Angela Breidenbach is a multi-award-winning inspirational speaker, popular conference presenter, and author of the Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life and the new Kindle release of Creative Cooking for Colitis. Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guideposts, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She connects missions to her work with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. Angela serves as an assisting minister for her congregation in Missoula, Montana. Angela Breidenbach on the web: http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com, http://www.GodUsesBrokenVessels.com, and http://TheFaithGirls.com on Wednesdays each week. 

Visit her Christian Speakers Service page for speaker bookings.

“I can’t squeeze one more minute out of the day.”

Is that really true?

Often I hear how impressive it is when someone who seems to be a productivity superpower stands out. She appears to get more done than the average person and seems to do that on a regular basis. We all have the same time available, right? But some people actually check off double the items on the list at the end of the day. Time holds tyranny over the common man. So what’s the secret to breaking the tyrannical hold?

Study super-producers and you’ll notice a few standards. Most have more to do with attitude than behavior. Both are possible for anyone based on their ability. Before getting all hyped to change your whole life if you don’t happen to be a super-producer, realize that sometimes this high productivity is a special gifting beyond the norm.

Read Matthew 25. One servant was given ten talents, according to his abilities. Another received five, according to his. The last man received simply one talent. Too bad he chose to hide it. Yes, we can all improve our abilities to perform at a higher level, but as some are talented in music, others are gifted with superachiever DNA. We are responsible for only what is within our actual ability.

So what if you’re not a specially gifted superachiever? Stick with me. You always have the ability to take a fresh look at the giftings God wove into your DNA. You can choose to express those gifts like the servant with ten talents or the servant given five, but remember that both servants doubled their portions, unlike the wicked servant who buried his one.

To multiply those talents, the overachiever servants invested everything they received to profit more for the master. Neither held a little back “just in case.” Both doubled their productive output. Breaking that down between behavior and attitude, we find Matthew 25 helpful in modeling how super-producers think and act:

Attitude:

Take the opportunity seriously
Accept the challenge
Respect for the authority
Realize your responsibility to your Lord
Use the knowledge you have
Desire to do well
Focus on what you’re given without worry over another’s portion
Recognize what’s in your hands
Make the decision

Behavior:

Don’t talk about doing it; do it
Work with others (the servants who prospered traded and invested with others)
Visible, not secretive
Be trustworthy
Be accountable

Do you notice that attitude has more to do with accomplishment than behavior? The wicked servant allowed his fear to overpower his common sense and acted in secret to hide what he’d been given. It takes much less work to set an attitude of accomplishment than one of avoidance. Once the attitude is set, our actions follow regardless of the direction. An interesting by-product of an achiever’s attitude is confidence.

Consider one possibility. How would it feel to stand before God and explain why you didn’t accomplish His mission? Can you imagine how the third servant felt? The stammering, the heightened fear, and the sense of humiliation had to be heavier than the original fear of losing the money.

Imagine that scene and see yourself at the judgment throne. Hear the words “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Though actions are imperative for achievement, mental state is the prime reason for success. But it’s the wicked servant’s failure that spurs some onward. Do you want to be that guy on judgment day?

Can you become a superachiever? Absolutely! Consider what you’ve been given and work with the knowledge you have. Your attitude makes all the difference in creating super-productive behavior because the Lord will give to you according to your abilities. The only question is How will you respond?

Super Sukiyaki
A Writer’s Best Friend

Super fast, super colorful, and super foods! When you’re on a deadline, working, taking care of home and children, something’s gotta give so you can be super productive! Enter a super-healthy sukiyaki. This time-saving meal is full of super foods (those that pack a nutrition punch and a low-cal, low-fat, satisfying choice). Best thing about this dish is how versatile the ingredients are. You can serve it several nights a week and it will taste different each time. Faster than the crock-pot, more powerful than a casserole, and able to leap into stomachs from a single pot! Oh, yes, sukiyaki is the Superman of speedy dinners.

8 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp. coriander
¼ cup sukiyaki sauce (from Asian grocer)
1 lb. thinly sliced bite-sized beef, pork, chicken, or seafood
1 Nappa or Chinese cabbage
½ lb. mini carrots
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
½ bunch of celery, chopped
1 sliced red pepper
1 lb. bite-sized broccoli pieces
1 can of water chestnuts
1 lb. thick sliced mushrooms, Shitake or your favorite
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 egg for each person

If sukiyaki sauce isn’t available, you can mix your own:
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. vinegar
3 tsp. sugar
1/8 cup Mirin (or sweet white cooking wine)
3 Tbs. sweet chili sauce

Use a large electric skillet or Japanese hot pot. (Hot pots can be found online or at an Asian grocer.) Bring water, bouillon cube, and sukiyaki sauce to boil. Add spices. Begin with the harder, longer cooking ingredients and drop gently into the boiling water. Continue to drop in handfuls of all ingredients. Stir gently with slotted spoon. Crack an egg into one corner of the cooking sukiyaki. Continue into each of the corners. Gently poach the eggs. The first batch is served after 10–12 minutes. Use slotted spoon to pull out soft-poached eggs, meat, and vegetables. Then drop in additional handfuls of remaining ingredients into the pot. Family eats while more cooks.

Our family likes to eat sukiyaki with the broth, but traditionally in Thailand (where we first experienced sukiyaki), the broth is offered as a treat after the meal. If you plan to continue cooking, add more water and bring to a boil before adding more ingredients.