Unnamed and Unnumbered

Forty years ago, a management class taught me something I’ve used ever since. 5 P’s to Success – Prior Proper Planning Prevents Problems. It sounds good, and it has worked on so many fronts. But what about all those other words that could apply? Process. Program. Preparation. And so on. They still count. Right?

Sure. But if you pack as much meaning into each word of the phrase, the supporting cast of P’s builds a more solid foundation. That’s where documentation, research, study, and summation come into play. Dive into each main word, and you’ll find an entire chapter explaining what the single word means!

Perhaps every word needs its own set of numbered items for complete understanding.

But in the darkness, out of the limelight,
multiple words and thoughts go into the foundation of a successful saying.

Behind every person who stands in front (CEO, Teacher, Pastor, Leader, Coach, Spouse, etc.), hundreds and thousands prepared the scene for the success found. I’m thinking of them as the unnumbered and unnamed.

Though hours are spent developing the talent, you seldom know the scenes behind the curtain that made someone successful, or a failure.

I was thinking about Jeff Bezos (Amazon) – when he started selling books via the internet (1994), did he have the idea of expanding to the variety of platforms we all enjoy? Well, at least some or most of us do. Now that he’s retired and moved on, will the company stand the test of time? Only time will tell. Who or what motivated him to move into global success? The unnumbered and unnamed!

A successful author may have their name on the book jacket, but each person responsible for cutting the trees, making paper, mixing ink, running the presses, binding the paper, boxing, shipping, unloading, and selling in the store matter. You won’t find their names in the credits, but a book would likely not end up in your hands without their hard work.

We all stand on the shoulders of the unnumbered and the unnamed. They all count!

From My Latest Read

I’m guilty of reading a lot, and I have favorite authors I enjoy reading, and rereading. From each, I find myself mulling through the storyline and wondering what I can get from it that is more than just the tale.

James Michener is one of my favorite authors. His book on Alaska is my latest reread. Somehow he catches the span of years and the myriad faces of migrants that moved in and out, and finally settled in the Great Land. He picks up character threads and weaves them into a final product. Michener never backs away from the negative stories, but he never let’s them be the total story.

For a people, culture, state, or nation, for anyone to get to the present, myriad personalities, paths, processes, and problems were weeded through to produce the results we see today.

As time and technology advances, the movement seems faster all the time. Is the job complete? No. The unnumbered and unnamed are still hiding behind the limelight of the present to keep Alaska moving forward or sliding backward.

The unnumbered and unnamed can either make or break the present and change the future.

Just because we are floating in success doesn’t mean our work is over. The unnamed are part of the unnumbered that keep making this world better or worse. The power of numbers plays an important role, even when the individual is not seen in any way other than as an avatar. An image that represents the multitude of who each of us is.

Each cannot be lumped with everyone.
We are all different, and we have the power to make the world different.

There is strength in the individual to influence the masses. But that individual was challenged to be who they are by the unnumbered that got them to their stance.

Where Are You

Everything reduces down like a roux: All that goes into the pot with the constant stirring, a final taste is delivered. It takes time and the right ingredients. Consistent heat and varied cooking process. Finally, all is done and you stand on your own as a product of the unnumbered and unnamed. You don’t remember every speck or drop that make up the final product. It’s the melding of the masses into the lump we call the past. Keep cooking, and someday the final dish is worth the time and distance.

Everything is created the same way even if you never know all the parts of the puzzles that remain unnamed and unnumbered.

You are often a stand-alone result. Unnumbered. Unnamed.

The church is full of the unnumbered and unnamed. I cannot think of a more purposeful place to be counted! One who helps without needing the limelight to shine.