The Main Thing

   Have you ever had a big life goal, something you want to move toward, but you just can't seem to get the traction you want?  It can feel like everyone else is moving forward, and there you are just stuck in the mud spinning your wheels.  There are usually three reasons why people get bogged down and don't move forward.  One is that they don't have a clear goal.  If you don't know where you are going, it's hard to get there.  Imagine a being stuck in a large mud pit in a truck, but instead of driving straight through, you turn your wheels left and gun it for a few minutes, then put it in reverse, then turn right, and so on and so forth.  Essentially, you are just going to dig yourself a deeper hole and never get closer to getting out, because you aren't consistently moving forward.  To get where you are going, you have to first have a clear goal and direction.  

    Secondly, once you know where you are headed, you have to push the gas.  Many of us know what we want in life, and we may have even written out our goals, but it does no good to put them on paper and just sit down and stare at them.  We have to get the wheels moving.  With no action, we get no closer to our goals.  In the mud pit situation, we cannot just put the truck in park.  We have to consistently apply pressure to the gas peddle to make the wheels turn and pull ourselves forward toward where we are heading.  

    Lastly, if we want to accomplish our dreams and goals, we have to stay focused.  We need to keep the main thing the main thing.  There are so many things we can spend our time on, and we can easily trick ourselves into thinking that because we are busy we are making progress.  But busy does not equal productive.  We have to put our time and energy into the things that matter most when it comes to reaching our goals.  In our mud pit scenario, busyness is akin to cleaning the outside of the truck.  After you have been spinning your tires for a period, you notice that you now have mud all over the outside of your truck.  So you get out, go get a bucket and some soap, and you stand in the mud, washing the truck off.  Now, in theory what you are doing is good, right?  Having a clean vehicle is important.  But in relationship to your goal of getting out of the mud, cleaning your truck is not helpful.  Similarly, we get ourselves off track in all kinds of ways by doing those little tasks or projects that aren't the most important.  

    If you're feeling a little stuck today, take some time to get clear on the direction you're headed, then start taking action, and stay focused on the most important tasks.  Repeat this daily, and you will soon find yourself climbing out of the mud and onto the highway again.  Learn to prioritize and get yourself moving forward.  I can't wait to see you succeed!  

~K.W.