I am confident that most people get the power of multiplication.  I know that I do.  As a young 7th grader I understood that I could hoof it up to Dunkin Donuts before school and buy a dozen donuts and sell them and double my money.  It was even more powerful as I would enlist others to do the same thing — power of multiplication.

Again, many moons ago I had a older gentleman share with me the power of investing early.  He told me, that no matter what it took, don’t miss on those early years.  Look at this chart!  The person who had the discipline to save early reaped HUGE benefits later even if they stopped saving!

The power of multiplication works in a lot of ways.  How about making leaders?  Are you adding to your numbers on a yearly basis, or, are you producing people underneath you who also produce others?  The difference in ADDING verses MULTIPLYING is obvious, and yet, is it?
Consider our example and chart below.  The person on the left “Growth by Addition” adds over the course of a year, 30 people to his or her leadership.  The person on the right is slugging it away much, much slower.  They are pouring his or her life into ONE person a year.  The first year is just themselves and one person.  The difference is that after the year is up, they both split off and go and each pour their lives into one person who at the end of the year will do the same.
It takes 8 years to even begin to see the power of multiplication – and the compounding impact!

I have just celebrated my official 20 years with Young Life.  I don’t know if this chart’s specific #’s are accurate for me or not.  I know that I have poured myself into leaders that will duplicate, and I can say that over the years I have run into people who have said, “I am related to you in a sense  . . . my leader, who poured into me was . . .”

One fast story to close with.  A friend of mine was in a fraternity years ago.  His junior year in the house he was made fun of by a lot of the guys for both not having sex as well as asking that guys don’t have their girl friends spend the night.  It infringed upon his ability to roam around the house in his shorts if he wanted to.  He also stood up for his beliefs in a lot of the meetings and poured his life into a crew of freshman at the UW.

Years later he was invited to a wedding.  He went by himself and stood in the back at the reception holding one of those fancy church coffee cups that your fingers never fit in.  He was going to wait until they cut they cake, and then cut out.  A guy came up to my friend and said, “Jeff?”  My friend acknowledged that he was in fact Jeff.

“I have always wanted to meet my grandfather in Christ!” After this exclamation, the young man went on, “You don’t know me, as we have never met.  One of those freshman that you poured your life into at the tail end of your college experience poured into me.  My life will never be the same.  I have you to thank!”

Put some money away for a rainy day . . . and pour into people that will pour into people.  You may meet one of your grand children one day!

Have a great Tuesday,
Eric