Challenges_02-19-2014

Hello Team, It has been too long since I have posted to the blog. I will rectify that so we can continue sharing our insights with one another. So today I wanted to talk about challenges. We all have them in some shape or form. How we deal with them is what forms our character. The Challenges in life play factors in defining ones confidence, self image and integrity. Every challenge presents us with a choice. That choice is simple. It is, are we going to tackle it head on, or are we going to look for the easy way out or for that matter, are we going to quit and not accept the challenge. In each of these choices we take another step in defining our character. Quitting; this should simply not even enter our mind. Challenges by their nature are designed to be hard. If great things in life were easy, everyone would do them and we would all lead the same boring existence. The desire to quit stems from the deep seated fear of the unknown. Trust me; we all have that deep seated fear of the unknown. The key is to look beyond our initial fears and take that leap of faith. Faith in God and trusting in the fact that this challenge has been placed before you for a reason and you may not know that reason, but God does. Have faith in your choice to accept the challenge and most importantly, the faith in your abilities to be able to rise up and meet the challenge. The Easy Way; many of us fall into this trap. In the midst of our endeavor we are bogged down with this feeling of being over whelmed. I can’t tell you the number of time I have started a challenge and then suffered and been mired down with that nagging question of why did I choose to do this. As a matter of fact, the last time this happened to me was this past November when I was in the midst of the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon. The week before the weather had been cold and windy and I remember discussing with my team about maybe needing to acquire some cold weather running gear just in case. Well, here in Texas, the common saying is if you don’t like the weather, give it a minute, it will change. Needless to say, on race day it was sixty eight degrees and humid at 4am when I started to get ready. That day everyone suffered. I myself suffered from cramps and even to the point of heaving my guts out at mile nine. The choice of the easy way out and quitting at that moment were the same. That thought of why am I doing this kept creeping back into my mind. But the reality was this. I was at mile nine and only just over four miles to go, I was not going to quit. I would finish no matter what. I hit every water stop ran through all of my fluids I carried with me. I finished all of my energy gels and kept downing salt packs, but the bottom line is I finished. I was able to prove to myself that I had the heart to accept and overcome the challenge I had set before me. Tackling it head on; many times, this seems like an easy enough task. It is almost like saying, “Ok, There’s the target, now go take it out.” However, accepting any challenge is never as easy as it sounds. Tackling a challenge head on takes time. It takes careful preparation and planning. You have to be willing to give your all and ensure you are prepared mentally and physically for the challenge that lies ahead. In many cases simply ensuring you are ready can take weeks or even months of training and preparation. The key to being successful is maintaining that fired up positive attitude and breaking your overall goal into smaller objectives. It can be discouraging to constantly be thinking of the larger end result. Instead, keeping smaller targets satisfies that inherent need for success along the way and helps build that confidence and keeps you motivated to keep digging deep and pushing on to then next objective. So Never forget every challenge has a choice. Do not be afraid to test yourself and accept the challenge. Also know this; to fail at a challenge is not something to be ashamed of. Failing means you at least put forth the effort. Failing at a challenge also leaves you better equipped to tackle that challenge the next time it presents itself. We learn through our failures, so never be afraid to learn. So team, as always please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and stories. I would love this Blog to be completely interactive. Have a great day team and as always, Never Give Up!!!!