Vol II: #69 Little/Daily Wins Are It
A good friend is about to cross a serious milestone next week. She and her husband will make their last debt payment to the last creditor and then will be officially debt free. I forget how much they owed but it was closer to one-hundred thousand dollars than ten thousand. And they paid the debt in a short period which included two cross-country moves and the sale of a recreational vehicle. This couple and their determination stand in direct contrast to the common narrative in America today. They worked hard, made tough choices, and now stand at the edge of financial freedom. They are an inspiration.
I’m guilty of being eternally short-sighted. Most of my plans are about what I can do in the next year or two, but I never get there. I dream. I spend two weeks working toward a goal. Then, I give up. And, repeat. It’s embarrassing because, my life is littered with broken goals and dreams. Fortunately, I do have a few exceptions to the tendency. I finished my writing goal last year, graduated from college, and successfully moved from place to place. (I’m quite good at moving.) Sure. I have more successes than these, but I’ll stop here.
What each success has in common is I believed it was worth doing. What trips me are the moments when the goal seems unattainable, when the tasks required are lifeless and dull, and my mind tries to escape into the next dream. But, that’s not how greatness is built or acquired. Champions and heroes reveal themselves only after years of hard work and tough choices.
I think about David on the hillsides of Bethlehem with his father’s flock. He was far from war and politics and temples. But, he tended those sheep with his life. And the doing so, he fought and killed a lion and a bear. He practiced with his sling and waited for his opportunity. Then, after he defeated the giant and was chosen to be the next king, he spent ten years running from Saul’s spear. Nice, right?
It seems like success in life is built on Jesus and showing up everyday. For me, that’s writing, reading, drawing, and doing it all over again. And again. And again. Then, like my friends, I can stand at the edge of something big.
