Helping You To Succeed

I love going on a long morning jog. It is always invigorating and sets the tone for the day ahead. Today the fog had descended, and visibility was about 120 yards. I was lit up like a Christmas tree; visibility running vest on and a headlamp. But in the dense fog, it wasn’t feeling at all enjoyable.

Even though I had run this course over 600 times in the last five years, running in the dark still comes with a degree of uncertainty. I trusted my sense of direction, but not the mindfulness of the drivers on the road to be aware of me. The known unknowns were more terrifying the more my mind lingered on them. So, I ended my run after 3 miles, and headed home.

“It is a very poor happiness that can consist with utter ignorance”

Matthew Henry

The universe in its very strange but sardonic humor, saw fit to remind me of the verse “for now we see through a glass darkly.” I consider myself to be a person of faith, trusting that God is working all things for my good, even things that I cannot see. But it doesn’t mean that I live a life devoid of purpose or without a plan. The older I get, the less I have come to appreciate the notion that a sense of adventure means taking unmitigated risks, or simply going with the flow.

Ignorance is only bliss if the unknown is not a very real possibility. Matthew Henry once wrote that “it is a very poor happiness that can consist with utter ignorance” and I must agree.  

As we start this new year, with a list of personal goals, and new resolutions, I hope we have placed a lot of thought into how we are going to achieve them. If running has taught me anything, is that preparing the body for a race, or just to run longer distances, requires a method and discipline that is transferable to all areas of my life.

Paul says, we are all in a race, so train to win; not just to finish… to win. We all must define what success looks like to us. But no matter how it looks, the process requires being methodical in your approach and consistently doing what is required to give yourself the best chance to succeed. Don’t begin any new venture on a whim, they seldom end successfully. Don’t just dive blindly into the dense fog of life, hoping it will all turn out great… it won’t.

Have a plan, make a promise with yourself to put in the hard work, and stick with it. You’d be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Happy New Year guys.