Here is a life lesson from riding my bike.
We like to have fun, but what happens when something stops being fun? Many things start out as fun but they morph into dullness or work as you go along. What then?
While bicycling home from work I often travel a nice shady path through a cultivated park like area in our community. The road is smooth and the hills are the low rolling types that you really don't feel going up but there is that nice boost going down. It is quiet except for birds and soft swish of breeze in the leaves overhead. There is wildlife scurrying about on the ground and in the trees. It is a very nice ride and I often take this way for diversion from routine.
However, this nice road ends in a junkie neighborhood with cracked sidewalks and potholes. The shady path dissolves to hot sun, the song of birds is pushed away by loud pop music, and people arguing on their porches. It is not fun.
Sometimes we have fun when we are doing what we have to. It is a perk, but we must not focus on the fun; we should be thankful for it but not mourn when it is over. The goal needs to be our focus. I ride to work on my bicycle to save money and to be a responsible steward of the earth's resources; I have fun doing it but that is a benefit, not the goal. When the benefit becomes the goal the vision is lost and the motivation begins to ebb away and threaten the goal.
It happens when people start a project, a business, or engage in some mission in life. They have adventure and excitement, maybe it is when that first paycheck comes in, a good grade or some success is emerging. This is fun but rarely last long.
When the new business, course, or project becomes work we must look beyond to the goal and keep on going. Roll up your sleeves say, "That was fun, but now to work toward the real goal." When I come off the nice idyllic park path into the low-class concrete suburb where the road becomes no fun I keep on going.
We like to have fun, but what happens when something stops being fun? Many things start out as fun but they morph into dullness or work as you go along. What then?
While bicycling home from work I often travel a nice shady path through a cultivated park like area in our community. The road is smooth and the hills are the low rolling types that you really don't feel going up but there is that nice boost going down. It is quiet except for birds and soft swish of breeze in the leaves overhead. There is wildlife scurrying about on the ground and in the trees. It is a very nice ride and I often take this way for diversion from routine.
However, this nice road ends in a junkie neighborhood with cracked sidewalks and potholes. The shady path dissolves to hot sun, the song of birds is pushed away by loud pop music, and people arguing on their porches. It is not fun.
Sometimes we have fun when we are doing what we have to. It is a perk, but we must not focus on the fun; we should be thankful for it but not mourn when it is over. The goal needs to be our focus. I ride to work on my bicycle to save money and to be a responsible steward of the earth's resources; I have fun doing it but that is a benefit, not the goal. When the benefit becomes the goal the vision is lost and the motivation begins to ebb away and threaten the goal.
It happens when people start a project, a business, or engage in some mission in life. They have adventure and excitement, maybe it is when that first paycheck comes in, a good grade or some success is emerging. This is fun but rarely last long.
When the new business, course, or project becomes work we must look beyond to the goal and keep on going. Roll up your sleeves say, "That was fun, but now to work toward the real goal." When I come off the nice idyllic park path into the low-class concrete suburb where the road becomes no fun I keep on going.
