Doing quiets empty wanting. –In Praise of Doing
“Less talk, more do.” That was the answer I gave to the president of our college when he asked what my personal philosophy was…luckily he’s a doer as well!
So many times we talk about what we want to do, but never end up actually doing anything. I don’t want to think about the hours of my life that I’ve wasted in pointless meetings that take this path! So you can understand the sheer giddiness I felt when I read the title from the quotation at the beginning: In Praise of Doing. Awesome!
As the author states, “Passionate sincere wanting without performance is cheap, easy, and self-deluding.” In other words, talk is cheap. Worse than that, when we constantly talk about what we want to do (rather than taking steps to actually do it), we feel like we’re actually doing something. Crazy huh?
Now, I’m not saying there’s no place for contemplating the next step your life will take, your next career move, or whatever it is that’s in your heart. But at a certain point, you’ve got to become a doer.
Here are three areas “doing” can have transformative power
Our teams. As you sit down and think about your upcoming season, do you have goals in mind? What are the easy to reach goals? What about the ones that will be a stretch for your team to accomplish? Many times I hear coaches talk about the things that are out of their control as reasons for their lack of success: opponent/conference strength, lack of budget, injuries. Surely those things can have a significant impact on a team, but in theory, they should affect every team similarly. Instead focus on the things that you can do today, this week, this season to prepare your team to accomplish their goals.
Our careers. Rome wasn’t built in a day…and it certainly wasn’t built because the Romans sat down and chatted about it! If your goal is to be a coach on the Olympic team, then you’d better get to work. First things first, start coaching. Then let the right people know that you’re interested in moving up the coaching ranks. And last, but not least, be good. If you’re constantly talking about how awesome you are at coaching (without actually being awesome), then you won’t go far. Results matter. Whatever your goal is, sit down and figure out a step by step plan to accomplish it.
Our lives. You’re going to think I’m taking the easy route on this one, but I believe this to my core: I was put on this Earth to coach. Not because I think I’m God’s gift to coaching, but because it’s my chance to make a difference. I believe that most folks have a desire to impact the world in some significant manner…for me, it’s coaching. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that athletics can have a life-changing effect on its participants. They learn to work in teams, to win and lose with grace, to be leaders, to balance multiple important projects…so many things! As a matter of fact, I devoted the entire month of July to talking about how much I love coaching. Whatever path you choose to take in order to make your difference, it all begins with taking that first step.
As the author so succinctly puts it, “What you do makes a difference, not what you want to do.”
