As an artist, my work means I’m sedentary. Sometimes I draw or paint standing, but that’s rare; only if I’m working on a large piece. For the most part, though, I’m bent over my drawing table, which does strange things to my neck, right shoulder, lower back, upper back and other things. I know it’s important to keep moving.
That means going to the gym.
I started going to the gym a long time ago. Some years, I stopped for a few months. Some years, I kept it up until I was pretty much perfectly fit. Whatever my attendance at the gym was at any given time, I still knew it was good for me to keep going. The stress and tiring lifting, stretching and cardio burned the fat—the weight—away.
Lately, it’s been more difficult to go. I think all of us have covid weight, shifted priorities and more focus on how exactly to navigate our culture. I tend to be an ‘all or nothing’ thinker, and I hate doing things halfway. If I can’t achieve a goal pretty quickly, I don’t want to do it. But now, I am seeing that it’s important to just do something.
‘Diligence’ is defined as: ‘steady, earnest, and energetic effort: devoted and painstaking work and application to accomplish an undertaking’. By implication, it’s not a one-time or great big accomplishment. It’s taking one step at a time.
As an artist, I know what that’s like. As someone who trains, I have to remember what a famous Philadelphia sports trainer said: ’If you can’t do a full workout, do something. Something is better than nothing. Get moving.’ It’s not an exact quote, but you get the gist. It’s just like the quote about eating an elephant ‘one bite at a time’. It may not go fast, but eventually you’ll get to your goal.
Many of us are still coming out of feeling paralyzed from housebound incarceration. We have to retrain ourselves to take up our everyday activities, goals, and dreams. We may have to work harder than before. I heard once that if you skip a week of workouts, you have to make it up for two weeks. But don’t let that discourage you.
Do something.
The bible says: ‘The plans of hard-working people earn a profit, but those who act too quickly become poor.’ – Proverbs 21:5
Diligence is essential in everything: work, prayer, exercise, investing, raising children, building a marriage. Everything in life profits with diligence. And diligence starts one step at a time.
Instead of looking at the big picture and thinking you have to paint it in one day, just do a few strokes.
Go outside and walk a little if you can’t do miles.
Lift a child up and down if you can’t get to the weights. They like that.
Set aside a couple of dollars instead of waiting for that ‘big check’.
But take a step.
Do something!
