How to be Amazing at the Things that Matter

 Earlier this summer, Brett and I attended the memorial service for a man who attended our church. A husband, a daddy, a friend and brother, an Army veteran, a hero, a man of God… his passing shook our community.

As I, alongside friends and fellow church members, grieved the massive loss to his wife, children, and family, there was one line – spoken by his brother – that took hold of me, challenged and inspired me.

“He became amazing at the things that were important to him, because he refused to waste time on things that were not important to him. “

You see, this guy was pretty awesome at a few specific things, like his heroic work in the military, his outdoor adventuring skills, and his dedication to his family. It could be easy to look at his life and say, “Wow, what an exceptional guy. Wish I could be awesome at stuff.”

His brother’s pointed statement was not only a testimony, but a challenge to all of us in the room. It gave away the secret: If we would choose to focus time and attention on the important things, and refuse to waste time on the unimportant things, we could excel at those things that matter to us.

What is it that matters to you? What do you wish to excel in, but seem to lack the time or focus?

For me, it’s writing.

I’ve literally been writing fiction stories since kindergarten. I probably wrote dozens, if not hundreds, of short stories while growing up — some finished, many unfinished, some in written-paragraph form, some in comic style, some typed on a huge old desktop computer, some with pencil and notebook paper.

I placed in essay contests, started my first blog in high school, and had my first magazine article published at 19. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer. Friends and family have told me for years that I should write a book, and truly, it’s one of my life goals.

Yet, as a busy adult with a full-time job, a husband, and a social life, I find that I’ve let writing slide to the back burner. My poor blog gets one or two posts per month. When I go to my “fiction writing” folder on my computer, I find that the last time one of my projects was even opened was April of 2018 (a year & three months ago).

So when I heard that inspiring statement– “He became amazing at the things that were important to him, because he refused to waste time on things that were not important to him”— I had to ask myself the hard questions: “What is important to me that I’m neglecting, and what is not important that I’m wasting time on?” Writing was the first answer, and the second answer was, well, several things. Social media and Netflix being the top two.

And so, it’s something I’m going to aim to change. Because someday, there will be a memorial service for me, and life is too short and precious to waste on unimportant things. It’s time to become amazing.

What’s your answer?