12 Secrets of Successful Families - 11. Industriousness

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Cultivate a positive view of work by following the steps outline here.

Take pride in learning to do things well.  Whether you are doing chores, finishing your assigned homework, or engaging in secular work, immerse yourself in what you are doing.  Once you can perform a task well, look for ways to improve-doing it faster or better.  The more skillful you are, the more you will enjoy your work.

BIBLE PRINCIPLE: "Have you seen a man skillful at his work?  He will stand before kings; he will not stand before common men." - PROVERBS 22:29.

See the bigger picture. In almost every case, when you care for responsibilities well, you benefit others.  For example, when you are industrious about your chores, you lighten the load for others in your family.

BIBLE PRINCIPLE:  "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." -ACTS 20:35. 

Go the extra mile.  Instead of doing just the bare minimum, try to do more than you are required to do.  In this way, you are in control of your life-doing more, not because you are forced to, but because you choose to. - MATTHEW 5:41.

BIBLE PRINCIPLE:  "Your good deed may be done, not under compulsion, but of your own free will." - PHILEMON 14.

Be balanced.  Industrious people are not lazy, nor are they workaholics.  They aim for balance, finding enjoyment both in hard work and in periods of rest.

BIBLE PRINCIPLE: "Better is a handful of rest than two handfuls of hard work and chasing after the wind." -ECCLESIASTES 4:6.

Next time: 12 Secrets of Successful Families - 12 Goals

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