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Van Halen once cancelled a concert due to brown M & M’s. Band member David Lee Roth explained that there was a clause in their contract that specified their dressing room contain a bowl of M & M’s with all of the brown ones removed. If this order was not strictly followed the band retained the right to cancel the concert while still being paid in full.

As Roth explained, the band wasn’t simply overly demanding. Rather, their list of agreements contained specific details that promoters had to follow to insure the safety of the band and their equipment. The group put the M & M clause in their contract to know whether or not various arenas really read and followed their instructions. If the bowl of candy was not handled correctly, they assumed their other orders were not as well, and at least one time packed up and left. It was in short, a simple way to assess quality control.

Statistics show that 95% of people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions by January 15th. Studies also indicate that January 18th is one of the most depressing days of the year due to the gloomy winter weather and the fact that credit card bills incurred over Christmas are due.

Stepping into February, rather than repeating the same patterns as in years past, perhaps it is time to take a better approach. Maybe a checklist isn’t such a bad idea. But rather than one about small chocolate candies, let us take a few moments to consider one that covers what matters most and that can truly revolutionize the rest of your year.

Victor Hugo famously said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” One of the most powerful ideas I have learned in the last couple of years came from author Steven K. Scott. His premise was simple, if you want to succeed at the highest level, have truly fulfilling relationships, understand how the world works and be smarter than your boss then follow one simple but proven technique.

In fact, Scott learned the principle from his mentor, who had it passed down to him, and so on. I too have practiced this technique for quite some time and can attest to its value. In pursuing this strategy, you will have a built in checklist to measure your life against. You will be able to assess where you are and where you have been by studying proven wisdom that has endured for thousands of years.

So what is the strategy? Simply this, read one chapter from the Book of Proverbs each day, with the chapter coinciding with the date. So on the first day of the month, you read chapter one, and on day two you read the second chapter, etc. Practice this for the rest of the year and by December 31st you will have read and digested some of the wisest words ever written numerous times.

Eventually after you have read each chapter a number of times the principles will start to become second nature as you use the words as a checklist for your life. Want to know what a foolish person is truly like and how successful people really succeed; how damaging bad character can really be; what types of people to avoid and what types to befriend, all while discovering the depths of true love? All of this plus hundreds of new distinctions await you as you practice this powerful strategy.

I promise you, incorporate this simple technique into your daily life and you will notice a difference in your own growth; spiritually, emotionally, professionally and relationally. And the best part, you can eat all the brown M & M’s you like.

A former pastor, Tobin holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in theology. Having traveled widely in the Marine Corps and as a graduate student, Tobin has spent the past 15 years gathering some of the world’s most powerful life-changing truths. He’s the author of The Life That Is Really Life: How Biblical Truth Can Transform Your Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Relational Health, available at http://www.twominutesermon.com.

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