Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get moving; sitting still is always comfortable. I'm part of The Influence Network and I love their monthly classes (writing and painting, anyone?). Each year they have a big conference in Indianapolis in September and I said, "eh, I'll go next year."
Guess what? There is no next year. This is the year of the last big conference. (I feel like that could be an official title. "Year of the Last Big Conference": doubt they're going to take that up.)
So I'm going this year. Justin and I discussed it for weeks. How we would work out the money and the details and the children. And then we discussed it some more. Finally we decided it was worth doing and I bought my ticket.
I'll be there a month from today. Right now I am all kinds of excited and not nervous at all. When it gets closer I know I'll be all kinds of nervous but hopefully still excited.
It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things. Leonardo Da Vinci
It's easier to just keep doing the same things. I could practice piano faithfully every day and in twenty years my playing could sound exactly the same if I don't change how I practice and learn new things.
Change is uncomfortable. Even considering change makes me mentally tired. I would rather just go to sleep. But it's necessary for growth. (Maybe that's why babies sleep so much? Or at least you hope they do.)
Change is why I'm working on different ideas for the blog facebook page instead of just quitting it.
Change is why I'm working on post ideas for #write31days. I'm going to participate this year and I have an awesome topic that I can't wait to write about and share with you. Follow along on the facebook page for some question and answer sessions about that.
Change is why Phylicia and I started the podcast. We wanted to use a different avenue to get out the message that Jesus can change your life. Being a Christian isn't living the same life just knowing the end is different. God wants to transform your entire life.
Change is why I refuse to make excuses. It's why I'm turning in the volunteer application for our crisis pregnancy center. It's why I'm going to a planning meeting for a local homeschool volleyball team (I may get to help. There is a serious happy dance going on here.)
It's easier to decide to do it next year or next time. Of course that's out of the way with the conference. It's the last year they are doing it. But what about other things? I'll start the diet next week. I'll work on my ________ skill next month. I'll write that letter, call that friend, take that class next semester. What are you waiting on? What's wrong with today? Get over there to the instrument and practice. Drag out the camera and take some pictures. Sit down at the computer and code or write.
Work takes effort. Growing is hard; stagnation is easy. But only one of them will get you to the life that you want to have years from now. Consider just one year from now. Think about where you could be if you did the work today. However small it may be, if you do the work today (500 words, a tiny sketch, editing a blog post, 30 minutes of piano) and then you do the work tomorrow and the next day and the next day in a year you'll have made significant progress.
Decide to do hard. Don't take the easy way.
No comments:
Post a Comment