As a missionary, opportunities for change happened every six weeks. "Transfers" was the term we used when one six-week period was ending and another six-week period was beginning. I could get an assignment to serve in a different area or I could find out that my missionary partner was leaving and I was getting a new companion to serve with for the next six weeks. Sometimes nothing changed and we got to stay in the same area with the same person.
After a while as a missionary, I found myself eagerly anticipating the new transfer. It was almost like a brand new school year–a chance to make new goals, to start fresh, to be better–all with new people who didn't have any preconceived notions of who I was.
Than one day it hit me: I was stopping my own growth because I felt I had to wait for a new time marker to become better. I was waiting and procrastinating setting goals and working harder until some perceived and somewhat imaginary new starting date. After thinking about it longer, I realized it wasn't just six-week transfer cycles that had this psychological effect. Throughout my life I had used excuses like, "Next school year I'll do so much better," or "I can't wait until I set my New Years resolutions next year," or "Starting next week I'll be perfect at that."
The reality of the situation is we do not have to wait until some starting point to become better, change our course of action, or to work on a goal. This concept has been a powerful motivator to me. It's also so easy for me to forget, so I wrote a poem to encapsulate my thinking.
Click here to read my poem.
What motivates you to be better, to start over, to change? For me there are multiple answers and more blog posts will be coming about them, but I'd love to hear what you have to say.
After a while as a missionary, I found myself eagerly anticipating the new transfer. It was almost like a brand new school year–a chance to make new goals, to start fresh, to be better–all with new people who didn't have any preconceived notions of who I was.
Than one day it hit me: I was stopping my own growth because I felt I had to wait for a new time marker to become better. I was waiting and procrastinating setting goals and working harder until some perceived and somewhat imaginary new starting date. After thinking about it longer, I realized it wasn't just six-week transfer cycles that had this psychological effect. Throughout my life I had used excuses like, "Next school year I'll do so much better," or "I can't wait until I set my New Years resolutions next year," or "Starting next week I'll be perfect at that."
The reality of the situation is we do not have to wait until some starting point to become better, change our course of action, or to work on a goal. This concept has been a powerful motivator to me. It's also so easy for me to forget, so I wrote a poem to encapsulate my thinking.
Click here to read my poem.
What motivates you to be better, to start over, to change? For me there are multiple answers and more blog posts will be coming about them, but I'd love to hear what you have to say.
This song is called Into the Stars. It motivates me and inspires me.
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