her potential for success . We will all have disappointments , but allowing them to lead us into discouragement or a lack of courage to keep going is the second major block in real failure .
Will discouragement knock on your heart ? Yes , probably after every disappointment . I even believe learning how to handle it is part of the training of real leaders . Our challenge as leaders is to recognize it and not allow it to hang around for days , weeks , months and years . I started to google articles about how to know if you are discouraged , rather than disappointed , but let me make this simple :
Do you lack the courage to go further ? Then you are probably discouraged .
There is more for you , but discouragement robs you of your sight , so you can ’ t see it . The next building block in failure is busying yourself with things that are merely busy work and distraction from what you are supposed to be doing . Why do we do this ? Because we don ’ t want anyone to know we are hurting , we are discouraged and we have been wounded , perhaps mortally , in the place of purpose . The same qualities that make us leaders – people who charge ahead based on a vision – will make us disappear like a wounded animal because leaders are hunters and hunters know what happens to those who are wounded . They become prey to the naysayers and victimized . “ Join us over here in the closet of self-pity ”, they invite you . “ You ’ re one of us now . See what they did to me ? It happened to you too , didn ’ t it ? I tried to tell you . Put those dreams of owning a business or being happy away and join us . You don ’ t think you ’ re too good for us NOW do you ?” I just shuddered inside as I picture the pitying glances of those who wondered why I didn ’ t just STOP . I ’ m giving you permission to keep going and ignore the people in the victim ’ s corner . You don ’ t belong there .
You have to keep going , but not just in any old direction . You have to stay on plan – even if the plan needs to be adjusted . The busywork , the distractions on social media , the projects that have no significance but they ’ re easy for you – STOP . They are distractions , and distractions are designed to woo you away from purpose . Some of those distractions may even be worthwhile , but don ’ t mix them up with your goals . Make adjustments , work to build up your financial resources if you need to , but don ’ t lose sight of where you are headed .
I quit says “ Screw all the people who need my help ! I ’ m going to protect myself in this corner until I die , and then maybe I will finally be happy . I quit says to the God of all creation , “ You were WRONG . I am a failure . I disagree with You . I am the one person in all of creation designed to fail . I accept it . I won ’ t fight for it , or them , or you , because I quit .”
Lest you think I ’ m being overly hard on you , let me share a story about me . After a significant hit , I sat on the couch for two years . Yes , I sent out resumes . Yes , I had lunch with people . Yes I networked . Yes I talked a good game . But I had quit . It seemed at the time , the world agreed I should quit . What woke me up from the nightmare of boredom and depression was a question . A young friend , someone I gladly share information with , asked me how to start a magazine . His questions woke up a desire to contribute to someone else ’ s success . We talked for maybe an hour and when I got off the phone I said , “ Wow God . That was amazing ! I forgot I knew that stuff .” I was invigorated , and asking God questions like a person who had slept through years . God asked me one question : What would you have wanted someone to tell you two years ago ? I responded , “ That it ’ s not over . I ’ m not finished . There is still treasure in me . Let me help you find it .”
I could have lived a safe , mediocre Autumn season in my life , and some people would have probably been relieved . But I wasn ’ t created to live a safe , mediocre life . I was created to turn on lights for people ; to help them find the treasure within them . That treasure may be buried under decades of disappointment , discouragement and distractions , but its there . I stake my life on it . Now get up . Let ’ s find your treasure .
So far we have three components to failure : Disappointment , Discouragement and Distraction . Here endeth the alliteration . The next component is the final building block that ensures real failure takes place : Resignation . Resignation says in response to disappointment , discouragement and distraction , “ Oh well , it ’ s over . The thing I hoped , prayed for , and worked so hard for wasn ’ t going to happen anyway , because there is something wrong WITH ME . I ’ m not good enough and I realize it now , so I quit .”
When resignation takes over there is ultimate failure , because “ I quit ,” generally means I will no longer try . I will accept life as it has been handed to me and ‘ make the best of it .’ On the surface that sounds mature , even brave .
“ I quit ” is cowardly because it ignores the purpose for which you were created . I quit says the solution I have been sent to earth to accomplish is not important enough to fight for .
BU T IT IS COWARDLY
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NOVEMBER ☐ DECEMBER