Hard Work Pays Off
Today I am grateful for the beauty of snow on the trees and some much needed precipitation. I am also grateful to appreciate what hard work can do.
"Hard work always pays off" is a quote I have believed in all my life. I used it with students and athletes when I was a teacher and coach. I continue to use it as a counselor. I have used it to keep myself going. It's possible I have even taken it too far at times, defining my day, my self, my life by what I get done, by how hard I work on that given day.
Excessive work can be unhealthy, but a few places I apply healthy and consistent hard work are in my recovery from alcoholism, my gratitude practice, and my marathon training. In these areas, hard work does indeed always pay off.
I see truth in this quote as well when I consider the effort my husband put into his second sermon at our church. He gave the sermon yesterday and it went really well. That is because he started on it weeks ago and because he put a lot of time and hard work into it. Writing and giving sermons are definitely outside of Darcy's comfort zone. At least they were. I commend him for pushing himself beyond that.
Because of the time spent preparing, the research, rewrites and revisions, the practice he put in, he ended up sounding confident and at ease as he delivered his sermon. Darcy has been in training to become a deacon and will be ordained in June. It has been a lengthy and challenging process, but he has answered this calling with dedicated perseverance. He has learned and grown in so many ways during this time. I really respect his efforts.
The beauty of the hard work I have put in with years of regular gratitude practice is that today, at least on most days, it doesn't feel like hard work. It feels like part of my healthy routine, just like going for a run or eating fruits and vegetables.
How does hard work pay off in healthy ways in your life?
"Hard work always pays off" is a quote I have believed in all my life. I used it with students and athletes when I was a teacher and coach. I continue to use it as a counselor. I have used it to keep myself going. It's possible I have even taken it too far at times, defining my day, my self, my life by what I get done, by how hard I work on that given day.
Excessive work can be unhealthy, but a few places I apply healthy and consistent hard work are in my recovery from alcoholism, my gratitude practice, and my marathon training. In these areas, hard work does indeed always pay off.
I see truth in this quote as well when I consider the effort my husband put into his second sermon at our church. He gave the sermon yesterday and it went really well. That is because he started on it weeks ago and because he put a lot of time and hard work into it. Writing and giving sermons are definitely outside of Darcy's comfort zone. At least they were. I commend him for pushing himself beyond that.
Because of the time spent preparing, the research, rewrites and revisions, the practice he put in, he ended up sounding confident and at ease as he delivered his sermon. Darcy has been in training to become a deacon and will be ordained in June. It has been a lengthy and challenging process, but he has answered this calling with dedicated perseverance. He has learned and grown in so many ways during this time. I really respect his efforts.
The beauty of the hard work I have put in with years of regular gratitude practice is that today, at least on most days, it doesn't feel like hard work. It feels like part of my healthy routine, just like going for a run or eating fruits and vegetables.
How does hard work pay off in healthy ways in your life?
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