What is one item that has been on your todo list for a long time?
You probably don’t have to think too long. That project likes to nag you. It mocks your procrastination. It’s the project you’ve been putting off but you know will make a huge difference. If I’m honest, the things I focus on most of the time are a waste. They aren’t the tasks that make the biggest impact.
I recently launched a massive project – an online course called Learn Worship Keys. To see the project finished and finally launched feels so great.
But can I be honest? The work it took to get an important project like this “done” is anything but glamorous, exciting, or fun. It was a massive grind. Painful work. Deep thought. It’s what Seth Godin calls “emotional labor”.
I’d rather check my email.
I’d rather touch base with social media.
I’d rather listen to music.
I’d rather read a book.
I’d rather “strategize”.
I’d rather “plan.”
We all have a lot of plans, but how many of us actually do the work to see those plans finish? I’m hardly exemplary in this manner.
Maybe for you it’s not about creating a course, writing a book, or managing the content on a website. As with most of us who read this blog, we’re local church worship leaders, whether volunteer, part time, or full time.
The Hard Question
Let me confront you with a question: are you doing the hard work? The work that really moves the ball forward in your ministry?
It’s not about scheduling more meetings.
It’s not about making more plans.
It’s not about dreaming.
It’s about doing something. Seriously getting something big done.
How many of us made plans years ago that never happened? I’ll be the first to confess.
Most everyone wants to do something big. But the problem is we don’t take ownership. We want to dream the dreams without doing the work.
We wait for someone to tell us what to do…to give us an opportunity…to be invited.
The problem with this method is that it doesn’t work. To do something big, someone has to be responsible. And that person is you.
Elon Musk started with a choice.
Brian Houston started with a choice.
Scott Harrison started with a choice.
And you, my friend, have a choice.
3 Guiding Principles
The struggle is knowing where to begin…how to start. Here’s a few guiding principles:
1. Do what scares you the most – I find this to be a great indicator of what I need to do. Scary things push me. Scary things call out my potential. And they also cause me to pray with desperation because I need God’s help. I’ve said this often:
“I want to do with my life the things that only God can do.”
2. Always have one BIG project going – One way I get big things done is simply plan a big project each month. I keep a running chart in Evernote that keeps me on track. I call it my “Challenge Calendar.” It involves two books I’m reading that month, a personal challenge, and one scary project.
It looks like this:
Having at least one massive project on the docket keeps me from simply spinning plates and maintaining mediocrity. If I’m not stretching myself, I manage to just maintain the status quo of email checking, internet browsing, and “research.”
3. Ask…who do I need to talk to? – Oftentimes breakthrough is just a phone call away. Sometimes this is a difficult conversation I need to have with a team member. Sometimes it’s advice from someone who’s gone before me and can help me get unstuck. Either way, don’t allow yourself to wallow in your own head. Pick up the phone.
This is about diving headfirst into what scares you the most. It’s prioritizing what’s uncomfortable.
You know what that is. Even as you read this, you feel the sweat forming. You feel your heart beating faster. What scares you the most is a good indicator what you need to do the most.
Worship leader, it might have more to do with a difficult conversation than it does listening to the new Hillsong album. It might have more to do with communicating about and organizing an event than it does creating more policies.
So…to wrap things up:
Do what scares you the most…everyday.
Always have at least one BIG project going.
Ask…Who do I need to talk to?
Only you know what that big project is. But I’d love to hear about it.
Let’s talk it through in the comments. What do you need to be focusing on? What scares you the most?
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