The Difference Between Making Improvements & Achieving Dreams

Last week my 8 year old daughter announced, “Daddy, I’m more than 3,000 days old.”

“Three thousand days” sounded more impressive to her than “8 years”.

Those days have flown by! As I reflected, I realized her 3,000 days could be broken into three 1,000 day stages:

– Her first 1K days were her “diaper days”

– Her second 1K days were about school, imagination, learning colors, & counting

– Her third 1K days were about making friends, lots of reading, and more questions about the world she can see and beyond

Then I realized that my four decades could be broken into 1,000 day periods or 3 year cycles. Every three years has included a major change, challenge and/or celebration.

Perhaps we should approach our goals in three year intervals. That immediately frees me to think bigger!

Jesus is the most famous proponent of the three year approach. After all, he spent three years investing in his earthly ministry.

I compiled a quick comparison between the two approaches:

ONE YEAR                                 THREE YEARS 
Make Improvements                vs.     Achieve Dreams  
Make an Immediate Impression     vs.     Make an Long-term Impact  
Produce a Successful Event       vs.     Create an Effective System  
Information Transfer             vs.     Life change  
Make suggestions                 vs.     Change a Church Culture  
Change a Habit                   vs.     Change my Character

Don’t waste time making improvements. Achieve dreams!

What will you accomplish in the next 3 years?