“Anyone who does what he must only when he is in the mood or when it’s convenient isn’t going to be successful.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2012-10-02) from his book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential (p. 82). Center Street. Kindle Edition.

In this section of his book, John quotes the very successful musical composer, John Williams who states, “I developed from very early on a habit of writing something every day, good or bad. There are good days, and there are less good days, but I do a certain amount of pages it seems to me before I can feel like the day has been completely served.” And he has been very successful because of his commitment to being consistent.

So many times we wait for the mood. We say, “I have to be in the mood to write, I have to be inspired.” But it seems we hardly are ever in the mood or inspired so we don’t write. I like that he has made a commitment to compose each day no matter the outcome.

I have made a commitment to write this blog five days a week and I have written 355 posts since I started. Some have been good, some not so good. Some have had a lot of readers some not so many. The key to me is, I have made a commitment to write five days a week and I have kept at it.

Malcolm Gladwell in his fantastic book Outliers has a 10,000-Hour Rule. He covers many examples from the Beatles to Bill Gates and argues that the biggest part of their success is not innate talent or blind luck but rather dedication to their chosen craft.

What area do you want to really be good at? There must be a commitment to keep at it consistently no matter what. There are others things that are involved but this goes a long way to becoming successful.

Remember, nothing just happens. There is going to be some work attached to it. So keep at it no matter whether you’re in the mood or it’s convenient.

So what is it you want to accomplish?

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"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

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"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...

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