Yesterday Apple announced its newest iPhone 5. This sixth generation smart phone will be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet the screen will now be bigger - 4 inches instead of 3 1/2 inches. And the iPhone 5 should be screaming fast with LTE speeds up to 4 times faster than the older 3G models.
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.
I joked on my Facebook wall last night that this describes my current weight loss plans. I'm on the new iPhone 5 diet. I want to be 18% thinner and 20% lighter. Yet I'm also doing strength training so my "front screen" will be bigger. And I'm running - trying to get faster - attempting six miles in under an hour. Isn't this what we're all striving for in our physical fitness?
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.
This is not only the mantra for our phones and fitness, but also in our places of work. We are all expected to do more with less. Businesses are working with thinner margins and lighter workforces. Yet they expect bigger output and bigger profits. And let's not forget that we no longer maintain inventories, so please deliver everything faster!
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.
Teachers teach larger numbers of students in their classrooms, but must deliver even better overall test scores. Newspapers must deliver online access from top-notch reporters, while the price pressures continuously push for free. Factories expect their employees to work faster, accomplish more, and meet ever more exacting standards for fit and finish. Salespeople watch their commission rates decline while their expected sales quotas only increase. Everywhere you look...
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.
Economists will tell you that this is the very definition of productivity. They will convince you that doing more with less is the key to our GDP growth. In fact, even the iPhone 5 alone will be responsible for 1/4% boost in GDP growth in the U.S. If you sit down with the economist, he or she will explain that the very definition of "economy" is the limitation of resources. With an ever growing population and an ever thinning amount of resources, we must always be moving in the direction of...
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster.
I'm thrilled for the iPhone and Apple. I love technology and the many benefits we derive from our gadgets. I wonder, though, if we aren't pushing ourselves forever into tighter spots and higher expectations. Is anyone else finding themselves breathing harder just to keep up? Do you feel like you are on a never ending treadmill, moving faster and faster, angling more and more uphill, just so the world around you can be...
Thinner. Lighter. Bigger. Faster?
I have good news for you. There is one place in your life - and only one - where you are not expected to do more with less. Where is that, you ask? It's more of a Who than a where. Consider these words of Jesus as your invitation to live "freely and lightly."
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
