Clayton M. Christensen is a big deal when it comes to innovation. Steve Jobs credited him with life changing insights. Christensen gave a powerful speech to the Harvard Business School's graduating class of 2010. The speech was memorable because it came at a time of intense personal reflection. He had just overcome the same type of cancer that had taken his father's life. As he struggled with the disease, the question "How do you measure your life?" became more urgent and poignant. The speech morphed into a bestselling book, “How Will You Measure Your Life?”
How do you measure your life? What is your measure of success? Or progress? Are you hard on yourself? Are your expectations in line with what God wants for you?
To start the new year, I looked at seven familiar units of measure that can shape a measured perspective on life.
Inch
Inch is one of the few units of measure that we have turned into a verb, in this case meaning “to move or progress very slowly.”
When I feel overwhelmed by a major project, I remind myself that, “Inch by inch it’s a cinch.”
Ounce
When someone asks you if you have “an ounce of common sense,” the measurement system doesn’t matter. They are using the word simply to mean “a minimal amount.”
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make space in 2024 to care for your wellbeing. Come apart before you come apart. Take a break. Go for a walk. Dance in your kitchen. Sing in the shower.
Fathom
In Old English, fæthm referred to the length of one’s outstretched arms. As a verb, to fathom originally meant to encircle something with the arms as if for measuring as well as to measure depth. Now the verb is used as a reference to this literal getting to the bottom of something.
Can you fathom the depth of God’s love for you? In this world, all we know is limited supply. Eventually, we will run to the end of everything: money, time, resources, energy, pleasure, satisfaction, peace, safety, health, life. We have this life and all eternity to plumb the depths of God’s love. You are loved.
Watt
Did you know the watt is named for James Watt (1736-1819), known for inventing the Watt steam engine? though his namesake unit of measure probably makes you think of light bulbs.
Is there a 100 watt light bulb over your head illuminating a breakthrough idea for 2024?
Meter
The base unit of measurement in the metric system, so basic that it derives from the Greek word for “measure” (metron). For a musician, the meter is the regular background rhythm, or 4/4 time.
What is your rhythm of writing? Of living?
Furlong
A furlong refers to a distance equal to 220 yards (or one-eighth of a mile), but in olden times it was defined less precisely as length of a furrow in a cultivated field. The furrow made up the long side of what we now call an acre, originally regarded as the amount of arable land that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in a day.
Writers measure a day’s work in words. Some try for 500 words a day. Others lean into a 1000. What amount of words do you plow in a day?
Milestone
A milestone is a stone used to mark a milepost, which designates a point located a certain number of miles to or from another designated point. Metaphorically, it’s a significant point or accomplishment in any journey.
Carve out 45 minutes this month to reflect on significant milestones in your writing journey. You will no doubt be amazed at how far you have come.
How will you measure your life?
Thank you for reading. And for commenting.
You can follow Bob's writing at REVwords.com
