I've been traveling like CRAZY (I'm actually in Wisconsin preparing to speak to two schools in about an hour), but I wanted to take a moment to ask you a question: Have you lost your motivation? Have you lost your hunger? Have you stopped chasing your dream? Are you thinking about quitting the race?
I've been there.
Some time ago, my wife and I were runningin a mini-marathon, and I started losing motivation. I didn't want to run anymore. I remember running one mile, and felt a little tired. Imade it to the second-mile mark, and I was even more tired. When I madeit past the third, and then to the fourth mile, I was literallystruggling to keep my legs moving.I was determined to keep running.
But something happened. Ibegan to think about all of the people I had passed up, all of the milesI had already run, and I began to feel really good about myself. I might have even been a little proud. In that moment, Ibegan to lose motivation.
Why? Because the more I began to think about what I had already accomplished, the less motivated I became to keep moving forward.
In your race of life, is it possible that there are there any things in your past thatare causing you to become complacent? Have you lost motivation to keep pressing on? Is there anything in your pastthat is causing you to be stagnant? Are there any accomplishments,mistakes, awards, or accolades that are limiting your potential? Do youcome from a pretty good family? Did you attend a greatschool? Maybe you live in an nice neighborhood, or live in a very big house. May I submit to you that you need to stop letting thosethings of your past, good AND bad, negatively influence your present?
The more you find gratification and satisfaction in yourpast accomplishments- or failures- the less motivated you will be to press forwardto newer, and dare I say, greater things.
I guess what I'm saying to you is this: refuse to let things that happened to you in the past prevent you from living fully in the present. What do you need to let go of from your own past? Whatmemory, experience, triumph, or tragedy do you need to release? Let it go and press on!
Your past was merely preparation for your future. Don’t live in it, learn from it, and move on.