This morning as I was standing outside of a building where a meeting was supposed to start at 10am, I began to think about how much my day would go against anything efficient or productive by American standards. I continued to reflect on this as I was taken into the meeting room at 10:22am and then again when the ministry partner with me looked at me with a questioning look. We had thought we were here to meet with 4 other people, but before we knew it, they had us sitting at the front of a room, behind a table, with three rows of chairs for people on the other side of the table. We both said the same thing at the same time - "this meeting isn't what I thought it was going to be." I laughed to myself as I thought about reading Stephen Covey's "7 Habits Of Highly Effective People" while I was in college & how inapplicable that was now here in Swaziland. But tonight as I look it up on wikipedia to talk about how irrelevant it is, I stand corrected...it is pretty helpful, even in Swaziland!
1. Be proactive
This is helpful anywhere, but especially here, where the tendency is to be overwhelmed by all of the needs all of the time. But you've got to start chipping away somewhere, so it's better to just start.
2. Begin with the end in mind
This is so true....but not in the sense that Covey intended. Each day I wake up to spend time with the Lord, reminding myself that the things I do today & the conversations I have & the ways I interact with people & pray will have eternal impact. This is motivating when I'm discouraged, and encouraging when I don't see any fruit from the seeds that have been sown.
3. Put first things first
Again, helpful as much of my day can be dominated by the tyranny of the urgent. It's been said that the devil is in the details, but in my life, the devil is in distractions (even good distractions).
4. Think win-win
Serving cross-culturally with a ministry based on donors from around the world, this is a great one to think about. Keeping in mind that we want to be more about development (where possible), this helps me to remember that I must be thinking about what will be a long term "win" for this person/family/homestead/community, and not just a quick fix.
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood
One of the first rules to learn anywhere, but especially serving cross-culturally. I find myself saying every day "I don't understand what you're saying" or practicing my reflective listening skills to say back "so what I'm hearing is..." I usually ask at least one person a day if they understand what I'm saying & if it makes sense. At times I have been known to ask "how much do you understand - 50%? 90%"
6. Synergize
This goes to a whole new level in a society & culture that values community & relationship above the individual...and is hard to learn when coming from our individualized culture in the US. Decisions are made by groups after many people have had a say in the process, working together isn't just more efficient (most of the time), but it's just the way things are done.
7. Sharpen the saw
Covey talks about renewing yourself & continuing to grow, and that's the MOST important "habit" or discipline of any Christian...especially serving in ministry or as a missionary. I heard a prayer the other day in a sermon where the guy was talking about the only way to digest the bitterness of life in Africa is to drink deeply of the sweetness of Jesus each day.
So while Stephen Covey has probably never lived in or visited Swaziland, he taught me a few good lessons today.
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