Whatever one’s discipline, mastering the fundamentals is a necessity.
As a 3-year old, Dad placed a small baseball bat in my hands. Eight years later I played my first Babe Ruth League game a few months before turning 12. His desired goal was to turn me into a proficient switch-hitting second baseman.
Dad taught me all the fundamentals while making the more than a thousand hours of practice time enjoyable and rewarding.
Mastering the fundamentals gives you an edge in whatever you endeavor to pursue in life.
In our business lives we’ve all faced learning curves. Many of us have experienced on-the-job training to some extent in our working lives.
Classroom education certainly has great value, but nothing beats hands-on experience under the tutelage of a seasoned veteran in the business we’re attempting to learn.
Skilled workers are worth their hire. If you want to receive quality, you need to be willing to pay for it!
In my chosen career as an insurance professional, continuing education is critical as financial regulations are constantly changing.
But it all starts with the fundamentals. Most career paths require basic knowledge followed by continued training to keep the professional on the cutting edge of their discipline.
Let’s talk about discipline, since it’s quite critical to becoming proficient in whatever we pursue.
In business, discipline is the practice of training in a given trade or profession to follow ethical practices that are accepted by society to provide valuable products and services to consumers.
There can also be discipline administered by a governing body when a professional does not follow their accepted code of ethical behavior.
There’s one area of mastering the fundamentals that I consider trumps all others: the fundamentals presented in God’s Word to His people. The Bible is the ultimate instruction manual.
Some years ago, a Christian business associate shared a cute acrostic for the word BIBLE — Best Instructions Before Leaving Earth!
Frankly, I can’t think of any other book to better prepare a Christian for their eventual homecoming. I also find it quite interesting how many biblical principles make it into the plethora of self-help books in the marketplace.
Fundamentals are fantastic, but it’s critical to build on that proper foundation. The principles and stories conveyed in God’s Word have been instrumental in the lives of many great men and women through the centuries.
And, the whole word of God found in these 66 books can dramatically transform your life for the better. His Story from Genesis through Revelation, when properly studied with a pure heart, will take you on an unbelievable journey.
But first you must come to Jesus with a broken and contrite heart, ask Him to forgive you of your sinful ways, accept Him as Savior and Lord and finally ask Him to open your eyes and ears to the Scriptures.
Then and only then can you start the eternal journey He has planned for you.