I once heard it said that we should look to our heroes for inspiration and then set out to surpass them. Have you identified your hero lately?
I'm not talking about Justin Bieber or the church answer of Jesus. (Since Jesus is Lord, to lump Him in the hero category seems a little demeaning.) I'm talking about a person in your life, your profession, or your history that encourages, inspires, or challenges you to be better.
In high school, my band director told us that we should only purpose to beat one competitor...ourselves. If we continued to improve everytime we stepped on the field, we could hold our heads up.
I took that to heart. I trained my fingers to fly over the keys until I could play the music in my sleep. I trained my lungs to handle running while playing in various weather conditions. I trained my muscles to walk backwards, forwards, and sideways without ever turning my torso from the sidelines. I trained my mind to keep pushing when I was tired and encourage those around me rather than complain. And every day, I was better than my previous day's best.
The same is true in life. Learn from the success and failures of your heroes. Learn from your own successes and failures. Don't base your dreams on your hero's victories, but on your own personal ability and calling. Be better than you were yesterday.
Have you identified your hero lately? Have you identified what draws you to this individual? How can watching them make you better? How can you use that to beat your personal best from yesterday and the day before?
Satisfaction today comes from knowing you met the demands of the day with your best. Contentment tomorrow means embracing the day before and diligently working to improve. Dreams are achieved when you belong to Christ, know who you are in Him, and walk obediently, working for the Lord and not for man.
I'm not talking about Justin Bieber or the church answer of Jesus. (Since Jesus is Lord, to lump Him in the hero category seems a little demeaning.) I'm talking about a person in your life, your profession, or your history that encourages, inspires, or challenges you to be better.
Better yet, have you determined to surpass your personal best?
In high school, my band director told us that we should only purpose to beat one competitor...ourselves. If we continued to improve everytime we stepped on the field, we could hold our heads up.I took that to heart. I trained my fingers to fly over the keys until I could play the music in my sleep. I trained my lungs to handle running while playing in various weather conditions. I trained my muscles to walk backwards, forwards, and sideways without ever turning my torso from the sidelines. I trained my mind to keep pushing when I was tired and encourage those around me rather than complain. And every day, I was better than my previous day's best.
The same is true in life. Learn from the success and failures of your heroes. Learn from your own successes and failures. Don't base your dreams on your hero's victories, but on your own personal ability and calling. Be better than you were yesterday.
Have you identified your hero lately? Have you identified what draws you to this individual? How can watching them make you better? How can you use that to beat your personal best from yesterday and the day before?
Satisfaction today comes from knowing you met the demands of the day with your best. Contentment tomorrow means embracing the day before and diligently working to improve. Dreams are achieved when you belong to Christ, know who you are in Him, and walk obediently, working for the Lord and not for man.
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