No, I have not arrived

In looking for a good quote to post on my Facebook page on my birthday I came across this one a few days back:  "Success is not arriving at the summit of a mountain as a final destination. It is a continuing upward spiral of progress.  It is perpetual growth." - Wilfred A. Peterson.  It also reminded me of the song "The Climb"...yes I AM quoting a Miley Cyrus tune. Now that's deep!  As you may know, the song also talks about the benefits of striving toward--as opposed to reaching--your destination. 

Now, don't get me wrong, there's great satisfaction in reaching goals. It's hard to be successful without setting goals and achieving some victories.  Focusing solely on getting there may be a mistake, because we then miss so much of life. I would argue most of it, since it seems we are always trying to reach a goal of some kind-or get to that next level. I remember back a few years ago when a colleague of mine asked me what was "next" for me. At the time I had a great job, not at the top of my profession...but a good one and one that allowed me time with my family. She added, "it's not like you've arrived." I remember thinking "arrived where?" I guess arrival is in the eyes of the beholder.

'Having Arrived" or not, the journey is indeed so rich. Whether it's a journey of career success, relationship growth, spiritual or emotional maturity--whatever the case may be--may you enjoy your journey and those on it with you.

Need a Reason To Succeed?

"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to do, when all they need is one reason why they can."--Willis Whitney

What's your reason?

The Biggest Obstacle to Your Success

 

"The Greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it" -Moliere

 

“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” Unknown Author

 

 “Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” -E. Joseph Cossman

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life... as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”- Booker T. Washington
Obstacles. Sometimes they are obvious: lack of money or resources, a disability or illness, having no support system, having no job or no education.  Addressing these is a blog for another day, today I want to talk about the obstacles that don't really exist. Ah, but they are so very real. They are the ones in your mind.  They are the ones someone told you existed or you created yourself. You know the kind: you are not smart enough, you are too old (or too young) to do that, no one has ever been able to do that--what makes you think you can. You can fill in the blank with your own. These are the kind of obstacles that can be tough to overcome, especially if you have believed they existed for a long time. These are the kind of obstacles that tend to get bigger all the time. They have often been built up like a big wall--brick by brick.  Maybe they started with one comment by a parent or friend and got piled on by your own feelings of insecurity. Then perhaps a coworker added another layer, followed by your spouse and so on and so on.  Most times people who are adding to your wall have no idea and certainly wish you no harm--in fact they may think they are helping you. So be honest with yourself, is there an imaginary obstacle wall holding you back. If you're lucky, you can just get mad, knock it down and move forward.  Or, you may need to disassemble it brick by brick. Either way, you must knock it down to move forward. And you can do it.