A young boy was acting up, and his dad told him to sit down. The boy was very defiant, and the dad had to repeat himself, “Sit down!” The boy sat down with his arms folded, saying, “I might be sitting down on the outside, but I am still standing up on the inside!”
I am sure you have heard this story before or maybe witnessed it with your own children.
There is NO WAY to be Obedient (Fulfilling one’s responsibilities) without being Willing (Having an Attitude to serve with joy).
There is a real difference between being Obedient and being Willing and Obedient.
Obedience is an action, and Willing is an attitude.
Rebellion is an attitude. We can carry out acts of obedience and yet still have an attitude of rebellion on the inside. We can be outwardly obedient and inwardly rebellious, and what we really are is rebellious.
You’ve got to be willing to be successful. The person that only does what they are paid to do is only paid for what he does. In other words, if all you do is what you are paid to do, and you are not “willing” to do more, then all you will ever get paid for is what you do!
Obedience without Willingness is looking for shortcuts to success or ways to do the minimum necessary.
Many times we are willing but don’t always remember that obedience must accompany the willingness. People sometimes think they can be partially obedient and still be successful; or that they can pick and choose what responsibilities to obey or not obey. It doesn’t work that way.
Being Ninety-five percent obedient is not obedience. If you are required to work for eight hours and you work seven, that is not enough. You can pat yourself on the back all you want for the hours you worked, but if you want to have success, you have to be willing to Exceed your Responsibilities.
When you ask our kids to take out the trash, and they only take it to the door, are you pleased? No.
We want our instructions to be followed to the letter. Our Careers and Clients expect the same from us that we expect from our children…Willing and Obedient.
If you have to be told, asked, and begged to get the job done, you are Obedient. You are doing the least amount possible to keep your job.
Once you change your attitude to Willing, you will find yourself doing MORE than what is expected without being told.
That is Priceless!
Find Your Passion…Find Your Life!