Fridays are the best days of the week. Period. Need proof? How about these sweet lyrics from George Jones:
I've heard others try to downplay the importance of Fridays as if people like me use Friday as an excuse to quit trying so hard. After all, they say, every day is just as important as the next and should receive the same amount of effort as Friday. Maybe, but that's missing the real point about Fridays.
You see, I think Fridays are awesome because they mark the natural finish line of what most of us began on Monday. For those of you in cultures that use Friday as a weekend day of worship or your calendar is not like the one I use, just pretend that Friday is as awesome as I say it is, okay?
Fridays are for finishers.
What does that mean?
Ask anyone how they feel about Mondays and more than likely they will speak of Mondays like they are satanic curses, unless of course Mondays are the days that they get paid. Then Mondays are awesome! But under normal circumstances, Mondays are loathed at best. Monday to many is the beginning of the grind, the necessary evil of a new week at school or work or both. Mondays make the weekend seem so far away.
But alas, don't fret! Friday is coming! Friday represents the finish of what you started on Monday. By 5:00 Friday, you have put your 40 hours in. By the 3:00 on Friday, you've finished another week of classes. While this may sound more shallow than a George Jones song, there is something really valuable about propping up Friday to such a high standing.
We live in a world where people don't know what it means to finish anything. They quit their jobs when their boss hurts their feelings, they quit their marriages when they think they've run out of love, and they fail to honor their commitments when they think that something better has come along. How many books have you started yet failed to finish? Guilty as charged.
Other than a full-scale revival of the church, what we need more than anything are FINISHERS! Only those who complete the task fully can declare that they are truly finished. Jesus Himself created this concept when He cried, "It is finished!" as He breathed His last on the cross.
Not long ago I watched a video of an Naval Admiral as he addressed a group of college students at their graduation. He said something in that video that was so profound that I had to watch it again: To change the world, start by making your bed. Seriously, that's what he said. And here is what he meant by that: If you start the day by making your bed, then you've already accomplished something before you've even walked out the door. In other words, you've completed a task before your day even begins. And if you finish something as simple as making your bed, then it will be easier for you to tackle and finish more important tasks the rest of your day.
Will making your bed every morning guarantee that you will finish those critical obligations that loom over you? Not necessarily, but if you start with finishing then at least you will know what finishing feels like. And finishing feels great because when you finish something - and especially if you finish it well - then you will rarely have to live with the regret of "what if."
Let me finish with this great quote by Brad Lomenick from his book H3 Leadership:
It's finally Friday
I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll.
I'm free again
I got my motor running for a wild weekend
It's finally Friday
I'm outa' control
Forget the workin' blues
And let the good times roll.
Sorry that you now have that song stuck in your head. And yeah, maybe that song isn't so awesome after all, but Friday IS all that and a bag of chips. Here are some reasons why:
- Friday night high school football games in the fall
- The one night of the week you can stay up really late because you can always sleep in on Saturday
- In our western culture, Friday marks the finish line to a grueling week of work and school
- Square fish sandwiches in schools on Friday (do they still do that?)
I've heard others try to downplay the importance of Fridays as if people like me use Friday as an excuse to quit trying so hard. After all, they say, every day is just as important as the next and should receive the same amount of effort as Friday. Maybe, but that's missing the real point about Fridays.
You see, I think Fridays are awesome because they mark the natural finish line of what most of us began on Monday. For those of you in cultures that use Friday as a weekend day of worship or your calendar is not like the one I use, just pretend that Friday is as awesome as I say it is, okay?
Fridays are for finishers.
What does that mean?
Ask anyone how they feel about Mondays and more than likely they will speak of Mondays like they are satanic curses, unless of course Mondays are the days that they get paid. Then Mondays are awesome! But under normal circumstances, Mondays are loathed at best. Monday to many is the beginning of the grind, the necessary evil of a new week at school or work or both. Mondays make the weekend seem so far away.
But alas, don't fret! Friday is coming! Friday represents the finish of what you started on Monday. By 5:00 Friday, you have put your 40 hours in. By the 3:00 on Friday, you've finished another week of classes. While this may sound more shallow than a George Jones song, there is something really valuable about propping up Friday to such a high standing.
We live in a world where people don't know what it means to finish anything. They quit their jobs when their boss hurts their feelings, they quit their marriages when they think they've run out of love, and they fail to honor their commitments when they think that something better has come along. How many books have you started yet failed to finish? Guilty as charged.
Other than a full-scale revival of the church, what we need more than anything are FINISHERS! Only those who complete the task fully can declare that they are truly finished. Jesus Himself created this concept when He cried, "It is finished!" as He breathed His last on the cross.
Not long ago I watched a video of an Naval Admiral as he addressed a group of college students at their graduation. He said something in that video that was so profound that I had to watch it again: To change the world, start by making your bed. Seriously, that's what he said. And here is what he meant by that: If you start the day by making your bed, then you've already accomplished something before you've even walked out the door. In other words, you've completed a task before your day even begins. And if you finish something as simple as making your bed, then it will be easier for you to tackle and finish more important tasks the rest of your day.
Will making your bed every morning guarantee that you will finish those critical obligations that loom over you? Not necessarily, but if you start with finishing then at least you will know what finishing feels like. And finishing feels great because when you finish something - and especially if you finish it well - then you will rarely have to live with the regret of "what if."
Let me finish with this great quote by Brad Lomenick from his book H3 Leadership:
Choose to outwork everyone. Great leaders are great finishers.
My friends, strive to finish well.
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