Stop trying. Start training.
It’s one of my favorite principles. It’s a principle because it’s timeless and applies in just about any circumstance.
In about two months I’ll give a talk at a TEDX event in Loveland. If you’re not familiar, TED talks are different than most other presentations. For one thing, they’re very structured, which will challenge my customary speaking style.
If I tried as hard as possible to give my talk today the results would be less than spectacular. Fortunately, I don’t have to do that.
Instead, I can train. I can understand the TED structure, prepare my talk accordingly, and practice until I’m comfortable.
Want a closer relationship with Jesus? Trying hard won’t get you there by tomorrow. But if you read the bible, pray, listen, take some quiet time each day, you just might find yourself in a deeper, closer walk with Him.
Stop trying. Start training.
We look at the big stuff at the end of the journey and it seems impossible because we can’t imagine trying that. But the important outcomes are usually built on smaller stuff—habits, simple daily acts that make up the training. And we find out that when we do those small things faithfully and consistently, they add up to something big.
Most important results are like that. Trying hard might not get you much. But if you stop trying and start training, you change yourself.
- Training is its own reward. You learn, get in shape, grow stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually. The end result, the thing you’re training for, becomes a by-product.
- You can’t train all at once. It takes a long time, and it’s boring, and sometimes you can’t see any progress.
- Training requires faith. You have to believe that all of those hours will add up to something important, even when you can’t see it. It takes perseverance and determination.
What’s that big thing you want to do? What training needs to happen—today, this week—to get you on the road?
I hope you’ll join FRONT RANGE FREEDOM TOUR ’15. Can’t see yourself doing it right now, for all sorts of reasons?
It’s okay–the ride’s in three months. What’s the obstacle?
Stop trying. Start training.
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