When it feels like everything is caving in...

I spoke with someone today who was on the edge. Not literally on the edge of anything. But, on the edge of life. He lost his son just a month ago; best friend within the week; and his mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. When it rains it pours and it felt like an avalanche to him. He doesn't want to do anything.

He was recently prescribed antidepressants to help himself sleep. But, it is not helping to no avail. The only thing he can do is go to work, go home, drink 2 beers, pop a pill, then go to sleep.

We all know that there is nothing good that can come out of this practice. Life is hard. I honestly don't think that it was projected to ever be easy. Some people don't believe in miracles. But, when I think about how fragile life is...whoever is moving around today is a walking miracle. There are over 6 million ways to die and there wasn't one that touched us as of yet.

Now just think about that...you are a miracle. You are here to do something great. There is no one that has your fingerprint to put on this world. No one can talk like you, walk like you, or even eat like you. You were made different for a reason.

It just happened to be raining outside and it was pouring. So my word to him was that even though it was raining. It meant that something was going to grow. I have never seen anything produced so beautifully without some sort of struggle. I was studying the Bible and I found the Greek word gymnazdo. It's where we get the word gymnasium from. It literally means to be stripped naked. Think about it. The gym is designed for us to struggle. The gym is designed for us to work on our weak spots. No matter what we do, the gym doesn't lie. If you are in there long enough there will be some weak points exposed. You can't wear the same clothes to work that you workout in. You have to change to get the maximum flexibility. Some may try to wear big clothes to cover muffin tops, etc. But, eventually you will have to look at yourself in the mirror for real progress....or not. There is something that needs to be said about being stripped naked. The gym as it is in life is there for us to not only struggle, but to power through. Of course, it's not easy. But, you are the miracle that is supposed to make it look that way. Enjoy the process of being molded into something new. Life's challenges are here for you to constantly evolve into someone new. If you are willing to take the risk of being constantly uncomfortable. I believe that you will be more successful than you have ever believed. Now get to work...Keep pounding.

What is your movie?

I have always been a bigger proponent of struggle. Not struggling just for the sake of struggle. But, to struggle with progress. I often think back to times growing up and seeing how hard the necessary resources were hard to come by. There was always some sort of sacrifice and that really bothered me. I would always ask the question. Why are we always struggling? Shouldn't some of these things come easy. It looks like everyone is succeeding except us!

There was a woman who I went to visit in the hospital one day who told me. "No test, no testimony." Without any struggle there was no progress. There could have been many things that could have transpired to make things easier at the time. But, I would have just become weaker as time progressed.

I often thought about the movies that I liked...they had some struggle included in all of them. There was a hill to climb and there was victory at the end. Life is mandated to have conflict. There needs to be an element to the story that requires us to have some sort of hurdle to clear. I often wondered if people were to see my movie; what would it be like?

I don't think our movie is designed for us to have a silver spoon in our mouths and then go on being that stagnant throughout the rest of life. I want my movie to look like there is something impossible to overcome. I want to see a movie where I would have to live in a dumpster for awhile, eat some food from scraps thrown away, and have people look down on me for a time period. Then, I would want to climb from the bottom and have people inspired to hear and never get tired of my story. I've been homeless. I've washed paper plates in my apartment. I've had ketchup and syrup sandwiches. Those are stories that I keep near and dear to me as I grew up in my early 20's. They were like hell, but I could smile through them. Why? Because I made up in my mind early that I wouldn't stay that way. And I made sure of it! Now that's a movie that I believe anyone would pay money to see. You have a mission. And it might just be to inspire others. The weekend is here and this is where the normal will be celebrated with leisure and drinks. But, there will be those who will make it a work day and keep grinding. Keep pounding.

What if you were to quit today?

Goals are precious. They're sacred. No one posses them except you. Once they are obtained, they are yours to keep forever. The road along the way seems dark, bleak, and even unobtainable. Unfortunately, for most people when this part of the road is seen, there is a tendency to put everything on hold.
Putting things on hold makes us stagnant, dull, and inept. Goals are great. They make us great. They separate us and helps us give value to the world. That goal may make us look so great, what if you were to stop? What a waste? After all of those hours thinking, fantasizing, and bragging to your closest friends about your anticipated feat. They might actually believe in your crazy idea. Those are people who support you no matter what. Even when you explain your goal, it feels good. But, there might be some doubt in the back of your mind. Shut this train of thought down! Quitting never could more demoralizing. Half of the time we talk ourselves into quitting. We look for affirmations of something being crazy, justifying why we didn't pursue the dream that hour we were supposed to.
Where is the glory in quitting? There isn't any. Then all of the blood, sweat, and tears, will all be a waste of energy. It may take a week or a year. But, you will never get there by quitting. Maybe it's that job you hate going to. Always reporting, always listening, always being told to do something. The focus should be on the income and the means of why you are doing what you are doing. Understand the "why". Never forget it. Because once you do; you will be deterred by anything that steps in your way. All of that great emotional thought would be left there dead and nothing to show for the time that you invested in it. It's yours. Keep it alive and DON'T LET IT DIE!