Some thoughts on relentlessly pursuing your dreams
What will it take to discourage or totally stop you from pursuing your dream?
Get used to getting uncomfortable. The road to living out your destiny is littered with challenges, rejection, setbacks, curveballs, and everything in between. The sooner you settle these, the better. Of course, there will be moments of excitement and victories. There also will be periods of reassessment of strategy and action plan. At this time, the pressure will get to you – as you may fear the disapproval of your actions and the excellence you relentlessly strive for. What most people do here is to seek ways to avoid the discomfort of rejection. Not you! God is mentoring you to get used to discomfort. Be calm on the inside when all hell breaks loose on the outside – When external pressure mounts and others begin to consider the possibility of failure as an option. God said, “Be still and know that I am God.” This is the time to be God-aware and peace-centered. Keep your eyes on the prize, not on external pressure or approval.
The things you are not willing to do because you find them uncomfortable are the things stalling your progress. Commit to doing those things today. Push past the apathy, laziness, and discomfort. You don’t have to love to do these things – tasks or activities – you simply need to do them. Failure to do them means you are resigned to your status quo. Set your eyes on the prize as Jesus did. He endured the pain and shame while he was fixated on the glory that awaited him.
To be relentless, you are willing to keep going when others have had enough and given up.
You need to develop your instinct to a degree that you know ahead of time what will be needed or required in your field. You have to know what product will become a ‘must-have’ in the near future, and begin to provide it or work towards it. Live in the present, and at the same time, place yourself in the future. Know in advance what skill to upgrade. Act in the present, but be also prepared for the future. Don’t let it catch you unaware.
Insight is just the starting point. You can’t become great simply by reading a book or attending seminars, or worse still, by wishing. Armed with the required knowledge, you need to be relentless in taking and committing to action at the highest level of intensity, every moment, in everything you do, constantly working on your craft, your skills, leaving nothing to chance.
Expect to succeed. Plan for it. Work towards it. Feel the reward. Learn to work quietly towards your goal. Refrain from telling people your goals, simply show them your results. Learn to enjoy the solitude of chasing after excellence. Most people are content to simply get by, to go with the flow or roll with the punches. Let your work have a defining signature of brilliance.
People who want to excel quit blaming others for the circumstances of their life. They take charge and assume full responsibility for where they are headed, and not where they have been. They decide what needs to get done and then commit to doing it. Whether they are teaching students, heading a team in a corporation, caring for their children; they take the lead. They do not wait to be told what to do, they are internally driven.
Relentless individuals are committed to goals and have a great work ethic, drive and unwavering focus to back these up. They are more into positive ‘doing’ than positive ‘thinking.’ They stopped entertaining excuses to explain the reason they are not achieving their goals. They live by the principle, “I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me.”