Getting Used To the Train

I had a friend once who bought a house in Torrance, CA with a railroad track literally outside his back fence.  The train would come barreling through about 5 or 6 times each night — and for the first few months, he barely slept (but realized why the house was so cheap).  But within about 6 months, he didn’t even notice it.

He’d have friends over for dinner, and they would ask, “How can you stand it?”

He’d say, “Stand what?”

Every time we’ve purchased a house over the years, we did a walk-through before signing the final paperwork.  We see so many things that are wrong that we’re committed to changing:

• “That baseboard is so dated – we need to replace that right away.”
• “Those hinges are rusty – they have to go.”
• “The garage door opener barely works – it could be dangerous, so we need to replace it.”

We move in, and it takes forever to get settled.  Then we have to go back to work, and life takes over. All those things we were so anxious to take care of don’t seem quite as pressing anymore, and soon we forget about them.

They’re still there.  But we’ve gotten used to them.  We don’t notice them anymore.

That happens in life, too.

We have those inspirational times when we’re excited about a new direction in our life, and we’re committed to making changes.  Maybe it was a book we read, a sermon we heard, or a conversation that motivated us.  Maybe it was a specific event, like a significant birthday or New Year’s Eve where we’re ready to clean up our act.  Maybe it was standing at the altar saying our wedding vows, convinced we could make this thing work.

Then life takes over.  We get distracted, and the things that need work don’t bother us as much.  Maybe they do, but we’ve chosen to ignore them and put them in the background.

But they’re still there.  We’ve gotten used to them.  We don’t notice them anymore.

As we approach 2013, maybe it’s time for a walk-through of our lives.  Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, maybe we should take time to evaluate the things we’ve gotten used to that are getting in the way of our progress.  If we try to fix them all, we’ll get overwhelmed.  But if we pick one big one and put all our energy there, it could change everything.

It’s about progress, not perfection.

For the next three weeks, let’s ponder this question: What one thing could I do in 2013 that would make the most significant difference in my life? Then, design a blueprint to make it happen.

Three weeks to make the plan.  January 1 will be launch day.

We’ll talk about this more in the coming weeks.  But for now . . .

. . . are you in?