I have a book recomendation for you. Bette Dickinson’s The Art of Vinemaking.

This is a delightful book, well conceived and written. It will challenge you too. As you can see my copy is dog-eared….

On page 5 she writes, “What we measure is what we value.”

What are you measuring? Flights flown? Meetings held? Lives changed (how does one measure that)? Personal vibrancy and the vibrancy of your team?

It is crucial to pay attention to what we are measuring.

One way is to listen to what one talks about with others.

For example, talking about my busy ministry and travel schedule conveys a value. That value could be to be seen as important and needed. It could be to impress others born of fear of what others think of me. It could be to assure supporters I am are worthy of support….Or something else.

What do you find yourself talking about? What are you measuring?

Dickinson in her book is advocating for a shift from a productivity-driven approach to a flourishing approach. She uses the vineyard as a way of describing this. It is beautiful and compelling.

Here is an exercise:

Make a list of your personal values. How do you measure those?

Journal at the end of the day the topics you found yourself talking about or thinking about. What values do those convey?

Do your values lists match?

What we measure conveys what we value. How might we shift values towards a flourishing approach to life and work? How might we measure that?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.