My alarm is blaring and I begin the day annoyed. The noise is offensive and so is the command to get out of bed. The rebel inside me rises and the knowledge of what is right fights with that primal defiance that absolutely does not care and does not want to oblige. I’m not a morning person, but it’s not just that. It’s work. It’s responsibility. It’s what Scripture refers to as “dying to self.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
In basic terms, I’m selfish and I don’t want to spend eight hours of my day answering phone call after mind numbing phone call. I don’t want to be trapped at a desk in a noisy, clamoring room with a shortage of windows. I want to do life on my own terms. I want to give my time to things that inspire me, things I am passionate about. I want to fight injustice, change lives, and inspire others.
Changing the world is a matter of choice.
It’s so easy to look at my daily frustrations and blame others for my attitude and my lack of personal progress. But in reality, my attitudes and actions are CHOICES that I am making. I could CHOOSE to get up to work on personal projects before work, but I CHOOSE to surf Facebook instead of going to bed early. I could CHOOSE to be thankful for the job that allows me to do other things between assisting customers, but so often I CHOOSE to complain instead.
The thing about changing the world is that it doesn’t happen in one creative stroke of genius. It happens slowly, over years of faithful trying—some successes, some failures, but always trying, always pushing, always improving.
Wishing isn’t working.
Wishing I was more prompt, more thin, more productive, more influential doesn’t change me and certainly doesn’t change the world. Doing the hard work day after day, that changes things.
Music teachers know that students improve through muscle memory. “Practice makes perfect” they say, or more accurately, “practice makes permanent.” There are no shortcuts to get better at playing Mozart. You have to work at it everyday-and correctly. Playing the same measure incorrectly over and over becomes memorized in time as well.
The same is true in life.
If I practice complaining, I reap a negative outlook. If I practice tv surfing every night, then soon it seems impossible to do anything else. If I practice hitting the snooze every morning, in time it becomes habit.
Mindlessly living via muscle memory is easy. “It’s just the way I am.” It takes zero responsibility. But it doesn’t change the world.
Changing the world takes intentionality.
Changing the world requires “practicing” good habits and positive outlooks. Changing the world means changing myself first and then applying that work ethic and determination to projects and passions that influence others.
There are no shortcuts.
Photo credit: bobaliciouslondon / Foter / CC BY
I love this. My motivation seems to be like a roller coaster and I tend to work in bursts instead of making steady progress. But, on the physical side of things, I have been forcing myself the last 3 weeks to go to bed at a window of time (9-9:30) so I CAN get up early and get my husband off to work. I am NOT a morning person, but surprisingly, this has been doable for me. And I’m getting a lot more done because I have more energy and the days are longer. Not necessarily exciting things….just homeschooling and housework…with a little sewing and writing thrown in…but “stuff done” nonetheless.
And yes, as a music teacher, I say “practice makes permanent” or “practice makes professional.” It doesn’t make perfect, because even world renowned pianists make mistakes. But they can still be professional and precise as they play…if they’ve practiced. And so goes life….:) Well, I’m rambling. We should do this in person instead of online. 🙂
Yes! We should do this in person. Very soon. 🙂