Conquer your Heart to conquer your Dreams
I stumbled across a post today with a little excerpt by Eric Hoffer that spoke to my heart. I thought I’d share it here.
There are many who find a good alibi far more attractive than an achievement. For an achievement does not settle anything permanently. We still have to prove our worth anew each day: we have to prove that we are as good today as we were yesterday. But when we have a valid alibi for not achieving anything we are fixed, so to speak, for life. Moreover, when we have an alibi for not writing a book, painting a picture, and so on, we have an alibi for not writing the greatest book and not painting the greatest picture. Small wonder that the effort expended and the punishment endured in obtaining a good alibi often exceed the effort and grief requisite for the attainment of a most marked achievement.
Do you have alibis you hide behind that are keeping you from doing what your heart yearns for?
July 17th, 2008 at 04:08 am
Oooo…you are poking at my heart today! You got me with this one. I know I have to say my alibi is “I don’t have time.” What is time anyway, but a gift that has been given by our Father. Granted I am a busy person – I work a full time job. I am a mom. I am a wife. I am a college student. But, I am a follower and believer in Jesus Christ and that should take precedent over everything else in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t allow it to be the first thing in my life every day. I don’t like that about me. That’s my OCD coming in. I let my life take control some days instead of letting God be in control. So I pray, and I hope you will too, that God will convict me daily of that, and show me how easy everything else will come with Him in the driver’s seat. Thanks Francois!
July 17th, 2008 at 03:59 pm
yes i do. i didn’t have a cigarette yesterday but i tried three times yesterday to give myself a reason too. my children were argueing with each other and it was making me crazy and i told myself that if they kept this up i was going to get a pack. but i didn’t.4 days, now. how are you doing with the smoking thing?
July 23rd, 2008 at 02:08 am
This one strikes deep.
I find it funny how many people seem to fear of success, be scared to start a journey, hesitate to commit to change, back out of trying something new…
In essence (for me at least) can’t live life because of fear.
I count myself amoungst these masses – but each day I try to look at those fears again, because I don’t like living my life afraid.
July 23rd, 2008 at 04:39 pm
@Damian
I think you can cut yourself some slack man! I don’t know many other guys who jump out of planes for fun, and who’d quit their cozy engineering jobs to do some festival event management in Europe.
You’ve done pretty well Dude. Good luck with conquering the rest of your fears.
July 29th, 2008 at 02:49 am
@Francois
Thanks, I really appreciate that coming from you.
I didn’t quite mean it to sound quite so negative about myself. Old habits – I guess (and there I go again
)
In essence, my actions are steps in combating these fears achievement/progress/fulfillment.
Basically, I reached a point (and it took me a while) where I’d rather be a creature of ‘my own will’ than live a life according to my fears.
Still, I got stuck, when I reached the time to just jump, trust in ‘myself’ and that things will work out. Always just in time, a really good alibi to stay in my nice safe environment would arrive.
Your post reminded me of that moment of courage I needed to find, especially when I made the decision to move, booked a flight and accepted the consequences.
For the record, I’m working in a coffee stall at festivals. It’s basic work – stall setup, kitchen prep, cleaning, serving, etc… not wonderfully paid, long hours and really, really hard work.
However, it’s a it’s getting me round to festivals, earning me a little £’s with almost no living expenses – and allowing me to see a bit behind the scenes and gauge if this is the sort of lifestyle I’d like to be living. So it seems to be the right place for me at the moment.