Champions Keep Going

"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not relax our courage and faint." - Galatians 6:9 AMP

CHAMPION: WARRIOR (a person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill); FIGHTER (someone who does not give up: someone who continues fighting or trying);one that does battle for another's rights or honor;a winner of first prize or first place in a competition, also: one who shows marked superiority

There will be days when you wake up in the morning, and instead of having boundless energy, you sense you are in a fog. Instead of being ready to take on the day, you feel as if you were ambushed in your sleep. Your mind and emotions are clouded with doubt and uncertainty. You question your decisions, and second guess your motives. You wonder if what you are doing is worth the struggle you're going through, especially when your plans aren't coming into focus as fast as you expected. And worse, deep in your heart you fear that all the lazy critics and naysayers, the ones who would not support you, the ones who questioned your sanity in the first place for taking on this challenge instead of being lulled to sleep by the so-called "safe and easy" path of comfort, convenience and security they chose for themselves, may have been right after all.

If you read any of this and you can honestly say, "Yeah, that's me," or you have been all alone with your thoughts, plagued with doubt about your confidence, your competence, your ability to succeed, if you find yourself half way up the mountain to your goal, wondering in a fit of anxiety, frustration, fatigue, or even rage, if what you're going through is worth it, or if you are wasting your time, then my friend, I have two words for you...

Keep going.  

You heard me. I said...KEEP GOING.

The path to your goal includes walking through the valley of the shadow of doubt, death, and indecision. You are not meant to set up camp and have a pity party, but to find a way to forge ahead when mentally and emotionally you seem to be running on fumes.

"Champions find a way to keep going when there's nothing left in their tank." (Eric Thomas) 

There has to be a reason greater than you to make one more move, take one more step. There must be something, or better yet, something in your life who inspires you to keep going, someone who ignites your will to press on, because you can't bear the thought of disappointing them. 

Pro Football Hall of Fame player and former college coach Bill Curry speaks often of his playing days with championship teams like the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Colts, days when he wanted to quit because he didn't feel like getting hammered over and over again by the opponent on the other side of the ball. He said it was during these moments he would look to his left and his right where he saw teammates who were willing to take that same punishment for him, and for the rest of the team. When he saw this dedication on the part of his teammates, he said within himself, "I can't let them down," so he endured another play, another series, another quarter, another game in his illustrious career, all because he saw a goal at the end that was bigger than himself, a prize that was greater than the pain he faced during the course of each game he played.

So it must be with all of us. There must be a prize in our lives that outweighs the pain. In sports there is a saying, "Losing hurts worse than winning feels good." We all must find our own reason to push through, to keep going, to press beyond the point where the pain of losing, quitting, giving up, ever becomes a comfortable option. The pain of discipline must always outweigh the pain of regret. 

We must find for ourselves a special something, or someone, about whom we can say, "I can't let them down, because they're counting on me." We must find our own reason to keep going when we have nothing left in our tanks, when our mental, emotional, and spiritual reserves have long reached the "E" mark. We must do this because there is a reason for us that keeps us so motivated, so focused, and so inspired, we know the answer in such a way that the question never becomes an issue. In fact, we forget what the question is. 

Find your reason, and remember it often. Keep it in front of your eyes. Let it put the pep in your step, the wind in your sails. And should a moment of doubt ever threaten to creep into your mind again, just pull this weapon out of your arsenal and obliterate all traces of uncertainty, as well as the fear which tries to sneak up on you in disguise.

You're a champion, never forget it.  Press on, keep going, stay focused, and in due time, the prize you seek will be yours.

That's all for now, gotta run.  Be blessed, not stressed. And until we meet again, remember...

Keep it simple...  See ya!