I’ve noticed that many people have the Will to Succeed, but very few have the will of Continual Preparation for achievement. It’s like wanting to run before you walk, walk before you crawl OR expecting high salary before gaining basic experience, OR wanting to be a business owner without value creation, OR seeking outside assistance before at least creating a plan on how to you will work your way out of it. While it is important to focus on the end result, we need to reposition our priorities, reevaluate our values, and focus on the forging the path to get there. Imagine a staircase. The Will to reach the top is met by different thresholds (the distance between each step) that one must cross. They require energy and/or external support (i.e railings). The Will of Continual Preparation, allows you to anticipate and determine strategies to overcome the thresholds–getting you through each phase.
When I prepare to overcome these thresholds of life, I dance around the fine line of logic and emotion. Sometimes I give up when the process seems daunting. When I only look to logic and reason, I run the risk of becoming a square, cut throat individual giving birth to unsustainable relationships and creating skewed value. If I only give in to the whims and demands of emotion, I run the risk of becoming become blind sightedness, and typically go with the the so-called gut feeling. But lets entertain this notion for a moment: What if the gut feeling is wrong, what do we do then? If we give into instant gratification because it feels good or feels right at the time, how so is the gut feeling any different when making major life decisions? The instant gratification of not making time to plan because you felt it wasn’t the right time, might leave you in a worse position than before.
While there needs to be balance between the two, nothing is perfect. I’ve learned that life is an art. We make plans, those plans either succeed or fail. If they fail at least you can say that you tried something. Personally, when I make plans that fail what usually results is new knowledge, better plans and a holistic understanding of self. On a higher developmental plane, it is exactly what I needed to progress. It is that energy created within that gives that extra push passed each threshold.
There is a quote that says, ‘Sometimes the wrong choices lead us to the right places’. Some might misinterpret this to mean, don’t make any plans, let life happen to you. Life isn’t something that just happens, its what you do or what someone else does for you. When you make plans, don’t focus on regrets. Your degree of control is based on your willingness to embrace the Will of preparation. It is all part of the process of creating one’s own life.
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