Are YOU Using Your Endurance Effectively?
Growing up with a single mother who was an extremely hard worker instilled in me at a young age how to be an independent woman by observation. As I grew older and became a young adult and experienced my own heartaches and life lessons. I felt like if I can survive a broken heart, and times when I had my first apartment and my lights would get shut off, or when I didn’t have food in the refrigerator, or when my truck would constantly break down forcing me to use public transportation or walking everywhere with my young daughter. If I could endure losing my best friend, my first example of unconditional love, my mom so quickly and randomly to a disease I didn't know she had then Yes there is not too much more that I felt could happen that I can’t mentally prepare myself to get over.
Your life experiences might not be exactly like mine but I’m sure you can relate and think back on some hardships that you initially thought you would never get over and yet somehow you eventually got over it or went through it and made it out alive. I thank God personally for those overcoming moments when I had to endure different learning experiences.
Whenever I would experience hardships I would reference it to what I have already went through and came out of and apply that mindset to the next situation. The only problem with that mindset was that I was training my mind and emotions to prepare and endure hardships, that’s it. I wasn’t learning how to prevent these controllable hardships until after I would experience the pain and inconvenience of them and sometimes it would take me two or three times to get it right.
It wasn’t until I started reading more that I understood that there is a balance to life. I started reading the book of Proverbs which speaks about wisdom two years ago. I didn’t apply them at first because I was just reading it to get familiar with reading the bible but I eventually challenged myself to read a chapter a day and actually understand what I was reading and how I can benefit from it. From reading proverbs I went on to reading Pastor Toure Roberts latest book, Wholeness: Winning From The Inside Out to finishing up my new book The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino just to name a few that really gave me a fresh perspective.
I understood that strength doesn’t come from enduring hardships alone. Strength comes from discipline. When you stop focusing on enduring hardships and you begin to absorb knowledge on how to prevent some of these man made obstacles by honoring your daily disciplines then you will begin to consistently grow in the direction of success instead of 'taking a lickin and keepin on tickin.'
I think of it as Boxing Training. You have the boxer and you have the punching bag that the boxer trains with. You don’t want to be the punching bag, known for being strong for taking blows. You want to be known for being the boxer dodging hits and throwing blows. Preparing for real life matches that add value to your life experiences. The only way you can do that is by staying true to your daily disciplines and renewing your mind daily.
Focusing on negativity or overcoming negativity doesn’t get you to the next level. It keeps you at the same level taking hits. If you plan to be strong by endurance then make sure you endure the things that will help build you to grow strong and keep moving forward. What good is a strong statue? We walk pass those daily. They are stiff and known by it's one and only position. Easy to be maintained but just as easily to be broken into pieces by a force stronger than it.
There is no way around hardships but you want to keep feeding your brain with knowledge on how to do better daily and be an example to others of how they too can do better in their circumstances.
In the bible it says:
You, however, be self controlled in all things, endure hardship, do an evangelist’s work, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:5
Rather you choose to be religious or not, the things we go through in life are not so that we keep the experiences to ourselves, No they are so that we can learn how to do better and then help others to do better by being that example of success and by being transparent enough to let people know what you came from. I hope this helps someone today to use their endurance effectively. You weren't created to be a punching bag... Become the boxer and get in the ring to dodge punches and add value to your life.
To Your Success !!
