Life on the Road

10-10-10

I was delighted to receive a review copy of the new book 10-10-10 by Suzy Welch. It’s an intriguing concept, and I was curious how it would integrate with my beliefs – but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Suzy Welch is a journalist, author, speaker, and mother. She and hubby Jack Welch co-authored the #1 Bestseller Winning (and its sequel, Winning: The Answers: Confronting 74 of the Toughest Questions in Business Today).

10-10-10 proclaims itself “a road map to a life of your own making.” Sounds good.

The basic premise is that 10-10-10 is a framework for making decisions that are truly well-thought-out and conscious. Here’s how it works:

After stating you dilema as a question (“Should I cancel the trip to my Great-Aunt’s funeral to stay home with my sick child?”), you think about (or write down, or talk through) what the ramifications of either choice will be – in 10 minutes, in 10 months, in 10 years.

There’s nothing magical about the times – just an easy “hook” to remember the idea. Depending on the idea you’re pondering, you might look at 1 day, 6 months, and 20 years… Or whatever.

The idea is to consider the immediate result (family disappointed vs. kid disappointed); the result in a mid-range time, when things have settled down (mom will remember my support, kid will have had fun with dad and long since forgotten the incident); and in the long term (relationship with mom going strong; kid not only doesn’t remember, but also could understand loyalty to the family members in their time of need).

So by using 10-10-10 on my imaginary dilema, it seems clear that the better choice is to go ahead and go on the trip.

Suzy’s style is very casual and friendly (without being so “informal” as to be sloppy and annoying). She has anecdotes about people who’ve told her their 10-10-10 stories, as well as her personal experiences (told with admirable candor).

As I began to read the book, I had a growing sense of unease about the conflict of such a system with my faith. After all, I want to follow God’s leading in my life, and specifically not “rely on my own understanding.”

Luckily, Suzy included a section entitled, “Living by the Word” in the chapter, “Authentic At Last: The Valus Equation of 10-10-10.” Suzy proclaims her own Christianity, and tells us,

You can consider 10-10-10 another approach [to keeping yourself connected to God's Word], in that it’s a powerful means to make sure you are living in accordance with your values

For some decisions, I truly believe that we ought to do nothing more than pray and listen for the still small voice.

But I don’t always hear the booming directive from the heavens telling me whether or not I should invest the $20 in a cookbook the family might enjoy.

For all those times, 10-10-10 is a great answer. It allows us to make sure we are truly considering our obedience to Colossians 3:17 and doing everything to the glory of God.

Suzy even shares the story of a pastor who teaches 10-10-10 in his church, as a method of gaining perspective to cope better with anger. He cites Scriptural authority from Proverbs (wisdom), as well as the teaching of Ignatius of Loyola (one of the founders of the Jesuit Order).

Stressing and worrying is one of the biggest challenges in my life and Christian walk. I’m looking forward to applying 10-10-10 to help me keep things in perspective.

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