"The highest reward for a persons toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it." -John Ruskin
I can see the appeal of that line of thinking, but I what I have learned in close to 25 years of living is that when two roads diverge in a wood, it is better to take the one less traveled by, because that will make all the difference.
With that in mind, I want to talk about what my gym, my job, and my Savior, Jesus Christ have in common--they each challenge me to become a better person.
My Gym: I work out at a kickboxing gym called 9Round. It is a pretty simple place--a room with 9 circuit stations set up. Each time you go in, you complete the 9 rounds, with active rests in between each round. The whole circuit lasts only 30 minutes, but you get a hardcore workout in that short time. There is always a trainer there to make sure you are completing the moves correctly and not slacking. I joined the gym because the first time I went, I could see that this gym would stretch me. It would challenge me. I'm not particularly graceful, so some of the moves are really difficult. At my level of fitness, it is very hard to make it through the whole circuit without resting. Pretty much every time I go in, I am ready to give up about halfway through, but the trainers don't let that happen. At the end of each workout, I feel proud of what I have accomplished and a hunger to be better the next time. That makes this gym worth the cost!
My Job: Teaching is difficult no matter what you teach, where you teach, or who you teach. This is my third teaching job and each one has brought different challenges. My internship/first year of teaching was difficult because I was working with students with a large range of abilities and because everything was new. Teaching in Doha was difficult because I was working in a different cultural environment, with students with both limited English abilities and behavior challenges. But my job this year is probably the most difficult yet, I have to put hours a week to plan lessons that will keep my high-needs students engaged and out of trouble. I have to make sure the lessons teach content for state tests, but also are simple enough for my struggling learners. And on top of that, I have to deal constantly with a variety of behaviors that got these students sent to my school in the first place. This job has tested my abilities like no other, and while the first month or so felt more like drowning than anything else, I am now staying afloat and improving each day. I can tell already that this job will push me to my absolute limits and force me to become a much better teacher. I'm really grateful for that.
My Jesus: I think the thing I love the most about Jesus Christ is that while he invites us to come as we are, he doesn't want us to stay as we are. He loves us infinitely and perfectly despite our imperfections and weaknesses, but his challenge is for us to become better each and every day. The more that I read his words in the scriptures, the more I ponder his life, the more I try to be like him, the better I become. Following his teachings has helped me become more considerate, charitable, honest, and patient. There are many in the world today who don't believe in the need for religion, or who prefer to follow a gospel of low expectations. I am grateful for my knowledge of a Savior who has high expectations for me because he knows what I have the potential to become.
I once read part of a book called The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. He talked about why some people succeed and others don't. He said, "We think of effortless performance as desirable, but it's really a terrible way to learn...The trick is to choose a goal just beyond your present abilities, to target struggle. Thrashing blindly doesn't help. Reaching does." #amen
Here's a to week full of joyful challenges!
Love,
Candace
