Work harder or work smarter

Tomorrow my life is going to change forever. At 7:15am, Liz will be going in for a scheduled c-section and we will welcome our second son into the world. I'm nervous for that moment because in an instant, our lives will never be the same as they are now. I'm very excited to be a father to another child as it is probably the most significant role I will play in my life. Leading up to the day has forced me to sit back and re-evaluate the direction of my life. I've been asking myself if I'm doing what I was created to do and am I doing it the way I was created to do it.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon shares with us some wonderful insights on how to live out our purpose in life and maximize our strength. Solomon is described as the wisest man who has ever lived and he shares an important proverb in Ecclesiastes 10:10. He says:

If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.

Three thousand years ago Solomon was saying what still rings true today - you can either work harder or work smarter.

By doing the same thing the same way over and over we become exhausted. As a result, we apply more strength and get less and less. We get stuck focusing on the product or outcome and get lost in the way we do it. What we all need is the discipline to step back and reflect on the way we're doing it. Are we actually doing what we should be doing, the way we should be doing it for the reasons we should be doing them? Are you doing what you're created to do?

Stop and reflect to be sure your ax is sharp. Use wisdom to succeed. Take a step away and re-sharpen. What you were created for today could be different tomorrow. God might be calling you from what you used to do to what you ought to do. "Are you doing what you're created to do" isn't a permanent question because you're constantly changing and progressing. Sometimes you just to have put the ax down and ask again, "is this what I'm supposed to be doing in this moment, in this time. Is this my calling in life?"

Not only should you ask yourself are you doing what you're created to do, but are you doing it the way you're created to do it? This is where we don't pull back and sharpen. We don't take enough time for self-reflection. There's a certain way unique to you to do what you're called to do, but you have to have courage to be willing to explore and discover who you are. There's creative beauty inside of you, but it's not enough just to know what you were created to do, you have to begin to discover how you were created to do it. The great danger is to live a life of monotony and sameness rather than discovering uniqueness.

Tomorrow is going to be one of the most important days of my life. What's more important is what I do after the arrival of my second child. Before tomorrow comes, I need to ask myself today if I'm developing the skills necessary to be the best at what I do to do the best at whatever I do? Because we were never created to do what we do at a lower quality than the best that we are; the best that we have. We're all called to a high price to develop the skills for success in whatever field, whatever endeavor or whatever journey we choose.

Am I doing what I was created to do and am I doing it the way I was created to do it?