Does the pursuit of success have hurdles? Absolutely!
The answer: get over them!
We spend far too much time, energy and effort whining, complaining and focusing on the hurdles. Hurdles are present. Hurdles aren’t fair. Hurdles are… well, hurdles. But that’s all. They are the things that keep success elusive. They will stop us only if we choose to allow them to do so. The journey of success, whether relational, financial, professional, spiritual and/or emotional, will have obstacles in the path. Those obstacles are part of the journey; they are not, however, journey stoppers. Sometimes they will be, or seem to be, insurmountable. Keep moving anyway. If you trip or get knocked down, get up and continue.
Don’t yield to failure, resignation and underachievement. Others have overcome challenges greater than you are experiencing in their pursuit of success. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and respond with determined discipline.
Like a loving, conscientious parent, success is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. The hurdles you are experiencing aren’t punishment; they are training you. As a loving parent nurtures their child, let the lessons nurture you. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Our society appropriately respects parents who lovingly train their children and don’t just spoil them. Accept the training as a necessary and beneficial part of your success journey.
Don’t shrug off the discipline. Don’t be crushed by it either. Embrace the powerful arms success is wrapping around you, and accept the accompanying discipline and correction. At the time, the discipline isn’t much fun. It may feel like it will never stop. Later, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves matured by the process and the recipients of the knowledge that will unlock the fruits and rewards success presides over.
Success always leaves clues! There are those who have gone before you and have left plenty of clues for the reaping. Find your exemplars. Let them be heroes that spur you on when your present circumstances shout at you to quit, and the fruits of the journey are hidden in the fog of your present circumstances. Keep your eyes on these champions. Study how they did it. You’ll discover a steel gaze that is steadfastly fixed on that exhilarating finish. Obstacles, challenges, rejection, or even perceived impossibilities, whatever hurdles that came their way didn’t stop them from the success they are now experiencing. These heroes now reside in a place of honor in the Success Hall of Fame as those who have both began and finished this race we all are in, and they finished with excellence. When you find yourself slipping in your belief, challenged by what you see on the immediate horizon, go over their story again, item by item and recall the long litany of complications they plowed through. Let their example inspire you. Feel the adrenaline that will shoot into your soul and then run with passion.
What does this all mean? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running and never quit! Get rid of the extra fat. Eliminate the parasitic encumbrances of the “I can’t”, “they can, but it won’t happen to me”, “the price is too high” variety. The price of success is high. Get over it. Paying the price success exacts is what makes the realization of your success so utterly enjoyable.
Success is a long distance journey so keep a sharp eye out for the cul-de-sac of short-term evaluation. Also, don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by perfection – it’s an alluring distraction. Success is the goal; perfection is a destination that will never be reached. Don’t yield to the immediate or be seduced by the illusiveness of perfection. If you do, you will miss out on the reality of your successful future and of living in the promise of your potential.
So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance running so you spare yourself the setback of stepping into a hole and breaking your ankle. Find a posse to run with. Spend time with others committed to not stopping and who are committed to learning and adapting as they go. Find a community committed to helping each other out. And then, RUN!
