A Cross Country Walk

Hello Friends!
  Imagine that you have just signed up for a cross country march.  You know that it is over 2,500 miles and that it will take you anywhere from four months to a year or more to complete.  Now, let's also say that the reason you have signed up for this walk is to benefit a cause you really believe in, and by completing the cross-country walk you will be raising over $100,000 for this charity.  Although many of us would not sign up for such a walk, at least we can see that it has a definite beginning, middle, and end, and as long as you keep moving forward each day, you will reach the desired end and earn the money for your charity. 
  Now, imagine that you have just signed up for a walk.  You know the prize is something incredible, but you don't know how long the walk will be.  You only know your starting point and the direction you should head.  You've been told that this is a challenging walk and that it will take a long time, but you don't mind because you want the incredible prize at the end.  What do you think would happen if, after a few days of walking, you sit down on the ground and begin to whine and cry that you haven't gotten the prize yet?  What if you walk for a few months and then sit down and hope the prize will find its way to you?  Do you think this behavior would get you to the prize?   Remember, you don't know how long the race is.  You only know that if you walk in the right direction long enough you will win the prize. 
 Most of us, if given the choice, would probably take the race with the known distance and timeframe.  But life isn't like the first race.  It is the second.  We have dreams and goals, and accomplishing them is the magnificent prize at the end of the race, but we have no idea how long it will take to get there.  We only know where we are now, and which direction we have to walk in.  In the example of the physical race, we know that to sit on the ground and cry about not reaching the destination would be extremely silly and unproductive.  But have we done that in our own lives?  So many times we get tired of moving in the direction of our goals and not achieving them yet, but rather than pushing forward, knowing that if we keep moving in the right direction we will reach the prize, we sit down and give up.  We quit walking and hope the destination will come to us. 
  If you are struggling or frustrated right now that your dreams and goals haven't happened yet or that you haven't made it to that next level, don't sit down and quit.  Don't hope the destination will come to you.  Instead, set your sights on the horizon, get a good pair of hiking boots, and find some traveling buddies who know the way, and whatever you do, keep moving.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  You may not know how far the journey is, but you know where you are and which direction to walk, and that is all the knowledge you need to move toward your goals.  Keep walking friends.  Your prize is ahead. 

~K. W.