When you focus on what you want to do, your motivation lasts only as far as the completion of the task. When you focus on who you want to be, it's an ongoing process of development. Let's look at two examples:
Example 1
You want to be a hockey player who loves and serves your teammates like Christ loved and served his disciples. Now, you can "do" a bunch of stuff to love and serve your teammates which is a very good goal. But, this can't be the end goal. If Christ said, "I'm just going to wash my friends feet and that will show them I care about them and I will be good to go for awhile," then we would be left without a Savior who died for us. More than that, let's say Christ said, "Ok Father, I took care of the ultimate act of love. I accomplished my ultimate goal of dying on the cross for everyone. I DID it. Now, I'm going to take the next million days off from loving anybody." We would be left without a God who is always with us.
You see. God (Christ) didn't just DO love. He was and is love. It is part of his nature. It is who he is. Love will always be a part of everything God does because that is who he is. It can't be checked off as completed. All of God's interactions are shaped by his being love, holy, just, righteous, all knowing, etc... Your life should strive to reflect this as well. You should aim to be more than a person who does loving things. Ultimately, you should BE a loving person.
Example 2
You are commanded to "honor our father and mother" (Eph. 6:2). This is an endless command. You can't simply clean your room or wash the dishes and be DONE. Honoring your parents is more than just something that you do. It's never ending. It's something you should strive to be. It's not about saying, "I will do xyz and then I will have honored my parents." It's about saying, "Everything I do should be done in light of the fact that I am a person who honors their father and mother."
I truly hope you see the subtle difference. Of course, you are going to have to do things. This is the end product. But, what I am saying is that it can't be the "only" product. Focus on who you want to be; then, what you want to do will naturally flow out of this being. Not just in certain things, but in all things. After all, we are human "beings" (right?) not human "doings".
Questions
What kind of Teammate do you want to be?
What kind of Friend do you want to be?
What kind of Son or Daughter do you want to be?
