"You can't out-train a bad diet"
This saying resonated strongly with me as I am currently readjusting some lifestyle habits that have allowed bad diet to sabotage my exercise routine. As a keen cyclist I have lulled myself into a false sense of security to think that the number of kilometres I ride each week will balance out some unhealthy eating habits that have crept back into my lifestyle. The problem is the kilojoules have exceeded the kilometres and you don't need to be a fitness expert to figure out the consequences.
Interestingly enough, while out riding my bike, I have been thinking a lot about the broader application of the principle contained within this saying to other areas of life...
"You can't out-perform a wrong attitude"
Leadership involves many actions, which are all in vain if accompanied by a wrong attitude. Our activity reflects what we do, but our attitude reflects who we are. Both our actions and attitude need to be in harmony to have maximum impact and influence. The defining difference between two organisations, businesses, employees or volunteers who perform similar actions, more often than not, is attitude. According to John Maxwell, leadership author and coach, "A leader's attitude is caught by his or her followers more quickly than his or her actions."
"You can't out-love a divided heart"
Jesus once said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." While the context of this wisdom is our relationship with money, it's truth applies to any relationship that requires total devotion of the heart. Scripture commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," and the marriage vows calls a couple to "forsake all others" and "be faithful...as long as you both shall live." Whether it is the covenant between God and His people or husband and wife, no outward expression of love can compensate for a divided heart.
"You can't out-smart an undisciplined mind"
You have heard it said that "you are what you eat." It is equally true that "you are what you think." In an age of instant information and constant visual stimulation, our minds are daily bombarded by a smorgasbord of messages. These messages are powerful and shape the way we see ourselves, each other and the world around us. If we are not disciplined in what we choose to fill our minds, our thinking and behaviour will become captive to the dominant influences in our lives. It is any wonder that the Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Jesus once said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." While the context of this wisdom is our relationship with money, it's truth applies to any relationship that requires total devotion of the heart. Scripture commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," and the marriage vows calls a couple to "forsake all others" and "be faithful...as long as you both shall live." Whether it is the covenant between God and His people or husband and wife, no outward expression of love can compensate for a divided heart.
"You can't out-smart an undisciplined mind"
You have heard it said that "you are what you eat." It is equally true that "you are what you think." In an age of instant information and constant visual stimulation, our minds are daily bombarded by a smorgasbord of messages. These messages are powerful and shape the way we see ourselves, each other and the world around us. If we are not disciplined in what we choose to fill our minds, our thinking and behaviour will become captive to the dominant influences in our lives. It is any wonder that the Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
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