Keep It Moving

Listen and hear my voice;
   pay attention and hear what I say. 

When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
   Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
When he has leveled the surface,
   does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,
   barley in its plot,
   and spelt in its field?
His God instructs him
   and teaches him the right way.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
   nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
   and cumin with a stick.
Grain must be ground to make bread;
   so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
   but one does not use horses to grind grain.
All this also comes from the LORD Almighty,
   whose plan is wonderful,
   whose wisdom is magnificent. Isaiah 28:23-29

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 28-29; Philippians 3

I went to a networking mixer recently for a group that is working toward building a strong network for men of color in the entertainment industry. I got there pretty early so I had the opportunity to have some in depth conversations with the other early arrivals.

There were two conversations that really stuck with me.
The first was with a producer. He was talking about the marriage between being an artist and being a business person. He said that a lot of artists get so attached to their projects that they won’t let go of them. They have to feel that the result is perfect. But from a business perspective there is a need to get the material out into the world so that the work stays relevant.

Then he talked about the importance of deadlines. He said that the word is “dead” “line” for a reason. It is a target beyond which we are not supposed to pass. Once that time comes then the project is done. It’s time to move on. The deadline, he said, is a VERY important concept to master for anyone who wants to be successful.

The second conversation came later in the evening. I was talking to a screenwriter about how he got to the point where he can eat from his craft. He said that he was watching an interview with Chris Rock that helped him break through to the next level. Chris Rock said that one of the things that all successful people have in common is that they “keep it moving”.

What does that mean? It means that they move from one project to another quickly. They complete the project and then move on to the next. They might celebrate for a day but the next day it is time to get back to work. There’s no time to linger at successes or failures.

Keep it moving.

This is what the passage is saying to me as well. A farmer does not plow forever. After plowing it is time to sow seed. Then after the seed is cultivated it is time to reap the harvest. To keep moving forward we cannot get stuck looking back. We cannot get stuck in the same place for too long. Whether we win or lose we need to get up and move forward.

Life comes from movement and change. The only things that stay still are dead.

So if your projects seem to be at a standstill then get it moving, set a deadline, and when that date comes it’s over; time to move on to the next thing.

Do your best but don’t confuse that with fear of moving on to something new.