As promised...

Thanks to those who shared their personal axioms with us. For those that did not, keep working on them. It's a worthwhile effort for two key reasons.

First, axioms allow you to clarify your convictions. Most people have general ideas about how to approach life, but these ideas are rarely concretized. Usually some nebulous mass of thoughts hover out in the nether world and, because there is no clarity, these thoughts are often pushed aside by the hasty demands of the moment. But when I say, "Work from your rest," I am acknowledging an important conviction that I best function when I am regularly recharging my body and my soul with down time. Just this statement helps me be clear that I am not supposed to work continously like a marathon runner. We work best when we work in a cycle of sprints interspersed with rest.

Second, axioms enable you to pass on your principles. From the perspective of influence, this is crucial. When you develop compact, memorable proverbs, it enables you share your values with those around you. If your axioms connect with the hearts and minds of those near you, they will be adopted. It also gives the people in your organization a common language around which to build a unique culture. When I say "we're made for community," most of the young singles I serve know what I mean. Those words are like a short-cut to the often recalled passage in Acts 2:42-47 about what the first church experienced, and how it is God's plan to work through a community of faith to fully express His love to the world around us and to live in connection with one another.

So, here's another chance. Develop your own personal axioms. Clarify your convictions; pass on your principles. We'll be waiting on you.