Stuck in the Middle: Stay Focused!
Imagine climbing a huge wall and getting over the top. Maybe you’ve never personally tried to climb a wall, but if you can visualize a soldier fighting their way to the top in a boot camp obstacle, then you understand the kind of wall to picture. It’s not hard to grasp how the first part of the wall would be relatively easy to get going, especially if you’ve had some training. The adrenaline is pumping and the tiredness hasn’t kicked in yet. However, there comes a point around the middle of the wall it starts to get tough. The sweat starts pouring; arms are shaking, and mentally the thought of giving up starts to creep in. There is that point right around the middle when the choice has to be made. The obvious easy option is to let go of the rope, which for a moment gives instant relief. The harder choice is to dig in, hold on, and muster up every ounce of power you have to make it the rest of the way. The victory is at the top…Stay Focused!
Successfully achieving goals are the same as the obstacle wall. To get going isn’t that difficult, but somewhere along the way we get stuck in the middle. We’ve come so far, but we’re tired. The initial excitement is gone, and the top seems so far away. The fear paralyzes like an overworked, exhausted muscle. It seems so easy to let go, and get back to the comfort zone. At this point, the saying is true, “The strong will survive”. I say, “The strong will stay focused.”
The easy choice is to let go for instant relief, but that instant relief very quickly turns to disappointment and feelings of failure. Hang on, dig in, stay focused, and get over the middle. Success is at the top!
