“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”-Martin Luther King
Don’t we all wish everything was easy?
I’m not afraid to admit that I like when things go smoothly. I like when I feel comfortable. But you know what? I have also seen that when things are easy and comfortable, I tend to be complacent. I tend to not be as thoughtful in my decisions. In other words, times of ease and comfort are breeding grounds for neglect.
Not purposeful neglect, but neglect all the same. And what does neglect breed? Crisis. Everytime I end up in a crisis situation in my life, whether it is in my work or in my personal life, I can look back and easily see the mistakes and the neglect that led to it.
I think to myself “how did I miss that?” Or “How did I let that happen?”
The answer is always staring back at me in the mirror…you got too comfortable Todd! Then I have to go to work and get myself out of whatever I got myself into. I go through all the machinations of the mind. First I am upset, then I begin dwelling on the worst case scenario, then I settle down and process it, then I begin developing a plan, and then I get to work.
And usually everything works out and I am able to move forward. Challenge is the beginning of the next stage of growth in all things. Because it forces us out of the comfort zone.
Whatever your struggles are right now, recognize that you have been here before, and you have come through it okay. Make your plan and bare down. Embrace the discomfort…its making you better, its making you become more than you were yesterday. You will win out.
And you will be better prepared for the next time!
