Out of Practice

There are good habits we build into our lives that don't always endure. Any number of factors can crowd that established behavior out of our schedule including those in and out of our control. I feel that way about writing for this blog. I went through a period of nearly three years where I wrote a daily entry and committed to creating content intended to help people. In the last twelve months, however, that dedication has wavered due to a crowded schedule, personal choices, and even writer's block. Even though I haven't been able to place the emphasis on writing I once did, it's something I want to add back into my regular routine.

We can learn to reestablish habits if they really matter to us. Even if we have started and stopped multiple times, it is possible to relearn the rhythm that once came naturally. It takes a focused desire to follow through, a willingness to set aside the time to make it happen, and some level of accountability. The decision to create and maintain these habits is up to each of us and the value we place on them.

Portwood Unplugged

I have been consistently writing my blog for close to three years now and until we went on vacation I had been writing every day. This wasn't always easy to do and there were some days I struggled to put together decent content and go through the process of writing. My wife encouraged me to take a break, but I resisted because I didn't want to stop the streak I had started. I had planned to set up blogs to post while I was on vacation, but time got away from me and I didn't get that done. I had a difficult time letting that stretch of daily content go, but came to realize it was better for me in the long run.

I want to continue to write helpful content and I also recognize that sometimes it's best to take a short break. This gives me a chance to be reenergized and refreshed and will hopefully lead me to tackle writing with new enthusiasm. Choosing to step away and unplug is a good choice for a lot of things we do: work, hobbies, and even exercise. The brief time away can actually be better than continuing to doggedly push forward hoping to maintain a streak of habit.

Regular Review

Goal setting isn't always easy. We first have to recognize our need to grow and then figure out the steps to make it happen. I like the idea of setting goals because it helps me see the potential for what I could become. I enjoy the challenge of growth and even the work it takes to reach that point. Even then, it's merely a great idea until we put it in writing and routinely measure our progress.

I've discovered that I have greater success when I frequently revisit my goals. While it doesn't necessarily have to be a daily review, it is important to meditate regularly on those aspirations. I may not see the level of progress I hoped for, but it helps to remind me of what is important and how I should be striving to push forward. This can be as simple as keeping a handwritten journal or (my favorite) using an app for review like Evernote. 

If we aren't consistently reviewing the course we desire to travel, we will end up stalling out in our journey and falling short of who we hope to be.

My Better Half

I enjoy writing, but will readily admit that I am nowhere near the writer that my wife is. She is truly

brilliant and able to carry you along a journey of thought and emotion like few other writers I know. She wrote a blog today that reminded me again of why I fell so deeply in love with her. I will give you one sentence in particular that left me saying, "Wow!" and then simply link to her blogpost for today for you to read. I couldn't begin to think of outwriting her and won't even try. Read for yourself and catch a glimpse of the intelligent and beautiful woman I am lucky enough to be married to.

"It’s the tiny brush strokes, the lowly eighth notes, the  choice to speak that word, or not, that changes the trajectory of art, relationships, of the future itself."

http://middleplaces.com/2013/08/05/in-the-middle-of-the-small-picture/

Reflective Thoughts

I am often challenged by great quotes & thoughts. Here are a few to meditate on:

• I must first have the sense of God's possession of me before I can have the sense of His presence with me. -Watchman Nee
• There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. -Nelson Mandela
• Character-the sum of our abilities to deal with life as God designed us to. -Dr. John Townsend
• I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels. -John Calvin
• The proof of desire is in the pursuit. -Rod Parsley
• When values are clear, laws are unnecessary. When values are not clear, laws are unenforceable. -Goethe
• Some people claim to be normal Christians when they actually mean they are nominal Christians. -A.W. Tozer
• Be not angry that you can't make others as you wish them to be, since you can't make yourself as you wish to be. -Thomas A. Kempis
• The difference between the truth that you know and the truth that you live equals the pain that you experience. -Craig Groeschel
• Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. -God

Axioms

I am a collector of great quotes. They fuel my meditative thoughts, are the primers for my writing, and are used in messages as well. I write most of them down in a Moleskine notebook that I will often read back through. I find that they help me keep focused on what's important to me and the character that I am continuing to try to develop. Here are a few that might be worth reading a few times:

• Hard times reveal where we are (and where we aren't) faster than anything else. -Andy Stanley
• As important as the answer for which we wait is the work that God does in us while we wait. -Ben Patterson
• The most successful company is not the one with the most brains, but the most brains acting in concert. -Peter Drucker
• You can't get what you could have until you let go of what you do have. -Kem Meyer
• Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. -Cavett Robert
• Our personal visions must be released before God's vision can be embraced. -Shannon O'Dell
• Dream fulfillers are finishers because they have learned how to deal with distraction. -Keith Cameron Smith
• Jesus does not come to rearrange the outside of our life the way we want. He comes to rearrange the inside of our life the way God wants. -John Ortberg
• Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence-is the key to unlocking our potential. -Winston Churchill
• Heart is what separates the good from the great. -Michael Jordan
• You can structure for growth or control. You can't have both. -Rick Warren
• God does everything good in the end. If it's not good...it's not the end. -Louie Giglio

Words on Paper

I have a desire to write and while I am still in the refining stages of style and communication, I feel the need to develop the regular discipline of writing. One of my life ambitions is to write a book and I know that the consistent practice of blogging will help me to prepare for that process. I think back through what I have experienced that day, what insight I might have gained from Scripture, and what revelation I received from God. I usually sit down at my laptop and the ideas flow forward from my fingertips.

That is not happening today. Yet, in my stubbornness, I am insisting on writing a blog that is essentially about not writing a blog. It reflects a discipline that is necessary for future success. There are obvious spiritual parallels that I can make here as well, but for tonight I will refrain. 

Today I am simply reminded of Doc Carlin, my AP English teacher from high school (and friend & colleague) who would often pace around our classroom declaring, "Words on Paper!" It was his way of telling us to put our writing skills to work. The results will not always be ethereally life changing, but the practice is necessary just the same.