Kicking Butt in Kung Fu and in Life!

Chapter 8 - Successful people are made when no one else is watching

Everyone loves to be a hero. Who doesn't want to be celebrated for their achievements, for their success? We love graduations, parties for promotions, businesses started and grown, innovations created, and all other markings of a milestone reached. While some people really don't like the limelight, all people want to be appreciated.

But success happens long before any celebrations. Success happens when no one else is even there. To be successful at anything, it means pushing through when it is hard. It means continuing when no one is there cheering you on. Success happens when you can move through each and every obstacle on your path, work through problems that seem impossible and eventually come out a victor.

People celebrate the result but sadly not the process. This is where most people lose the battle. Success is a lonely endeavor, at least for most people. This is not true for every journey. We do support people on earthly paths like college or other similar goals. But when it comes to people going after their destiny, a path that is different, there is usually much less support at least at the beginning.

I believe this is how it should be. To be what you are meant to be means exploring yourself. Digging for treasure, uncovering what makes you the unique person that you are. This is something that requires a lot of time with you and God alone.

I also don't believe that lack of support is a bad thing. You have to remember that no one on this planet knows what you are capable of. Remember that. You have a path to take that is uniquely yours, so even if you share it with others, they don't see it the way you do. So be prepared to lead the way. It is fun to take people with you and I encourage you to do that when you can, but if they are joining you, remember you must lead.

I used to get disappointed when I would share my dreams with other people and they wouldn't get excited, or worse they would have something negative to say. But then God taught me that they don't know what I am created for, in the same way, I don't know what God created them for. The true test of whether or not I will be successful is whether I am ready to listen only to God or not, and that will be your test too.

Why is this the case? Because doing anything great in life takes time, persistence, determination, and strength that when you start your journey, you probably didn't even yet have. Something has to keep you going. Something has to carry you forward when you are tired, when you are frustrated, and when every single thing seems to be going wrong. If it isn't something deep inside that you really want, most likely you will quit. Most likely the suppressing system of earthly life will win, and you will stop.

But when it is you and God, life might as well step out of the way because you will get there. Inch by inch some days. Or maybe two inches forward and one back, but you will get there. Because when God is in the picture, when it is your destiny calling, when it is the purpose of your existence calling your forward, you will not fail.

Getting a black belt in Kung Fu was hard. But there was a predictable and defined path to walk on. How I walked on it though was up to me. How long it took also was up to me. It isn't possible to get a black belt without hard work, without pushing myself physically, mentally and emotionally, without getting hurt. You can't get a black belt without testing yourself, without getting knocked down a lot.

This is as it is with life and any journey you decide to take. Prepare for it to be difficult, and longer than expected. Prepare to work harder than you ever have. Prepare to work hours and hours and hours when no one else is cheering you on, so that on the days when it is time to perform, you are ready. Success is a choice to continue forward based on your God-given knowing of what is possible and to never give up.