The Reality of Giants

Good Morning,

“Your mission, should you decide to accept it…”. So you have established some goals and now it is time to take steps forward and blaze some new trails. You raise your eyes to look down the trail and you see something in the way. You look a bit closer and to your dismay, there stands a giant.

There will always be some giants that stand in the way of you and your goals. Perhaps the first step in conquering them is simply expecting that they will be there. They come in all shapes and sizes, but here are a few that are common.

Fear of failure – Zig Ziglar said, “Failure is an event, not a person”. He would go on to say that he wouldn’t hire anyone who isn’t making mistakes, because that person isn’t doing anything.  Don’t tie your identity to success or failure. You are not simply what you get done, but rather who you are in Christ. Attack your goals with courage. Celebrate the wins and learn from the setbacks.

The comparison trap – Be careful letting the goals and success of others dictate what you should be attempting. When you pursue something that has truly met the standard of a goal, there may be some who don’t understand why it is important to you. They may even try to talk you out of it. They don’t deserve that level of influence over your goals.

PLOM (Poor Little Old Me) Syndrome – At times, we can get caught up in the fairness game. We find ourselves asking, “Why is this happening to me?” “Why is this so hard?” “Why don’t I get any breaks?” Guard against the misconception that your challenges are more difficult than everyone else’s. Any person who has attempted something worth doing has faced difficulties. Here is the key: Keep your eye, not just on the goal itself, but the reason the goal is worth pursuing in the first place. How will your life be changed for the better if you keep pressing on? This leads me to the last giant for today. 

Believing the lie that happiness/joy is the absence of difficulty – The reality this side of heaven is that there will be giants in the land. There will be bumps in the road and challenges unforeseen. If you live your entire life trying to avoid difficulty you will miss life. The key to navigating the trails ahead is being able to thrive in the midst of messiness and uncertainty.  Like it or not, messy is normal.

All these giants, and others, can be roadblocks in the pursuit of your goals. The reality, however, is that their only power is the power you give them. Be careful not to give them more than they deserve.

Questions to ponder this week:

1.    What giants have derailed the pursuit of your goals in the past?

2.    How can anticipating difficulties prepare you to disarm them ahead of time?

3.    Are there giants you have given too much power to?

Live on purpose,
Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC