Voice (comment below)

1. What helps you to keep your life simple?
2. What self check questions do you use in these 3 areas?

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