Lately I’ve been inspired by a message I heard and a bible verse. In 1 Chronicles 28:20, David gives advice to his son Solomon, “be strong and courageous, and do the work.” As graduation approaches, I think about how often I have given similar advice to my own son. It often sounded more like, “You can do it,” or “why don’t you try out for that, ”or“ did you study?” But it was essentially the same message. I can see in my son the potential, but sometimes he lacks confidence or fails to put in the necessary effort. I’m sure David had some similar thoughts about his son too. As I think about sending my son off to college, I think this advice will serve him well. Be strong and do the work.
But I also know from my own experiences that it’s not always an easy thing to do. Some days the tasks in front of me seem really big. Often, I put things off thinking I’ll do it when I have more energy or when I’m in the mood. The thing is, often the motivation to do the work doesn’t come before you do it, it comes in the doing. Take weeding for example. I rarely look at my garden and think, “Oh I’m so excited to weed right now.” But if I pull one weed, and then another, pretty soon I just keep finding more and often before long I’ve weeded a whole bed. Getting out of bed in the morning is another one of those moments for me. I don’t know if I’m just not a morning person, but I rarely wake up excited for the day. But if I leap out of bed and get started rather than hitting my snooze, soon I’m flowing through my day.
It reminds me of the lesson I learned in Because of 4. Leadership doesn’t come from sitting and thinking about it. It comes from stepping in and being a leader. You have to take that leap of faith toward a new idea or a new way of thinking and then lead through it. To complete the task you need to be strong, but you also must do the work. And the more you do the work, the more you will gain confidence and courage. Leaping and leading is not a one way street, it’s a cycle. Leaping into something new builds your leadership skills. Leading strengthens your ability to leap in new directions. As my son leaps off that graduation stage, I know his next steps will lead him to new adventures and challenges. The best advice I have, “be strong and do the work!”