Tag: goals

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Book Review motivation

Pay Attention

Pay Attention!

Today, we will have many distractions. We have them every day. Our phones will buzz. At work, a coworker will change our focus because something is hot. They will come to us either in person or by some electronic means. Of course, their concern is the most important to them, but we may have others demanding the same precious amount of attention. In a world full of distractions, how do we know what we should pay attention to?

If we’re not careful, we can be dragged in so many directions that nothing of value gets done. The Book, Deep Work, by Cal Newport, opened my eyes to this challenge. This quote summed it up for me.

“We tend to place a lot of empasis on our circumstances, assuming that what happens to us (or fails to happen) determines how we feel.”

Newport, Cal. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Grand Central, 2016. 

Swayed by Circumstances

When I thought this phrase, I pondered how silly that could be. Circumstances happen all the time. Many of them are out of our control. We can’t predict how others are going to react. A supply chain has so many links, no one can control how or when supplies will get to us. We thought we could rely on it until we couldn’t. Were we ever really in control, or did we buy into the illusion of control?

If we focus on circumstances, we will be swayed by bad news, others’ demands, and the whims of fate and fortune. But what if we are on the right track and circumstances haven’t yet caught up with the future results? We can give up way before it is time.

Eye on the Prize

Pay attention! If we focus on our circumstances, how we feel, and the distractions of others, we are going to get off track very quickly. While we need to acknowledge our feelings, is far better to manage them and keep our eye on the prize. It will give us endurance and will help give us strength under pressure.

Cartoon of a jogging couple

Cal’s book focuses on the digital distractions that keep us from doing deep, meaningful work. People as well as a buzzing phone with the latest distraction can equally keep us from paying attention. This week, I’m going to keep my focus on this particular topic.

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motivation

Small Victories

As we begin a new year, we can be tempted to make big, lofty resolutions. But an article from the Good News Network asserts that small victories count.

Too often we like to think that a goal or resolution doesn’t count unless it has some big risk or reward. After all, a big risk can bring a big reward, right? But it can overwhelm us if we think every goal has to be a big, fat hairy one. So find some small victories today.

  • Call a loved one
  • Say something encouraging to someone who needs it
  • Read one encouraging Bible verse
  • Count your blessings
  • Stop to notice something beautiful, like a flower or the sky

Depending on where we are in life, getting up in the morning, and making the bed can be a vital, small victory. We can be so focused on the big goals, that we miss the blessings and small victories that are right in front of us. And small victories accumulate into big victories over time.

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discipline motivation

Self-Discipline is Hard!

Self-discipline is hard

I won’t lie to you. self-discipline is hard! It is especially tough when you are starting out and haven’t established a habit yet. Just why is it so difficult?

I am one of those guys that like to run. I’ve developed the habit for over twenty years, so I do have to remember when it was a challenge in the beginning. Still, when it gets cold and the wind is relentless, I don’t want to get out there either.

The other day, I had to bundle up to get out the door. It was Thanksgiving morning. I could have stayed in bed. My wife commented how crazy it was to get out there. I couldn’t argue with her. After all, in the short term, it didn’t make any sense to face the discomfort and go run.

In the short term, self-discipline makes no sense. But this verse has motivated me more than once over the years.

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Hebrews 12:11 (NLT) via BibleGateway.com

Self-discipline is hard because we are drawn to comfort. Everything in the media caters to our belief that we shouldn’t have to do anything that isn’t fun and self-indulgent. Therefore, most of us look to the short-term pain and can’t see beyond the long-term harvest.

It seems like self-discipline is nothing but grief and pain when we are starting out. After all, any change we make faces resistance. However, I am here to tell you that if we hold out and do the hard work, we can reap a harvest in the long term. If you are starting a new self-discipline habit, Hold on! It is worth it!

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motivation

Do You Spend More Time in the Past or Future?

Do you spend more time in the past or the future?

Neither the past nor the future is a reality right now. The present moment is what we have today. Yet, it’s strange, isn’t it? You are reading this after I spent time in the past writing it. An action I did in the past results in another action right now.

I am thankful for my past. But like everyone, I have my regrets. There are things I would’ve done differently if given the chance. I uttered words and did things that in light of today, weren’t the best choices. I have grown from where I was. After all, the insight of a ten-year-old is much different than that of a forty-year-old!

I can’t change the past, but my perception of it changes over time. Science tells us our memories may have been distorted over time. We reminisce about the good old days but forget the challenges we had then.

The future is hazy. No one can predict it with one hundred percent accuracy. If a pandemic taught us anything, it’s that the future is far from certain. We can make plans, but they are always subject to change.

I tend to think more about the future. I can’t change the past, but I can make investments that could pay off later. An encouraging word in a blog, a helping hand to someone in need, and a positive growth mindset can pay off later. It’s not certain, but the lack of any kind of future investment certainly is.

If you sow seed in the present, at least some of it will bring a harvest in the future. Some may succumb to bad conditions. That is the risk you take. But not sowing seed is certain to bring a barren season.

So while I honor my past, I will use the present to sow investments in the future. And I hope you will too!

Categories
motivation

Keep a Dream Alive!

Keep a dream alive

Dreams are important. They are crucial to change. I was thumbing through my notebooks and found this quote from 2012. I don’t see anywhere online where this Zig Ziglar quote is attributed, but it sounds like something he would say.

The reason the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness because they lost their dream.

Zig Ziglar

What a powerful quote! If you don’t know the story of the Israelites’ forty-year detour, it began when twelve spies venture out to assess the land they were about to conquer. Ten came back with a report that the land was fertile, but the occupants were too much to conquer.

Two spies reported with God’s help, they could conquer the land. The people listened to the ten spies with a negative report instead of the two that had faith. As a result, It took another forty years before they could return and conquer the land.

God gave Moses the dream and he cast that dream to the people. They thought they were ready until they faced opposition. As a result, it took forty more years of vision casting before the people were ready.

It reminded me of a dream I had six years ago that ended badly. When that happens, the temptation is to give up, lick my wounds, and coast. But a life without a dream is like being in a barren, dry wilderness. The wrong lesson is to learn to be comfortable in the wilderness

Yes, keep a dream alive!

Keep dreaming! Maybe the last couple of years have been hard on you too. Resist the temptation to just live in comfortable discomfort. If a dream ended badly, consider how that dream can be modified. Or dream a new dream! There is reason to keep hope alive and move forward.