I used to resolve to remember better my family's birthdays, but with my aunt, my grandmother, my father-in-law and my step-father all having birthdays in the first three weeks of the year, I always failed miserably. After all, I'm one of the the people who have trouble remembering to take down the Christmas tree even as its needles lay a fir carpet in our living room. How was I going to remember to do something in January when I was still thinking it was December? I was sunk before I ever began!
So, these days, I don't think too much about making resolutions; after all, most resolutions get broken before January ends - why invite disappointment?
But I admit, I am intrigued by a thesis made by Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Duhigg's book is the first of several on my reading list for JTerm classes that I'll travel to Luther Seminary for next month. He argues that habits consist of a loop that begin with a cue, a routine and a reward. He suggests that habits can be created by creating new cues or rewards, and changed by inserting different routines into the loop. Eventually, when a habit is formed, the cue triggers a routine and delivers a reward semi-automatically.
What intrigues me though is how his presentation parallels a way of thinking about discipleship that is promoted by Mike Breen of 3DM. Breen acknowledges borrowing this form from the business world thirty years ago, but it is durable. Using the shape of a square,Breen suggests that discipleship involves 4 movements that begin with teaching people in safe spaces where they can watch how things are done (1), and then, they can help (2). Eventually, being coached, they take a leadership role (3), and finally, fully equipped, they lead (4).
What about you?
