I have lived long enough to discover some of the rhythms of life--those reoccurring feelings that come at about the same time every year.
For example, in late November and throughout December, I get this tremendous urge to get organized for the new year. I clean closet and drawers, shine shoes, organize books and planners, set goals and re-organize the garage if it’s not too cold. I don't understand why! It is just something within my wiring that goes off every year.
In February the signals are totally different. The winter has taken a toll in me. My outlook on life can get skewed. After years of observing myself, I have come to the conclusion that I should never make a major personal decision in February. It I do, it is impossible that I will come to regret it.
With February approaching, I was very interested when I read a devotional on ‘the power of persistence’. Let me share some of it with you…
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The great majority of men
are bundles of beginnings.” Are you merely a starter or a finisher? When the enthusiasm for a new idea fades, when the odds against you increase and
the results diminish, when it looks as if success is impossible… you must keep forging ahead. Admiral Robert Peary attempted to reach the North Pole seven times before he finally succeeded. Oscar Hammerstein produced five shows on Broadway that were flops before staging Oklahoma, which was seen by almost five million people during a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. Quitting is more about who you are than where you are or what you are up against.
The truth is, external things don’t stop us; it’s what happens to us on the inside! Most of us stop ourselves from reaching our potential.
We can pretend that people, things and situations outside of ourselves are to blame, but in reality most failures are just the result of a lack of bulldog-like tenacity.
Leonardo de Vinci said, “Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed on a star, does not change his mind.” You must have a mindset to tenaciously pursue your dream.
The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying. There is no insurmountable barrier except you own inherent lack of purpose and persistence.
Galatians 6:9 (NKJV) – And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose
heart.
I plan to rise about the winter blues—celebrate with winter parties and believe God for
the impossible—do you?
