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One of the most fruitless questions you can ask a young person is "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Foremost, many of the future jobs in the 21st century have not even been invented. Being a YouTube influencer was not on my radar in 1980! Nor were most of the jobs being done today. The better question is "What problems do you want to solve when you grow up?"
Changing our mindset to being one of growth is imperative if we want to grow intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We must become intentional in how we approach our lives. As coaches, athletes and teammates we are called upon to embrace a growth mindset or we will not meet our goals. Champions don't focus on the title of "State Champion''. Instead, the focus is on constant effort to make ourselves a better version each day.
The intentionality of becoming better happens through embracing challenges, working through obstacles, valuing effort, learning from criticism and finding inspirations. The worst four letter word in our field is "can't". You can drop an "F" bomb and that will get you running but drop the "can't" bomb and you will find the bench. I read the other day that most people never push through 40% of their potential at anything, be it sleep, fatigue, hunger, etc. We all have to work at overcoming our perceptions of limitations.
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
Likewise, the Lord calls us to be intentional. He calls upon us to be wise and to follow the path he has laid out for us. God lets us know that the temptation to sin is thwarted through persistent intentionality and a willingness to seek and follow His teachings. Furthermore, time is the central component of intentionality. Time is a talent given us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design.
My prayer is that everyone seeks to become more intentional in their lives. Be it with their families, friendships and most importantly in their relationship with God. It is not easy because the enemy has many ways to distract us from righteousness and fellowship with God. Regardless, we can regroup, reinvest and push past 40% in all that we endeavor to do so long as we stay away from those detrimental four letter words.
