Focus
For many
years Sunrise Engineering had 4 season tickets at the Delta Center for entrance
to the home games of the Utah Jazz. The
seats were nice and located in the lower bowel.
We divided out the home games at the beginning of the Season to
employees who could take key clients to the games. It was a great business development activity
and employee perk.
I remember
one night at the Delta Center watching the great Michael Jordan and the Chicago
Bulls play against the Utah Jazz. The
Jazz easily beat the Bulls through the first three quarters with a 12 or 15
point lead. At the beginning of the 4th
quarter, Michael Jordan took the game over.
It was plain to see that every possession was critical to him and he did
all he could to make sure the Bulls scored the ball on each possession. The Bulls won the game pulling away.
I have
thought a great deal about that experience.
Michael Jordan could “compartmentalize” or “focus” his life on each
possession. Professional tennis players
are masters of the same attribute of “focus” on each volley. The past is over, the future never comes and
the only thing that is important is the present moment. They can block everything else out and focus
all their energy on the moment.
Another
lesson on a slightly broader perspective of focus came while running our
business at Sunrise. We recognized that
everything we did at Sunrise could be segregated into of 1 of our 4 core
operations. This really added clarity to
doing business by focusing of all our various activities to our core operations:
1 – Production of Deliverables
2 – Business Development
3 – Employee Development
4 – Business Administration
If we ever
found ourselves doing something or expending resources that could not be
entered under one of these core operations, we stopped doing it.
PMG
requires similar focus on core activities:
“If you and your companion cannot see how a proselyting activity might
help increase the numbers of people in one or more key indicators, you need to
question whether the activity is worth your time.” (PMG p. 139)
The LDS
Church does the same thing in its ecclesiastical work. Members of the church, “…were prepared to
come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in
his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.” (DC 138:56)
We are also told that the Lord will, “…hasten [His] work [the work
of salvation] in its time.” (DC
88:56) The question begs to be asked,
“What is the Work of Salvation?” Section
5 of Handbook 2 for Administering the Church directly answers this question and
explains in detail the content of the 5 core operations for the work of
salvation.
1 – Member Missionary Work
2 – Convert Retention
3 – Activation
4 – Temple and Family History Work
5 – Teaching the Gospel
The rest
of the content of Handbooks 1 and 2 contain instruction for consistent administrative
and procedural protocol and duties for leaders in the church to accomplish the
“work of salvation,” along with a short discussion of the relationship between
families and church in God’s plan, priesthood principles and Church leadership
principles. But, every activity in the
Church can be entered into one of these 5 core operations.
Missionaries
have traditionally centered their concerns on number 1 – Member Missionary
Work. However, in the 2014 new mission
president seminar, Elder Nelson expanded the understanding of full time
missionary work.
Our
missionary purpose is to: “Invite others
to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith
in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the
Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.” “…enduring to the end,” gives full time
missionaries responsibilities in all 5 of the core operations of the church
listed above.
Among
other things, missionaries are to now teach the 5th Lesson before
baptism, take the lead in teaching all lessons including lesson 5 after baptism
and maintain daily contact for 3 or 4 months after baptism plus remain in
contact for the rest of your life. Missionaries
and members will now assist new converts to prepare for temple attendance and
assist new converts to do family history work.
Other ways will surely be found to assist Wards and Branches in all 5
core operations.
So, there
are 2 principles here. One,
compartmentalizing meaning you live in the compartment of the moment and put
other parts of your life, either past, future or present, into compartments
that are out of mind while you focus on the task at hand. For example, if you struggle with a sin, you
do not have to overcome temptation for the next 6 months, you just have to
overcome right now.
Two, you
understand to focus all your actions on your core operations. Understand what your core operations are and
stop doing activities that do not support them.
These are 2
powerful ways to become a highly skilled missionary here and a productive
responsible citizen in life. It works in
all aspects of your life. To master
these life skills is really a representation of your faith in God which
dismisses worry and doubt. I believe
compartmentalizing in the moment and focus on core operations may be part of
what Christ was talking about when he said:
26 Behold the fowls of the
air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not,
neither do they spin;
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass
of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will
he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying,
What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be
clothed?
33 But seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall
be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the
morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof. (3 Nephi 13:26-34)
President
Robinson
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