STRUGGLES

First and foremost, I want to say a prayer for our country, the first responders, the families, and those who lost their lives on this day 17 years ago. For those of us old enough to remember, we know exactly where we were 17 years ago. Despite the evil, this is a country of people who will rebuild not only the buildings but personal lives never forgetting this day 17 years ago. Amen.

Struggle. Webster’s dictionary defines struggle as “to try very hard to do, achieve, or deal with something that is difficult or that causes problems.”

September 11^th was and continues to be a reminder of a struggle. A struggle of good vs. evil, a struggle for families to begin their personal journey of the loss of a loved one, friend, co-worker, a struggle for this country on how to move forward, a struggle of what to do to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and a struggle to find a way to honor those lost.

Yes, this day is a struggle that we can all understand. Let’s think about how the word struggle also represents things happening in our own daily lives.

It may be a struggle with a boss, it may be a struggle with our children, it may be a struggle with our spouse or a significant other, it may be a struggle with our own faith, it may be a struggle understanding who we are and what our purpose here on earth may be. Our struggles may be with our feeling of inadequacy, our own feeling of a lack of importance or value to the people that mean the most to us, our own lack of understanding how to move forward when the situations, relationships, or our surroundings seem beyond what we can control.

In today’s times, it’s a constant struggle to determine what is true, what is fact, what is causing the struggle in the first place. Yes, you can use our political climate as an example, however, I’d challenge you to think personally.

What struggles have you been facing lately? I watch Guy Danhoff face his struggle of losing 150 pounds. He’s attacking this struggle each and every moment, each and every day. There’s a continuous struggle with every decision he makes about what he’s going to eat, whether he goes to the gym or not, whether or not he’s going to get through the day pursuing his goals in order to revisit the struggles again the next day. Guy knows the struggles and knows the only way he won’t succeed is if he quits.

I reflect on the struggles my niece, Jessica, had in order for her to pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. She struggled with her dyslexia. She struggled with all the naysayers telling her she should settle and not go for her true dream of being an MD. She struggled with pushing forward not just for a week or two but for YEARS in order to put herself in a position to succeed despite all the obstacles. She believed the only way she would not succeed was if she quit. (She’s now in medical school.)

I think about the MBU Spartan football team that works hard every day, every practice, every film session, every struggle a coach may have with a player or player with a coach only to face the final score of a game that’s not in their favor. It’s a struggle to continue moving forward yet the only way they will fail is if they quit.

I think about my personal struggles with my faith journey. Due to a variety of situations growing up, I have finally come, over the past 10+ years, of finding where I’m comfortable knowing my faith and not spending time with whether it fits for anyone other than myself and my journey of faith.

I think about members of my family who struggle with their own personal issues in relationships, in their jobs, with their colleagues and bosses, and with juggling work and family.

So what do we do? We all have struggles in all areas of our lives. How do we continue? How do we move from a place of struggle to a place of overcoming? How do we move to a place of fulfillment? If you have children or even grandchildren, you are more than aware of how quickly time goes by.

My latest book to read and one that I may look back and realize had the most profound effect on my life is The Carpenter by Jon Gordon. Gordon is the author of The Energy Bus, Positive Dog, The Seed and many more. This is by far my favorite on so many levels.

From Gordon’s book, the carpenter suggests to “live by design and know the life you want to create. With this approach you will create a masterpiece and not live by chance.”

Also from the book, “What does life look like at the end? Begin creating with the end in mind and work backwards. What does it look like when I’m my healthiest, strongest, best? What does my family life look like? Am I ignoring the people I love the most or making more time for them? What matters most? What are my daily priorities that drive me? What am I doing that makes me come alive? When I look back on my life what do I want to be able to say about it?

I leave you with this from the book, “Without struggle there is no reward. Without obstacles there’s no growth. Without setback there’s no triumph. Without failure and defeat along the way there’s no ultimate victory and feeling of accomplishment. As builder of lives and people and teams, I must expect challenges, adversity, rejection, and negativity, but I have an even greater expectation that I WILL overcome them!!”

Book suggestion: The Carpenter by Jon Gordon

Thought for the Day: “I expect great things to happen today. I trust in God’s plan for my life. I accept all the love, joy, abundance, and success in my life. I accept all the people who want to work with me and benefit from my gifts and love. Every day I am getting stronger, healthier, and better.”