Moments of Refinement
Now that you have created a space to reflect and be aware of where you are in life and have determined that you want more or would like to improve, the next important step is to take action. Being caught in the never-ending loop of the mundane, it may seem like such a daunting task to act on the change you desire. The thought itself may seem exhausting and you may question if it is even worth trying to change. Together, we’ll walk through why it is worth it, no matter where you are in life. We’ll call this stage, Moments of Refinement. Where Moments of Reflection is about awareness, we’ll see how Moments of Refinement is all about action.
If your goal is to create a change in direction for your life it will require action. Simply wanting growth or complaining about how things are will never transform anything. In fact, complaining will only worsen your journey. Being unsatisfied and doing nothing about it, whether you complain about it aloud or quietly to yourself, will rot away at you internally. You may not be able to fully put things into words. All that you’ll know is that you feel miserable. You must never lose sight of the fact that life is a gift. There is much beauty in life for those who choose to see it. Life can also be darker than the darkest night for those who chose not to see the fullness of what life is.
You have to learn when to zoom in and when to zoom out on life. Never confuse a bad day as being a bad week or a bad season as being a bad life. You’re the captain of your ship and you have full control over how you choose to navigate through each storm. Storms come, storms go, but there are plenty of days in between to marvel at the beauty of the sea. Just look ahead.
The hunger for change must outweigh the heaviness that pushes you away from wanting to act. That heaviness comes from you zooming too far out on the actions that it will take to create change. Here is where you need to zoom in. Focus only on the small steps first. When you start to make progress, you may become tempted to take bigger steps towards change, but it’s important to not overextend yourself. Be patient with yourself. Stepping ahead too far too soon can damage your confidence in believing that changing your circumstances is possible if things don’t turn out the way you intended. Again, become a master at taking the small steps.
At the center of moving yourself towards action lies discipline. It takes discipline to zoom out on the bigger picture of life. It requires discipline to zoom in and focus on the small steps towards making progress in reshaping your life. Refinement is the daily action created through discipline. Refinement is the work that will transform your life. It is imperative to understand that Refinement can not work without or before Reflection. Either there will be no movement or progress at all or your work will be aimless because there is no established foundation to support your efforts.
Discipline settles the body. Discipline settles the mind. Discipline settles the spirit. It is the driving force that will remove the distractions that will attempt to stand in the way of you moving towards your destination. It will remind you, like a subtle tap on the shoulder, of what you’re striving for on the days you may not feel up to it.
Moments of Refinement is your training ground. Your tools become sharpened. Here is where prayer takes place. It is where you prepare for the fight ahead. Patience is required here, but you must possess the mindset of continuous improvement. If you happen to slip and go off track, get back on track. The journey is not complete. Some roads have potholes, some are closed. Figure out how to get to where you are going. Refine yourself. You have places to be and a better person to become
