By: D. A. Slinkard
I think about the word “motivation” quite a bit and am always looking for ways to increase my personal motivation. For as long as I can remember, I have been motivated to receive recognition for a job well done, and I am motivated by financial success. If you want to motivate D.A. Slinkard, all you have to do is show me the opportunity for recognition and show me the money. I understand that not everyone is motivated the same way I am, and that is okay. I believe we need to understand what motivates us to perform our best and then utilize these methods to reach beyond our potential.
I was reading the 20th Chapter of Proverbs the other day and one verse really stuck out to me. Proverbs 20:4 states, “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” As soon as I read the verse, I knew exactly what I wanted my next Athens Now article to be about. This verse here sums up the lives of too many people in our society.
The word sluggard means a lazy person, and it seems that since COVID occurred, we have a lot of lazy people who no longer want to work. We have a lot of lazy people who want a handout and not a hand-up. This verse is telling us the lazy person will not plow or work by reason of the cold. This lazy person is making an excuse not to work because it is cold. Truthfully, if we want to, we can make up a million and one reasons why we cannot do something. It seems that lazy people are good at making excuses. It has been said if it is important to you, you will find a way and if it is not, you will make an excuse.
The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. How many people in society are sitting around begging for handouts because they are not willing to put in the work? Does this sound familiar? I hate to admit it, but if it is something I do not feel like doing – I can tend to be like the sluggard and make an excuse.
I recently started a part-time business in which I clean exterior windows for residential and commercial customers. I am in the beginning phases of this business, and my customer count is low. To make money, what do I need to do? I have had to go out and personally knock on doors in neighborhoods trying to see if people are interested in having their windows cleaned.
You may not realize this, but going door-to-door means you get told, “No,” quite a bit. It is super easy to become demotivated, especially with how some people respond to a stranger being on their doorstep. I say all of this because God knew exactly what I needed to read when I needed to read it, and God’s timing for me reading Proverbs Chapter 20 was on point. I want success for this new business venture, and what I realize from this Scripture is if I am not willing to put in the work, I will beg during harvest time and I will have nothing.
This right here is motivation enough for me to go to one more door at least one more time — and when I have knocked on that door, I am motivated enough to go to one more door at least one more time. There were multiple occasions early on that because I would not give up, I was able to sell a window cleaning job. Is it easy? Not at all, but I have determined not to be the sluggard who is willing to give all kinds of excuses as to why I cannot have success.
Your success is not guaranteed. My success is not guaranteed, but the reality is we must work hard to obtain greatness. I believe we have grown soft in our society in that we despise anything that requires any kind of extra effort. We want things to work in our favor every time, and we forget the hard work and dedication we must put in. What motivates you? How do you stay motivated? How do you achieve success when all you want to do is give up? Email me and let me know what works for you.
By: D. A. Slinkard
D.A. Slinkard would love your feedback. You can contact him at da.slinkard@gmail.com
October 4, 2024
