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Line Up Your Dominoes

Jimmy Page (Adapted from True Competitor)

Ready:

“ Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Set:

One of my favorite quotes is, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” (Will Durant) Results are almost always a reflection of what we do on a consistent basis. Sadly, most of us are consistently inconsistent and fall short of our potential.

The greatest coaches and athletes build habits and routines that lead to excellence. They “line up their dominoes.” Each domino represents one action that will lead to the achievement of a goal. They create small, consistent actions that end with a larger desired result. 

When you successfully knock down one domino, it leads to the next and so on, gaining positive momentum along the way. For example, as I train to compete in Spartan Races, I line up my dominos like this:

Domino #1 – Start the day with a protein shake.

Domino #2 – Do 20 pushups, jumping jacks, or burpees every 60 minutes.

Domino #3 – Train in the gym for 60 minutes.

Domino #4 – Stop all meals by 7:00 p.m.

This principle applies most importantly to our spiritual life. Luke 9:23 reminds us to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. I line up dominos like Bible time, prayer before meals, listening to podcasts during training, and family prayer to make sure I stay consistent in my growth as a follower of Jesus.

Consistency leads to continuous forward progress. It creates and sustains positive momentum toward our goals and eliminates shortcuts and excuses. We have to do the little things that lead to growth.

Let’s line up our dominos to a godly life.

Go:

1. What are three excuses you use that lead to inconsistency?

2. List three dominoes (consistent actions) you will do to grow spiritually? Physically?

Overtime:

God, help me line up my dominoes of consistent action as I continue to grow closer to You.