Finals and Measurements

I've taken too long to post a blog. No, I have not changed the normal day to Friday. Yes, I still plan to post every Wednesday. Next Wednesday will be easier for me to do a post then it has been previously.

So, I'd like to respond to some comments, and add a few thoughts of my own. As a missionary for the LDS church you are asked to keep goals. Bringing people to Christ through baptism is the primary goal, the result every missionary seeks to obtain. Missionaries also have other various goals to tell them how successful they are in achieving their primary result.

Missionaries teach lessons, and the number of lessons they teach is a good indicator of their success. To make sure that missionaries are teaching quality lessons that help them achieve their overall goal, then you need to define what a quality lesson is, or have more indicators. Other indicators that missionaries use include how many people come to church, how long did they stay at church, etc.? The days of asking how many hours a missionary tracted, and then being satisfied if it was a large number is over. The primary results is all that matter. Of course, missionaries have rules for the means that they can use to achieve those results, as should we all.

Unfortunately measuring results is not as easy as it can be as a missionary. How much time I spend with my family is not the best indicator of your success. Unfortunately the main results come much later. Those long-term results is what you want. So right now you have to focus on the means. What can you do right now to help you achieve those long-term results? Then you have to work hard and consistently until the results are achieved.

Everything is all about results. You define what the results should be, and then you do what it takes to achieve those results. This is slightly Machiavellian. Results are the primary target. What is different between Machiavelli and I is that I do believe the means matter. In the long-run the means will always make a difference in the results. Do it God's way, and you're sure not to go wrong. Unfortunately for the lazy side of us, God's way is rarely the path of least resistance.

I suppose that includes finals. How much time I spend studying doesn't matter. All that matters is the result. I just have to make sure I don't cheat. Do everything with integrity, the long-term results from that far outweigh the short-term results I will get from my finals.

Focus on results. Long-term results are all that matter. They key words there are "long-term." Any thoughts?