Tag: training

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motivation

Do training and preparing get any easier?

Quote from "Drive" by Daniel Pink "As anyone who’s trained for a marathon, learned a new language, or run a successful division can attest, you spend a lot more time grinding through tough tasks than you do basking in applause."

When I was reading Drive by Daniel Pink, I thought of how society tries to make things easy for us. Advertising is all about serving up an easy answer to wants or needs. I posted about the desire we all have to coast in October 2019. I found then that training doesn’t get any easier, but the results are worth it.

Training doesn’t get any easier. But if we are diligent, we can get more effective. Finding success in an endeavor may seem easy from the outside. But it’s the grind, as Daniel Pink wrote, that one has to do every day. It’s getting up early and putting in the miles.

Be patient and train

When I trained for a marathon, I searched for different solutions and different training methods. If there was a solution that would have made it easy to run a marathon without any training, I probably would have stumbled across it. If such a solution existed, I would have been both happy and disappointed. I would have been happy that I would not have had to put in the hours. But I would have been disappointed that the effort was taken away from me. What is the point of a marathon, after all, if it takes little sweat and effort?

Today, all of us have been thrust into a COVID-19 marathon. All of us wish that this crisis would end tomorrow. But it doesn’t look likely. All businesses and employees will have to adjust in some way. Like it or not, we are now all required to train for the next level.

Patience does not mean we simply wait this out. If I just waited for the day of the marathon without training for it, I would have never crossed the finish line. While we wait, we must train. We must prepare.

Turn a crisis into an opportunity

Since we have all been sidelined in some way, how are you using that time to train?

  • How are you training physically?
  • How are you training mentally?
  • How are you training spiritually?

We all have an opportunity to do the work and to make a difference today. Grind through the tasks. Learn from them and become better through them. Training doesn’t get any easier. But the results are worth it. You may not hear a stadium full of applause. But it will be worth it in the long run.

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motivation

If Life is a Marathon, Why do we Coast?

Cartoon of two racers. One of them is wearing motor racing gear. The other says, "I get the feeling one of us is wearing the wrong racing gear."

One of the many lessons I learned from running a marathon is that training matters. If you want to finish the race, blowing off long runs and failing to put the mileage in will cost you pain and the likelihood you won’t finish what you came to do.

If life is a marathon, then why do we coast? Why do we get comfortable and lazy? Keep pushing yourself! Do the work to stay competitive in the race of life.

  • Learn something new every day
  • Keep your eyes open to new opportunities
  • Take some risks that might not work but could pay off generously
    • Do something that requires faith
  • Keep your head in the game
    • Be positive
    • Be encouraging
    • Ask what if to possibilities, not what if to past regrets and mistakes
    • Look at every challenge as an opportunity
    • Embrace change

No one has ever fully arrived until they take their last breath. And if you are a person of faith, like me, the race is only beginning at that point as well.

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motivation

Start Small to Achieve Big Things

Cartoon of two babies. One says, "My first birthday is next week. Talk about pressure!"

My featured cartoon reminds me that one person’s challenge is a cinch to another. After a few decades of birthdays, I have no problem with facing another. But I remember how overwhelming that first birthday party was for my kids. It was quite the big deal! They acted as if it was their first debut to the entire world!

If you are doing anything of value, if you are working with people, things or ideas today, if you are growing at all, you will be under some pressure. How do you build yourself up so that when the big pressures come you are ready?

I began to write this blog daily because I wanted to hone my writing skills. I enjoy writing. If I want to tackle larger projects later, it’s good to keep writing daily and consistently.

I learned to do this when I trained for half-marathons and my first marathon. In order to run 26.2 miles, you need to start small and work your miles up. Eventually, I worked up to the goal.

You may have a goal or a challenge that is facing you today. It may seem too insurmountable to conquer. Start out by taking on the small challenge. Work yourself up to the larger one. One day, you may be surprised how far you have come.

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motivation

How to Be Authentic Without Whining

Cartoon of a runner shouting, "Just keep running!"
Copyright ©2017 Kevin Spear

We all go through stuff. We all struggle once in a while. When we do, the temptation is to put on the facade and smile. We say we’re fine when we feel like we’re dying inside. We don’t want to burden people with our problems.

As a result, we may project this image of being a super person when we struggle just like everyone else. Then when someone else has a problem, they feel they can’t come to us because we appear too perfect.

Yet no one wants to stay in the struggle, right? No one wants to announce to the world they are a hot mess. What is the right balance?

Be authentic with your weaknesses and diligent in your training.

Be Authentic

It’s okay to admit you struggle with something. Every one of us has a weakness. Each one of us is in the process of improving. It’s okay to admit you don’t have it all together. We are all human. It’s okay to admit that is the case.

Train Diligently

Keep training. Just because you’ve had a setback doesn’t mean it’s hopeless. Press on! Give yourself some grace and get back into the training. When you admit you struggle, you give yourself the grace to strive forward.

After all, if you’ve already arrived and are already perfect, what’s left? Be honest with others, and diligent with training. You’ll get there!

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children's ministry cartoons Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine

Intense Children’s Ministry Training

Cartoon of a coach and a man panting. The man says, "“Your preschool teacher orientation is intense! I didn't work this hard in basic training."

I have to brag on my wife. She is a children’s pastor and very big on equipping her volunteers. The other week, she had a training for her volunteers. It didn’t involve push-ups or burpees. Instead, it focused on relationships and building connections with parents as well as children.

One of the scariest situations anyone ever faces is when they enter a new situation without any training or preparation. It is much better to put in the sweat and prepare yourself for any situation. One of the most important tasks anyone can do is work with children. I am so appreciative of the teachers and volunteers that put in the effort every day to be the best at reaching kids.

I drew this cartoon for Kidzmatter Magazine.