Chapter 4

I think I just read the best chapter of any book I've ever read. As I mentioned in my last post, I recently started reading Today Matters: 12 Daily Practices to Guarantee Tomorrow's Success by John Maxwell. I didn't have much time to devote to reading it during finals, but after I finished my last test I picked it up again. The first three chapters were really good, but Chapter 4 was phenomenal.

This evening was already shaping up pretty well even before Chapter 4. I took a much needed afternoon nap and then broke in the pots I bought yesterday by making some Spaghetti. You're right - not a challenging meal to make, but it felt so good not to use the microwave after weeks of Lean Cuisine sweet and sour chicken and frozen CPK. When the Bulls game was over around 8 I walked down to the Coffee Bean on 2nd and Santa Monica, posted up by the window, tuned my iPod to Jack Johnson's In Between Dreams, and cracked open my book.

Quick side note: The Good and Bad of a coffee shop window seat:

- GOOD: One of the nice things about a window seat at any coffee shop is the people watching you can do. When the Third Street Promenade is just one block away, people watching gets really interesting. There are definitely some funky people in this town.

- BAD: When you're reading a really good, motivational book and a cheesy smile wells up as you think about how some of the advice in this book is changing your life. Okay, maybe that's not so bad, but I'm sure people thought I looked super stupid.

Alright, back to the book. The title of Chapter 4 is 'Today's Priorities Give Me Focus.' One of the noticeable themes - probably the main theme - in this book is the concept of Time: success and personal satisfaction are functions of time spent wisely. I could try to tell you about the chapter, but I probably wouldn't do it justice. Instead, I'll list a few of the quotes that I found encouraging and helpful, and if I have a specific thought about one quote in particular you'll find it directly after the quote.

1) Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."

- I don't know about you, but the times I feel most sluggish are not when I've been super busy. Rather, when I have a lot of free time I find that I waste it and become even more tired, which negatively affects my performance when I have to do something important later. I've also realized that I could be a much more interesting person if I were to devote my spare time to hobbies instead of sitting in front of my TV and watching 3 reruns of the exact same Sportscenter segment. You can check out the beginning of a list of hobbies here.

2) Lin Yutang: "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists of the elimination of nonessentials."

3) Maxwell: "You can have anything you want, but you cannot have everything you want. You have to choose. Excellence comes from doing the right things right. You've got to let go of the rest."

- Good is the enemy of Great. I do a lot of things okay, but I can't say I'm great at any one thing. I hope that daily discipline will lead to greatness in just one thing. If I can do just one thing really well and glorify God with the talents He has given me I believe that will be more successful than doing a lot of things decently.

4) Maxwell: "Have you ever noticed that the people who have nothing to do usually want to spend their time with you?"

- Maxwell 1, Parrish 0. I've been someone with nothing to do for too long and I'm tired of it. I want to lead my life by planning fun events, learning about new things, and investing in relationships along the way. I'm tired of answering the question "What are you up to?" with "Nothing, I'm bored." Here's to being active and engaging life.

5) Maxwell: "People don't pay for average. People don't go looking for a mediocre restaurant and middling movie when they go out at night. Employers don't award the contract to the salesman known as Mr. Average. Nobody says, "Let's give the contract to the company that will do a merely adequate job."

- I've tried to skate by before by doing the bare minimum. That's not going to cut it this summer. I'm going to go into work each day with the mindset that this is Big Time. I may not be working for the most prestigious law firm out there, but you have to start somewhere and you never know where you'll find success. As Benjamin Disraeli said, "The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his time when it comes."

Those were just some of the quotes I found encouraging. The rest of the chapter gives much more perspective on the importance of prioritizing. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy.

Two posts in less than 24 hours. I don't know if I'll keep this pace up, but definitely looking forward to updating regularly. Now to pack for my trip home to Virginia!