This Means War

Have you ever asked yourself, "When will I have enough of this?"  You have struggled with bad or destructive habits for ages.  You have procrastinated on getting your life in order for far too long.  You have carried that dream around till it feels like a burden rather than your hope for tomorrow.  How long?  How long will we keep doing the same old thing and thinking, hoping, and wishing that it will be different this time?  But it is not.

                The time has come for war!  The time has come for you to make up your mind and do something-something serious - about your life.  As a success-minded person, you are all too aware that your life will never change until YOU change it.  The time has come to act.  The time has come to declare war on your comfort zone.

                "That is all well and good," you say, "but I have tried this before.  What will make it different now?"  Excellent question.  Here are a couple of facts you first must face:  1. You may have tried to change or tried to do things differently, but that is not war.  2. If you are going to declare war you first must do the acts of war.  Here are some definite actions you must take to not only start this war but to win it.

"Too many people learn to function in their dysfunction.  Declare war on your comfort zone."

- Darren Hardy

American Author/Publisher

#1.  Make the decision to win

                No war should ever be entered with the hope of winning.  It must be entered into the decision that you will - no matter what it takes - win this war.  You will not take failure as an option.  Once we think that we can fail, we will fail.  You must burn all your avenues of retreat and know that there is no going back.  You will win because you have no other option but to win.  Zig Ziglar put it this way, "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."

#2.  Understand what winning means

                People in this "make me feel good and everyone has to win" age, do not have victory in their lives because they have no understanding what it means to win.  Winning is not coming to an understanding with your enemy.  Winning is not a truce or "negotiated peace" with your enemy.  Winning is the full and total destruction of your enemy.  Yes, this includes the enemy of bad and destructive habits in our own lives.  Think of this inner war as in fact, a war.  There is much to learn in the areas of personal development from the likes of Winston Churchill, George Patten, and other great military leaders.  Churchill bravely said, "We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."  Sound dramatic?  Remember, this is your life you are fighting for.

#3.  Never give up the war

                No one is saying that this war will be easy or happen in a moment.  I do believe it is won in that moment of decision when you decide that you will win.  However, that does not mean that you will have no battles.  I had a leader once who decided to get the victory in a business deal we faced.  He told me that he decided that we would succeed and that was that.  In his positive way of putting it, he said, "It is all over but the fighting."  We were, in fact, successful in the deal.  Never give up on your dreams.  If you are tired; keep fighting.  If you are discouraged; keep fighting.  If you have waited for a very long time; keep fighting.  Never stop.  Never turn aside.  Never quit.

#4.  Do not believe it is okay to lose

                I go crazy when I hear people tell children that it is okay to lose.  That winning is not that great.  Or that everyone is a winner.  If that were true, why play the game?  Why should we try to get good grades, do a good job or give our best?  I know the idea is to teach that you respect everyone and that you don't get prideful.  But what you are really teaching is that it is okay to lose and not to try to win.  That is deadly.  You want to win.  You must win.  As the great coach, Vince Lombardi said, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." 

You can learn more about Personal Development from author and speaker, John Patrick Hickey.  To get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at www.johnpatrickhickey.com. Be sure to sign up for the free membership and get even more tools to help you achieve your dreams.  

© 2018 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.