“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Christopher Columbus
So here we are...the first week of April has already passed, along with my first week of marathon training. There is something about finally making a commitment toward your goal...taking that first step WITH your thoughts! Will Rogers said it right, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”. A thought is just a thought unless you do something with it. I have met many people through the years who are great thinkers. They can be in a meeting and conjure up a plethora of ideas, but when its time to move the thought to action, for the most part, they are usually no where to be found. Don’t get me wrong, its good to ‘think’ things out and to generate ideas, but those ideas are not worth much if nothing is put into ACTION and in order to put something into action, one must always confront a myriad of emotions that lie within us. Fear, failure, rejection, criticism, and that dark foreboding place called ‘the unknown’ are but a few of the human generated emotions that engulfs our mind when we go to step away from the shores of our cocoon of comfort.
It has been said that today is crucified between two thieves, yesterday and tomorrow. Most of us seem to live in this stagnant cesspool of yesterday’s mistakes and the anxiety of tomorrow’s unknowns. As the train of time comes barreling toward us at breakneck speed , we sit on the track of life wasting precious moments waiting for ‘our ship’ to come in. “The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal.” ~ (Victor Hugo) We seem to have an innate ability to reason our way out of the blessings of our very own hopes and dreams. We know what we want yet we remain steadfastly convinced as to why we cannot achieve them or better yet, why we don’t deserve them.
Contradicting as it may seem, many times I find myself vacillating between having not enough time or too much time on my hands. Either my time is spent being caught up in the rat race of working, paying bills, and family concerns or when a ‘moment’ does arrive, I am so excited to do nothing, I quickly reason my way out of doing those things that pertain to me. (You know the ‘things’...those hidden hopes and dreams that are locked away in a secret room of your cluttered heart!) If that’s not enough, and we cannot truly rationalize our way out of taking action, we reason our way into why procrastination is the best the alternative. A man by the name of Donald Gardner said it this way, “Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!” If you are like me, and I know you are, I have a handful of dreams and ideas, but there is always ‘something’ there ready, waiting, and willing to stuff my dreams and ideas back into a closet, slam the door shut, and smother them within my own melted conclusions of self doubt.
Yet the words of Confucius do inspire me and compel me to continue on! “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Somehow, someway we must turn our stumbling blocks into stepping stones. We must turn our defeats into victories. We cannot let momentary lapses in reason vanquish our hopes and dreams. Life’s circumstances may not change, but the way we ‘see’ them is vital to ever seeing them change. “Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.” (Jim Rohn) It is vital we take action, whether it be one small step or a giant leap, we must move down the track of life or get run over by the train of time. We cannot wish it be different but we must move into a mode of doing. “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.” (Earl Shoaf)
Today is a day of action! It’s time to step away from the familiar shore of procrastination and self-doubt and step into the waters of motion and power! Quit over analyzing your inabilities and start doing what you know you should do, and before you know it, your life will be the life you always meant it to be!
