When we see a rainbow arching through the sunlit sky after a fresh rain, we remember God’s promise of hope and redemption. But look a little closer and what you’ll see is the prescription for living our best life to the Glory of God in His Light… the power to become Prismatic: Multifaceted and Brilliant!
“I Am The Light of The World…”
God often uses the contrast of light and darkness to inform believers of the difference between good and evil. You have heard this passage from John 8:12 your entire life, “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ”
Today, we are going to offer a little context and color to this Promise, and discuss the “Light of Life” from a performance perspective. After all, our promise is to help you WIN your 5 most important missions in life — to achieve true and lasting success — and do it on purpose. As you also know, or will shortly come to know, the only way for you to do this is to PERFORM on purpose!
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
~Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
A Little Background…
When Pastor Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Life, he asked and answered one of life’s greatest questions, “What on Earth Am I Here For?” He concluded this best selling book with the observation that “You were made for a mission”.
We agree, and have expanded on this idea by going from the broad notion of a singular “mission” to the recognition that we are made for many different missions, dependent on the various roles we play in life. To help people better understand the broad, overarching missions they have in life, we further distilled the conversation down to 5 “most important” missions: Growing your FAITH… expanding your PERSONAL power to produce results… strengthening your RELATIONSHIPS… heightening your capacity for greater DISCIPLESHIP… and finally, substantially enhancing your CAREER options to achieve the financial freedom you seek.
No question, ACHIEVING these missions requires sustained power over time. Some missions come easier than others, and some are accomplished with great, almost Herculean effort and heartbreaking difficulty.
But with persistence, the promise of Living in the Light can be realized, making us true WINNERS in every sense: spiritual, personal and professional. So, the question becomes, “Just HOW in the world am I going to make this happen?!”
The answer is that you are going to look at your life from an entirely different perspective — a Prismatic Perspective — so you can actually SEE where you are doing just fine, and where you need to make some immediate changes. It is by taking a serious look at your strengths and weaknesses, in a fresh new light — and breaking your performance into its individual elements just as a prism separates white light into its component colors — that you will immediately increase your capacity to WIN your Divine Missions.
The dictionary defines the word Prismatic as “multifaceted and brilliant”. WOW! Who wouldn’t want to be seen as a multifaceted and brilliant performer —fully utilizing your God-given gifts and talents to the fullest? In reality, isn’t that exactly what God EXPECTS from us… to use what He has entrusted to us… to serve more… to love stronger… and to Glorify Him by becoming the best we can possibly be?
Of course. But again, the question becomes how?
Not to belabor the point, but Pastor Warren recently “saw the light” and concluded that it is harder to Glorify God when you are fat versus fit! The obvious connection is that to perform up to the full potential God expects from you, requires you to be up to the task. So “honoring God through health” is now an important element of Pastor Rick’s PERSONAL (and church/discipleship) mission to become stronger for His Glory.
“Warren has gotten some heat for mixing church and diet, but he is taking it in stride. God cares about everything in your life. He cares about the body, soul and spirit. Jesus went into every village — preaching, teaching and healing. Preaching involves our soul. Teaching involves our mind, and healing involves our body. If our body is the temple of God’s spirit, then we had better give him a healthy temple.” (From an article in USA Today, dated February 2, 2012).
We wholeheartedly agree! But the issues goes far deeper than just a healthy diet.
Obviously, improving your personal energy level (physical, emotional and mental) is a big deal, but only part of the story as you will now see… in living COLOR!
About The World’s First Time Prism…
“Beautiful light is born of darkness, so the faith that springs from conflict is often the strongest and the best.” ~ R. Turnbull
Because you can’t always SEE how well you are performing, we created a Time Prism to cut through the blur.
When we were developing the TQ database of key ideas for personal and professional change, we needed a profoundly simple, yet amazingly powerful way of organizing all the information the experts say is critical to your success.
With over 4,000 unique ideas for action in the TQ System, we had to find a way to make them instantly available to help you with any given performance issue. In a moment of divine inspiration, the world’s first Time Prism was created in Boulder, Colorado on May 15, 1997!
Look at the colors all around you. Look at all the colors in nature.
Now, let’s look at the Color of Your Performance.
It is now simple to see how smart you are working at any point in time. Just hold your performance up to the Time Prism and you will instantly SEE your strengths and weaknesses… and precisely what you must do differently to achieve greater success.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
~ Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV)
The Time Prism: A tool to improve inner-vision…
You know what a prism is and does. You simply hold it up to “white” light and, boom, all the colors of the “visible light” spectrum explode before your eyes ! And everybody knows that you don’t get just one color from a prism. Rather, you get the full spectrum of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) — instantly — without doing anything more than holding it up to the light.
Just as a prism separates light into its component colors, the Time Prism radiates the full rainbow of colors that define your productivity potential — the full spectrum of elements critical to achieving Personal Excellence.
Once your performance is separated into its individual color bands, you get an instant picture of exactly which Colors are driving your success — and which Colors are holding you back from achieving it. When you complete the Believer’s TQ Test, you will receive a color-by-color chart of your personal power — where it is strong and vibrant and where it is weak and faded. To take your test Click Here Now…
“But test everything; hold fast what is good.”
~1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
With this tool, you have the specific information you need to make immediate changes to each area of your performance. After all, if you want to become Christ’s hands… His legs… His body here on Earth… you have no recourse but to constantly grow your skills and talents… to Glorify Him by becoming the BEST YOU possible.
Full Spectrum Performance… from The Lord’s Perspective…
To help you better relate to the idea of Christ shining His Divine Light on your life, I want to walk you through each of the 10 Colors of The Time Prism, provide biblical support for each Color, and help you better understand God’s expectations for your life.
If you are looking to achieve greater success in your life — spiritually, personally and professionally — remember the hope and promise contained in your “personal rainbows”.
He has promised, in Job 21:13 (NIV) “They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.” By looking at your life as it is right now — with full spectrum enlightenment — you will start to SEE how Christ will help you fill in the missing colors in YOUR paint by numbers dreams… to spend the rest of your life in PROSPERITY and PEACE.
Again, if you feel more comfortable reading and understanding, you will find the following helpful. If you want to immediately start your journey to higher level performance for His Glory, take your Believer’s TQ Test Online Now…
Divine Inspiration and Divine Illumination…
A thought before continuing. The Believer’s Guide to Achieving Success on Purpose is founded on 4 great pillars that are more fully explained in the FAQ section. Essentially, we are performance experts who have created a unified, measurable, sequential, systematic process for achieving greater success. But, unlike conventional personal growth programs, we have put Christ at the center of this progression of achievement — drawing on His Divine Guidance as you develop The Winner’s Mindset™.
Thus, you will find 2 recurrent themes throughout this web site and our various programs:
- That by inviting Christ into the room with you as you do this important work, you will receive Divine Inspiration. He will stir your soul… reaching deep into your psyche to fire up your IMAGINATION… so you start to live out of a heightened level of Clarity… Conviction… Commitment… and the Courage to take bold action (The 4 C’s of the Winner’s Mindset™.) Because Jesus will NEVER lead you astray, the Good Shepard will stir your soul in such fashion that you will live out of your CONVICTIONS (the RIGHT things to be doing) and discover innovative new ways to do the Right Things… in the Right Way… at the Right Time… for the Right Reasons (your 4 R’s of performance excellence). As you will come to understand, this is the divine underpinnings of Spirit-Led Success.
“Visionary people face the same problems everyone else faces; but rather than get paralyzed by their problems, visionaries immediately commit themselves to finding a solution.” ~ Pastor Bill Hybels - We strongly believe that Christ takes a very ACTIVE role in your success, and through His promise to shed His Light on the dark corners of your life provides what we call Divine Illumination to help you SEE what you must do differently to immediately achieve greater results each and every day you spend here on earth. While some may see Christ as a guide or teacher — and maintain a more passive relationship with Him — we see the key to achieving your most vital missions is completely dependent on His active participation in your personal and spiritual growth. You ALREADY possess everything you need to succeed… you just need to use your God-given gifts to the fullest extent possible… using every tool available to help you GROW BIGGER so you can more easily overcome even greater CHALLENGES.
“You don’t overcome challenges by making them smaller but by making yourself bigger.” ~ Reverend John Maxwell
As you now review each of the 10 Colors of Prismatic Performance, we invite you to pray for Divine Guidance remembering this passage of hope and promise:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
Your Personal Time Prism…
1. Your ENERGY Color. Key Word: Energetic…
ENERGY is the first color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because the simple truth is there are no dead peak performers. For even minimal performance, you have to be, act and feel alive. If you don’t have the energy to do whatever it takes, you’ll never perform up to your true potential.
God expects each of us to be a good steward of our body — and that requires you to constantly monitor your physical and mental ENERGY level. Pastor Warren is absolutely right in both, his theology and his assessment, that getting and staying in great shape is an excellent start for “Honoring God through health”.
“My father never stops working…so I keep working too”.
~John 5:17
Please take a moment to think about your personal ENERGY level right now. Is it strong and vibrant or weak and faded?
2. Your MISSION Color. Key Word: Passionate…
MISSION is the second color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because until you know what’s most important, you’re spending the only life you have on things that simply don’t matter. Lacking direction and purpose, you’re powerless to make a real difference in your life.
However, all self-imposed limitations are removed when your heart and mind are focused on the same thing. You’re always the most productive when you tap into the infinite power generated by “working from your heart,” fulfilling a clearly defined mission.
God expects you to have an unstoppable sense of passion, purpose and MISSION. He needs you to not only know WHY you are here on Earth, but HOW to achieve those missions.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.”
~Collosians 3:23 (NIV)
Please take a moment to think about the intensity of your Mission Color right now. Are you drifting aimlessly from one drama to another in your life… or are you crystal-clear about your purpose and direction?
3. Your ATTITUDE Color. Key Word: Enthusiastic …
ATTITUDE is the third color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because, even though you may have a passion for what’s most important, until you also believe that you can make a real difference in your life, and those around you, nothing’s going to happen.
Nothing is produced, nor even attempted until you believe in yourself enough to transform your passion into action. To reach maximum productivity, your body, heart and mind must all enthusiastically say “yes!”
Without Faith we are unable to please God; therefore, God expects you to be growing in your faith because it truly affects your ATTITUDE (It is your attitude that determines your mindset as a possibility thinker or an old “NO it all.”)
“Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.”
~ Robert H. Schuller
Please take a moment to think about the strength of your ATTITUDE Color right now. Is it powerfully optimistic… or is it trending to the pessimistic side of the street?
4. Your SET GOALS Color. Key Word: Self-directed…
SET GOALS is the fourth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because you can’t make the leap from here to your vision, all in one jump. You can’t just “do” a mission. You need specific, tangible targets to give you immediate direction… ones which will lead thereafter to even greater destinations.
God expects you to be 100% committed to your GOALS, so you can live your life in His Honor. After all, He sent his only begotten Son to die on that old rugged cross so YOU might have the opportunity for eternal life, and success while you are here on Earth.
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 3:14 (NIV)
How would you measure your commitment to your Goals? Do you have Goals that you are willing to die for… to live for? (Yes, this is a life or death question. Since none of us are getting out of this world alive, the question becomes, “are you spending the ONLY life you have to live on things that actually MATTER?”)
5. Your MAKE PLANS Color. Key Word: Prepared…
MAKE PLANS is the fifth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because a goal without a plan is merely a wish without a hope.
Once you’ve set a specific goal, you must immediately develop a detailed plan for its accomplishment. You are most productive when you prepare ahead of time for exactly how and when you’re going to take each and every step-before you actually take them. When you eliminate wasted steps by planning ahead, your productivity instantly and automatically soars!
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
God plans and He’s expects you to hone your planning skills. How strong are YOUR planning skills right now?
6. Your PRIORITIZE Color. Key Word: Focused…
PRIORITIZE is the sixth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because even though you want to complete every step of every plan, you can’t complete them all at the same time. Achieving maximum personal productivity means making conscious choices, deciding what can be done now and what can wait. It’s having the self discipline to eliminate everything else temporarily so you can focus on what’s most important now.
God gives you the ability, and He expects you to PRIORITIZE the steps in your Plans. Imagine God putting a computer chip in your brain that flashes “WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW… WHAT’S IMPORTANT NEXT?”
“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” ~ Proverbs 4:25 (ESV)
How do you measure up with respect to your ability to PRIORITIZE your actions and remain continuously FOCUSED on what’s important? Strong and vibrant or at the other end of the scale… weak and faded? Be honest.
7. Your SYNERGIZE Color. Key Word: Supportive…
SYNERGIZE is the seventh color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because once your 24-hour day is filled up, the only way you can become more productive, increase the quality of your results, or reduce the time required for accomplishing your goals is through the participation and contribution of other people.
God expects you to create world-changing, force-multipliers in your life through powerful interpersonal SYNERGY. As Jesus started His ministry, He immediately found twelve (12) men that were committed to His vision. It was the decision to use the SYNERGY of 12 men that changed the world forever.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)
So how are you measuring your interpersonal SYNERGY right now? Are you creating the teams necessary, willing and able to help you reach the visions God gives you?
8. Your ORGANIZE Color. Key Word: Systematic…
ORGANIZE is the eighth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because after leveraging your results through others, automating your tasks is the most productive thing you can do.
To get everything you want requires you to be as productive and as efficient as possible with the limited time and energy you have. And even though you may be busier than ever before, you may be simply doing things the hard way, or worse, just spinning your wheels and going nowhere fast.
God expects you to get and stay ORGANIZED. God is not the author of confusion, and He certainly doesn’t want everything in our lives to be cluttered and chaotic.
You were created in His image, your eyes can be open to see what you CAN do right now, capable of massive action when you systematically get it together because you become highly ORGANIZED… The result is your actions and systems are purposely designed to free up your time for more creative and rewarding activities that bring Him Glory.
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ” ~ Luke 14:28-30 (ESV )
Be honest. Are you highly organized right now, or is this one of those critical areas of your performance that could use some immediate improvement?
9. Your OPTIMIZE Color. Key Word: Timely…
OPTIMIZE is the ninth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because the truth is, you already have all the time there is. There are exactly 1440 minutes in a day, no more, no less. If you’re going to get anything accomplished today, these are the 1440 minutes you have to work with.
God expects you to use your precious time wisely. God desires for you to make the most efficient and effective use of your time — and not fritter it away in distractions, useless pursuits.
Because time is such a precious resource, the Bible cautions us to manage it well. For example, the Apostle Paul makes a critical point in his letter to the Ephesians. He taught the young Christians there to “live a life worthy of the calling [they had] received” (Ephesians 4:1); to be “imitators of God” (5:1); to “live as children of light” (v. 8); and “be very careful…how you live – not as unwise but as wise” (v. 15). He then drove home his primary point, exhorting the Ephesian Christians to “redeem the time”(v. 16). If you wish to avoid being foolish and desire to understand the Lord’s will, you will redeem (buy, get or win back) the time (v. 17).
Think about how well you manage your time. Do you get maximum results from each minute you spend? Or, is it more of a blur each day and you have little idea what you got in trade each from your most precious and perishable resource?
10. Your ACT NOW Color. Key Word: Proactive…
ACT NOW is the tenth color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum because nothing gets done without first getting started. Don’t let time pass you by! Until you stop living your life on hold-nothing is going to happen.
God wants nothing more for you than to model your life as Jesus and to take bold ACTION to achieve your visions and live your values. God wants you to Love more… Serve Better… and Glorify Him with every decision you make and every ACTION you take.
“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” ~ Reverend Norman Vincent Peale
Do you have the proactive power to turn your life into an exciting, no-holds-barred action adventure — every single day — for the rest of your life?
A Truth For Which There is No Exception…
We have given you a tremendous amount of background information on the God-Inspired power of Prismatic Performance… Spirit-Led Success… and Personal Growth With Divine Guidance. As you think about the above, it should become clear that it takes ALL 10 Colors burning brightly to achieve the life of your dreams… and God’s plan for your life.
To become a Success On Purpose you must Perform On Purpose. This means turning up and keeping up each of your ten Colors.
The simple truth is that each Color in the Time Prism Performance Spectrum is interrelated, and a weakness of any one color means all others are diminished as well. Take action to improve any single color, all go up instantly. We call this an “optical chain reaction” where if any color changes, the whole spectrum is influenced… instantly and automatically.
For example, if 9 out of your 10 colors are all burning in the 8-9-10 range — but say, your ability to Make Plans starts to fall off… maybe even zero out… the other Colors simply do not matter. Why? Because 9 x 0 = 0!
Think about the importance of this concept to your success. It makes no difference if your Energy is a 10, Attitude a 10 and your Organization skills are a 10 — if you have a low sense of Mission (2), few tangible Goals (3) and no Plans (0) to support your Goals — you are not going to find success. Period.
Why? Because your positive (good) characteristics (Energetic, Optimistic, Organized) are canceled out by your negative (bad: Unfocused, Scattered, Aimless, Passionless, Vague and Rash.)
Passionless and aimless? What would YOU call a person with a weak sense of MISSION and purpose?
Rash? What would YOU call a person with no PLANS?!
God expects you to live a life of abundance and prosperity. It is His Divine Promise in the rainbow. It is also the promise found in our Time Prism. (After all, a rainbow is created when trillions upon trillions of drops of water form microscopic prisms to separate sunlight into the beautiful spectral array of colors that make us pause and go, “WOW”!
The route to the abundance and prosperity He promises is to COMMIT to using your God-given talents and skills to the fullest… by taking immediate action to address Colors that may be falling and holding you back from becoming the BEST you possible.
This is the entire principle behind the concept of Intentional Excellence.
With hundreds of millions of data points at ThinkTQ, we can make this statement with absolute certainty.
People succeed, simply because they EXPECT to succeed.
People fail, simply because they do NOT EXPECT to succeed in the first place.
The reason is found in an individual’s commitment to the INTENTIONAL pursuit of EXCELLENCE.
We define Intentional Excellence quite simply: When you see a negative in your performance, you take swift action to eliminate it.
Intentional Mediocrity happens when you see a negative in your performance, and you do nothing.
God expects us to perform at the push level of our personal performance… to constantly stretch our comfort zones… and find a way to Honor Him by becoming the BEST person possible.
He Expects EXCELLENCE and is happy when we live up to our full potential.
He is hurt when we choose MEDIOCRITY over Excellence… and wonders WHY we haven’t acted on His Word.
Do you honestly believe that God, who created you in His image, wants you to accept mediocrity as your calling? Wouldn’t God expect his creation to perform to a high degree of Excellence? No, brother and sister, you do not even need to think about this or read between the lines. He EXPECTS us to excel in all we do…
“But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you—make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.” ~ 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NET)
Feel the Power of Divine Illumination…
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:14-16 (ESV)
Pretty clear isn’t it? Let your light shine. Let all who you encounter SEE your good works. Give glory to your heavenly Father.
Divine Illumination is a powerful force for transforming your life. It gives you the power to live in the Light, rather than stumble around in the dark.
Choose to draw on His Divine Illumination each day and you will live a life of EXCELLENCE. Choose to ignore His Divine Light and you will live a life of MEDIOCRITY… not exactly what our Holy Father expects from us.
The next time you see a beautiful rainbow arching across the sky, remember that Hope and Promise are within YOUR grasp… if you extend your reach.
Take out your Time Prism. Hold it up to the blur of your life. See exactly which Color is strong and vibrant and which is weak and faded.
Now, Feel the Power of Divine Inspiration…
Call upon Jesus. Ask Him to inspire you… to prompt you… to nudge you… to give you that tiny spark of imagination that you can fan into flames of genus. THINK.
Jesus works IN and THROUGH you to Inspire Excellence in your thoughts and actions. He is right there at the center of your 5 most important Missions… actively pushing and prodding you to be and do your best… not to just accept the status quo… not to accept the consolation prize MEDIOCRITY offers.
He wants you to WIN the prize, just as He wanted Paul to achieve his goal…
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 3:14 (ESV)
Divine Inspiration is as powerful a force in YOUR life as it was in Paul’s. Because we know that Jesus LIVES — and more specifically — He LIVES inside of every Believer as an active “illuminator and inspirer” of Excellence over Mediocrity.
Listen for His Divine Inspiration.
Believe in his promise that He is the Light of the World.
Look for His Divine Illumination as you turn on your personal Time Prism. This simple tool gives you the opportunity to see yourself much as God sees you as you go through the hustle and bustle — the daily blur of your life.
He sees your untapped potential. Now you can see what He sees.
Maybe you need to turn up your Energy level just a bit more… get back on track and intensify your sense of Mission and purpose… or boost your Attitude by moving your thoughts from the Negative to the Positive, Optimistic and Enthusiastic side of the street. Divine Illumination will show you the way.
Maybe you need to recommit to your Goals… make better Plans… and focus more of your time and energy on your most important Priorities.Divine Illumination will show you the way.
Maybe you need to stop trying to be an army of one and create powerful Synergy by building stronger teams. Maybe you just need to get better Organized right now… and Optimize the use of your precious time. Maybe you need to stop getting ready to get ready, and start taking the bold Action Christ expects from you.
Yes, Divine Illumination is a powerful force. Permit Jesus to help you SEE what you need to do differently right now — by casting His Prismatic Light on the dark corners of your life — and you will find success beyond your greatest hopes and dreams.
Then — this is the important part —DO SOMETHING to immediately INTENSIFY your colors — and you will feel the Divine hand of Jesus patting you on the back and pushing you forward towards the success you desire and to the glory our Holy Father.
Listen to the faint whisper “You’re doing GREAT… you are Honoring ME by becoming all you are meant to be!”
“High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.” ~ Reverend Robert H. Schuller
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