Personal Growth & Professional Development Tips for Sluggards

Sluggards.

They’re all around us. They’re sitting in cubicles, in church pews, at job sites, and sometimes they even stare back at us in the reflections of a mirror.

Yes, we’ve all acted like the sluggard at one time or another.

News Flash: You don’t have to be a sluggard! Be amazing instead! (Click to Tweet this truth)

There are opportunities for personal growth and professional development all around us, we just have to be on the lookout for them.

QUESTION: Where can a sluggard find practical personal growth and professional development tips that truly work?

ANSWER: From your local ant farm, of course!

Personal Growth Tips for Sluggards Like You (and Me)

Dictionary.com defines a sluggard as,

A person who is habitually inactive or lazy.“

Ever had a season of life when you’ve been inactive or lazy? Yeah, me too. Good thing for us that personal growth isn’t just a desire we all have, but is very much possible for even the worst sluggard you know.

Other than Jesus Christ, King Solomon was probably the wisest person who ever lived. King Solomon is known for writing hymns and penning proverbs. His instruction is unique, actionable, and altogether profitable for daily use.

He pondered topics and ideas, sought out answers, and wrote them down for his own edification and our inspired instruction. One of these passages of instruction is for the sluggard needing a push toward personal growth and professional development.

King Solomon gave the following advice to people like you and me:

Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? ‘A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest’ — Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6-11)

Ever been there? That lonely and dark place at the corner of laziness and sluggard? Well, it’s time to evict yourself, and soon. Today in fact. You weren’t created to be a sluggard. You were designed to achieve the extraordinary!

6 Personal Growth Tips for Sluggards

1.  Wisdom for personal growth is found in all types of places, even ant farms! Get off the couch, go outside, and find yourself an ant farm. Then, just stand there and watch. Be patient and take notice of what you see. You’ll soon notice patterns, organization, influence, and diligence. Please note that if an ant can do it, certainly so can someone who is created in the image of almighty God–which is you! “Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6)

2.  Ants don’t need a chief, ruler, or officer, because they are self-disciplined. Finding a good life coach or mentor is an excellent idea, but oftentimes it isn’t necessary. Start by disciplining yourself toward action that matters. “Which, having no chief, officer or ruler” (Proverbs 6:7)

3.  There is a season for every important activity, so focus on what matters most and don’t get sidetracked by secondary (or meaningless) stuff. The ants prepare their food in the summer. In the summer, not in winter or spring or fall. The work of preparation and harvest is important, necessary, and timely. Personal growth begins by focusing on the main thing and that thing only. “Prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” (Proverbs 6:8)

4.  After seeing the diligence of small creatures, ask yourself: “Why am I slacking so much?” Reflect on the answer, long and hard. Ask the important questions of yourself. Is there a reason for your slackness? Are you gaining anything of significance by sitting on the couch? Have you done anything constructive with regards to going after your dreams, or are you stuck in the muck of mediocrity? “How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9)

5.  Stop fooling yourself. Just stop it already! You’re doing more than “taking a break,” enjoying an extended vacation, or “still planning” your next move. No, you’re sleeping and slumbering and foolishly resting!

Let’s get real for a moment, shall we? Maybe it all started with the expectation that this “break” would be temporary, but it has since morphed into something much worse. It is now a rut, a ditch, a hole that has become too deep and too steep. Stop lying to yourself, it’s time to speak the truth to yourself—in love. Get with it, man! Get it together, woman! Finish that book you’re writing, go after the job you’ll love, or start the ministry you believe God is calling you to.

Tomorrow is for fools. Today is for high achievers, doers, and people God wants to use to do something inspiring. “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest” (Proverbs 6:10)

6.  Careful, because homelessness is right around the corner for those who “slug” rather than do. Pursuing personal growth and professional development is so important that if you let it slide into days and then weeks and then months…you will soon experience poverty and homelessness. Such difficulties can be easily overcome for the diligent. Understand that there are consequences to laziness and the lifestyle of sluggards. “Your poverty will come in like a vagabond and your need like an armed man” (Proverbs 6:11)

QUESTION: What has been keeping you acting like a sluggard, either currently or in the past? And what “personal growth” action did you implement in order to overcome it? 

Photo Credit: Brandon Milner Photography via Compfight cc