I felt like the Lord told me there was going to be a lot to learn thru the process of me putting on this event / sf reunion / tough mudder that we did last weekend. If you are not familiar with Tough Mudder, you can visit their website here @ toughmudder.com . (editor's note – this is straight from a little log i have been keeping and lacks formality… hope that doesn't offend my highly cultured friends who find yourself reading this… some of this is cryptic, which i apologize for. feedback welcome and encouraged)
the sower went forth to sow, and some seed fell on four types of ground – wayside, rocky ground, thorny ground, good soil. i have observed this to be true in my efforts to spread the word about this event. (this is true of any messenger / message)
- some people tend to get highly motivated early on, but quickly fade
- almost no one (or a very low %) routinely prepares for the things that they know are coming their way
- the precious few, as Kyle Ledyard has put it, are the ones who demonstrate consistency in preparation
- there are some people who prefer to prepare solo, and thereby deprive the group from their contribution to a large degree (getting ready is a big plus, doing it solo is a minus)
- many are called, few are chosen (few prepare for what they are called to do enough to be useful in it)
- having someone who is consistent to make ready with is a great big blessing
- often, there isn’t very much cohesion among people
- cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful (true of many things that are important)
- some people who have an opportunity to really help the group care more for themselves than others, and thereby deprive the group of their contribution (by not participating)
- most people don’t want to yield their autonomy to be a part of a team – they want to hold back and not too associate themselves too closely with others
- some people need fairly constant encouragement to do what they are capable of
- distractions abound
- people decide based on circumstances as much as anything…. i’ll see how i feel, they may say. not many decide, and then prepare to face the circumstances, whether favorable or otherwise
- what’s important to one person is not necessarily important to someone else
- (it appears) that when you are looking for an excuse, anything will do
- the humility in your life is one (major) factor that impacts the level of promotion you can receive from the Lord
- motivation is incredibly key with any significant accomplishment, and must be maintained
- people tend to fall to self doubt
- everyone feels self doubt, what you do at that point will determine whether you advance or withdraw
- fear is a terrible task master that minimizes mankind
- you have to play what shows up, not what you wish had shown up
- not all investments in people will be a loss
- friendships are important
Wow, Scott. This message is both enlightening and convicting. I certainly saw myself among the list of things you wrote. You have challenged me, Scott, to come up a little higher. Thank you for your words of wisdom and encouragement. I learned a lot at Tough Mudder too. I realized on the Tough Mudder field how important and meaningful a team really is. There is nothing like it. All the personal advancement in the world is nothing if you have no one to share it with. (especially when you come to a 10 foot wall in your life that you cannot get over alone…) Yep, all you wrote was true. Thank you for sharing, Scott. 🙂