The Results of Self Discipline Part 6

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons…” — Jim Rohn

If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle headfirst.

Life has its own obstacle courses that we all must run. We can avoid them but they won’t go away. Avoidance will only keep you from becoming all you can be. Usually we avoid out of fear. Facing down the obstacle (facing the fear) and taking it on will help you grow. You may fail once, twice, or even three times or more BUT you must, like the child learning to walk, get back on your feet after you fall down. Again, you don’t stop because you fell once, twice, or three times. You keep trying until you win.

The key to most obstacles is to face them and not turn your back on them. Face them down and let that obstacle know that you are in control of your own destination and no obstacle (or fear) will keep you from achieving your goals.

It is fear that has us backing up instead of moving forward. It is fear that has us running away instead of running forward. When we are running away we are not running toward our goal(s). This is because something has come between you and your goal and is causing you to doubt it can be, or fear it can’t be done.

Truth is, you can often complete a task backing down or walking fearfully and timidly through the paces to the end goal. But by the time you get there you will not have won the race. Others who didn’t let their fears rule them will have beaten you. Therefore, it is best not to slide down feet first on your stomach. You can’t see what’s ahead. It is best and fastest to slide down head. It is fear however, that keeps us from moving forward, head-first.

We are more often than not, fearful, of facing our own fears. Sadly, by being fearful to face those fears causes those fears to come upon us as that is our focus. Job said, “For the thing I feared has come upon me and what I dreaded has happened to me. Solomon in Proverbs said, “The wicked man’s fears will all come true and so will the good man’s hope.” (Remember when you are up to your neck in mud not to fear but hope).

He also said, “The fear of a man is a dangerous trap, but to trust in God means safety.” You may not see yourself as being wicked but this is saying you are not righteous or godly when you are in fear. It is trust that helps bring confidence and reward. Once we make the determination to face our fears and go in head first with our eyes open and focused on the course, we can make the right corrections and wind up winning rather than feeling our way through the course. As stated above, even though we may finally complete the course, we lose out on the opportunity as it has been given away to those that went head first, and arrived long before we did.

Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…

Respectfully,

Rick Cox