The reason you’re not seeing more excellence in your life is because it’s cleverly disguised as work and you’ve developed a chronic case of the Lazies.
Okay. Ow.
The best writers tell me the way to guarantee my readers stick around to read what I write is to give them opening statements with some punch. They also agree that my best writing is to and for myself. If it compels me, pushes me, pounds on, impresses, frightens and punches me in the gut, it’ll have that same impact on you.
It’ll also induce you to tell your friends, “Hey, I know a guy who writes stuff that automatically rises above 94% of all the other blog traffic out there. He’s been at it awhile, and he’s wanting to write some books–but he needs to know we’ll be reading them and recommending them to others. If I give you his website, will you go back through his archived posts and stories and learn his style, delivery and the real cool characters he’s developing? And then will you ‘Like’ his Facebook fan page?
“There’s a lot of junk out there. This man’s a walking miracle and a super writer; he deserves to be widely read, but few know about him. How about helping those of us who DO know what his writing’s worth get the word out? No better way to do it than be reading after him yourself, and tossing him some occasional feedback.”
“Um, isn’t that a little self-serving?”
Oh, absolutely. Shamelessly so. See, I know now why God’s kept me alive when everyone back in ’97 thought I was already slabbed and toe-tagged. I won’t tell all because it would spoil the impact of the book I’m working on which tells the incredible story of our healing. “Our” because God never, ever does what, when, why and how He does without reason, and never, ever for just one person. Before you refute this, look back along your own back trail. Think about it. Doubtless God wouldn’t do something for a single person; we all know He would. Being perfectly, infinitely creative, I simply doubt He very often does.
I’ve kept you in suspenders. You want to know the why.
God miraculously intervened when even Medicine hung its head and said, “We’ve done all we can” so He could write through me. Encouragement, edifying, challenging – and all in a way that speaks to saints and sinners, simple and sophisticated and cynics alike.
So I gave you a tough opening sentence that’s constructed like Sonny Liston used to punch. Know why it’s so tough? I first wrote it to myself.
“The reason you’re not seeing more excellence in your life is because it’s cleverly disguised as work and you’ve developed a chronic case of the Lazies.”
That stung. I felt my shoulders tighten and a slight flush on my neck at the way I just talked to me. I turned my head to the right and slightly down, my eyes looking straight at myself. I and me were about to have some close-order drill when both of us suddenly got it. Same time, too.
“The reason you’re not seeing more excellence in your life is because it’s cleverly disguised as work and you’ve developed a chronic case of the Lazies.”
I’m right. If I’m not seeing more personal, spiritual excellence in my life and life’s work, it’s no one else’s fault. Not their responsibility to make me more this or better that.
It’s up to me. Me.
No man ever had a more powerful example of a strong work ethic than I did in my father and mother. They didn’t know the meaning of ‘quit’. Looking up ‘industrious‘, you’d see a picture of my dad.
Point? I want more happening in my life regarding my profession and income? That’s on me to make happen. I want more positive results in me and through me to others? That’s up to me. It’s possible to be lazy-busy. When I accused myself of it, them were fightin’ words.
Know why?
I was right. They’re true.
The possibility exists you might have the same problem. I’m suggesting you turn it into a personal challenge: learn some different ways to do what you’re already doing.
We’re both busy, you and I. This calls for some brutal self-discernment. It’s too easy to be busy being busy which lets us both slide on things we really don’t want to do or be. Quite often, those are the very things, attached like a whining 3-year-old to a leg, that would make the difference between being busy and being effective in the ongoing pursuit for excellence.
You’ll have to choose where you start.
For me, it’s spraying RAID on the hundreds of Assorted Distractions that gang up on me each day. A few minutes here, a few there? No biggie? Wrong. Those minutes add up to precious-but-now-wasted time I can no longer afford – in all senses of that word.
From me to myself: “Get off your butt and get to it. God can’t do anything more through you until you start being wiser with what He’s already placed in your hands. WELL?”
Oh. Were you listening in? Really? Y–you thought I was talking to you?
Well, if the shoe fits . . .
YOUR WORK ETHIC: GET BACK TO IT. There are a few young millennials who are fed up with being labeled like the seeming majority of their generation: entitlement-saturated, self-absorbed, technically-laser-sharp while being psychologically- and spiritually-dwarfed. They, along with their younger siblings, could use some great examples of what it means to stop whining about wages and benefits – and giving orders before learning how to take ’em – and just shut up, get in there and WORK.
© D. Dean Boone, July 2015