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February 10, 2005
Invisible Forces
So many people want to lose weight, change careers, get in shape, write a book, learn a musical instrument, paint a picture, stop smoking, make a difference in the world or simply get around to nagging chores.
The idea is great, but most of us simply stop before we've even started! It's uncanny. Research shows that many of us put on the brakes because of anxiety, self-doubt, lack of motivation, no determination, fear of failure and even sheer laziness.
These invisible forces are incredibly powerful. They often render us helpless as we continue doing things we wish we weren't doing, like working for an awful company or staying in a bad relationship or eating cream puffs when we know they're not what we need.
This inside force has one single objective: to maintain the status quo. We have this built-in tendency to keep things as they are. Every cell in our body fights to stay exactly as it is. That's why it is so hard for us to effect change.
My father did something really interesting when I was leaving home to come to the United States. He asked me what my fears were about moving to another country. I told him and he took some tracing paper and listed my fears with a large black marker.
He then took my hand and wrote the word courage in large letters on my hand. After that, he took my map of the United States and put it on the table. He held up the tracing paper between the map and me and said, "These are your fears. If you look carefully enough you can see right through them. Acknowledge them, recognize them, respect them, now have the courage to smash them."
I did what he told me to do. I put my fist through the paper and grabbed the map. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever done.
Courage is sometimes all it takes to recognize the invisible barrier and then demolish it.
I once heard the story about a team of climbers who tried to conquer Everest. Their first two attempts failed. During the third try, after careful planning and much preparation, disaster struck in the form of an avalanche and many climbers were injured.
A while after the disaster, the team held a party to celebrate their attempt. The team leader spoke at the gathering and pointed to a large photograph of Everest hanging behind him. "You beat us three times," he said, pointing at the unforgiving mountain. "But one day we will beat you. The reason we will succeed is because you can't get any bigger, but we can!"
We all have the Courage to break the barrier that holds us back from what we deserve. Only we can smash it to pieces because it is inside of us.
(Dad, you were so wonderful. Thank you for teaching me how to be courageous. I miss you so very much.)
Posted by trevor at February 10, 2005 09:53 AM