The Good Thing About Being Ready

In his book, When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’ my friend Gary Highfield observes if you stay ready, you won’t have to get ready when opportunity presents itself. A simple statement, yes, but profound at the same time. The best way to ensure success is to always be prepared.

Oops! Obviously someone failed to make the
right preparations prior to the construction
of this bridge.

Abraham Lincoln reputedly said, “If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first six hours sharpening my ax.” Just as a dull blade would greatly slow the process of cutting wood, failure to make ample preparation can thwart our best efforts to achieve intended goals.

I remember one morning while working as an assistant editor for a daily newspaper and I was up against a tight schedule. My best-laid plans had gone up in smoke when a major news story broke over the wire service, leaving me in a panic, since the deadline for completing the pages I was working on was less than 30 minutes away.

Thankfully, the managing editor arrived and came to my rescue. Applying his years of experience and wisdom, he quickly rearranged the pages I had been laboring over and got them to the pressmen with minutes to spare. As I recovered from the near disaster, he offered advice I’ve never forgotten: “Always have a plan B.” In other words, be prepared for the unexpected.

We hear a lot about the importance of being prepared – for college, for having children, for making a presentation at work, for retiring. There’s even Preparation H…although I think that’s something totally different, right?

Despite the warnings, most of us delay, thinking we’ll start preparing tomorrow, next week, or next year. The reality is if you’re not in the process of getting prepared now for whatever you’re anticipating, you probably won’t be sufficiently prepared when the time comes.

The Bible speaks a lot about living in the present, but it also teaches much about preparing for the future. In fact, preparation was a key element in the exodus of the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt. Before their hasty departure, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for silver and gold, as well as articles of clothing – which the besieged Egyptians willingly agreed to do, along with a hearty “Good riddance!”

So when the time came for Moses and the Israelites to construct a tabernacle for worship and fixtures for the sacrifices, necessary materials were readily available. It was certainly better than rummaging around in the wilderness in search of supplies.

Proverbs 24:27 admonishes, “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house.” In other words, unlike today’s common practice of buying costly items with the presumption there will be money later to pay for them, God advises that making preparations to ensure sufficient income should be a top priority.

Jesus cautioned His followers not to embark on an ambitious enterprise without confidence in their ability to see the work to completion. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and it not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to work and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28).

Do you ever have conversations with people about God and your faith? We could just wait until someone appears on our doorstep and challenges our beliefs, or we could do as the apostle Peter advised: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). If they ask a good question, we owe them a reasonable reply.

In another passage, the apostle Paul states, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). We maximize opportunities when we’re ready to respond appropriately. Can you clearly articulate the basis for your faith in Christ, other than because it’s what someone you respect told you? If not, you need to get prepared. When are you going to start?

Biblical exhortations about preparation are not limited to this life alone. Followers of Jesus are given assurance of eternal life, but the Scriptures teach the quality of our heavenly experience will depend in part on how we’ve used and invested our time on earth; how we’ve prepared for the life to come.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” That’s a pretty sobering admonition – and I’m sure that’s as He intended.

And clearly, the Lord practices what He preaches. He’s a “preparer” and is actively preparing for our arrival: “…as it is written, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

God is getting ready for us. The question is, are we ready for Him?

To Get Paid More You Have to Be Worth More

The boots on the left are what Gary Highfield wore at the steel shop;
on the right are his first business shoes, which he's re-soled several times.

As each year draws to a close, many people review the past year and consider what changes they’d like to see in the coming year. I’d imagine fast-food workers that protested low wages can be counted among them.

You might recall thousands of employees at McDonald’s and other chains insisting the Federal minimum wage be increased. Some proposed the current minimum of $7.25 be more than doubled to $15 per hour. Working full-time at the current rate, they explained, it’s nearly impossible to pay their bills, much less get ahead in life.

From a pragmatic perspective this makes sense. A person working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year at the present rate barely earns $15,000. And that’s before taxes and other deductions. Who can live on that, especially with a family?

If the government mandated the minimum wage be boosted to $15 per hour, that would raise the full-time fast-food worker’s annual pay to more than $31,000. Not bad for flipping burgers and asking customers, “Do you want fries with that?”

While I’m sympathetic toward people struggling to eke out a reasonable standard of living on low incomes, there might be a better approach than waiting and hoping for government or corporate largesse to lift them out of their circumstances.

Consider this: In a newspaper article about the workers’ protest, one man stated he’d been working in the fast-food industry for six years at the $7.25 hourly rate. Six years? Do you suppose he’s being held there at gunpoint? If his compensation is unsatisfactory, why hasn’t he done something during that time to prepare for a better paying and, probably, more fulfilling job?

Let me share some of what I learned from my friend, Gary Highfield, who recounts his life’s journey in When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’ – Breaking the Chains That Are Holding You Back. About 30 years ago, Gary was one of those underpaid hourly workers, performing manual labor for a steel fabricating company. He was making $7 an hour, hardly enough for a family of five to survive, much less thrive.

Desiring a better life for his wife and children, Gary applied for food stamps. His request was denied – he was earning 33 cents a day too much to qualify. Next he approached his boss for a $1 per hour pay increase. At that stage in Gary’s life, $2,000 more per year would have felt like he’d won the lottery. But his boss said no.

Poor Gary, right? Well, not as he tells it. Reflecting on those apparent setbacks, he notes the irony: “The worst thing that ever happened to me was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Gary holds the shoes and boots that represent
different stages of his life and career, in front
of an office building where he made many sales.

Instead of resigning himself to a life of pinching every penny, or curling up in a fetal position and wallowing in self-pity, Gary took action. Realizing he couldn’t count on either the government or his employer to provide the better life he wanted, Gary stumbled onto an important principle: To get paid more, you have to become worth more.

He embarked on a comprehensive self-improvement program: strengthening interpersonal skills; learning sales and marketing secrets by attending seminars, reading books and listening to tapes; discovering how to dress to make a good impression; even pursuing a job relentlessly until he was hired for no reason other than his persistence.

What was the outcome? Within 18 months he had nearly tripled his income. He became the top salesperson at his company, and within several years was earning seven times what he had been making at the steel shop.

All this was due, in part, to not qualifying for food stamps and not receiving the pay raise he requested. These reversals taught him the difference between depending on someone else and depending on oneself.

Even when friends sounded doubtful, questioning the bold steps he was taking to improve life for himself and his family, and he encountered other obstacles, Gary refused to accept failure as a final verdict. As he says today, “Impossible isn’t possible…until you quit.”

Of course, he didn’t achieve this all by himself. People entered his life at key moments, ranging from a generous clothier to employers willing to give him a chance. Looking back, Gary regards many of these encounters as “divine appointments.” Without question, God was in the midst of his quest for a better life.

In the process he learned an important biblical truth: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). God has a purpose for each of us, and if we’re willing to step out in faith, He’ll reveal a plan beyond anything we could have envisioned.

So what about the protesting fast-food workers? For some, maybe there’s no other employment option. For others, however, the first step is realizing that unless they’re aspiring to management positions, McDonald’s probably isn’t a career destination but just a stop along the way. A second step is trying to figure out what they’d really like to do in life and determining how to achieve it.

As Gary would tell any of them, it won’t be easy. But the hard work, perseverance and sacrifice to get there will be worth it. The alternative? As he says, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.”

Impossible Is Not Possible . . . Until You Quit

In working with my friend, Gary Highfield, on his new book, When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’, I learned much from the wisdom he gained in overcoming great personal adversity. One statement that has particularly resonated with me is, “Impossible is not possible…until you quit.”

Think about it: Impossible is not possible…until you quit.”

A simple statement, only seven words, but at the same time it contains a wealth of truth. It reminds me of inventor Robert Fulton, whose vision for turning steamboats into safe, reliable vessels for transportation was dubbed “Fulton’s Folly.” That is until his steamboat Clermont navigated the Hudson River on an excursion from New York harbor to Albany, N.Y.

S.W. Stanton did this drawing of Robert Fulton's "folly,"
the steamboat Clermont that did the "impossible."

The steamboat traveled only five miles an hour, and the trip took to the state capital took 32 hours, but Fulton proved his detractors wrong. The seeming “impossible” became possible because he refused to quit.

Dr. Ben Carson is known today as a world-class neurosurgeon, honored by CNN and TIME magazine in 2001 as one of the top 20 U.S. physicians and scientists. However, growing up in a single-parent home in dire poverty, with poor grades in school, a volatile temper and low self-esteem, Carson seemed as likely to become a neurosurgeon as a grasshopper to win the Kentucky Derby. But for him the “impossible” became possible because he didn’t quit.

As a teenager, Joni Eareckson Tada suffered a broken neck while diving into a shallow lake, leaving her a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair without the use of her limbs. If someone had suggested one day she would become a best-selling author, accomplished artist, singer and much-sought-after speaker, the obvious response would have been, “Impossible!” But she’s become all of that – and more – because she didn’t quit, transforming impossible into possible.

There are countless other inspiring examples we could consider, but sadly there are also many more instances when people did quit – in despair, frustration, or simply impatience – making impossible possible. For some, possible was lurking around the corner, but they gave up just before reaching there. They turned potential success into failure.

One reason I’m so enthusiastic about my faith in Jesus Christ is because I serve the God of possibilities. For instance, the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do everything through (Christ) who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Jesus told His followers, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

Have you ever had a dream, a lifelong, deeply held desire that you’ve been afraid to pursue because it seems impossible – or because other people told you it’s impossible? Maybe that’s not right, and maybe the other people were lying to you. What if what you’ve believed was impossible actually is possible – unless you quit?

Remember the promise God gives in Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Has the Lord given you a consuming passion to do something, a calling you can’t forget or deny? Then it’s not impossible. Trust that if you delight in Him, He’ll bring it to fruition.

When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’

Have you ever wanted to do something – perhaps take lessons on a musical instrument, try a new hobby, travel somewhere you’ve always wanted to see? How about making a major life change, such as leaving a job where you feel stuck, going back to get a college degree, or starting a new career?

Most of us have, probably more than once. Unfortunately, our “want to” wasn’t strong enough to become “have to.” We spent time wishing things were different, but not doing much about it.

That’s why I’m so excited about the new book my friend, Gary Highfield, has written. In fact, When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’ is a book that you – and someone you know – need to read.

In When 'Want To' Becomes 'Have To!'
Gary Highfield tells an unforgettable story.

Enduring a very difficult childhood, encountering nearly every form of adversity a young person could face, Gary had lots of “want to.” Many times he imagined his life being different. I won’t give the details – that would spoil your enjoyment of his amazing story. But one day his “want to” turned into “have to.” Gary realized there was no point in waiting for someone to change his situation and provide the better life he desired for his family. He had to take steps to initiate the changes.

Not that he wasn’t already trying. Gary had a dead-end, hourly wage job doing manual labor. He also worked odd jobs to earn a few extra dollars. But he still couldn’t afford to occasionally take his family of five to an inexpensive restaurant. What he needed was not to work harder or longer, but to work smarter – and develop talents and abilities God had given him.

Three apparent setbacks turned into proverbial blessings in disguise, escalating Gary’s quest for a better life: being turned down for food stamps; being refused a $1 an hour raise at work; and being terminated from his first sales job – ironically, because he did it too well. Refusing to accept failure as a final verdict, Gary ratcheted up his determination, practically begging for a probationary sales job with a cellular phone company in the industry’s early years.

Applying principles and strategies he’d learned by reading inspirational and self-help books, listening to motivational tapes, receiving timely, providential help from friends and strangers, and pushing himself outside his own comfort zone, Gary became his company’s top salesman. Throughout his life, people had told him, “You can’t do that,” but he ignored them. As Gary says today, “Impossible is only possible if you quit.”

Writing a book is one of his “impossibilities.” He and I met more than a year ago through a mutual friend. Gary had compiled a very rough draft for a book, telling his story and sharing many of the insights he’d gained through years of struggle, resolve and finally, success. But he recognized he wasn’t a writer. That’s where I came in. Over the next 12 months I served as his editor, helping shape and refine his content into a book we both believe can make a profound difference in many people’s lives.

When you read When ‘Want To’ Becomes ‘Have To!’ you’ll discover Gary’s moving, sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes funny account of grit, gumption, guile and most of all, God’s grace.

As we worked together on the book, several Bible passages came to mind. “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat,” 2 Thessalonians 3:10 declares. (This verse, curiously enough, was adapted into the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.) Gary was more than willing to work, and work hard. He just needed to learn how to work better.

Proverbs 21:5 states, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Gary didn’t become an overnight success, not by any imaginative stretch. He set goals, met with people to learn from them, embraced a vision and pursued it. He planned his work and worked his plan, lifting his family from the shadow of poverty.

His unique life and career journey could be summarized by Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” He did what he believed was right, even when the outcome wasn't clear. Sometimes his wife, Kimberly, wondered about what he was doing. But keeping one eye on God and one eye on the plow, Gary was able to achieve the fulfilling life of his dreams.

So I highly recommend this book, not because I had anything to do with it, but because it’s a book whose time has come. In an age of so-called “entitlements,” and justified hand-wringing over how to help people in need, Gary’s authored a book that’s both personal and practical, filled with principles and truths worthwhile for people in all circumstances. As the subtitle suggests, it’s a guide for “breaking the chains that are holding you back.”