As I sat down at the desk in my bedroom, awoke my PC, and begrudgingly logged into work remotely, I lamented at my to-do list and the dry-as-paper emails awaiting my responses.
I am admittedly one of the many people who did not look forward to getting back to the Monday grind, for a myriad of reasons and I ache to be one of those people who LOVES their job (in Jesus’ Name that day will soon come!)
Despite the feeling that I get week on week, and as tempted as I am to slack off. I feel challenged daily by the many reminders in scripture to work diligently and excellently, even if no-one is watching, and I often feel convicted when I don’t.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
What I realised, was that this feeling of demotivation can spread. This feeling isn’t only present for the things we don’t enjoy doing but even at times for the things we do enjoy.
As I sat down to write this, I honestly felt a bit depleted. Even something I enjoy doing such as writing, I had little desire to do and it took me ages (and I mean ages) to just buckle down. It got me thinking, how often are we driven by what we feel like doing rather than doing what should be done?
I know some of you have this thing down pat, you’re disciplined and know how to grind, but for some of us, if we don’t feel like doing something, we won’t do it. For others, maybe you procrastinate and put things off. When this becomes a habit, it becomes a bigger problem that’s harder to shake.
How can we tackle this? Well, the key word, is arguably one of the sexiest in the dictionary… ‘diligence’. The dictionary definition of this is the ‘constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.’ Yep, sorry I lied. Not very sexy at all. But so very rewarding.
The key word, I see here, is “mind”. We can only do what our mind is committed to doing. So how do we focus our minds?
- Focus on the end result of that thing. “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9.
Remind yourself of what you will gain from your efforts. Is it a fitness goal? Follow inspirational accounts on social media, read articles/blogs on nutrition that fit your fancy, log into home workouts on YouTube and go at your pace. Whatever your task or goal, focus your attention on what you are trying to achieve. Trust that you will get there; it’s just a matter of doing it and being consistent.
- Think of what the consequences will be for yourself and others. “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Proverbs 10:4. What might you or others lose or gain from your action/inaction?
- Decide what habits you want to build and what person you want to be. The philosopher, Will Durant said, “we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
- As the Nike slogan says, JUST DO IT. We achieve nothing if we do not take action. “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23
You can do it. I believe in you! Right, back to work, I go…
