Time and tide will wait for no man - Proverb for January 7

Our proverb for January 7 is "Time and tide will wait for no man".   Since time and tide are 2 things that man is not able to control, this proverb encourages us to make the most of the moment and not to wait for other opportunities or for better circumstances.  It encourages us to take life by the horns so to speak.

I have to admit that initially I didn't understand the reference to tide.  I didn't see how it related to the references to time and suspected it had something to do with sailer's from the days of old who had to take advantage of the tide of the sea.  After some research I learned that the "Tide" is not referencing the rising and falling of the sea but is a reference to a period of time or of an opportunity.  Seems this is not as common usage of this word anymore.

So this proverb is warning us again against procrastination and encouraging us to make the most of time and opportunity.

A watched pot never boils - Proverb for January 6

This familiar proverb "A watched pot never boils" shows up for January 6 on my daily calendar, "The World's Greatest Proverbs".  This is again a very familiar proverb but what exactly does it mean and how does it help me in my life?  The meaning is pretty straight forward which is that we should be patience.  The imagery here is that if we wait for a pot to boil it will take longer and we become impatient as we wait for it. However if we do not wait on the pot and allow the pot to come to a boil in its own time we will not be disappointed.

In practice this proverb reminds me to be patient and to let things go at their own pace.  Perhaps this is a helpful reminder for me as a parent of small children to be more patient as they need the constant reminders and guidance.

Speech is silver, but silence is golden - Proverb for January 5

Our proverb for January 5 is "Speech is silver, but silence is golden".  After some quick research I found suggestions that this is speaking against gossip and how silence is better than gossip. Others suggest it is simply stating that it is better to say nothing rather than feel the need to speak.

I think both of these meanings are fine and worth practicing but I also think this proverb tells us the value of listening over that of speaking.  The real value in silence is being able to listen to the wisdom of others.  Something that I would benefit from being reminded of.

You never miss the water till the well runs dry - Proverb for January 4

For January 4, I read the following proverb from my daily calendar "The Worlds Great Proverbs", "You never miss the water till the well runs dry".

This is one of those "don't take anything for granted" type proverbs and the basic message is that it's not until you lose something that you appreciate it. So the lesson for me today is simply to not take anything for granted.  This is especially true for my health, job, family and friends.  It also reminds me to be more thankful for all these things. Above all we can be thankful to God for all that we have above what we need.  Actually we should be thankful for having our basic needs met as well, after all there are many who lack this too.

Who won't be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock - Proverb for January 3

January 3 of "The Worlds Great Proverbs" daily calendar has this proverb, "Who won't be ruled by the rudder must be ruled by the rock."  I've never heard this proverb before but I like it already.  The meaning seems to be pretty straight forward but the application can be pretty big.  This proverb suggests that there can be severe consequences if we don't listen to those things that are there to guide us such as reason, instruction or warning.  There are plenty of examples of this in the lives of people living around us.  Just read the news and you see what happens to those who have ignored the instructions or warnings of others or have not listed to their own reason.  Of course we can probably find a few of these examples in our own lives.

It is prudent then to use the wisdom, knowledge and instruction of others to help us avoid mistakes and other pitfalls.  I know for my self the best rudder I have comes from the Bible as it is first and foremost the ultimate guide to avoiding the ultimate consequence.  Secondly the Bible is the best advice simply for getting through this life.

The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong - Proverb for January 2

January 2 of "The Worlds Great Proverbs" desk calendar brings me to this proverb, "The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong".  This is a familiar proverb to me but I haven't given it much thought before. After reading this proverb I feel there is something missing.  The statement seems true enough but also seem to be incomplete.  If the race is not to the swift then who does the race go to?  And if the battle is not won by the strong then who is it won by?  What is the point here?

At first glance the basic message seems to be that there are many other factors to victory and success than the most obvious.

The source of this proverb is from Ecclesiastes 9:11 and a look at this verse shows this proverb in context.

"I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all." NIV

The key to understanding this proverb is in the conclusion that "time and chance happen to them all".  When I originally read this proverb I assumed the lesson to take was that I should not focus on being the swiftest or the strongest but find other advantages to bring to the table.  While this is still a valid lesson I think the point this proverb is really making is that doing our very best doesn't guarantee victory or success.  In conclusion I think we should put our best effort into everything we do but should not expect that this will guarantee us a win. A successful person is not always the most qualified but may simply be the one who is in the right place at the right time.

Procrastination is the thief of time - Proverb for January 1

My daughter gave me a desk calendar called "The Worlds Great Proverbs" with a proverbs of wisdom for each day.  Rather than just quickly read each days entry and forget it, I decided to really thing about each one and decide if I agree with it and how I might use it for my personal development.

The proverb for January 1 is that "Procrastination is the thief of time".  I find this a powerful statement and find myself agreeing with the this pearl of wisdom.  Procrastination is definitely something I struggle with as I've wasted a lot of time doing pointless tasks to avoid those I really want to complete or would benefit from.

Procrastination is defined as the delay or postponing of something.  In some cases something of a higher priority comes up and I would not consider this procrastination after all, we can't complete all our responsibilities in the time given and have to make decisions on what is a priority.  The problem really comes out when I waste opportune  time to do something on my todo list.  The biggest culprit for me right now is just sitting on the Internet browsing through nothing in particular.

Since today is Jan 1 and a new year and an ideal time to start over and begin fresh I will resolve to use my time more wisely.  My one complaint is that this piece of wisdom really isn't something I want to start on Jan 1 simply because it's a stat holiday and a day to recover from the new years evening celebrations however, the irony is not lost on me that I'm procrastinating on my resolve to not procrastinate.

Here then is some of my ideas to make better use of my time and cut out the procrastination.
- Schedule my calendar more with specific things I want to complete and of course follow through on it.
- Cut out the daily websites I visit that just start a chain of browsing and becomes a black hole for time.
- Stop sitting in the comfy sofa when I get home from work or after supper.
- Identify other ways I procrastinate and find ways to avoid these situations.

By cutting out the procrastination I also hope to focus more on my personal growth and particularly my devotional life.  I also hope to get ahead in my blogging with the intention of making some money on the side.  The other major benefit is to simply use the additional time for the kids and for projects around the house.

So in conclusion, I completely agree with todays proverb and commit to working on procrastination in order to accomplish more and use my time productively to my personal benefit and the benefit of my family.