Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 1 Cor 9:24
For some, the pursuit to garner ATTENTION is an all consuming addiction. Yet, what I've seen from friends and family, they've had to ATTEND the circumstances, usually highly unpleasant ones, before they start to experience some shine.
Encores, curtain calls, afterparties, victory laps. That's the attention part that seems sexy. Late night rehearsal in an empty theater, practicing your pitch to a good friend for hours, dealing with that jackass in your office for years before you got a shot in a role that fit your skills - attendance. Perfect attendance. You were there for every moment of whatever warm up lap you had to take.
If you think about the Olympics, when you see the gold medalists running that victory lap, they've just about destroyed themselves competing, but find the strength to make another trip around to soak in their moment.
People want to show up for your victory laps, but wouldn't last half a training lap.
You were the one who attended the nights without food so your siblings could eat. Worked multiple jobs to pay your way through school. Your business may be celebrated now, but what about when you and your partners had to deal with not enough customers or chasing around ones who were late with paying an invoice?
Attendance.
Lot of times the celebration has people requesting pics, cheering, flowers, excitement, noise, lots of congratulations. And they should be enjoyed, attention and all.
Warm up laps are often solitary, quiet, and cold. But you show up. You have to attend if you want to make it work. They can become mind numbing, repetitive. If someone is out there, it's maybe a coach or trainer. Not many autograph or selfie seekers out there when it's dark and attendance is all you got.
Attention may not be what you're chasing after. You're simply trying to get out of the life you're in and willing to attend the unsexy parts in order to do it.
Victory laps are where winners are finally seen, celebrated by an audience. Warm up laps are where you gotta see yourself as that champion long before the public does.
When attendance outruns the attention.
Bless UP.