What's Holding You Back?

I asked this question in a random post recently and decided to expand upon my thoughts in this post.

Too many people that I speak with are in a state of discontentment with where they are in life. It doesn’t matter if we are discussing their career, financial situation, physical condition, or whatever…the responses are all too similar. 

I will say up front that I believe strongly that there is a big difference between being content and being complacent. God was intentional when He made you and He does not make mistakes! 

The same Apostle Paul who said “for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Phil. 4:11) also said “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize…” (Phil. 3:13-14a). 

Complaining about where you are is really not going to have any effect when it comes to changing things in your life. You have to take action to begin to see the change you want. 

The Law of the Lid (the 1^st of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell) states that “leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness”. If you take a hard look and make a serious assessment of your circumstances you just might find that you have reached your lid. If so, you will not be able to go any higher in your present state.

Before you allow that to get you down, please allow me to share the good news in this story. You can RAISE YOUR LID! How? Here are a few ways: 

•  Find other leaders stronger than yourself and spend time with them. The old saying your mother taught you that “you are the friends you keep” had more truth to it than she even realized. If you are the strongest or the smartest leader in your crowd then you are in the wrong crowd. Until you change that you won’t be able to continue to grow.
• Continue your education. Learning does not stop just because you have achieved a “degree”. Education may be formal or informal, but to keep raising your lid requires constant learning.
• Get a personal coach in your life. You should find mentors as well. I know I seem to harp on this one a lot, but it is truly the difference between average and highly successful people. The successful people grasp this concept that average people just don’t think they need (hence the difference).
• Take action! Talking about what you are going to do is not accomplishing a thing. The steps don’t necessarily have to be huge, life altering steps. They just need to be movement in the right direction.
• Go out on a limb and share your dreams with someone now. Speaking about where you want to be has a unique ability to help you find the “how”. I don’t really understand how this principle works; I just know that it does!

I leave you with this encouragement today. You were created to be a WINNER! You might be just starting out on your journey or already well along the path, but either way you still have plenty of room for continued growth. I wish you all the best on your path and am always here to offer encouragement along the way. 

DREAM BIG!!! Then take MASSIVE ACTION!