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New starts come more than once a year |
Still punctuating Craig’s mostly-packed-away room are little remnants of his past life: his iPod and guitar pick, his weight set and Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding encyclopedia, one of his beloved Harry Potter books and a Stephen King novel. All those things—music, exercise, and pleasure reading—were such a big part of his life as a teenager but now have very little place in his rigorous missionary schedule in Argentina.
Now, his workouts last about the same amount of time he used to spend just warming up for a water polo game. Now, his music searches consist of thumbing through the church hymnal for songs to play on the piano--quite a contrast to the habits of the boy turned eclectic-music-enthusiast who discovered new songs and artists online almost daily.
In some ways, Craig is fortunate to have left all his treasures behind. Without them, he can focus more sharply on the changes he’s most certainly making. Sometimes it’s the things we love that distract us the most from becoming what we want to become. Delicious foods, entertaining movies, or funny emails, for example, can be very pleasant but can also rob us of time and weaken our resolve to change habits and to spend more time on things that matter.
Of course, not all of us can run off to another country for a couple of years in order to transform ourselves. So, what can we do?
We can look for, create, and seize new beginnings. Naturally, when a year changes, we believe we can change too. So, we make our lists of New Year’s resolutions. This is a great thing to do and can certainly help us refocus and recommit. But, like revving up engines at the start of a race, some of the thrill is just doing it along with everyone else.
Perhaps it’s the less celebrated, less exciting beginnings throughout the year that can be even more propelling. A new month, week, or even a new day can help us refuel and better remind us of what we determined to change. Maybe we should resolve to look for those new starts.
Now, his workouts last about the same amount of time he used to spend just warming up for a water polo game. Now, his music searches consist of thumbing through the church hymnal for songs to play on the piano--quite a contrast to the habits of the boy turned eclectic-music-enthusiast who discovered new songs and artists online almost daily.
In some ways, Craig is fortunate to have left all his treasures behind. Without them, he can focus more sharply on the changes he’s most certainly making. Sometimes it’s the things we love that distract us the most from becoming what we want to become. Delicious foods, entertaining movies, or funny emails, for example, can be very pleasant but can also rob us of time and weaken our resolve to change habits and to spend more time on things that matter.
Of course, not all of us can run off to another country for a couple of years in order to transform ourselves. So, what can we do?
We can look for, create, and seize new beginnings. Naturally, when a year changes, we believe we can change too. So, we make our lists of New Year’s resolutions. This is a great thing to do and can certainly help us refocus and recommit. But, like revving up engines at the start of a race, some of the thrill is just doing it along with everyone else.
Perhaps it’s the less celebrated, less exciting beginnings throughout the year that can be even more propelling. A new month, week, or even a new day can help us refuel and better remind us of what we determined to change. Maybe we should resolve to look for those new starts.
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