I’m a runner. One of the first maxims that spurred me on in the beginning went like this. The hardest part of running is putting your shoes on. It’s true. Just starting is a major hurdle.
Sometimes having the courage to just get started is a major step in the process.
We’ve been talking about your second opponent in getting unstuck. The first one has a long name, homeostasis. Just remember one of the rules of physics you learned in junior high. Bodies at rest tend to remain at rest. That’s how you remember this guy.
The second enemy that you must contend with is ego. You always know he’s around whenever there’s pride or fear. Usually both. And both of them will keep you stuck.
But there’s an alternative to each of them. We discussed pride’s counterpart yesterday, the virtue of humility.
There’s another one, an alternative to fear. You call refer to it as godly confidence. (If you want see a contrast between fear and confidence embodied in human personalities, compare Jesus with Pontius Pilate in John 18:28–19:16)
Ken Blanchard puts it this way:
The first skill of a self leader is to challenge assumed contraints….The classic example of an assumed constraint is illustrated by the training of circus elephants. The trainer takes a baby elephant and ties him to a stake with a big, heavy chain. Although the baby elephant pulls and tugs, he can’t break the chain. Eventually he stops trying. He is now a six-ton elephant with the Barnum & Bailey circus. He could easily pull the stake out of the ground–plus the stage–but he doesn’t even try. His inability to move beyond the length of the chain isn’t real; it’s an assumed constraint. (Leading at a Higher Level, p. 107)
Wow, did you catch those words? He doesn’t even try. I’m not saying an elephant needs more courage. That’s ridiculous. But maybe you do. Maybe I do. Maybe we need a little more confidence to try, to tug on a chain that has had us stuck for too long.
What do you say? Give it a tug.
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