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"Energy and persistence conquer all things."

- Benjamin Franklin

Let's talk about hope. Hope represents a rope - something that is there for us to hang onto. How do one grip a rope? Well, by its activators: strength and faith.

A few days ago, I talked about flipping rocks and persisting until you succeed. But here’s the reality of the situation: in the analogy I made, I used 100 rocks. You knew there were 100 rocks, so you could see the outcome of that story. You knew that, at some point, you'd flip over that 100th rock and find your prize. But in life, sometimes you don’t know how many rocks you’re going to have to flip before you achieve your goal or fulfill your vision. So what happens? After you've flipped over rock after rock and haven't gotten exactly what you want, does your energy stay high? Do you get discouraged? How do you keep the same intensity and enthusiasm with every single rock that you flip when you don't get the results that you want right away? We live in a society where we want instant gratitude. Sometimes we lack patience.

People say to me, “Jonathan, I love what you say. You’re so positive.” I have to let them know that while I am a positive person, being positive is not really my focus. My focus is on being real. I seek after the truth.

The truth is that when you don’t get the results you want, rock after rock, sometimes your energy dips. What do you do when that happens? How do you treat the next rock that you’re going to flip like the first? Inadvertently, how do you treat the next rock that you’re going to flip like it’s your last?

I finally found the secret.

You've got to know your ‘why’.

A woman carries a being in her body for 9 months. During that time, she undergoes a significant process. She’s got to change her entire lifestyle, eating and sleeping habits. Her hormones are usually all over the place. Despite all of this, however, she keeps on going. She makes it triumphantly through each day because she is dedicated to something greater than herself. Her ‘why’ is too big for her to let go or give up. So, in a way, she’s got to flip rock after rock, even when she’s tired or hormonal. She's able to trek on not because she was the best during pregnancy, or because she has some special powers enabling her to endure pain, but because she persisted until she succeeded.

That’s what we’ve got to do with every single rock. Whether it’s 1000, 100, or just 10. Our next flip has to be treated like it’s our first. Like we're excited to pursue something new. Something fresh. Likewise, our next flip also should be treated like our last. We’ve got to put our all into it because life may not offer us the chance to flip again. So keep on flipping. Keep on going. Figure out your why. It means too much to let go. Eventually, you'll find that rock after rock, you’ll get there.

 

-JH

 

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